Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1942-02-20
Smallpox Ranked First as Indian Scourge; Boat
Carrying Death Came Up the Missouri i'm 1887

river became navigable. the American
Fur company's steamboat. the st.
Peters, left st. Louis for the upper
Missouri posts. laden with the annual
supplies, including presents for the In
dams. and goods to be bartered with
them for furs.
Some time on Its voyage and before
reaching the forts, smallpox broke out
among the passengers and the crew.
How many were affected is not known
because Of varying reports, giving the
number of cases from one to many. 1t
is likely that from one, many were in
fected. The course for the officers of
the boat to pursue would have been to
unload the goods, disinfect them, and
forward them later by keel boats to
their destinations. But this was not
done, the boat continuing its journey
to Fort Union at the mouth of the
Yellowstone, then the head of naviga-
ton on the Missouri.
Before criticising too severely the
officers for this action, it is well to
view the situation from their stand
point One thing is certain. If the In
dams contracted the disease, the fur
company would lose heavily. It was
to its interest that the lives of the
Indians should be safeguarded. 1t was
likewise to its interest that the lives
of its employees at the forts along the
river should be preserved. The Indians
knew the goods were on the way, and
expected to arrive at a definite time.
Their failure to do so would cause Sc
rious trouble, and perhaps attacks
upon isolated posts in the wilderness,
far removed from all possibility OF
being reinforced.
Plague Quickly Spread
When the boat reached Fort Clark,
post little below the mouth Of the
Big Knife river, Mr.. Chardon, who was
in charge there. did everything in his
power to keep the Indians away from
the boat. but without success. A Man.
dan chief Fort Clark being in the
neighborhood Of the Mandan villages
stole blanket from a man on the
boat, who had smallpox A fruitless eff
fort was made to buy 1t back, although
the thief was promised immunity from
punishment. BY June is the plague had
gained foothold in the villages, and
the inhabitants were helpless against
its advance. Men, women and children
rushed to the landing when the boat
came in, and nothing the fort officials
could say or do could keep them back
In this way. they were brought into
direct contact with the disease, If they
had not already contracted it from the
stolen blanket.
The virulence and quick action of the
epidemic Is unsurpassed in history
Its victims felt severe pains in back
and head. and In a few hours were
dead. After death the body swelled to
treble its size, and turned black. Few
who were stricken recovered. The In
dams blamed themselves, when too
late. for not needing the warnings Of
the officials, and begged the white
men to help them. This the men at
the post would willingly have done, but
it was beyond human power to stay
the course Of the disease.
A few Of the more intelligent In
dams. realizing that this horror that
had possession Of them was caused by
the whites, talked of vengeance, which
they were incapable Of executing be-
fore the plague moved them down.
Suicide was common and many fled
from their tepees only to die alone
on the prairie. Rapidly the death toll
was levied until Of the great tribe of
the Mandans only about 30 remained.
1t was impossible to bury the dead, 50
great was their number. Thrown over
a cliff, the sickening odor from the
decaying corpses was carried far and
wide.
Aricaras Nearly Wiped Out
Near the Mandans was a village of
Aricaras. For time these escaped in
lection, and the Mandans believed they
were In league with the whites to
bring about the destruction Of the
Mandans. But they changed their
minds when the AricaraS were likewise
smitten, and almost wiped out of exist
ence. The Minnetarees, or River eros
Ventres, also suffered greatly from the
disease.
Notwithstanding what happened at
Fort Clark, the ST. Peters did not turn
back, but went on to Fort Union The
consequences Of this mistaken action
might have been predicted. Besides the
goods, which must have inevitably car
ried the disease, Jacob Halsey, men,
Der OF the Upper Missouri outfit, and
who was sick with smallpox, stopped
there. He is said to have been vaccin-
ated and was not SO ill as others who
had not taken this precaution Whites
and Indians at the fort contracted the
disease from him, and there was dan
ger of its spreading to the Indians
without, as the time was approaching
when they would come in to trade at
the fort. 1t was decided to put in OPP
Grafton stringent preventive measures.
The only Indians within the stock
ade at the time were about 80 squawS
These were vaccinated from Halsey,
with dire results. Most, if not all of
them, died, and the fort became a YER
liable pest house. In the midst of this,
the Indians began to arrive. It Is
claimed that they were refused ad-
mission to the fort, but as Halsey says
1.-The air was infected for half mile
beyond the pickets," this preventive
measure could not have saved them.
They finally left the region of the fort,
but they carried the plague with them.
These Indians were the Assinni-
BONES, and from September to win
ter the disease ragged with the great
est destructiveness," says Halsey, "at
least ten out of twelve died Of it." Al
though they thoroughly understood the
OF 1oruor cny,oo of tho ASefnrt-