CHAPTER XXXVIII.

DESTINY OF THE MISSOURI RIVER.

What of the future? Is the useful purpose of the Missouri River in the up-building of the West already fulfilled? Is its great history a closed book? Such, it must be admitted, is the general view. In popular estimation that river to-day is little more than a vast sewer, whose seething, eddying waters bear down the sands and clay and débris from the far upper country, scattering them along its course, swelling the floods of the Mississippi, and pushing ever seaward the delta of that mighty stream. To the railroads it is a million-dollar obstacle wherever they want to cross it. As a competitive route of commerce it has sunk beneath their notice. To the husbandman along its borders it is a perpetual nightmare, for he knows not what morning he may awake to find his worldly possessions ruthlessly swept away. From all points of view it now seems like one of those things in the economy of nature which could be dispensed with and the world be none the worse for its absence.

[Sidenote: PAST AND PRESENT.]

Nevertheless the river is still there--a fact, a thing to be reckoned with in some way or other. It will not let its presence be forgotten. In its old-time fashion it carves up the lands, but with vastly greater destructiveness now that they have become so valuable. Its terrible ice gorges pile up as of yore, but are now more dreaded than they used to be on account of the property along the banks. In other respects as well it is the same peculiar stream that it has ever been. The weird sandstorms drive over its illimitable bars, the willows bend to the blast, and the swift-rolling waters are lashed into foam by the prairie gale. In periods of calm its silvery sheen stretches away under the morning and evening sun as when the pilot followed its interminable windings through the prairies; and its resistless tide rushes on, as in the blithe steamboat days, when it carried upon its bosom the commerce of the valley.

But here the likeness between the past and present ends. No aboriginal savage now roams upon its borders. The buffalo does not come to its shore to quench his thirst, or to swim its current, or to cross upon its ice. The lonely dwellers of the valley have long since ceased to watch the eastern horizon where the river runs into the sky, for the curling smoke no longer tells them of the approach of those white-winged messengers of civilization, the Missouri River steamboats. They are gone, its greatness and glory, never, in their ancient form, to return.

[Sidenote: THE GERM OF EMPIRE.]

But the river itself is still there, and those who dwell on its shores refuse to believe that its power for good has passed away. For years they have wistfully looked upon its waters, flowing by in absolute waste, and then upon the rich lands on either side, parching in a rainless climate. A vague hope of what the river _may_ be already possesses their minds. Does it not hold the secret germ of a mighty future empire? Twenty-five millions of people these wasted waters could sustain, if only they could be scattered upon the neighboring lands. With great canals to divert them from the river, with great reservoirs to keep them from going to waste, there would follow the necessary millions of money and men to turn them to proper account.

This is the dream. Can it be realized, or must it always remain nothing more than a dream? It is an engineering problem purely. The grand desideratum would be that everywhere, whether upon the main stream or its tributaries, the water could be saved and used in irrigation. But the obstacles in the way of so complete a result seem at present almost insurmountable. The higher tributaries can doubtless all be utilized, but the main streams, in their lower courses, have so little fall that it will be very difficult to build canals of sufficient length to get the water upon the higher ground. Whether the water will ever have a value that will justify pumping it to the necessary elevation it would be unwise at present to hazard a conjecture. But even if not more than half can be utilized, it will still be enough to maintain a population equal to that at present existing in the entire arid region of the West.

[Sidenote: A MIGHTY FUTURE.]

Here, then, is the answer to our question--What of the future? Turn this river out upon the lands. Unlock its imprisoned power. Where the rains do not fall let it supply the need. Then the new and greater history of the Missouri River will begin. Utility will take the place of romance. The buffalo, the Indian, the steamboat, the gold-seeker, the soldier, will be seen in its valley no more, but in their stead the culture and comfort, and the thousand blessings that come with civilization. Such, let us hope, in drawing the curtain over a mighty past, will be the consummation of a still more mighty future.[74]

FOOTNOTES

[44] The fact of this attack on the _Sam Gaty_ has been questioned by some; but there would seem to be no doubt of its truth in all essential details.

[45] Brother of Susan B. Anthony, and at the present date editor of the Leavenworth _Times_.

[46] This was the opinion naturally held by Southern sympathizers in Missouri. The unbending will of this stern and ardent patriot would overbear and crush without compunction anyone who had even a taint of disloyalty about him. Though La Barge had taken a stand which was quite as honorable, and more self-sacrificing than that of Lyon, still the latter could not forget that the Captain’s environment and training had made him more sympathetic with the Southern cause than a Northerner could possibly be. Lyon’s temperament, moreover, aggravated the severity of his patriotism. He was not popular with his associates in the old army on account of his overbearing disposition.

[47] Fisk repeated the expedition several times. It virtually amounted to emigration at government expense. The military authorities did not think much of either Fisk or his scheme, and officially denounced both. Thus General Sully, September 9, 1864: “Why will the government continue to act so foolishly, sending out emigrant trains at great expense? Do they know that most of the men that go are persons running away from the draft?”

[48] In 1866 the _Deer Lodge_, which left Benton about May 20, met the following boats on her way down: _St. John_ and _Cora_ at Fort Benton; _Waverly_ at Eagle Creek; _Mollie Dozier_ and _W. J. Lewis_ at Fort Galpin; _Marcella_ at Fort Charles; _Big Horn_, above Big Muddy; _Only Chance_ 30 miles below Union; _Favorite_ and _Ontario_ 70 miles below; _Tacony_ and _Iron City_ 130 miles below; _Amelia Poe_ and _Walter B. Dance_ near White Earth River; _Jennie Brown_, _Peter Balen_, and _Gold Finch_ in Big Bend; _Miner_ below Fort Clark; _Luella_ above Fort Rice; _Helena_ at Fort Rice; _Tom Stevens_ 40 miles below Fort Rice; _Huntsville_ at Grand River; _Lillie Martin_ at Island below Grand River; _Sunset_ 20 miles below Swan Lake Bend; _Agnes_ at Devil’s Island; _Ned Tracy_ and _Mary McDonald_ above Big Cheyenne; _Marion_ 30 miles above Fort Sully; _Jennie Lewis_ above Pierre; _Gallatin_ below Fort Sully; _Rubicon_ at Cadet Island; _Lexington_ above Great Bend; _Montana_ below Crow Creek; and _Ben Johnson_ at Bon Homme Island.

