Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1942-12-19

/ Montana man VINO gave ms NE
while engaged in an enterprise that
| contributed materially to the earlier
development of Montana Territory
was revived in 1926 when a monument
to John NJ Bozeman was unveiled IN
Pioneer triangle at Livingston
The monument TO the great trail
blazer. whose name is secure in Ameri-
can history, as the founder Of the
Bozeman Trail and as the courageous
! frontiersman for whom the city Of
Bozeman was named, was erected by
Charles Donnelly, president Of the
Northern Pacific railway. under the
auspices Of the Montana Society Of
Pioneers. 1t was placed at Livingston
because OF the city's proximity TO the
place where Bozeman died.
Bozeman was killed by renegade
Blackfeet Indians April Is, 1867. at
point u miles east of Livingston. A
plot Of ground there was purchased
by the Society of Pioneers, a curbing
placed around it, and the exact spot
marked to indicate where he fell vic
tim of the redman's treachery.
At the time Colonel Bozeman was
killed. his comrades buried him $50
feet from the place where he was
slain. Later on his body was moved to
Bozeman and a stone erected by the
late Nelson Story, ST.. Many who
knew the trailblazer we're present at
the unwilling.
Governor Was Chairman
Mayor John Fryer of Livingston, in
troduced Governor ]. E. Erickson who
was chairman of the program. Frank
Brown, secretary OF the Montana
Society Of Pioneers, delivered a eulogy
to John Bozeman. Mrs. Beall, Of Boze-
man, a pioneer Of Montana, unveiled
the monument. Congressman Scott
Leavitt spoke on "Perpetuating the
Memory Of Pioneers" Dean A. L.
Stone, of the school of journalism at
the State university and an active
member of the Society of Pioneers,
gave a eulogy to Montana pioneers.
The monument is three feet, 10
inches square at the base and stands
10 feet, six inches in height. Its base
is of granite and rests upon a con-
crete foundation while the upper
structure is of white Italian marble
and the inscription of dedication is
in gold.
The inscription reads:
AO HE NkEiNOktA VI GOAA4N 4fAe
BOHEMIAN WHO WAS KILLED
NEAR LIVINGSTON BY THE
BLACKFEET INDIANS, APRIL 49,
1867. ERECTED JUNE IL, 1926, BY
CHARLES DONNELLY, PRESIDENT
OF THE NORTHERN PACIFIC
RAILWAY, UNDER THE AUSPICES
OF THE MONTANA SOCIETY OF
PIONEERS.
Tourists, whether they come by rail
or by automobile, travel much easier
and safer route than did the intrepid
gold seekers of the sos. And they owe
much Of this security to John Nd.
Bozeman, for he had the courage to
seek and establish q shorter route
from the middle west to the gold fields
Of what is now southwestern Montana
and northern Idaho than existed prior
to that time. In doing this, however,
he precipitated a series Of Indian
wars.
Granville and James Stuart had
made the first real discovery OF gold
in Montana on what is now Gold creek
in Powell county, in May, 1858. News
Of It had not gained much currency
in populous centers Of this country
until after the Civil war was in pro-
eress. In 1851, Granville Stuart wrote
a letter to his brother, Thomas, then
in Colorado territory, urging him to
come to Montana as it was believed
that prospects for mining the much
sought yellow metal were better here
than in Colorado. Thomas showed the
letter to several friends and the next
spring a party Of IL set out for Gold !
creek. In this party was Bozeman. /
Bozeman left his wife and two
children at his home in Coweta coun-
ty. Georgia, a few years before be-
cause of this desire for adventure. 1t |
was because Of this desire that /
he later devoted his time to blazing
a trail for emigrants and freighters
while other men searched frenzedly
for claims that would make them rich.
BY 1866, Montana had population
of 10000 which had to be fed and I
furnished with supplies that were not
produced in the territory, according
to E. A. Brininstool, in his The
Bozeman Trail" This population In
the main was producing nothing but
gold and was dependent upon the out
side for things to eat, clothing to
wear and supplies for their mining
outfits.
Two Former Routes
There were, at the time, two routes. !
One was a, branch from Fort Hall on
the oregon Trail which came to Mon