Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1942-01-16
Lleux John NlulZam, HV1H0 Bzaxed 71uib 1Abea1
Of First Railroads. WM Pathfinder to the Pac1f


ton territory received the appoint
ment to head an expedition to
find . route for q railroad from
the upper Mississippi TO the Pa
cific coast, part Of his duty being
to make . thorough examination
Of the Missouri and Columbia
rivers, which were then compare
lively unknown.
Governor Stevens and the greater
part of his company, went overland
from st. Paul, but detachment was
dispatched by the water route to Fort
Union, at the mouth Of the Yellow
stone river, there to join the rest Of
the expedition. 1t reached the appoint
ed rendezvous ahead Of the overland
party, and with this detachment went
Lieutenant Mullan, the first we hear
Of him.
On arriving at Fort Benton, Cover
nor Stevens decided to arrange for
council to be held with the F1athead
Indians, and sent Lieutenant Mullan
to act as his envoy, the first problem
being to find the Indians. Naturally
1t would be expected that he would go
west, to their little village of st. Mary's,
or its vicinity. Instead of this he ford
ed the Missouri about 500 yards below
Fort Benton and then went south,
skirting the Highwood mountains, to
the foot of the Belt or Girdle noun
tains, following the Shonkin part of
the way.
He crossed branches of Arrow river;
six branches Of the Judith river, and
then followed the latter to its head
In the Judith mountains but saw no
Indians, although buffalo, ducks and
geese were plentiful. Thirty miles from
the Judith mountains he crossed the
Musselshell and going down that river
a few miles, found the Indians and
arranged for the council.
Hunting Ground of Indians
From this it can be seen what an
extent OF territory was ranged over
by the Flatheads when in search OF
game, always more plentiful east OF
the Rockies, and what risk they ran
of attacks from Blackfeet, Assinni-
BONES or Crows.
Returning from his interview with
the Indians, Mullan went to the head
of the Musselshell, crossed ridge, and
then went down Smith river to the
Missouri, and from thence to the Bitter
Root valley, where Governor Stevens
had preceded him.
At the conclusion Of the council,
Mullan and from 10 to Is men were
left in the Bitter Root to protect the
Flatheads from the Blackfeet, who
made forays into the western country.
not for game, but for horses. Black
feet Is recorded as saying, II take the
first Flathead horse come across. II
Is sure to be a good one."
Mullan established his camp 10
miles above Fort Owen, that his men
might be far enough away from the
Indians. not to have trouble with them,
and having arranged for the bulldng
of houses during his absence, ne called
the Indians together to assure them
that although he would be away for
short time, his men would protect
them from enemies, as well as II ne
we're with them. He then set out on
another exploring trip, up the Bitter
Root to its source, and over the noun
tains to the Wisdom and Jefferson
rivers, and then returned to his camp,
which he had named Cantonment
Stevens.
Between the last of November and
the middle of December, 1858, Mullan
followed this same route he had gone
over in October, and then continued
southwark to Fort Hall, on the Snake
river. He found little snow, except on
the SUBMITS of the mountains; there
was none in the valleys to his great
surprise. On his way to Fort Hall he
passed what he called Market lake.
The lake gave every indication of be-
ing recently formed; that whole region
having subterranean streams that
often came to the surface. 1t was also
evident that at no distant period this
had been a paradise for game. Before
the lake was formed, whenever the
supplies of the trappers ran low, they
would say Lets go to market and
hasten away to the spot now covered
nv the waters Of the lake, where vast
herds of buffalo and deer roamed, and
the hunters would soon replenish their
larderS.
On his return journey, Mullan
nassed. at High Bank creek, through
the same canyon traversed by Father
De Smet in 1910. He also went into
the Deer Lodge valley, so named be-
cause of the many deer seen there,
as well as dlltelOpt, "iAAAC VA '-A> 1900
sides were mountain sheep and goats.
This journey to Fort Hall and re-
turn to Cantonment Stevens occupied
Is days, in which time a distance OF
700 miles was covered; the mountains
crossed four times, and this by four
different passes, during the months
of December and January. 1853-1854.
It has been asked, Did Mullan ever
pass through what is now the site OF
the city of Great Falls?" the answer
to this question IS contained IN the
record of his explorations.
Learning from the Indians and
others Of q pass leading directly to
Fort Benton over which wagons could
be taken, Mullan determined to try
it. He left the Bitter Root March q.
1854, going up the Hell Gate to its
junction with the Little Blackfoot and
from there to the Missouri, and along
the left bank of the latter to the
Gates of the Mountains, where he
crossed the Missouri on the ice. From
this point he followed the right bank