Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1942-07-10
Initial Experiences of Captain Bonneville
On Journey i'm 1882 to What Is Now Montana

abound in novels and magazines;
stories wherein cowboys and badmen
are the heroes, with the inevitable
sheriff always in the foreground;
stories whose authors in many in
stances seem to have derived their
local color from the movies, 1t Is hard
to credit the statement. although true,
that once there was time Washing
ton Irving's writings were read with
avidity and furnished equal thrills with
the Mystery Of the Lazy D."
Before many families started across
the plains in the early days. Bonnie
ville's Adventures became a textbook
for them, for they were to shape their
westward course over much of the
country described by Irving in his in
tmitable manner.
Captain B. L. E. Bonneville was a
native of France and, together with
his mother, came to America in charge
of no less person than Thomas Paine,
author of the age of Reason" as
Bonneville Sr. for some offense against
the government, was not permitted to
leave France. At the required age he
entered West Point, and at the time
he undertook his western journey, he
was captain of the It'll Regiment, New
York.
The pictures of him with which we
are familiar, represent him as being
full of face, with numerous double
chinS, and the wrinkles about the eyes
indicate that he was possessed of
sense Of humor. He resembled an Eng
iSh squire, more than our precon-
ceived idea of a Frenchman, in all
but the saving sense of humor. We
know that he was bald, and can easily
imagine him as Of ruddy complexion,
and man who was fond of good
things of life Then why did he elect
to head an expedition that must nee
essarily run the gauntlet of famine
and danger?
Perhaps it was French thrift. Great
fortunes were being made in the fur
trade. That shrewd German financier,
Aston, had thought it worth trying, yet
with disastrous results. Ashley Man.
uel Lisa, and the American Fur Co.,
and some few free lances. like Harvey,
were willing to accept the attendant
risks for the profit which might ac-
crue. Whatever the motive, Captain
Bonneville became imbued with the
spirit Of adventure, and applied for
leave Of absence for the ostensible pur-
pose Of exploring the country to the
view of ascertaining the nature and
character of the several tribes of In
dams inhabiting those regions; the
trade that might be profitably carried
on with them, the quality of the soil,
the productions, the minerals, the nat
ural history, the climate, the geogra-
ply and topography, as well, of the
various parts of the country within the
limits of the territories belonging to
the United States, between our from
tier and the Pacific" Quite q COM
prehenSive task for one man to &C
complish in the year accorded him.
But evidently his superiors held this
to be insufficient excuse for his alb
senting himself from army duties, for
after making it plain that the govern
ment refused to assume any o. the ex-
pense of the expedition, General Ma
comb suggests that 1T is desirable,
besides what is enumerated as the OBJ
ject of your enterprise, that you note
particularly the number of warriors
that may be in each tribe or nation
that you meet with, their alliances
with other tribes, and their relative
position as to a state of peace or war,
and whether their friendly or warlike
dispositions toward each other are re-
cent or of long standing. You will
crafty us by describing their manner
of making war; of their mode of sub
sisting during state of war, and
during a state of peace; their arms.
and the effect of them; whether they
act on foot or on horseback; detail
ing the discipline and maneuvers OF
the war parties; the power of their
horses, size and general description; in
short, every information which you
may conceive would be useful to the
government"
Not in the least deferred by these
simple instructions, Captain Bonnie
vile left the frontier post Of Fort Os-
age, May /, 1882. His company was
made up of 10 men he had recruited
from the hangers-on at the fort. With
these were two assistants Walker and
Cerre, both of whom had seen consid-
cradle service in the wilderness in
trapping and Indian fighting His sup
plies and trading goods were carried IN
20 wagons, drawn by oxen, mules and
horses. 1t would be interesting to know
which set the pace, the oxen. mules or
horses. The wagons were destined to
become objects of great curiosity to the
Indians they met.
Palace without, Wigwam Within
The first one of these latter to at
tract the notice of Bonneville, was
Chief White Plume, who lived in a
large stone house, built for him by the
government. OF it Irving says 1T
might be palace without, but it was
Wigwam Within" with other witty
comments at the expense of the chief
with the attractive name. Before bid
ding him farewell, Bonneville discov-
cred that White Plume acquired some
of the lights Of civilization from his
proximity to the whites, as was evil
denced in his knowledge of driving a
bargain. He required hard cash in re-
turn for some corn with which he sup
Piled the worthy captain. and left the
latter at loss which most to admire,
his native chivalry as brave or his
acquired adroitness as trader" In
this connection it should be recalled
that these Indians raised corn.
Bonneville at length struck the
Platte, or Nebraska river, and did not
fail to tell of the landmarks. along it,
AN,,FR