[49] The names were N. W. Burroughs, George Friend, Franklin Friend, Abraham Low, James H. Lyons, Harry Martin, Frank Angevine, George Allen, James Andrews, and James Perie (colored).

[50] This account is taken from the published narrative of Mr. Hubbell in the St. Paul _Pioneer Press_ of December 11, 1898. Mr. Hubbell has published several most interesting and valuable accounts in the St. Paul papers of his early experiences as a Missouri River trader.

[51] “The _Ida Stockdale_ reached Fort Benton June 29, 1867. She could not have returned to Trover Point before the 1st or 2d of July. The _Sunset_ picked up the boy July 11. The time that he was alleged to have been lost could therefore not have been far wrong, and the distance he traveled is known with accuracy.”

[52] “The _Spread Eagle_ is just along side of us and we are having a race, probably the first ever run on the upper Missouri. She passed us and then we passed her, when she ran into us, breaking our guard and doing some other damage. There was a good deal of angry talk.”--_Harkness’ Journal_. (This journal of the voyage of 1862 and of Harkness’ trip to the mines and his return to St. Louis is published in the Proceedings of the Montana Historical Society, vol. ii.)

[53] See page 122.

[54] What is now the town of Deer Lodge, Mont., was first named La Barge City, and was so known for about two years. The name was given by two friends of Captain La Barge, John S. Pemberton of St. Louis and Leon Quesnelle, a descendant of the Quesnelle who seems to have been the first permanent settler at Bellevue, Neb. Quesnelle had been in the Deer Lodge Valley for some time, and had a ranch near where the town was afterward built. Two years later the town site was organized by James Stuart and others, surveyed and laid out by W. W. De Lacy, and rechristened Deer Lodge. The original town site plot of La Barge City is in possession of the Montana Historical Society.

[55] Letter from S. N. Latta, agent, to W. P. Dole, Commissioner Indian Affairs, dated Yankton, Dak., August 27, 1863. See report Com. Ind. Affs., 1863, p. 170.

[56] The two Indian agents profess in their reports not to have anticipated any trouble. Latta would hardly have ordered the yawl out if he had suspected what actually occurred. Reed, the Blackfoot agent, says that they “continued to hollow to us for some time, and showed great signs of friendship, and wanted us to come ashore.” The sum of it all is that the two men who were officially in charge of the trip entirely failed to understand the gravity of the situation, which was thoroughly appreciated by those, like Culbertson and La Barge, who had had long experience with the Indians. The sending of the yawl and the consequences which followed must ever remain charged to the account of Samuel N. Latta, Indian Agent.

[57] The account of what happened from the time the yawl left the _Robert Campbell_ until it returned was given to the author in an interview with Andy Stinger, the steersman and rescuer of the party.

[58]

“KNOB VIEW, CRAWFORD, CO., MO. Sept. 2, 1896.

“MY DEAR OLD CAPTAIN “JOSEPH LA BARGE,

“_My Dear Friend_: I should like to hear from you whether you are still in the land of the living. Thank God for his mercies. Dear Captain I should be happy to be with you a few hours and have a good talk over the hardships of our past life steamboating, especially on the _Robert Campbell_ in 1863 going to the mountains. It would give me great pleasure to see you and all your family once more. It is a great many years since I have heard anything from you. Please let me hear from you soon. My love and friendship to you and all your family. I remain your true friend untill death. From the Hero of the Tobacco Garden on _Bob Campbell_ in 1863.

“WM. ANDY STINGER.

“P. S. Address “Wm. A. Stinger, “Knob View, Crawford Co. Mo.

“Farewell Dear Captain. May God bless you all with health and strength.”

[59] There are numerous authorities upon the affair of the Tobacco Garden. The reports of both the agents Latta and Reed describe it. Henry A. Boller, in his “Among the Indians,” describes it at length, as does Larpenteur in his “Forty Years a Fur Trader.” The testimony of Captain La Barge and Andy Stinger, who in each other’s presence related the matter to the author, is here produced for the first time.

In his edition of “Larpenteur’s Journal,” referred to above, p. 352, Dr. Elliott Coues makes the following statement: “I have offered in writing to Captain Joseph La Barge to print in this connection any statement concerning the affair that he might wish to make and would be willing to sign; but up to date of going to press have not heard from him.”

The inference from this is that Captain La Barge could not controvert Larpenteur’s statements, or he would have done so when the opportunity was given. This offer was sent to Captain La Barge through the author of the present work. The old gentleman retained in his old age the same spirit of haughty disdain for willful attempts to injure the reputation of others that characterized his whole life, and he indignantly refused to notice the matter. “Time will set this right,” he said. The truth is that Charles Larpenteur, although very long in the Indian country, was never a man of high standing there, and proved a failure in whatever he undertook. Like all such men, he nursed the delusion that the world was in league against him, and he took advantage of the opportunity offered by the preparation of his memoirs to even matters up. Nearly everyone with whom he deals comes in for a round measure of abuse, until one is led to believe that Larpenteur was a saint, solitary and forlorn, wandering disconsolate among the children of Beelzebub. Larpenteur was probably an honest man in his business relations, but never an able man, and his attempts to account for the consequences of his own deficiencies by attributing them to the rascality of others, does not add to the value of his memoirs as historical material. Bad as the early population of that country was, it was not entirely composed of scoundrels.

[60] This was the same man who served as clerk to Captain Bonneville in the latter’s celebrated expeditions. He died March 15, 1864.

[61] Following are the official reports of Agents Latta and Reed upon this event:

Report of Judge Latta, p. 164, Report Com. Ind. Aff., 1863. “The Crow goods, as I have informed you [Commissioner Dole], were stored at Fort Union by the steamer _Shreveport_. When the _Robert Campbell_ reached the mouth of the Yellowstone, she could get no further, there being only two feet of water in the channel above, it requiring five trips of the steamer _Shreveport_ to convey the _Campbell’s_ freight to Fort Union some six miles above. We found it utterly impossible to proceed any further. The _Shreveport_, though a light-draught boat, could not have passed up empty.”

