TH E STORY OF MONTANA BY KATE H AMMOND FOG AR TY NEW Y ORK AND CH ICAG O THE A . S . BARNES COMP ANY C O P Y R I G H T 1 1 6 B Y , 9 , & R S C M T H E A . B A N E O P A N Y | 916 (Dm A4 3 8 1 6 6 PREFACE “ The writing o f the Story o f Montana was under taken while the author was o n the staff o f the Butte Public Library to meet the demand f o r a suitable text f o r c o f book s hools , and also for the many lovers Montana wh o wish to become familiar with the main facts o f its early as well as present-day history without t c e having o onsult many separat volumes . M ur di uch interesting so ce material has been stu ed , and it is hoped that others may be led to c onsult t o these sources with profit themselves . The author gladly acknowledges her indebtedness t o those who have aided her in gathering the material ; to those who have granted permission to use certain illus t rat io ns , and more than all to those who by their encouragement have enabled her to overcome many obstacles . KATE HAMMOND FOG ARTY CONTENTS X O O PART I . EARLY E PL RERS IN M NTANA ri 1. The First White Men to go up the Missou River o in l The Boats they Came s O The People they Met - e The Scenery they Saw m The Animals they Hunted a The Posts they Built fl The Journals t hey Wrote H E PART II . T INDIANS hi 1. f Be ore the W te Men Came i a a nd 2 . Wh t the Explorers Learned bout the I ans a n a 3 . The Fur Traders mong the I di ns G reat Peace Councils n di 5 . Sources of I an History F PART III . THE UR TRADE r The Men at the Hea d of the Fur Trade e t The Fur Companies of Montana e p The Posts of the American Fur Company - s a t Transporting G oods to the Mount in s n e N oted Trappers s e The Hudson Bay Company in Montana r« The Journals and Letters of the Fur Traders VIS ITO R S PART IV . TO THE POSTS 1. Prince Maxim ilian Ca tlin the India n Painter 3 . N Audubon , the aturalist 4 . Father D e Sm et 5 . a . G o v . Is ac I Stevens t 6 . The Books hey Wrote vi CONTENTS TH E To PART V . MISSIONARIES THE INDIANS 1. The Iroquois i Flathead Delegations to St . Lou s Father Desmet ’ Mar s Missio n St . y Z St . Ignatius Mission Blackfeet Missions Crow Missions ’ Father D e Sm e t s Journ als TH E PART VI . FIRST SETTLERS Western Em igration G old in Montana Settlers in Montana Road Agents and Vigilantes Montana Made a Territory Later Discoveries Books Written by Pioneers H D E PART VII . T E SOL I RS IN MONTANA l i 1. Early Mi itary Expedit ons i i 2 . M l tary Roads Montana Forts 4 Battles Fought in Montana li 5 . Sources of Mi tary History V M PART VIII . DE ELOP ENT OF THE STATE a 1. Early Quartz D ys 2 l N k. Exploration of Yel owstone ational Par ’ a 5 G e 3 . Mont na Early ov rnors 4 Building of Railroads u l 5 . Agricult ral Val eys - 6 . Stock raising i 7 . Development of Rich M nes 8 . Later G overnors 9 Montana a State PART IX . TRANSFORMATION OF THE INDIANS 1. Trea ties 2 . Reservations i 3 . Soldiers and Ind ans CONTENTS vii i l i s 4 . Fr end y Ch ef i i 5 . Francis Leupp and Ind an Leg slation 6 . Indian Farmers N O R M I O PART X . ATI NAL P OBLE S N M NTANA at 1. Irrig ion - in 2 . Dry land Farm g 3 . Forestry CONCLUSION TITLES FOR COMPOSITION AND OR IGINAL RES EARCH Q UESTI ONS ON THE STATE OF MONTANA PR ONOU N CING G LOS SARY X INDE . LIST OF ILLUSTR ATIONS The State Capitol at Helena Hea d of the Big Blackfoot Valley The Flatheads m Bull-Boats In G The Buffaloes Roamed reat Herds . Pend d ’ Oreille Indian Village Relics of Indian Days ’ The Indian s Wagon . The Buffaloes were tame o u f L dges made of B falo skins . Old Fort Owen All that 1s left of Fort Benton G o v t G . Stevens Distribu ing oods Charlot , Chief of the Flatheads A Little Flathead i n House Bu lt by the I dians . The Mission of St . Ignatius The House which w a s built for them First House of the Missionaries Old Fort Benton The G reat Salt Lake Trail An old Prospector Panning out