Glacier County chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1931-1940, 1940-12-27
of Ida Crowley Tells of Children of Pioneers
Who Came to Treasure State i'm Covered Wagons During 9Os
By IDA M. CROWLEY

. April 4, 1886, the Holmes
IN of prairie schooners started
y from Faribault, MINI. It ar
Of in Fort Benton, July IL and
e elena Aug. Is, of the same
0 Each wagon top bore the
Idaho Or Bust" Each We
az was loaded with supplies for
years. Chickens, tools, farm
. kments and personal belong
made up the rest Of the loads.
e we're 100 wa. ms in the
Four hundred men, women
children made up the per-
4 S. Sears, my father, mill
: surveyor and carpenter, head
family group which was COM
Of my mother MARY WilliamS)
rothers and, myself. Father had
tool chest Among the posses
The brought along for the new
we're a whipSaw, stove. sewing
ne. pillow and harrow of his
making.
Id 10 Jobs
re we left, every man, woman
hid was trained to task. Each
what to do in any emergency
might arise. The train was Or
and the members of the party
sure of getting through.
as the youngest of our family,
only year and three months
the time My oldest brother then
10, the other, 8.
did not have a guide when we
4 faribault but, when we reached
| Red River of the North, Captain
es got two half-breeds and their
les to act as guides. These half
had Red river carts. These
were about 81 feet high at the
and made of hickory and rawhide
bed OF the cart was about feet
and 4 feet wide. made like a
II hayrack. The halfbreeds never
led the wheels, so you could hear
soueaking for miles.
train camped at Red lake. Min
Ra, for one night. Our scout looked
&acroSs the lake and saw a fire.
dark he left camp and did not
h. The next morning we waited
him. About 10 O'Clock we saw a
OF dust on the prairie. 1t was
first Indian scare. We thought
&ere about to be maSSacred. But.
Dlr relief, it was the scout return
with friends. He had crawled into
Indian camp where the fire was,
he'd to them talking and learned
we're his relatives.
be scout was reluctant to go on
)out a visit. The Indians visited
train and asked for whisky which
lain Holmes refused to give them.
1 then stayed and ran races, boxed
wrestled. Then they got my faith
fiddle. put the endgates of the
pnS on the ground, and danced
river jigs. After the party the
i rejoined us.
hn Attack
bis Indian visit was only a scare
soon we had a real brush with
y. We saw them coming and the
OnS quickly went into circle and
the cattle inside.
he Indians rode around the train,
,ting arrows dipped in pitch and
ted One OF these landed in our
on top but mother put it out. She
us children between feather beds
safety but my brother. Ed. could
stand that. He had TO get out and
the fun.
he fight did not last long. Old SOL
5 soon put the Indians TO flight.
m told that one of the Indians
70 come in between the wagons
that a shot from a gun held by
her stopped him. A number of In
S were killed. That night the In
S ran off some of our horses but.
next day, our men chased them,
q two Indians and recovered the
eS
e then reached the Big Muddy.
n was in flood. We were three
trying to cross. The cattle swan
We put the wagon boxes on stills
eep everything dry. The half-breed
VS. put their papooses in the water
made them swim.
lie day. as the journey progressed.
Of our scouts roped two white
deer. They were very pretty and
covered with yellow spots about
ig as a nickel. All day long they
d sleep in a wagon and at night
woull skip and play about the
}: A few days later the scout roped
lffalo bull calf. 1t took six men