Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1942-02-21
BY GEORGE NJ. CASEY

Montana history Is not without
Its humorous incidents and the
Fort FizzAe fiascO Is not one Of the
least of these.
Up the LOIO canyon five and
half miles from the town of LOlo,
southwest Of MissouIa, is a marker
showing the location Of a redOubt
thrown mp by Capt. Charles G.
Rawn Of the Seventh infantry. IL
was, with good reason, later dubbed
Fort FfxxEe.
Here took place one of the MASTER
pieces Of military futility Chief Jo-
Seph and his Nez Perez followers made
the white plTsuers look like monkeys
throughout his historic retreat from
Idaho into Montana and north almost
to the Canadian border, where his
force was finally defeated by Gen. Nell
son A. Miles in the Bears Paw battle
But he never made them appear to
worse advantage than he did at Fort
Fizzle, which his followers evaded by
ascending a gJlch on the north side
of Lolo creek a half mile above and
going down Sleeman creek into the
Bitter Root valley.
Five cement piers, erected bp Mis-
Soula service club, locate the spot where
Fort F1zzle once stood, a forest fire
eight years ago having destroyed all
that remained of the old log redoubt.
MisSOuIa Was Panicky
War filters that may now be af-
flicting the nation are as nothing COM
pared to the fears which enveloped the
Nlssoula country when Josephs war
riors, women and children were swing
ing down the Lolo trail into Montana
in 1877
Wild rumors made the whites fear
that the Nee Perez would attack
Missoula Even the Sun River country
east of the mountains had the shakes.
Missoula residents alarm was ag-
gravated by the knowledge that the
city was unprepared for an Indian at
tack Four miles south of the town,
Fort Missoula was in process of con-
Struction but this was cold comfort,
as it was garriSoned with only two re-
duced companies of the Seventh in
fantry, commanded by Captain Rawn
and the post had but A soldiers. Re-
CARELESS of their bravery, they were
no match for 300 warriors, supported
by $50 women and children, many of
whom were as efficient at handling
firearms as the warriors.
Acting Governor Meagher sent from
Helena what arms he could gather and
Rawn called for volunteers. Scores Of
settlers rushed into town, scores of
men coming from Bitter Root farms.
Another 100 were recruited in Mis-
soula. The women and children were
crowded into the general merchandis-
ing store of Higgins and Worden. A
stout and roomy log building, 1t had
been converted into temporary bar
ricade.
Thereupon Rawn, bolStered by civil
ian volunteers, five commissioned Of |
ficers and 80 soldiers, sailed forth to
deal with Joseph in the Lolo canyon. !
He hoped to bottle the Nez Perez up
there and hold them until Gen. o. o. |
Howard, who had been defeated by |
Joseph in Idaho, could catch up. How |
ard was several days behind and hav-
ing plenty Of trouble, his progress not |
only impeded by rugged terrain but |
by underbrush, fallen trees and the |
dense growth Of lodge pole pine.
The Indians were puzzled as to the !
best course to take from Lolo to Can |
ada. If they went north they would |
have to cross the reservation Of the |
FIatheads; east would bring them past
Missou1a, and farther on, too close to
Fort Shaw and Fort Benton. The
southern route-up the Bitter Root
was chosen because the friendly Crows
were on that route, east Of the divide.
Goes Forth TO Meet Foe
But let us return to the doughty Cap
tain Rawn and his rugged band Of In
dian fighters. The captain marched the
10 miles south to Lolo canyon on July
Is. Eight miles above where the can
Won debouched into the Bitter Root
valley, he erected log breastworks three