Glacier County chief., 1940-10-25
in the birth of a child. which incident
caused little delay in the days march.
Miners Tell Of Gold Strikes


caused little delay in the days march.
Miners Tell of Gold Strikes
The party spent several days at
Fort Union, the trip having taken 81
travelling days, averaging l6 miles. At
THIS time the post was in the posses
sion of Pierre Choteau Jr. g. Co., of
81. Louis, known as the American Fur
the north bank of the river, about
three miles above the mouth of the
Yellowstone and about 300 feet square,
with log palisade 16 feet high with
bastions at the northeast and south
west corners. Around the court were
line OF residences for the employees,
nearly all of whom had Indian wives.
There was an entrance gate on the
north and one on the south side
Steamboats, had run from St. Louis
to the fort for nearly 80 years, but
only two boats had touched the levee
at Fort Benton two years before and
the year before there had been no
arrivals there, and the current sum-
mer only four steamboats, had reached
this port, later known as the head of
navigation.
A little below Fort Union the expe-
dition reached Montana, although at
the time it was part of the terri
corporated into the territory of Idaho.
In crossing Big Muddy creek, five
wagons were trailed into the stream
and a bridge formed, although the
water covered the bed of the wagon
boxes. The goods were carried across
the bridge and the wagons loaded and
before noon the caravan proceeded
on its way. Five days later the train
reached the mouth of Milk river
On to Walla Walla
They were visited by friendly Gros
Ventres and traded for some buffalo
robes, giving three pounds of brown
sugar for each robe. At a crossing
of Milk river they met two horsemen
with three pack horses, the first white
travellers they had met since leaving
Abercrombie more than seven weeks
before. The men were from Florence
City six weeks out from the Salmon
river mines bound for the states. These
mines they reported as rich. but the
mines at Deer Lodge and in the Bitter
Root valley they reported as produc-
ing no gold.
On Sept. / they crossed the Milk
river for the last time where it was
about 40 yards wide and 10 feet deep,
but the bed was dry, as it had been
for the last 100 miles. Here they
Of 5000 or 1000 Indians. apparently
where they had left standing the
medicine lodge which was 100 feet in
diameter and 40 feet high. The next
day they camped on Box Elder creek
and the day after they halted at Big
Sandy. On Sept. 4, they passed the
Marias and Teton rivers and camped
on the latter about three miles from
Fort Benton. Here they remained three
days. The distance from Abercrombie
was $50 miles
Although Captain Ffsk's orders con-
templated the breaking up of the ex-
petition at Fort Benton. the emigrants
unanimously requested him to con-
tinue with them in the same capacity
continued to the neighborhood of
Helena, where on the banks of the
Prickly Pear. near Montana City, gold
had been discovered. Here the party
! disbanded, some securing claims here
while others decided to proceed to
the Grasshopper digglngs at Bannack,
but before disbanding, all joined in
a letter to Captain Fisk, testifying
| their satisfaction and gratitude at his
conduct of the expedition.
Christening of Helena
! Captain Fisk with his escort pro-
! ceeded by the Mullan road across the
mountains to the Deer Lodge valley
! and on to Walla Walla, where the
escort disbanded and the captain dis
! posed of the stock and equipage and
/ proceeded down the Columbia and to
San Francisco, and thence by steamer
/ to New York.
During the next four years Captain
Fisk performed a similar service for
the emigrants to the mines over the
same general route and under the
direction of the secretary OF war. but
the experiences of these are described
generally by the above itinerary of
the expedition of 1862. There are
many pioneers still in the state who