Foreword 1873 land surveys for their track location within Montana Territory, and the Department of the Interior’s (General Land & Office / Bureau of Land Management) fully documented location Introduction to the Manuel Lisa’s of the land that is verified as the site upon which Manuel Lisa constructed the fort. That land still exists, the BLM is its Fort on-the-Yellowstone designated manager, and is listed as such by the DOI/GLO/BLM as “Public Use.” Up until the 1950’s it was thought to belong to the Crow Nation. These facts will be explained in the following Throughout the early history of Montana it has been thought that chapters. The definitions of the fort location were buried deep in the intrepid and brilliant entrepreneur ‘Manuel Lisa’, had the historical past; requiring the services of several agencies and constructed the first fur trading post on the Yellowstone River that dedicated people to unearth – what eventually became self evident. was ‘lost in time’ due to changes in the local area’s Montana river topography. In this brief summary of various major research efforts The following irrefutable facts are presented: and the full diligence of the National Park Service and local residents we are disclosing what actually happened to one of the Fact #1 – The original junction point of the Yellowstone greatest achievements in world history – as seen through the eyes and Big Horn Rivers in Montana has not changed of local Montana residents. significantly since 1806. In this volume we will take you through the maze of reputed Fact #2 – The Manuel Lisa Fort, constructed in 1807, was research activities about this very special fort; the first reported located on the south bank of the Yellowstone River on a building constructed upon future Montana soil in 1807. Many land mass located in the southwest original junction with errors had been committed in archival record researching from the Big Horn River. 1806 to the present time, mainly caused by the exceptional easements provided to the Northern Pacific Railroad (NPR) Fact #3 – This land mass (from which an island was between 1863 and 1906; along with the Crow Indian Nation’s created by NPR) was acquired by the US Government from closely related activities. Manuel Lisa, in his first attempt at the Crow Indians in 1906 through the Crow Reservation garnering a strong foothold with these Indians, created a very Act; initiated at the request of the Crow Nation in 1882, unique fur enterprise and business concept that quickly spanned and placed into Public Domain for homesteaders. That the globe in commerce between nations. His was the blueprint for status was officially changed to Public Use Only by the all that followed. BLM in 1952. We will take you through the major phases of Manuel Lisa’s Fact #4 – The Island located at the junction of the two lifetime efforts that created a starting point for all fur trappers that rivers was transferred from the GLO to Yellowstone followed: Search for his Yellowstone River Fort, Crow Indian County soon after the 1906 Act was signed. It was renamed Nation’s relation to that fort, NPR’s decision to forego all 1871- “Government Island’ by Yellowstone County officials. 1 2 Fort, its 1808 Addition, their access roads and trails; plus the location of Pott’s Establishment referenced in the Wm Clark Expedition Journals of 1806. Fact #10- The carved inscription of John Colter’s name (1810) matches very closely that of his name carved into “Colter Stone”, discovered in Tetonia, ID, in 1931. Fact #11 – In 1905-1906 NPR removed gravel and earth from the land just south of the fort’s location. This added one more junction for the two rivers. This removal created the Island after the last Domain Land survey of the area was completed. That action, unfortunately, coincided with the signing of the Crow Reservation Act of 1906 – complicating the definition of “land south of the Fact #5 – The additional right to use 5,650 acres of land for Yellowstone River” ownership. NPR ‘unrestricted needs’ within the Crow Nation was granted in 1881, and ratified in 1882 by Congress. Fact #12 – The island land mass base is substantially graveled, and covered throughout with soft-sandy soil, Note: There were now two treaties being brush and various trees. The large Cottonwood Trees are coordinated with the Crow Nation in the same between 130-150 years of age. years. Fact #6 – Both Manuel Lisa and John Colter were present at various times at the fort site during 1807-1810. Fact #7 – Inscriptions of Manuel Lisa (1807) and John Colter (1810) names are carved into a large sandstone rock located about ¾-mile south of the fort, called “Inscription Rock” by researchers. Fact #8 - Three early source record maps depict the fort's general location