Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1942-07-18
Fort Union, in Boom Days Of Fur Trade,
Was Great Spot You Liked Violence

The place OF horrors might wen hav,
been the designation Of old For
Union, which, with the exception Of
Lisa's fort, soon abandoned, was The
first settlement In Montana. Fer 9
score Of years the population Of this
post Ia the midst Of a vast wilderness
flirted daily with death, and tragedy
became commonplace. Besides the
smallpox plague, which radiated from
this point far cut over the prairies
the history Of Fort Union was q con-
tinuous series Of c0nspiracies, family
feuds, sseges, pitched battles, drunken
brawIs and Geld bIoOded murders.
The most noteworthy series of cpl
sodes is closely linked with the story
of the Deschamps family Of half
breeds, which was virtually extermina-
ted finally when the men of the fort
with cannon rifles, pistols and the
torch, combatted "the mother Of the
devils" and her sons In the precincts
OF Fort William, then an adjunct 10
Fort Union.
Governor SempIe Stabbed.
This family achieved notoriety In
the battle between the Red river colo
nists and the Northwesters when Fran
co.'s DeschampS, father of the progeny
that settled later on the Missouri,
stabbed Governor Semple to death
after he had fallen with a wound in
the thigh. He was seen on the battle
field after the fighting had ceased,
shooting the wounded and robbing the
bodies of the dead It Is related that
thereafter the Indians of western
Canada refused to touch the hand Of
any DeschampS.
Those Of the family who we're driven
to the Missouri from the Red River
of the North by the ostracism Of
whites and reds alike included Fran
co.'s Deschamps, a nephew of Des-
champs, his wife and 10 children, Of
whom three were grown and two were
boys IA or is years old.
Terror to Trading Post
They settled IN the country of the
upper Missouri in 1927, two years be-
fore the founding of Fort Union, and
from the earliest days they were
terror to the trading post. Before the
beginning of the series Of tragedies
that ended in the determination Of
the fighters of the family and num-
Der of the innocents, they we're
charged with two robberies Of Fort
Union; robbing an employe of the
fort, and threatening to kill him; rob
bling and whipping Indians who came
to the fort to trade, and the practice
of gross immoralities.
Another half-breed family, headed
by Jack Rem, also made their head
quarters at the fort This family in
cluded two sons-in-law and a son 10
years old. The Deschamps and the
Rems at first were friendly and fire.
quently they went on hunting and
trapping expeditions together.
After the return from one of these
expeditions the members Of the two
families joined In a grand spree that
eliminated in fight and the murder
of Jack Rem's son, who was beaten
over the head with the butt end Of
a gun by one Of the Deschamps boys.
The drinkers by this time had
traded all their furs and robes and
had spent all their money for whisky
and they began to threaten the life
Of MIR. Lafferrier, trader and store
keeper at the fort, because he refused
to give them any more liquor. A mfr.
to be Archibald Palmer, and who, says
Charles Larpenteur in his journal, was
an exiled English nobleman, had
charge of the fort in the absence Of
Kenneth Mckenzie, who was called
King of the Missouri" Lafferrier
appealed to Hamilton who advised
him to put laudanum In the whisky.
Hamilton Fears Drinkers
This advice was followed" Larpen-
teur continues. They soon fell down
and lay stretched out on the ground |
in every direction, so sound asleep
That Hamilton became alarmed, think
ing the dose had been so strong that
they would never wake up again. l
not to be there at the time,
having gone that afternoon down TO
he garden, which was about three
quarters Of a mile distant from the
tort. Mr.. Hamilton came there as fast
rs he could, half scared to death, to
ell me the story. I could not help
aughing at the idea, and we immedi-
stely returned to the fort. On my ar
-iva1 I saw the amiable family scat
cred along the river bank, still fast
.sleep; but at dark they awakened
III those families were kept, as were
llso some of the company's men who
lad squaws. and the horse guard with
he horses"
The Rems were the weaker Of the
;wo half breed families and so they
lourished their vengeance until they
we're reinforced by Baptiste Gardepieds
mother hah-breed, whose life had
,een threatened by the Deschamps,
nd who had been crossed by Francois
)eschamps Jr., in love affair, and
" Lafferrier, the storekeeper, who
.lso had developed a grudge against
he DeschampS.
Francois fen In love with a Squaw
elonging to Gardepied and kidnapped
Ter. The elder DeschampS advised his
on to offer Gardepied horse for the
ouaw. The offer reused Gardepted to
ar.eu&