Report of Dr. Reed, p. 172, Report Com. Ind. Aff., 1863. “We got to the mouth of the Yellowstone River after the most untiring efforts, especially on the part of Captain La Barge, who seemed to know the only channel in the Missouri, about the 7th of July. After passing the mouth of the Yellowstone, it was found that the Missouri River was extremely low; indeed lower than ever known at this season of the year. It was found that even the _Shreveport_, a light-draught and small boat, could scarcely get up to Fort Union with any load at all, and as the river has been constantly falling, it was ascertained that there was no hope at all of getting to Milk River, the next fort above. Chouteau, with a light-draught boat and not a large load, had just left his goods on the bank, not being able to get up to Milk River fort. Under these circumstances, especially as there were no teams at Fort Union and the Indians (Sioux) were all through the country, so that no company could go either with a mackinaw boat or by land, with any safety, except under escort, it was thought not only advisable but the only course, to stow away the goods, and leave them until next spring at Fort Union. The man in charge of the fort said there was an abundance of room, and there would be no danger unless the Indians should attack the fort; then the goods would have to share the lot of all the other goods and the people of the fort. The goods are all safely stored and every prospect of everything being right. Of course Captain La Barge is responsible, as the Blackfeet goods are not to their destination nor the bills of lading receipted; though I must say I never saw men more anxious to get up, nor do more night and day, to get along; and could the goods have been at St. Louis by the 10th or 12th of April, they no doubt would have all been distributed by this time.”

[62]

Blackfoot annuities, 142,862 lbs., freight St. Louis to Fort Benton, at 11 cents per pound, $15,714.82 Crow annuities, 12,572 lbs., freight St. Louis to the mouth of Milk River, at 8 cents, 1,005.76 Demurrage, 33 days at $300 per day, 9,900.00 ---------- $26,620.58 Only payment ever received on this claim, 7,206.55 ---------- Balance unpaid, $19,414.03

[63] Galpin’s mission to Washington was to secure reimbursement of a ransom which he had paid for the liberation of a white female prisoner, who had been captured the year before at the time of the Minnesota massacres. Galpin had been sent by La Barge from Fort La Framboise to rescue the prisoner, and had been compelled to pay fifteen hundred dollars. Captain La Barge took her down in his boat to Sioux City, whence she was sent home. He had Galpin go with him to Washington to assist in presenting the matter to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The ransom money was reimbursed in full.

[64] “What consideration will induce you to give up war and remain at peace?” is the hypothetical question of a certain Indian agent to a tribe of the Sioux in 1867. And the hypothetical answer, based upon his many talks with them, was this: “Stop the white man from traveling across our lands; give us the country which is ours by right of conquest and inheritance, to live in and enjoy unmolested by his encroachments, and we will be at peace with all the world.”

[65] Gruff old General Harney had his own views upon this treaty business. When Commissioner Cummings came down the river from the council with the Blackfeet, and, having lost his mules at Fort Pierre, besought the General to give him some others to complete his journey with, the General replied: “Yes, Colonel, I have plenty of mules, but you can’t have one; and I only regret that when the Indians got your mules they didn’t get your scalp also. Here all summer I and my men have suffered and boiled to chastise these wretches, while you have been patching up another of your sham treaties to be broken to-morrow and give us more work.”

“It is beyond question that such a system of treaty-making is, of all others, the most unpolitic, whether negotiated with savage or civilized peoples, and ... aside from its effect in encouraging and stimulating breaches of treaties of peace, is always attended with fraud upon the government and upon the Indian.”--_General John Pope, Report of August 3, 1864._

[66] “Send me one man who will tell the truth and I will talk with him,” was the laconic reply of a celebrated chief who had been asked to meet a government commission in council.

[67] “Traders in former years have run the only boats to that region, and had connected with their stores the only safe places for deposit; hence a convenient mixture of government and traders’ goods has so amalgamated matters as to have converted government annuities into mercantile supplies.

“Our further progress up to the more remote tribes has disclosed to us more mortifying evidence of negligence by former agents, and most probably stupendous frauds and outrages.... Immediate arrangements should be made to place the present agents independent of traders and also to enable them to build safe storehouses, where the goods can be properly protected and preserved....

“Deliveries of goods should be witnessed by some Federal officer who should certify _that he saw the delivery_.”--_Report of the Northwestern Treaty Commission to the Sioux of the Upper Missouri, 1866._

“The government appropriations are supposed to be liberal; but it so happens that by the time they reach their destination, they have, and not mysteriously either, dwindled down into a paltry present.”--_Henry A. Boller, in “Among the Indians.”_

“This system of issuing annuity goods is one grand humbug.”--_Report of Gen. Alfred Sully, August 18, 1864._

Evidence like the foregoing could be presented by the volume.

[68] “I saw, while at Sioux City, Captain La Barge, who had just returned with his boat from the upper Missouri. Captain La Barge has been in the American Fur Company employment for twenty-five years, and says that never before this trip have the Indians been unusually hostile. He says that now the whole Sioux nation is bound for a war of extermination against the frontier, ... and that the British government, through the Hudson Bay Company, are in his opinion instigating all the Indians to attack the whites. He says British rum from Red River comes over to the Missouri, and British traders are among them [the Indians] continually. I have great confidence in his judgment and opinion.”--_H. C. Nutt, Lieutenant Colonel Iowa State Militia, to Hon. S. J. Kirkwood, Iowa City, dated Council Bluffs, September 15, 1862._

[69] See page 277 for an account of the massacre of a party of miners from Montana by these Indians.

[70] It has been asserted that the _Far West_ bore the first news of the Custer massacre to the world; but this is not so. General Terry’s dispatch to General Sheridan, written in camp on the Little Big Horn June 27, was sent by courier to Fort Ellis, 240 miles distant, and there put on the wire.

The following graphic account of the voyage of the _Far West_ is well worth preserving in spite of its many errors of fact. As a word picture of what was really a notable performance, it is a fine example of journalistic writing. It is from the pen of M. E. Terry, and was published in the _Pioneer Press_ of St. Paul in May, 1878:

“The steamer _Far West_ was moored at the mouth of the Little Big Horn. The wounded were carried on board the steamer and Dr. Porter was detailed to go down with them. Terry’s adjutant general, Colonel Ed Smith, was sent along with the official dispatches and a hundred other messages. He had a traveling-bag full of telegrams for the Bismarck office. Captain Grant Marsh, of Yankton, was in command of the _Far West_. He put everything in the completest order and took on a large amount of fuel. He received orders to reach Bismarck as soon as possible. He understood his instructions literally, and never did a river man obey them more conscientiously. On the evening of the 3d of July the steamer weighed anchor. In a few minutes the _Far West_, so fittingly named, was under full head of steam. It was a strange land and an unknown river. What a cargo on that steamer! What a story to carry to the government, to Fort Lincoln, to the widows!

