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

and met a large band of warriors of
their tribe near Sun River crossing.
on their way north. A council of war
was held and revenge was decided
upon. Accident soon threw the desired
opportunity in their way.
At the mouth of the Marias river
lay the steamboat Cutter. A townsite
had been laid off at this point and
named Ophir, and some timber had
been cut in the valley of the MariaS
for use in the erection of buildings.
The principal proprietor of the nascent
village was passenger on the Cutter.
and the business of that boat seems
to have been connected with the
building of the town. On the after
noon of May 25, about halfpast .
o'clock. eight men left the boat with
a wagon ana three yoke of oxen to
bring down some of the timber. and
an hour later two men went on horse
back to join them. for it was felt that
the party should be as strong as pos
Sible. These men were all well armed.
Their route lay up the valley of the
Marias along its west bank, which was
quite broad and then narrowed to a
width of 400 yards. There was q
growth of timber quite dense close TO
the river. but open farther back. Just
above this point the bluffs crowded
close upon the river. scanned with ra-
vines and gullies like all the river
way at the foot of these bluffs was
very narrow.
Indians Get 10 Whites
Beyond this defile the valley opened
out again, and there was another belt
of timber In the upper opening the
Indians seem to have been in camp
and to have been discovered by the
woodchoppers just as the latter were
passing the defile 1t was probably the
same band which we have noted as
being near Sun River two days before
The wagons were instantly turned
about, although in a most disadvan-
tageous situation. The Indians saw the
whites at about the same time. They
were lying in wait for another party
with mule train, and were intending,
after attacking it, to try to take the
steamboat. AS soon as they saw the
woodchoppers they at once attacked
them and killed every man and cap
tured all the property.
About September. 1865. eight men
! left Fort Benton in skiff for the
states. They were attacked by some
40 Indians near the mouth of the
| Milk river and five of their number
were killed The fight lasted over five
hours. One of the men who was killed,
T. A. Kent by name. is said to have
actually killed Is Indians before he
himself fell.
In the year 1866 there were several
noted open-boat voyages down the
river. One of these was made by 4
party of 10 miners, who purchased a
Mackinaw at Fort Benton in which
to transport themselves and the gold
dust. When in camp on an island about
go miles above Fort Randall, one of
the men, Of the name of Thompson.
got up in the night. took an AK, killed
one companion and wounded another.
He was apparently bent on the de-
struction Of the entire party. The rest
of the men. suddenly awakened by the
cries of their comrades, and believing
that they were attacked by Indians.
! rushed to the boat with the wounded
man and made off, leaving the muir
derer and his victim alone on the
island. Whether robbery was the mo-
tive of the deed, or whether it was
Boat Had 100000 Cargo
NAV party that went down the same
season. 1t consisted of IT men, and
made the trip from Fort Benton to
Sioux City in % days. They brought
down over 100000 in gold dust.
The third party of this season con-
sisted of one man in yawl and about
20 others in a Mackinaw. They made
the entire trip without loss. although
they were attacked, some 225 miles
below Benton by about 500 Blackfeet.
The river was in flood stage, and
thanks to its great width and swift
current, the boats were able to keep
out of range of the Indians and to
pass quickly beyond their reach.
The most important Mackinaw trip
ever made down the river was in 1866
under the leadership of J. P. Hubbell.
who had advertised that his steamboat
would leave Fort Benton on her Sec
ond trip about Sept. Is. promising, II
she did not get to Fort Benton, to
take the passengers down In Mack
NAV until they met her. As late as
Oct. 20 she had not appeared. and
accordingly about 30 passengers start
ed down In Mackinaw. The boat was
very elaborate one, built for this
particular trip. It was 30 feet long and
IL feet beam, housed in on both sides
by bullet-proof walls for a distance of
SO feet, With sleeping hunks along the
sides, and open spaces at bow and
stern for managing he boat. Two