Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1941-05-17

presented at the store in exchange fol
goods, which usually were blankets
cloth, beads. knives, flint steels, brace
let's, rings, etc.
Tobacco Supply Gone
One of the curious happenings al
/ Fort Benton In 1862 was a tobacco
famine" The supply of tobacco gave
out early in March, and there was no
hope of relief before the arrival Of the
first steamboat In May. At first little
was thought of the shortage Of this ar
ticle, but soon the disastrous effects
became evident.
The garrison at this time consisted
of the governor, or bourgeois" a
clerk, an Interpreter, several carpenters
and blackSmiths. cooks and hunters:
and some 80 laborers. The fare was ex-
tremely plain, consisting usually of such
game as the hunters might procure,
and homtny, although the governor,
clerk and other more important en-
ployes were also given rice, sugar, dried
fruit and occasionally biscuits. AS the
men were quite closely confined to the
fort the quality of food served and lack
Of entertainment made their lives seem
most monotonous. They were inclined
to be discontented and quarrelsome,
and when their tobacco gave out, they
=
casionally one of the garrison would
bring forth a small amount, which he
sold readily for $40 per ounce in gold.
BY this time considerable gold dust
was being received from the new dig
gings at Bannack. Old frontiersmen,
who had often in emergencies in the
wilderness gone for days without food
and had suffered all
manner Of hardshipS, seemed to for
crnf THAR manhood afTrdnV tho fv.caffo
craving for tobacco and surrendered |
themselves to spells Of rage that re-
suited in many fights and several kill
ings. 1t was found that the man who |
was occasionally producing and selling |
tobacco had procured his store by tear
ing up the floor and gathering the
crumbs Of the weed that had sifted
through the cracks.
Sells for $40 Pound
The first steamboat was eagerly
watched for because of the tobacco it
would bring, and the general misery
was increased when word at length ar
rived that the boat had been held up
BY low water some 20 miles below the
fort. Some of the garrison started out
On foot to meet the boat and bought
al they could carry at $1.50 per pound.
aurTying back to the fort with this
hey reaped a good profit by selling 1t
'or from $6 to SO per pound.
In 1864 the beginning of the end of
he fur trade was foreseen by the
American Fur Co., which sold Fort
Benton to a private firm. In that year I
he building Of the town outside Of the |
ort also began. In 1870 Fort Benton
became a military post, and continued
o house a garrison for several years,
when it was abandoned and its grad |
lal decay followed.
Fort Benton saw its best days as a
criminal port for river traffic between
he years 1864 and 1869. Prior to 1854
My six steamboats, had docked there,
nut in 1866 and 1867, 10 steamers ar
lived, laden with passengers and mer-
handiSe. The trade touched high-water
mark IN 1867, at which time there was
presented one of the most eXtraord-
nary developments In the history of !
vater traffic on an inland waterway.
sometimes there were as many as 40
teamboatS on the river between Fort :
Benton and the present Dakota bound
ry, a distance of 600 miles by river.
AS Fort Benton's river traffic grew, !
IS importance as a distributing center !
or an enormous area in the northwest =.
Increased. During the 70'S the Diamond !
and other freighting companies with
eadquarters there had hundreds Of :
Tagon trains, pulled by oxen, and mules
aultng freight as far north as the :
hudson Bay posts in Canada and as :
ar south as Utah Contracts for haul !
lg all freight to Indian agencies and I
rmy posts in the northern Rocky :
fountain region were let at Fort Ben !
IN. One firm of traders there supplied !.
he Royal Northwest Mounted Police Of
anada with equipment and provisions =
nd even acted as paymaster to the =
)rce. !,
OlOrfuI Frontier Town. Il
In those days Fort Benton was a S
coming and colorfuI frontier town. n
S population included Mexicans and a
paniards from the south, French voy- b