“It was running from a field of havoc to a station of mourners. The steamer _Far West_ never received the credit due her. Neither has the gallant Marsh; nor the pilots, David Campbell and John Johnson. Marsh, too, acted as pilot. It required all their endurance and skill. They proved the men for the emergency. The engineer, whose name is not known to me, did his duty. Every one of the crew is entitled to the same acknowledgment. They felt no sacrifice was too great upon that journey, and in behalf of the wounded heroes. The Big Horn is full of islands, and a successful passage, even on the bosom of a ‘June rise,’ is not an easy feat. The _Far West_ would take a shoot on this or that side of an island, as the quick judgment of the pilot would dictate. It is no river, in the Eastern sense of that word. It is only a creek. A steamboat moving as fast as a railway train in a narrow, winding stream is not a pleasure. It was no pleasant sensation to be dashing straight at a headland, and the pilot the only power to save. Occasionally the bank would be touched and the men would topple over like ten-pins. It was a reminder of what the result would be if a snag was struck. Down the Big Horn the heroine went, missing islands, snags, and shore. It was a thrilling voyage. The rate of speed was unrivaled in the annals of boating. Into the Yellowstone the stanch craft shot, and down that sealed river to pilots she made over twenty miles an hour. The bold Captain was taking chances, but he scarcely thought of them. He was under flying orders. Lives were at stake. His engineer was instructed to keep up steam at the highest pitch. Once the gauge marked a pressure that turned his cool head and made every nerve in his powerful frame quiver. The crisis passed and the _Far West_ escaped a fate more terrible than Custer’s. Once a stop was made, and a shallow grave explained the reason. He still rests in that lone spot. Down the swift Yellowstone, like shooting the Lachine Rapids, every mile a repetition of the former. From the Yellowstone she sped into the broad Missouri, and then there was clear sailing. There was a deeper channel and more confidence. A few minutes were lost at Buford. Everybody at the fort was beside himself. The boat was crowded with inquirers, and their inquiries were not half answered when the steamer was away. At Berthold a wounded scout was put off, and at Fort Stevenson a brief stop to tell in a word what had happened. There was no difference in the speed from Stevenson to Bismarck. The same desperate rate was kept up to the end. They were approaching home with something of that feeling which always moves the human heart. At eleven o’clock on the night of the 5th of July they reached Bismarck and Fort A. Lincoln. One thousand miles in fifty-four hours was the proud record.”

[71] Charles Larpenteur, who was interpreter for the Commission in their negotiations with the Assiniboines at Fort Union, says in his journal, “The great Peace Commission was a complete failure.” Such was the general sentiment along the valley.

[72] The _Montana Post_ is authority for the statement that this voyage of the _Octavia_ was the quickest ever made from St. Louis to Fort Benton.

[73] See footnote at end of chapter xxxviii.

[74] On the 13th of June, 1902, Congress passed an Act abolishing the Missouri River Commission, and virtually abandoning the river as a commercial highway.

On the 17th of the same month it passed an act inaugurating a government policy of reclamation of the arid lands. This policy will eventually result in an extensive use of the waters of the Missouri in irrigation.

INDEX.

A

Abraham Lincoln, Fort, 386, 387

Arrival of _Far West_ at, 390

Agency system, 362

Agents, Indian, situation of, 360

Alder Gulch, discovery of, 271

_Amanda_, the, impressed by Peace Com. of 1866, 405

American Fur Company, questionable methods of, 25, 43, 59, 64, 135, 159, 183, 215, 290, 320, 329, 343, 344, 360 sells its business on the river, 239, 260 sends steamboat to Fort Benton, 218

Annuities, delivery of, in 1863, 301

Annuity system, abuses of, 177, 359, 360

Anthony, Col. R. D., 254

Appropriations for improving the Mo. r., 421–3

Aricara Indians, Ashley’s fight with, 5

Army, the, in Indian affairs, 365 et seq.

Arrival of steamboat at trading post, 132

Ash Hollow, battle of, 367

Ashley, Gen. W. H., 5, 8 transports furs by bullboat, 101

_Assiniboine_, the, ascends Mo. r. to Poplar r., 139, 218

Assiniboine Indians, 352 break peace with Blackfeet, 228

Astor, John Jacob, 134, 138

Astorian expedition, 107

Atkinson, Gen. Henry, takes expedition to Yellowstone in 1825, 376, 383

Aubrey, Felix X., ride of, 114

Audubon the naturalist and the black squirrel, 150 on board the _Omega_, 141 et seq. unpopularity of, 150

B

Bad Axe, battle of, 24

Bad lands, first military expedition through, 375

Bailey, pilot of the _Spread Eagle_, 1863, 290, 291

Bannock City, 269

Barry, William, kills Captain Spear, 412 released from arrest, 414 tried and acquitted, 415

Bell of the _Saluda_, 125

Bellefontaine Cemetery, St. Louis, 442

Beneetse, discoverer of gold in Montana, 266

_Ben Johnson_, the, transports Peace Com. of 1863, 397

Benteen, Captain, in Custer campaign, 381

Benton, Fort, christening of, 235 growth of, 237 head of navigation, 220, 222 historical sketch of, 222 et seq. ruined by the railroads, 419

Benton, Thos. H., bequeaths name to Fort Benton, 235 defends Am. F. Co., 27, 159, 235, 348 faith of, in the West, 348

Benton Transportation Company, 420

Bercier accompanies La Barge on war party, 46 death of, 46

Berger, Jacob, attacks Malcolm Clark, 232 goes on mission to the Blackfeet, 223

Bible lost on the _Naomi_, 79

Big Mound, battle of, 372

_Bishop_, the, lost in whirlpool, 122

Bismarck, first railroad at, 419

Black Dave, adventure of, 149

Blackfeet Indians, annuities for, 315 et seq. enemies of Crows, 223, 228 sketch of, 226, 352 trade relations with, 223 treaty with Assiniboines, 225 treaty with whites, 237, 359

Black Squirrel, Audubon and the, 150

Blair, Frank, and La Barge, 257

Bloody Island, 185

Boats, kinds of, on the Mo. r., 91 et seq.

