Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1942-02-06

About 20 miles below the mouth Of
the Musselshell, where Telegraph
creek, known in the early days as
10 years ago n half-dismantled adobe
chimney, all that was left of the old
Fort Pouchette. once one of the live
Hest trading posts on the Missouri
river The story of its building, Of its
stormy life. of the daily perils faced
by its adventurous garrison, was told
in 1900 by the late Thomas Curry. a
pioneer of northern Montana, who died
about 20 years ago after having spent
the last two decades of his honorable
career in Great Falls. Curry having
been one of the men who helped erect
and garrison the fort.
Curry. in company with a large
party of men detailed to erect trading
posts at Fort Belknap, Wolf Point and
the mouth of the Pouchette. left Fort
Buford in 1870, Curry's party starting
out on foot for Fort Peck, an over
land trip of about 200 miles. From
Fort Peck the trip was made by the
river and the story of this exceeding
ly arduous journey and Of life at Fort
Pouchette is best told in the words
of Curry as follows:
After a few days rest the various
parties which had rendezvoused at
Fort Peck started out for their des-
tinations. Our party got the big flat
boat ready and started upstream for
Pouchette river. The party consisted
of Jerome Highly, William Courtney,
William SHELTON, George Powell, Will
liam Ivey, myself and two scouts,
Billy Benair and an Assinniboine In
dian. Sunkawasta Cor Good Dog. The
trip up the river at this time of the
year meant hardship and lots of it.
and our expectations were justified
by events.
Our flatboat was loaded with 80
tons of freight for the projected trad
ing post at Pouchette. Attached to the
bow was heavy line 300 feet long
by which we pulled the boat along.
AS it was low water at this time Of
the year, we we're forced to wade
nearly every mile of the long way.
Scout On Each Bank
THE two scouts followed us, one
on each bank of the river, to give
timely warning of the approach of any
Indian war parties. On one occasion
Good Dog discovered a Sioux war par
ty about a mile away and he came
running in. bowling like coyote beg
ging us to take him across the river
out OF danger. We sent boat across
and got him and then made a stand
on the opposite bank ready to fight
The Indians soon found that we were
in most impregnable position, and
after firing a few harmless shots at
us, went away.
Every night, as precaution against
surprise. for the country was full OF
Indians, we selected our camping
ground on a wide sandbar, digging q
trench in which to sleep. 1t was far
from a comfortable method of getting
a nights rest after wading in the
cold water sometimes up to our necks
but safety demanded it. 1t was grow
ing colder as we advanced and some
mornings we had to break the thin
ice as we pulled our boat along.
"Cne night about 10 days out, we
decided to take chance and get one
nights good comfortable sleep in dry
quarters We selected a dry creek
where there was plenty of driftwood
and made our camp. We made a great
fire and thoroughly enjoyed the sem
sation of getting warmed up and dried
out again. During supper we heard q
suspicious noise upcreek in the timber
AS bear tracks = were quite thick
around there the rest of the men
laughed at my suggestions of some
thing more dangerous, but Ivey and
took our guns and walked up the
bank a little way, but discovered
nothing. The others joshed us for our
fears and called the place Fort Bear
We never knew until later how near
we were to eternity.
Hartlships Had Just Started
Five days afterward we reached
our destination at Pouchette creek
and were glad to get any place out
of the Missouri river. Our hardships