Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1942-12-18
Fort William, Where Daring Deschamps
Family Committed Sanguinary Violence

Fort Union. which was situated on the
left bank of the Missouri river, q
short distance above the mouth of the
Yellowstone. but little Is said Of its
neighboring fur trading post. Fort
william, located on the same side of
the Missouri as Fort Union, but below
the mouth Of the Yellowstone Be-
tween these forts the Missouri makes
big bend, and while by water they
are widely separated, by land the
rival posts were not far removed from
one another.
Fort William was built in 1893 by
Sublette and Campbell, and named for
William Sublette. Larpenteur, who was
employed there. says 1T was $50
feet front and 1870 feet deep. The
stockade was Of cottonwood logs.
called pickets. 10 feet in length, hewn
on three sides and planted three feet
In the ground. The boss house stood
back. opposite the front door; it con-
sisted Of a double cabin, having two
rooms ID x % feet. with a passage be-
tween them IL feet wide. There was q
store and warehouse 40 feet in length
and 10 feet in width; two rooms for
the mems quarters 16 x ID feet, a
carpenters shop, blacksmith's shop,
ice house, meat house, and two splen-
did bastions. The bastions were built
more for amusement than for pro-
lection against hostile Indians; for, at
that time, although they were con-
stantly at war with other tribes, there
was not the least danger for any
white men except the free trappers,
and We could go hunting in all di-
rections with perfect safety. Large
war parties frequently came to the
fort, but behaved we'll, taking their
leave after getting few loads of
ammunition and some tobacco"
River Water Pancakes
1t was November 18th before the
buildings were completed and ready
for occupancy. When the employees
moved into their new quarters, Mr..
Campbell gave feast in honor of
the occasion. The delicacies served,
says Larpenteur, "a half pint of flour
to each man. one cup of coffee, one of
sugar. and one of molasses. to four
men. Out Of this becoming feast was
made, consisting of thick pancakes.
the batter containing no other in
gredient than pure Missouri river
water, creased with buffalo tallow;
but as I had had nothing of the kind
for upward of six months, thought I
had never tasted anything so good in
my life, and swore would have
plenty Of the like If ever got back
to the states"
It was late in the season when the
fort was finished. but the fall had
been unusually warm, which was
fortunate for the employees. while
disastrous for the fur traders, as the
buffalo remained north longer than
usual. Sublette and Campbell, not
securing the trade they had expected,
sold out that winter to the American
Fur Co., rather than suffer loss.
After Fort William passed into the
hands of the American Fur Co., it
was torn down and rebuilt in a more
substantial manner Of adobe, and be-
ing so near Fort Union, was used ap-
parently as quarters for the Indians
or mixed bloods, who had been forced
to leave the Red River country, land
some of the company's men who had
squaws. and the horse guard with the
horses"
Here lived the notorious Deschamps
family who caused the destruction of
the fort. The Deschamps were mixed
bloods. who had been forced out of the
Red River country because of their
lawlessness. The head of the family
killed Governor Robert Semple, dur
ing a massacre on the Red River of
the north, and in the battle which
took place there, witnesses claimed he
committed extremely cruel acts.
Having been exiled, this undesirable
family journeyed to the Missouri. and
to Fort Union, where one of its
~,
terpreter.
Change Didn't Help Them
Their change of location did not
better manners or morals of the am
liable family with whom murder and
kindred crimes constituted an obses-
sion. But the killing of man did not
injure the standing of an individual
in those primitive surroundings. Only
when the fort employees were threat
ened by Deschamps, was much notice
taken of their misdeeds.
Two families Of mixed bloods, one
being the Deschamps, had been hunt
ing together. and on their return en-
tered upon the usual spree, in the
course of which one man of the other
party was killed by the Deschamps,
who were seeing red. as anyone might
well have done on drinking the liquor
served at the trading posts. Finally
the man then in charge of Fort Union
Mr.. Hamilton-became frightened,
and to the various ingredients the
liquor already contained, added good
dose of laudanum. This was more
effective than might have been ex-
pected, as the men slept so soundly
that Mr.. Hamilton feared they would
never waken. They soon proved, how
ever, that they could not be SO easily
killed, as they lived to fight another
day, which proved to be the last for
most of the Deschamps family.
Four men conspired to kill the elder
Deschamps and his son, FRANCHISE,
who was the interpreter for the COM
pany One Of the conspirators asked
the elder Deschamps, when he made
his customary morning visit to the
fort, if the latter would make peace
with him, as Deschamps had often
threatened his life. ITO which the old
Deschamps replied, 7 will never make