Boller, Henry A., cited, 300, 307, 313, 361

Bonneville, Captain, ships furs by bullboat, 101

Boone, Daniel, burial of, 57

Boonville, battle of, 255

Bozeman, J. M., 268

Bradley, James H., historical researches of, 238

Brasseaux Houses, 374, 375, 385

Bridger, Fort, La Barge at, 335

Brulé, Fort, origin of name, 232

Bruyère tries to break up La Barge’s expedition, 61

Buffalo, adventure with, 163

Bullboat, description of, 96 Indian type of, 101 noted voyages of, 100

Burgwin, Captain, inspects the _Omega_, 144

Burials along the Missouri r., 36

Burleigh, Dr. W. A., 341

C

Cabanné, John P., affair of, with Leclerc, 24–7

California, conquest of, 172 discovery of gold in, 173

Calvary cemetery, St. Louis, 442

Campbell, Robert, criticises La Barge, 395

Canoe, description of, 91

Cargo of steamboats, 126

Cass, Fort, 228

Catholic sisters on La Barge’s boat, 434

Catlin, George, on board the _Yellowstone_, 137

Championship among steamboat employees, 128

Channel of the Missouri, changes in, 76

Chantier, description of, 96

Chappelle, Phil. A., assistance acknowledged, vi

Chardon, F. A., and Blackfoot massacre, 231 relieves Alexander Culbertson, 231

Chardon, Fort, 232, 237

Chase, Salmon P., La Barge’s experience with, 343

Chatillon, Henry, hunter for steamboats, 126

Cheyenne Indians, 352

Chicago and N. W. R. R. reaches Council Bluffs, 418

_Chippewa_, the, reaches head of navigation, 218, 219

Cholera on the _St. Ange_, 189 on the _Yellowstone_, 31

Chouteau Bluffs, origin of name, 137

Chouteau, C. P., 201, 219 encounter with Col. Dimon, 261

Chouteau, Edward Liguest, La Barge’s companion, 19, 345

Chouteau, Pierre, Jr., colloquy with La Barge, 292 offers stand of colors to La Barge, 240 quoted, 35, 134

Civil War, the, effect of, on Indians, 368 relation of, to Mo. r. commerce, 249 et seq. termination of, 368

Clark, Fort, 139

Clark, Malcolm, attacks Alexander Harvey, 233 kills Owen McKenzie, 233

Clergymen as Indian agents, 143, 362

Cook, Camp, 410, 413

Cordelle, the, description of, 103

Cottonwood bark as forage, 49

Coues, Dr. Elliott, quoted, 313

Council Bluffs, first railroad at, 418

Crazy Wolf, Yanktonais Indian, 402

Crook, General, in campaign of 1876, 378, 379

Crooks, Ramsay, quoted, 138

Crow Indians, 352 enemies of Blackfeet, 223, 228 experience with Peace Com. of 1866, 404

Crow Indian prisoner killed by Pawnee, 31

Culbertson, Alexander, career at Fort Benton, 227 et seq.

Cummings, Alfred, makes treaty with Blackfeet, 236, 359

Curtis, General, mem. Peace Com. 1866, 397 et seq.

Custer, General, campaign of 1876, 380 command of, annihilated, 380 tries to arrest La Barge, 431

Custer massacre, first news of, 388

D

Dauphin, Louis, hunter for steamboats, 126 subaqueous adventure of, 303

Dawson, Andrew, receives property of La Barge, Harkness & Co., 327

Dead Buffalo Lake, battle of, 372

Deadman, meaning of term in steamboating, 122

_Deer Lodge_, the, boats met by, in 1866, 273

Deer Lodge Valley, discovery of gold in, 266, 267

De Lacey, W. W., 237, 295

Departure from port, 127

De Smet, Father P. J., at Fort Laramie, arrived in 1851, 358 goes from Fort Union to Fort Laramie, 193 on the _St. Ange_ in 1851, 189 stories of, 194

Diamond R Company, 329

Dimon, Col. Charles A. R., 260 et seq.

Dodge, Grenville M., assistance acknowledged, vi relations with Lincoln, 243, 244

Dog, a, causes steamboat wreck, 116 chloroformed by Gen. Harney, 202

Durack, John, lassoes a buffalo, 163

E

Edgar, Henry, discoverer of Alder Gulch, 271

Edmunds, Newton, mem. Peace Com. of 1866, 397

_Edna_, the, explosion of, 124

_Effie Deans_, the, burned, 394 length of voyage in one season, 336 purchase of, 332 voyage of, in 1864, 319

_El Paso_, the, reaches Milk r., 218

Embalming, new method, 413

_Emilie_, the, 240, 241 voyage of, in 1862, 288

Evans, Dr., on the _St. Ange_ in 1851, 190

Exploration of the West, 174

Express, the, description of, 41

F

Fairweather, William, discoverer of Alder Gulch, 271

_Far West_, the, part played by, in campaign of 1876, 387, 388

Fire canoe of the Indians, 111

Fisk James L., leader of Northern Overland Expedition, 270

Flood of 1844, 154

Floods of Missouri and Mississippi, 83, 155

Fremont, General John, as an explorer, 348 inaccessibility of, 347 La Barge’s acquaintance with, 347

Freight rates on the Missouri, 276

Fuel for steamboats, 117

Fur trade, relation of, to the Indians, 353 use of steamboats in, 3

G

Galpin, Charles E., 341

Galpin, Fort, 293

Galvanized Yankees, 260

Gardner, Johnson, transports furs by bullboat, 101

Garreau, Pierre, 197

Gibbon, General, in Custer campaign, 378

Gilbert, Colonel, incident concerning, 427

Gold, discovery of, in California, 173 discovery of, in Montana, 237, 265 et seq., 368

Gold dust, first sale of, in Montana, 267 great quantity shipped by the _Octavia_, 413 transportation of, 275, 333

Good, Frederick, lost from the _Trover_, 286

Government work on the Missouri r., 421 et seq.

