Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1941-04-04
BY WILCTiEY

From as early As 1880, when the
first French voyageurs penetrated
the upper reaches Of the Missouri
river. to 1880. when the last COM
merciai steamboat left Fort Ben
ton on its downriver trip, many
thousands of fortune seekers trav-
eled over the uncertain river high
way in search of the pot OF gold
at the end Of the rainbow. Many
found the wealth that they sought
and returned 10 eastern homes 10
live in luxury the remainder OF
their lives or squandercd their
money and sought new fields OF
adventure.
Others remained in Montana and
helDed 10 develop this state to its
present greatness. But there was an
other and less fortunate class OF al
yenturers whose bones lie To-Day IN
unmarked, forgotten graves-the rec
ords of their names and the fate that
befell them long buried from human
recollection by the passing years.
That great Missouri river steamboat
pilot. Captain LaBarge, said q snort
time before his death, u, alone, could
easily name 100 points along the river
where ! have buried passengers OF
members OF crews Of my boats. l
generally sought some elevated ground
Tor this purpose which the ravages OF
the river could not reach. These graves
were marked If at all, with wooden
headboards, for there was generally no
other material at hand, or II there
were. time did not permit OF Its use.
at will never be known, and cannot
now even be conjectured, how many
OF these forgotten graves there are,
but l can say with truth that there
are enough TO make the shores OF
the Missouri one continuous grave
ward from its source to its mouth.
Were every white mans grave along
that stream distinctly Marked tne
traveller would never be out OF slghS
of these pathetic reminders of futile
contests with the universal enemy,
death But. unfortunately, no marx
remains upon any but very lew, ana
the names OF those who are purlea
in most OF them are wrapped forever
In oblivion"
Many Stories Untold
Had the annals Of the tragedles OF
travel I'D and down the Missouri peeH
recorded and preserved, there would
he long chapters and many volumes
replete with stories of unfortunate al
vepturers in the wilds. Many OF these
would be pathetic tales OF men WIZ
died from illness or starvation WheFe
they had been overcome lar from an
human help. Others would CeSc[ ,.2s
desnerate and thrilling fights Tor he
AGAINST terrible odds. after which red
men of the prairies added another
tally to their list of enemies conquered.
The river men Of the Missouri
class who filled a great place in the
history Of the west and who TO-DAY are ar,
practically forgotten used 10 Ten
some interesting tales OF these river
tragedies.
One OF these stories concerned a
marty of 81 men and 3 women VINO IN
the summer of 1868 went down the
Missouri in a tlat-bottomed Macklnaw
boat from Fort Benton. They reacheo
the mouth of Apple creek, near "nere
Bismarck, N. D., now stands, Just as
the Sioux Indians, whom General SID,
lev was driving out of Minnesota ana
across the country 10 the Mlssouii'
arrived on the banks Of that stream;
These Indians had just been defeated
in three fights with heavy losses, ana
they were in an angry MOOD. Iney
attacked the boat and fought the little
party an entire day, finally killing
them all and sinking the boat. II was
reported that the whites killed 81 IN
dians in the fight, and that the cap
tain OF the boat. whose name was
Baker. showed such bravery that the
indians offered to let him 60 alive.
He refused to leave the other survivors
and they were all killed. This boat
contained considerable quantity OF
gold dust, some of which was recoV-
cred by the Mandan and Aricara IN
dams.
Miners Are Killed
In 1864, while Captain LaBarge was
at Fort Benton, q party of miners from
Virginia City offered to buy small
Mackinaw boat that he possessed. He
refused to sell. because he felt sure
that it meant death to them to try
to run the gauntlet of hostile Indians
along the river. They replied that they
of road agents. The captain told them
that they had less to fear from road
agents than from Indians. The road
agents. he said, might take their gold.
hit the Indians would spare neither
treasure nor life. They were uncon-
WINGED, however. and as the captain
would not sell the boat, they stole II
and set out.
Fort Berthold, In North Dakota, where
the channel ran close to the shore,
they were attacked by a war party
Of Sioux and every man in the boat
was killed Pierre Garreau, French
halfbreed and one of the best known
Interpreters in the Indian country,
went down and recovered some OF the
IaBarge saw some OF 1t among the
Indians.
Tragedy on Marias
on April %, 1865. band of Blood
Indians near Fort Benton stole about
40 horses belonging to a party OF
SON. a nephew of Kit Carson, was one.
On the hight Of May % these men.
while on a drunken spree. attacked
small party of Blood Indians who hap.
pened to be near Fort Benton, but
were not the thieves. killed three and
threw their bodies into the Missouri
The survivors fled toward the south