as being within the tip of the SW junction of the two rivers: 1808, 1810 and 1838. Fact #9 – An 1808 source map, created by Wm Clark & George Drewyer depicts the exact location of the 1807 3 4 Fact #13 – A small island, immediately downstream of the The following related observations are noted: original land mass (now an Island), was formed before completion of the Yellowtail Dam on the Big Horn River; Obs #1 – In c1920, Ken Roahen photographed the thus establishing the island as having two sections. This inscriptions created by Lisa and Colter; and these are also created one additional junction of the Big Horn River considered to represent their personally carved names with the Yellowstone (ie, chute), depending on each river’s carved into a large rock. force and depth. This is the land defined as Government Island. Fact #14 – In 1879, the GLO established an act that added gravel to the definition of ‘mineral’. As such, lands containing gravel were not included in any part of the ‘Domain Land’ being offered for homesteading. Note: The lands south and east of the island are basically devoid of gravel. Fact #15 – Owen B Williams (Hardin, MT resident) and representatives of the Montana State Historical Society, located what they believed to be remains of the Fort in 1947 - 1950. They wanted to erect a monument on the site location, but failed to do so. Fact #16 – The BLM 1951-1952 land survey of the Island verified that this land mass was originally part of the 1906 Crow Reservation Act’s land sale to the US Government. Since no claims for homestead use were issued, the island land is designated Public Use. Note: The two separate pieces of islands, forming ‘Government Island’, are interconnected by a wide river ‘chute’ running between them. This is a waterway-path between the original ‘land mass’ containing the 1807 Fort and the subsequently formed eastward island. 5 6 Obs #2 – There can be no other explanation for creation of unavailable to virtually all researchers until well after 1925. As a these two inscriptions, eg., names; except that they were result, most early researchers assumed that it was located on the only made by these individuals’ themselves. However; south-east corner of the confluence of the Yellowstone and Big there is no document attesting to that fact in any of the Horn Rivers – the same location that William Clark used in 1806. archival files. The Colter name is virtually identical to the This grave error continued for well over a century. The diary one he created at another location – the Rhyolite facial accounts of his second trek clearly define the later events that stone discovered Idaho. Colter’s name is on one side, the occurred at the fort they constructed in 1807. reverse has the date 1808. It appears that the Fort Lisa (Manual Site) inscription might have been carved in part with the tip of an awl. A broken awl tip was located deep in the sandy ground directly under the name. Chapter 3 – NPR’s Decision to Relocate the Track from Obs #3 – The stone (large boulder on private land) onto Glendive to the future town of Billings (In two parts) which the names are carved is deteriorating rapidly, and repairs are needed to stabilize the stone and prevent further When NPR was organized in 1864; the track line was previously erosion. established along the Canadian border by Isaac Steven’s in 1853- 1854 as part of the overall investigation for a rail route to the Chapter 1 – Manuel Lisa History Report Pacific Ocean. At that time the United States was split into two major factions “West US and East US”. In between these factions This chapter is a short summary of Manuel Lisa’s major events, his was an unexplored and rugged Indian Territory land mass. lineages and major activities that formed a very remarkable life. Negotiations with the Inhabitants were required to permit the Very little was known, and a lot was speculated! passage and travel across those lands, and it took about one-year for statesmen from the west to cross the country and return. After the NPR construction firm was established, they planned to reroute Chapter 2 – Manuel Lisa Fur Enterprises (In two parts) the track essentially straight west from St Paul; crossing the Yellowstone River at Glendive Creek (the future Glendive MT), Numerous researchers have examined Manuel Lisa’s life history, follow along the west bank of the Yellowstone to Bozeman, then and the best of the best are referenced as to their contribution to his cut across the Rocky mountains and onto Puget Sound. In Montana life as a person. Many make reference to his fort on the three large and time consuming surveys were completed in 1871- Yellowstone River and their interpretation is presented as directly 1873 to accomplish that feat.