Grant, General, La Barge’s acquaintance with, 347 La Barge’s resemblance to, 443

Grattan massacre, 366, 367

Great Falls of the Missouri, 75 first white woman to see, 294

Great Falls City, Mont., 420

Great fire of St. Louis, 185

Great Northern R. R. reaches Helena, 417, 418

Greer, Capt. W. B., witnesses transactions at Fort Union, 316, 320, 321

Grismore, Nathan, La Barge’s mate, 181

Guerette, Louis, killed on the _Saluda_, 24, 124

Guerette, Pelagie wife of Capt. La Barge, 71

Guerrillas in Missouri, 250

H

Half breeds, British, among the Indians, 369

Hannibal and St. Joseph R. R. reaches the Mo. r., 241, 417, 418

Hard, C. D., arrests La Barge, 432

Harkness, James, connection of, with firm of La Barge, Harkness & Co., 286, 293, 324, 329 journal of, 290

Harney, General, campaign of 1855, 367, 383 chloroforms a dog, 202 experience with Captain La Barge’s father, 6 friend of the Indians, 201 quoted, 356

Harvey, Alexander, attacked by Malcolm Clark, 234 desperate character of, 229 et seq.

Harvey, Primeau & Co., 234

Hat, Louis Dauphin’s, 303

Hawley, Hubbell & Co., buy out Am. F. Co., 239, 260

Hayden, Dr. F. N., on La Barge’s boat, 209

Helena, Mont., rise of, 272

Hill, Father W. H., preaches La Barge’s funeral sermon, 440

Hodgkiss, Wm., agent at Fort Union, 316, 320

Hoecken, Father, death of, 191

Hooper, Mormon acquaintance of La Barge’s, 334

Hopkins, Mormon acquaintance of La Barge’s, 334

Horrigan, Lieutenant, with troops on _Octavia_, 410

Hortiz, Eulalie, mother of Capt. La Barge, 11

Hortiz, Joseph Alvarez, 11

Hubbell, J. B. assistance acknowledged, vi cited, 284 mackinaw voyage of, in 1866, 283

Hunters for steamboats, 125

Hyde, Orson, Mormon preacher, 375

I

Ice break up of 1856, 204

Ice gorges, 81

Illinois Central R. R. reaches Sioux City, 418

Improvement work on the Mo. r., 241 et seq.

_Independence_, the, first steamboat on the Missouri, 90, 219

Indian, the, and the fur trade, 353 and the steamboat, 364

Indian agents, character of, 362

Indian question, 355

Indians attack the _Martha_, 179 attack the _Omega_, 148 danger to boats from, 123

Indians of the Missouri Valley, 351

Insurance rates, 276

Irrigation, Congressional Act of, 448 relation of, to Mo. r., 447

Irving, Washington, quoted, 109

_Island City_, the, wreck of, 385

J

Jesuits honor La Barge’s memory, 440

Johnston, General A. S., 346

Joseph, Nez Percé chief, 392 captured, 393

K

Kansas City, first railroad at 417

Kansas Indians, 351

Keelboat, advent of, on the Missouri, 90 description of, 102

Kernel of corn, the, 152

Kidder, Judge, tries murderer of Capt. Spear, 414

Killdeer Mountain, battle of, 374

Kimball, Heber, Mormon preacher, 335

Kipp, James, accompanies La Barge, 70 builds Fort Piegan, 225

L

La Barge, A. G., assistance acknowledged, vi

La Barge Avenue, St. Louis, 198

La Barge, Charles S., killed in steamboat explosion, 13, 124

La Barge city, 295

La Barge, Fort, established, 293 turned over to Am. F. Co., 327

La Barge, Harkness & Co., 270, 287 collapse of firm, 329 operations of, in 1862, 293 sued, 326

La Barge, John B., brother of Capt. La Barge, 13 member of firm L. H. & Co., 287 takes first steamboat to head of navigation, 219

LA BARGE, JOSEPH, Mo. r. pilot accompanies Pawnee war party, 45 acquaintance with the Mormons, 56 acquaintance with prominent men, 346, 350 adventure with Sioux war party, 38 among the Pawnees, 27 et seq. ancestry of, 2 et seq. an authority on Mo. r. history, 439 as an expert witness, 165 at Ford’s theater, 344 before Senate Committee, 344 birth of, 12, 13 captured by Pawnees, 160 carries express to Pierre, 44 changes during his lifetime, 441 childhood of, 13 claim against government, 323 contemplates retirement, 198, 426 death of, iv, 440 dictates memoirs, iii education of, 17 enters service Am. F. Co., 23, 56, 67, 200 enters service H. & St. Joe R. R., 241, 418 experience with Englishmen, 344 experience with rattlesnakes, 46 falls into an air hole, 50 funeral of, 440 grave of, 442 helps prepare list of steamboat wrecks, 438 in Cabanné-Leclerc affair, 24 et seq. in Custer campaign, 389 in meteoric shower, 40 in Montana, 331 et seq. in “opposition,” 59 et seq., 287 in Salt Lake City, 333 in Washington, 340 et seq. intimate knowledge of the river, 116 leaves service Am. F. Co., 56, 184, 199, 210, 214, 215 marriage of, 71 meets Dave McCann, 430 on the _Yellowstone_ in cholera scourge, 32 opposes Am. F. Co., 59, et seq., 287 personal characteristics, 443 politics of, 444 purchases the _Sonora_, 190 religion of, 444 remains with the Union, 253 rescues boat from ice gorge, 207 retires from the river, 447 serves apprenticeship in steamboating, 55 serves as interpreter, 22 skill as a swimmer, 53 works for city of St. Louis, 438

La Barge, Joseph Marie, at Council Bluffs, 42 sketch of, 3 stories concerning, 6 et seq.

Laberge, Dr. Philemon, 12

La Fayette, visits of, to St. Louis, 15

La Framboise, Fort, 293

Langford, N. P., assistance acknowledged, vi

Laramie Fort, treaty of, 358

Larpenteur, Charles, cited, 307 estimate of, 313 quoted, 398

Last Chance Gulch, 272

Latta, S. M., Indian agent, 300 at the Tobacco Garden, 306 cited, 207 quoted, 317

Leavenworth, Colonel, in Aricara campaign, 383

Leclerc, Narcisse, affair of, with Cabanné, 24 et seq. disloyal to La Barge, 60, 65

Lee, General R. E., acquaintance of La Barge with, 346 examines Mo. r., 422 surrender of, 336

Lemon, R. H., transfers Fort La Barge, 327

Lewis and Clark, expedition of, 375

Lewis, Fort, 233 et seq.

