Glacier County chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1931-1940, 1940-02-23
By WALTER E. TAYLOR

One day in 1881 a river craft
which caused riverbOat men to gasp
in amazement slid down the waves
of a shipyard at PittSburg. This I'M
usual boat was built on special Or
der for Pierre Chouteau of the
American Fur Co. Chouteau was
going to try his luck with steam
boats on the upper Missouri. Al
ready there were many of these
craft on the lower Mississippi and
the shrewd Frenchman could not
see why steamboats, could not be
operated successfully on the rivers
of the far west.
He knew no ordinary boat could stem
the swift currents of the upper Mis-
souri,, so he had his craft built with
unusually large timberS. The vessel
was SO Staunch and solid, and there
fore so heavy. that she sat low in the
water, drawing three feet when light
and five feet when loaded.
The building of the boat had caused
lengthy arguments between Pierre
Chouteau and other members OF the
American Fur Co. The company already
had a fleet of keelboats transporting
goods and furs between various posts
in the territory now included in the
states of North Dakota and Montana.
Members of the company were making
fortune at this business and his part
ners could not see why Chouteau
wanted to risk money on steamboats,.
They brought in seasoned riverboat
captains to explain to Chouteau why
the navigation of the upper Missouri
with steamboats, was not feasible. But
the more they argued that the idea was
nonsensical. the more determined the
strong willed Frenchman became to
carry out his plan.
Boat Christened yellowstone"
ChnutpaIl named his new
looking boat the yellowstone When
she steamed up to the wharf at st.
Louis, Chouteaus home town, river
men of that place laughed and told the
Frenchman his boat would never pass
the shoals between st. Louis and Fort
Pierre, in what is now, South Dakota.
Pierre Chouteau and his funny boat
were the joke of the town, but he did
not lose faith in his idea.
The yellowstone" was a Side-wheel-
er, simply though Staunchly construct
ed, with small cabin on the same deck
as the boiler. The feature which caused
the most merriment among rlvermen
was her small engine and the fact that
the wheels were propelled by single
shaft. necessitating the unshipping of
one wheel in making abrupt turns. AS
skipper for his new ship Chouteau had
chosen Captain Bennett, man of wide
experience on the rivers. Chouteau an
nounced that he would himself travel
as a passenger on the maiden trip into
the far west by water. From the prov
of the yellowstone" flew the house
banner of the American Fur Co.
st. Louis came down to the wharf
en- maSse to give the yellowstone" a
rousing send-off. The vessel made good
speed but fate and the elements con-
spired against Pierre Chouteau. In the
summer of 1881 the rivers were lower
than they had been for years, and the
low-Setting yellowstone" got no far
Their than Fort Pierre on that first voy-
age. Pierre Chouteau began to think
perhaps his partners had been right.
Perhaps navigation with steamboats, on
the upper Missouri was impractical.
However, since he already owned the
boat, he made another voyage up the
river in 1882 Luck rode the river with
Pierre Chouteau that summer and the
yellowstone" succeeded in making
Fort Union at the mouth of the Vel
lowstone river.
Chouteau went back to St. Louis
with a load of Montana furs. He asked
his partners what they thought of his
steamboat idea now, and with enthus-
iasm they helped him plan a larger
vessel. The result of these plans was
the "Assinaboine," a vessel with a
large cabin for passengers on the upper
deck. By this time word of Chouteaus
success with the first boat had spread
far and wide, and there were so many
requests for cabin space in the ASSN
aboine" for her maiden voyage that
many had to be turned down. Among
those who applied and got tickets was