Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1941-02-01
BY z NJ CLRA1AN

Post creek. was located the once
Important trading post Of the
mighty Hnds0n's Bay company,
chartered by che British govern
ment to trade IN North America
This pest was established In 1S47
by Angus Mcdonald, member of
Scotch family famous In the an
mails Of the northwest fur trade,
whose som, the late Duncan Nc
Donald, Was known as one Of the
outstanding men OF Indian blood
Ia the northwest. Duncan McDOn-
aid was bora In 1894 at the old
Hudson's Bay post, and his life
was spent In western Montana, IN
the development Of which he was
an Important factor.
Members Of the Mcdonald family
were among the first Scotchmen TO
engage prominently in the business OF
trading with the Indians for fUrs IN
the Rocky mountain area. John Nc
Donald Of Garth was bound out TO
the Northwest company as a clerk IN
1871, and was prominent In the Co
llmbia river district at the time OF
the Aston enterprise. from 1911 to-
1913. Retiring IN 1915, he settled near
Montreal and died later at ripe old
age. Another member of the family,
DR.. Archibald Mcdonald, was also
prominent as a trader in the Red
river and Columbia river districts.
Angus Mcdonald, who later became
a figure in early Montana history,
was born in Ress-shire, Scotland, in
1916, received a good education and,
In 1898, entered the employment Of
the Hudson's Bay company. He spent
his first winter in the vicinity OF Hud-
sons Bay, but the following year was
sent down into the Flathead country.
where he remained for some time as
chief trader at the posts at Fort Hall
and Fort Boise, and at Colville, on
the Columbia river, where he was
promoted to the position of chief
trader or factor, remaining in charge
Of that post from 1852 to 1871, when
he sold out his interests to the COM
pany and removed to Montana, where |
he engaged in stock raising until his
death in 1889.
About 1910 he took as a wife Cath |
crime, a Nee Perez woman, sister OF
Eagle of the Light, a chief Of that
tribe. She died in 1892. There were
born to them 13 children, several Of
whom, besides Duncan, reside In Mon
tana at this time.
Though he spent his entire life on
the frontier, Angus Mcdonald was o |
student and a thinker. He was well
read, especially in the classics and
SS~@NNNN-Ne~1
religious and other subjects and was
a writer. In the state historical library
at Helena q number Of his manu-
scripts are filed, including a number
of long poems and several playS-one,
q tragedy, based on the massacre Of
the Whitman family by Indians.
One manuscript left by Angus Nc
Donald gives a fine description OF the
country surrounding the old Hudson's
BAY post on the Flathead reservation,
which was begun by Frank Macarthur,
another Hudson's Bay company trad
er, but finished by Mcdonald IN 184T.
It was called Fort Connah, and was
the last trading post established in
the territory of the United States.
Likewise, Mcdonald was the last chief
trader that the Hudson's Bay COM
pany had In the United States. When
he sold his stock in the company In
1871 and returned to Montana from
Fort ColVille, Washington, the COM
pany sold it's interests in the United
States to this nation, or rather sur
rendered their claims to all their
interests, for sum approximating
$4,000.
The manuscript above referred to
contains a description Of a journey
from old Fort Connah, on the Flat
head, to British Columbia. In it, Nc
Donald says In part:
Leaving my home fronting the
Coul-hi-Cat, now known as the Mis-
sion mountain range. I camped on
CamaS plain. This Coul-hi-Cat Is the
westernmoSt of three great bars Of
the Rocky mountains and forms the
eastern boundary of the Flathead res
ervation, and in its sublime grandeur
overlooks one OF the most beautiful
valleys Of America. The Jesuit mis-
sion, established in 1853, Is on one Of
its most western rivuletS called Sin !
a-jail-min,' which means where they
were surrounded and refers to the :
surrounding Of band Of elk there by ,
the Indians.
'This mission, the second to be
established by the Catholic priests
within the boundaries Of the present
state Of Montana, was begun In 1874
by Fathers Peter DeSmet and Adrian
Hoecken, and then located on the east !
bank Of the Pend Oreille river, about
opposite the present town Of Cusick,
Washington, but was abandoned be-
cause of the foundations and moved ,
TO its present site In September, 1854,
by Father Hoecken.
MY home, six miles due north Of 1t,
is called Kootle-tzin-ape, from
valley formed by two birch and willow
groves on the left Of the stream. Here
eAACAA was DCGAA Wy n1Sf1I t1luI h1lQ
finished by me the last post estab- =
Eished by the Hudson's Bay company !
In the United States. The reservation
itself Is divided by the FIathead river
and Flathead lake, as It sweeps down 4
from British Columbia, and each Of 9
It's many generous little tributaries .
have stories enough for a hundred :
Othellos or MacBeths. The dark cliffs Y
Of the Symbols overlooking the lake J,
mount NJ thA E3okflorv, osvmBe rTorx, t1,n v
plains Of the Camas and the peak Of !.
she familiar Spirit once the Sinai :
Of Montana'g red men. but now !,
named Mount Mcdonald after me, are
4 few items yet TO be described long ;,
after this generation win find their ),
mm n