Lincoln, Abraham, assistance of, 261, 336 at Council Bluffs, 241 commutes sentence of Indians, 371 election of, 247 interest in Indian question, 342 on La Barge’s boat, 246 on Missouri r., 241 et seq. presented with fur robe, 340

Little Crow, Sioux Chief, incites massacre, 370

Liquor, importation of, prohibited, 25, 141

Lisa, Manuel, voyage of, in 1811, 106, 107

Loan, Brig. Gen., quoted, 251

Log book kept by Captain Sire, 139 quoted, 146, 159

Lyon, General, goes to Illinois r. for pilots, 249 La Barge’s experience with, 257, 258

M

Mackinaw boat, description of, 94 et seq. party are massacred, 277, 278 voyages of, 275, 284

Majors, Alexander, saves La Barge, 254

Mandan Indians, 252

Marine Insurance Companies, frauds upon, 420

Marmaduke, General, impresses the _Emilie_, 255

Marquette and Joliet discover Mo. r., 87

Marsh, Captain Grant, important services of, 387 master of the _Far West_, 388

Massacre, Custer, 380

Massacre on the Marias r., 279

Matlock, Indian Agent, 178

Maximilian, Prince of Wied, at Fort McKenzie, 228 voyage of, in 1833, 139

Maybrick, Mrs., case of, compared with that of Capt. Spear, 415

Meteoric shower, 40

Mexico, war with, 171

Miles, General, in Nez Percé campaign, 392

Miller, mate on the _Robert Campbell_, 396

Miller, Dr. Geo. L., quoted, 203

Miller, Joseph, Indian agent at Bellevue, 156

_Miner_, the, caught in a whirlpool, 122

Minnesota massacre, 370

Minnetarees, or Gros ventres of the Missouri, 352

Missouri Indians, 351

Missouri Pacific R. R. reaches Kansas City, 416

MISSOURI RIVER, THE burials along shore, 36 commercial importance of, iv, 73 destiny of, 445 discovery of, 87 early exploration of, 89 first navigation of, 87 first steamboat to enter, 90 head of navigation on, 220 highest point reached by steam, 220 improvement of, by the government, 422 et seq. Indian tribes along, 351 kinds of boats used on, 91 et seq. modern view concerning, 445 navigation of, 115 origin of name, 88 physical characteristics of, 74 et seq. relation of, to gold regions of Montana, 273 scenery of, 83 sediment carried, 78 source of, 74

Missouri River Commission, abolition of, 424, 448 creation of, 422

Mitchell, D. D., attends Council at Fort Laramie, 358 builds Fort McKenzie, 226

Montana, first railroads in, 419 gold fields of, 265

Montana Historical Society, 239

Mormons, the, in Missouri, 65 La Barge’s acquaintance with, 175, 333 migration of, to Great Salt Lake, 171 relation of, to commerce of Mo. r., 171 sketch of, 167

McCann, Dave, meets La Barge, 430

McCune, John S., relations with La Barge, 337, 396, 435

McKenzie, Fort, 137 burned, 232 founding of, 227 sketch of, 228

McKenzie, Kenneth, 134 opens trade with the Blackfeet, 223

McKenzie, Owen, killed by Malcolm Clark, 233

McPherson, W. W., government contractor, 409

N

_Naomi_, the, discovery of a Bible belonging to, 79

Negro boys lost, 285

New Mexico, conquest of, 172

Nez Percé campaign, steamboat in, 392

Nicollet, J. J., 347

_Nimrod_, the, injured by hailstorm, 164 inspection of, at Bellevue, 156 voyage of, in 1844, 154

Northern Overland Expedition, 270

Northern Pacific R. R. reaches Bismarck, 419 reaches Montana, 419

Northwestern Fur Company, 239, 260

Northwestern Treaty Commission--See “Peace Commission of 1866”

Nutt, H. C., quoted, 369

O

_Octavia_, the, built, 396 great profit on voyage of, 416 voyage of, 1867, 408

Omaha, first railroad at, 418

Omaha Indians, 351

_Omega_, the, voyage of 1843, 141 et seq.

Ophir City, 279

“Opposition,” meaning of term, 59

Orleans, Fort, 88

Osage Indians, 351

Otrante, Comte de, 155

P

Passenger fares on Mo. r., 276 lists on Mo. r. steamboats, 120

Pawnee Indians, 27, 351 capture La Barge, 160 La Barge’s residence among, 27 Peace Commission of 1866, 396 et seq. quoted, 360

Peindry, Comte de, 155

Piegan, Fort, founding of, 225

Pierre, Fort, 137 transfer of, to United States, 201, 367, 383

Pike’s Peak Gulch, 269

Pilcher, Joshua, in charge of Cabanné’s post, 37 interest in young La Barge, 39, 44, 48

Pilot, Missouri r., experiences of, 131 important duty of, 115 wages of, 276

Pilot shields, 250

Poles, use of, on keelboats, 104

Pope, General, plans Indian campaign, 371 quoted, 357

Price, General Sterling, 255

Profits in steamboat business, 276

Prou, Mr., botanist to Audubon, 152

Provost, Etienne, praises La Barge, 39 outwits a botanist, 152 settles championship, 128 wooding the Martha, 179

R

Racing steamboats on the Mo. r., 123

Railroads, the enemy of the steamboat, 417 relation of, to Mo. r., 445

Randall, Fort, 367, 383

Rattlesnakes, 46

Ray, Captain, faithful conduct of, 337

Reed, H. W., Indian Agent, 300 advises La Barge to store annuities, 316 cited, 207 mem. Peace Com. 1866, 397 quoted, 314

Reeve, Colonel, makes Crows walk, 405

Rencontre, Zephyr, aids La Barge, 67 interprets for Peace Com. of 1866, 400, 402

Reno, Major, in Custer campaign, 381, 391

Rice, Fort, 260, 374

_Robert Campbell_, the, voyage of, in 1863, 298 et seq.

