Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1942-02-14
COMFORTS FEW
AT FORT SARPY
Sc YEARS BACK
DIARY OF JAMES H. CHAMBERS
PICTURES RUGGED LIFE
AT OLD FUR POST

+AS S0iAAA44CA udy 90 years ago jaime.
H. Chambers, trader at Fort Sarpy
ate radishes and lettuce for dinner
This fact, which in modern time,
Montanans would not regard as either
startling or deserving of any mention
was, however. the biggest event in the
life Of this hardy frontiersman. who
was wrestling a livelihood from the
territory's primitive confines. on June
IS, 1855.
Friday, June 15-This day dined
sumptuously on lettuce and radishes
the first I have eat for six years. /"
Chambers wrote in his diary to record
his pleasure and good fortune.
The diary further discloses that
Chambers "shirted and shaved" him
self in honor, or, perhaps, to celebrate
his visit to the home of his old friend
F. G. Ritter, at whose home for the
first time IN six years he was to in
dulge his appetite with delicacies capa-
BILE of evoking the ecstacies of a hard
headed old Indian trader.
If Chambers were alive TODAY the
depression that hit the country in 1929
probably would not impress him as
being anything hard to bear. His
everyday privations were of the kind
that required real fortitude and
courage to survive. His breakfasts con-
sisted sometimes of cherries and cof-
fee" or wild meat unembellished
When reduced to an exclusive meat
diet, however, 1t seems that the from
tierSman was discriminating in the
choice of cuts for on Sept / of 1855
he tells Of killing two COWS and a
bull buffalo to secure meat enough for
"a couple of meals"
One Volume Preserved
Only one of the five volumes which |
comprised Chambers diary has been
preserved so far as is known. Volume /
., Tor the years 1855 and 1856, was |
obtained by the late Granville Stuart |
ana was by him turned over to the !
state historical library. Part of it is
dim and some of it unreadable even
when a powerful magnifying glass is
used, but enough of it has been copied
to constitute one Of the most authen-
tic and interesting histories of Mon
tana as it was in the DAYS prior to
the Civil war.
The author Of the log was frank,
candid and honest. Unquestionably he
had many virtues and some vices, but
hypocrisy was not numbered In the
latter. Consequently there are portions
Of the diary which are not likely ever
10 be published. In the conscientious
careful writing there is reflected a
Of a big-hearted, open
handed, unpublished, yet not uneducat-
I'd man. He quotes Shakespeare freely
writes for the most part graphically
md accurately, and while he frequent
y lapSes into the ungrammatical Ian
yuage that might be expected at a
ort situated in the wilderness, yet there
ire pages and pages where not a glar-
ng error OF grammar or syntax
appears. He had a typical sense of
1umor, and If in a rough sort of Wav.
re enjoyed other peoples misfortunes.
ne also was possessed Of the faculty.
% laugh at his own misfortunes, and
here is little grumbling in the record.
except occasionally at the Crow tribe
which he conceived to be comprised
or the most part of worthless. law
hieving, beggarly loafers." He also
considered the Crows towards in battle ,
md frequently rejoiced when the ,
Sioux worsted them in encounters.
When a negro employe of the fort (
lad the affections Of his wife alien
tied by husky, young buck Indians
Chambers reviewed the proceedings ]
nth unlimited merriment in his diarv
ret chapter or two later shows him {
o be a man Of keen sympathy and s
ig-heartedneSs.
His entries referred to are:
Jan 8 1856)-Thermometer stood 9
t So below zero today. Buffaloes thick T
lose to the fort. q
Tearly FrOze to. Death b
Jan. 8-Clear and cold. Our peonle r
anne in at dusk. They were caught in q
storm. Seven horses and b
wo oxen froze to death, and the party {,
anne near sharing the fate of the e
nhnals. A little child, the daughter a
( the late Col A. B. Chambers was &
rought in by them. It's mother had e
brown it away, poor little thing. If 2
as near gone-completely chilled
trough. took charge Of 1t and intend u
} keep it." =
There is no further mention of the !.
tile one in volume S, the last book !,
the series. Neither was there anv tl
ow,ffQv1 Of onu