G old The old Stage Coach “ ’ ” ’ e Robb r s Roost , a Road Agent s Resort A Mud Wagon Cantonment Stevens m t he Bitter Root Valley i ’ Cantonment Wr ght . Lieut . Mullan s Winter Quarters The First Army Stat ion in Yellowstone Park Custer’ s Last Stand A Sioux Warrior ’ s G rave Prospector Panning out G old Hydraulic Mining Anaconda Hill - A Jerk Line , Tw elve x LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Sheep at the River An Old Time Cattle Ranch A Ranch Interior The Old OX ” Cow Camp Sheep in Custer County Sheep Shearing Hauling Wool to the Warehouse A Miner’ s Cabin in Butte Real Cowboys ’ Pend d Ore ille Indians Painted Lodges of the Black feet The Rising G eneration The Last of the Buffaloes The G reat Falls of the Missouri in their Natural state and after completion of Power Development LIST OF MAPS FACIN G PAGE Lewis and Clark Route and Verendrye Route 8 V Tribal Homes of the Indians 22 The River Systems of the N orthwest 72 ’ ’ D e Sm e t s G overnor Stevens route to Washington . Father First Trip to the Flatheads First Settlements Military Posts and Military Roads The State of Montana showing important Towns . TH E S TORY OF MONTANA PAR T I EARLY EXPLORER S IN MONTANA TH E S H ME N ‘ G U P TH E M S S 1. FIR T W ITE TO O I OURI ' - Lo o king f o r t h e P a cific O ce an . The first white men t o go up the Missouri h ad a great Object in view . They were looking for the Pacific Ocean . It seems strange to us that the year 1743 had been reached before the people o f America had learned the first thing about the western continent . But just consider for a moment the conditions as they were in those days . H o w many miles would yo u o ne o r care to travel at stretch on horseback , in a stage - coach ? Or h o w far do you think yo u would care to go up a river if yo u had to ro w all the way ? o r Canoes were their boats , and horses oxen their m only eans of land locomotion . Steamboats were not used until 18 19 and Such a thing as a railroad n 0 was o t known anywhere until 183 . o f Then there were , course , no supply stations and they had to carry with them provisions enough to last until their return , and they were in great o f o f danger falling into the hands the hostile Indians , 2 EARLY EXPLORERS IN MONTANA with no way o f escape ; o r o f being badly wounded and unable to return to their homes . difficu lt ie S With all these in the way , men were indeed brave who would venture far in the wilder t ness , and even having such a grea object as the o f discovery an ocean had not charms for many . Th e Fre nch f u r trad e rs . The French fur trad ers were great men for seeking new lands . They were continually pushing farther into the wilderness and building trading posts where it would seem im possible for white men to go . These Frenchmen were friendly to the Indians , because they wanted their trade . They would go into their lodges and become like members o f the tribe and the Indians would tell them stories about their life in the wilderness . — Ve re nd rye an d h is so n s One of the traders b was much interested in a story often told y t the o f f Indians , a river which lowed from far up in the western mountains , and of another river which flowed in the opposite direction and which had its head waters so near that of the first river that only the mountains stood between them , and this second e riv r flowed down into a great salt sea , so great that no Indian could venture far o u t in a canoe . ' This French trader , Pierre Gaultier de Varennes , w a s Sieur de la Verendrye , an employee at Fort Ni o e n r o f . p g , a trading post no th Lake Superior He very much desired to see this great salt sea ; but how was the feat to be accomplished ? He knew that in order to do it he would have to have a num ber of companions , and they would need provisions enough TH E FIR ST WHITE ME N 3 to last them several years .