Roe, John J., organizes Diamond R. Co., 328 relations with La Barge, 325

Rolette, agt. Am. F. Co. at Fort Union, 320

S

Sail, use of, on keelboats, 106

Sailors, lost from the _Nimrod_, 160

_Saint Ange_, launching of, 184 voyage of, in 1851, 189

Saint Joseph, first railroad at, 417

Saint Louis, great fire of, 185

Salaries on steamboats, 271

_Saluda_, the, explosion of, 124

_Sam Gaty_, the, attack on, 251

Sanders, W. F., assistance acknowledged, vi counsel against La Barge, Harkness & Co., 328

Sarpy, Peter A., arrests Leclerc, 26 in charge of Cabanné’s post, 49

Scenery of the Missouri r., 83

Sediment carried by the Mo. r., 78

Sheridan, General, plans campaign of 1876, 378

Sherman, General, Commissioner to treat with Indians, 377 gives La Barge a contract, 410

_Shreveport_, the, impressed by General Sully, 385 voyage of, in 1863, 302

Sibley, General, in charge of operations against Sioux Indians in 1863, 370

Sioux City, first railroad at, 418 important river port, 419

Sioux City and Pacific R. R. reaches Sioux City, 418

Sioux Indians, 351 capture Grosventre herd, 304 non-treaty, 377 power of, broken, 377

Sire, Joseph A., 140 master of the _Omega_, 141 master of the _Nimrod_, 154 outwits inspectors, 144, 157

Sire log book, the, 139

Slope of Missouri river, 83

Smallpox among the Blackfeet, 229

Smith, Green Clay, Governor of Montana Territory, 409

Smith, Joseph, death of, 57, 169

Snags in Missouri river, 80, 119, 421

Snagboats, early, 422

Sounding the channel, 120

Sparring over sand bars, 121

Spear, Capt. W. D., killed by a sentinel, 412 takes passage on the _Octavia_, 411

_Spread Eagle_, the, rams the _Emilie_, 289

Stanley, General, arrests Custer, 431

Statistics of steamboat traffic, 217, 275

Steamboat, the, and the Indians, 364 architectural beauty of, 111 description of, 109 et seq. in the Indian wars, 382 in the Nez Percé campaign, 392 last at Fort Benton, 420 navigation of the Mo. r., importance of, iv trade on Mo. r., rapid growth of, 174, 216, 274 wrecks, causes of, 421 voyages up the Mo. r., 127

Stevens, I. I., makes treaty with Blackfeet, 236, 359

Stinger, Andy, hero of the Tobacco Garden, 307, 311

Stony Lake, battle of, 372

Storm injures the _Nimrod_, 164

Storms on the Missouri, 84

Stuart, Fort, 293

Stuart, James, English traveler, 4

Stuart, James, Montana pioneer, 267, 268, 271

Sublette & Campbell, 36

Suit against La Barge, Harkness & Co., 328

Sully, Fort, 373

Sully, General, campaign of 1863, 371, 372 campaign of 1864, 374 impresses the _Shreveport_, 318 opinion of Col. Dimon, 262 quoted, 270, 361 uses steamboats in his campaigns, 385

Survey of the Missouri r., 436

Suter, Capt, C. R., purchases the _Octavia_, 425

T

Tecumseh, Fort, 137

Terry, General Alfred, in campaign of 1876, 378 on La Barge’s boat, 390

Terry, Lieutenant, English officer, investigates death of Capt. Spear, 414

Terry, M. M., writes account of voyage of _Far West_, 388

Thomas, Col., Quartermaster in St. Louis, 410

Thompson, C. W., Indian agent, 385

Thompson, Fort, 385

Tobacco Garden, affair at, 305 et seq.

Transportation by water and rail, 420

Treaty of Fort Laramie, 358, 366 with Blackfeet, 237, 259

Treaty system, abuses of, 356

_Trover_, the, wreck of, 285

U

Union, Fort, 139

Union Pacific Bridge at Omaha opened, 418

Union Pacific R. R., Lincoln’s interest in, 244 reaches Ogden, 419

Upson, Gad E., Indian agent, 322

Utah Northern R. R. enters Montana, 419

V

Vallandingham, C. L., 244

Virginia City, Mont., 272

Volunteers, U. S., 259

Voyage, last, to Fort Benton, 436, 437

Voyageurs, 108

W

Wall, Nicholas, relations with Capt. La Barge, 258, 295, 325, 326

War with Mexico, 171

Warping over rapids, 121

Warren, General, on the upper Missouri, 208

Weather, influence of, on navigation of the river, 86

_Western Engineer_, the, 91, 382

Whirlpools on the Missouri, 122

Whitestone Hill, battle of, 373

Winnebago Indians, transported by steamboat, 384

Wooding steamboat, 118

Wooding at Crow creek in 1847, 179

Wounded Knee, battle of, 366

Wrecks of steamboats on Mo. r., causes of, 421 list of, 438

Wright, Geo. B., agent for the Blackfeet, 405

Wyeth, Nathaniel J., transports furs by bullboat, 101

Y

Yankee Jack, adventure of, 129 mentioned, 282

Yanktonais, the, experience of, with Peace Com. of 1866, 399

Yawl, importance of, to steamboat, 54, 91

_Yellowstone_, the, first steamboat on the upper river, 22, 136 cholera on, 32 description of, 112 public interested in voyage of, 138

Yellowstone expedition of 1819, 382

Yellowstone National Park, 75, 266

Yellowstone river, 75 falls of, 75 La Barge ascends, 436

Young, Brigham, 169, 175 entertains La Barge, 334

Transcriber’s Notes

Old English lettering on the pages preceding the Table of Contents is represented here within =equals signs=.

Punctuation, hyphenation, and spelling were made consistent when a predominant preference was found in the original book; otherwise they were not changed.

Simple typographical errors were corrected; unbalanced quotation marks were remedied when the change was obvious, and otherwise left unbalanced.

Illustrations in this eBook have been positioned between paragraphs and outside quotations. In versions of this eBook that support hyperlinks, the page references in the List of Illustrations lead to the corresponding illustrations.

Running page headers are shown here as Sidenotes, usually positioned just above the paragraph they summarize. When such Sidenotes summarize footnotes, they are positioned above the paragraphs that referenced those footnotes.

This is Volume II of a two-volume set. The Index covers both Volumes. Volume I, which also is available at no cost at Project Gutenberg, ends on page 248 and this volume begins on page 249. The index was not checked for proper alphabetization or correct page references.

Footnotes have been renumbered to continue the sequence begun in Volume I.

Page 254: Missing footnote anchor added by Transcriber. Based on the context of the text, this likely is in the right place.

Page 276: “6 1-2” was printed that way.

Page 306: Missing footnote anchor added by Transcriber. This may not be in the right place. The document cited in the footnote is easily found by an online search.

Footnote 58, originally on page 311: “untill” was printed that way.

Page 461: Page numbers for the entry, “Yawl, importance of, to steamboat” were omitted in the original book and added by the Transcriber, based on an examination of the main text.