Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-05-11
Montunu's First Collective
Bargaining Attempts Were
Made During Fur Trade Days

LIE 4IOQuOB reminded ttOSS ina
Peter Skene Ogden the year befor
had promised that half Of the trap
pers' pay should be In currency. Ros
agreed to that, and the Iroquois re-
turned to camp.
Sensing more trouble ahead, RIOS
called in old Pierre to represent thu
Iroquois, and Montour TO represent the
Canadians Chalf-breeds), and he him
self assumed leadership for the trap
pers. The three of them would meet
each night and discuss complaints Of
the various groups.
Thus, 1t might be said began the
first labor trouble, and the first at
temptS at collective bargaining, in
what is now Montana
In camp on the He'll Gate river
eight Piegans with sleds loaded with
provisions for trade with the Flat
heads came by. Before Ross could con-
troll them the Iroquois stripped the
PieganS clean. Ross had TO pay treble
the value Of the goods and invite the
victims to his own lodge. When the
Piegans left next day Ross gave them
a salute of honor from the brass
cannon Just to show them it makes
a noise"
In early March, Ross was still in
He'll Gate canyon. 300 miles from any
post, the trail blocked by snow II
feet deep, and 1t was that way for 20
miles. This was no time for mutiny or
for plotting, and from dark to dark
Ross kept the men out cutting a path
through the snow. A week saw three
miles cleared. with a bowling blizzard
undoing all that had been achieved.
Blizzard Causes Trouble
Another week saw eight miles
cleared, but storm brought an idle
day, and mischief was bred John Grey,
a turbulent Iroquois, told Ross he and
10 others were turning back; they had
been engaged to trap and not to dig
snow. With ca1olery, flattery and pure
bluff Ross won the point for the mo-
ment. But muttny in the camp grew
apace. A blizzard started and kept up
for a week.
Ross could smile at this. The back
trail was as tough as the one ahead.
The mutineers might as well go for
ward now.
When the storm abated and before
the mutineerS could do anything, six
friendly Nez Perez Indians came to
camp. They had been on a buffalo
hunt, and the buffalo were but five
days away, and they were plentiful,
but the snow was deeper ahead.
Ross took advantage of this diver
sion. He called John, one Of the mutt
neerS, and offered to reduce his debt
to the company If he would hunt the
hills and provide meat for the camp. !
He called for 80 others to accompany
the NeZ Perez back to the buffalo
country, on Snowshoes. to hunt buffalo. /
With his forces split up, Ross could |
see the end of his troubles. The storm /
was followed by thaw that made /
better grazing for the horses and he /
sent the Indian women picking cram /
berries In the marshes. In a short [
time the hunters were back with buff
falo meat, and the women began max
ing pemmican, much of which was dis
patched to the western forts.
Rebellion Breaks Anew
SnowblindneSs affected six men, and
rebellion began anew. Old Pierre was
the only man who would work on the
trail. Nights were spent gambling, and
the days grumbling. Old cadillac, a
half-breed, made an Indian drum by
stretching buffalo skin on hoops. John
Grey, the rebel, uncased his fiddle and
made music Ross had an idea.
A camp concerto Two or three lodges
were turned into one. The drum, fiddle,
concertinas, Jews harps and a fife
came out. The night was danced away
with a roaring celebration that the
mountains had never experienced be-
fore, and were not to have again until
the honkeytonks and tinhorn halls Of
Northern Pacific construction camps
appeared more than half q century
later. When morning came Ross was
ready with another surprise, sprung
so quickly that the jewellers did not
grasp its import until they were tired
1ut.
The sun was coming up gloriously
over the mountains to the east. The
whole crew would go out and dig out I
That snow to the tune Of John Grey's
.iddlel And John Grey literally nd- !
lied them through the deep drifts. !
-Four days later, however, the novel {
y. was gone, and all but seven men
cleared away the last mile Of the
now blockade, and on Thursday, !
April Is, the expedition passed into (
,pen country. ]
$4,000 Worth OF PeIts
The next two months were spent {
around the three forks Of the Missouri
liver, in what is now Yellowstone park,
md along the Snake river. There was p
ONE Indian trouble along the way,
When Ross and his expedition reached
spokane House In November they had .
$4,000 worth of beaver, and Ross
urned in to help fit Peter Skene Og-
len out for his first trip to the Snake
liver during the coming winter. Ogden
lad 176 men in his outfit, and ex-
'ected to bring in at least $14,500 in
eaver pelts.
Ogden himself would never give all
he facts regarding his adventures on
he Snake on that trip. But on his
wn expedition, Ross had met a party
II American trappers from Henry's
,rigade. They had 900 beavers, but
would sell none to Ross. Ogden re-
urned the following year without any
'eaver, but the American traders
urned S14,500 in beaver in at the st.
Iouis market that season, based on
price of $3.50 per pelt. 1t was this
atch that enabled Ashley to retire
rom the mountains and turn over to
he others the business of dealing with
he brigades of free trappers scattered
throughout the mountain country.
The true story of Ogden's encounter
With the free trappers and the inside"
tory of the transaction" involving
4 4 S00 ryoy-ff, Of t1nouor WOULD Yrooka