USA > Louisiana > The province and the states, a history of the province of Louisiana under France and Spain, and of the territories and states of the United States formed therefrom, Vol. I > Part 42
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While encamped on this stream, Bridger told the following story : "A partner of his, Henry Frappé, had a party of what in the language of the country are called 'free men,' that is, inde- pendent traders, who some nine years before were encamped about two miles from where we then were, with their squaw partners and a party of Indians. Most of the men being absent hunting buffalo, a band of five hundred Sioux, Cheyennes and Arapahoes suddenly charged upon their camp, killed a white man, an Indian, and two women, drove off a hundred and sixty head of cattle, and, chasing the hunters, killed several of them in their flight, the residue escaping only by abandoning their horses and hiding in the bushes. Intelligence of this onslaught reached Major Bridger, then occupied in erecting a trading-post on Green river ; he sent Frappé advice to abandon his post at once, for fear of worse consequences. The advice, however, was neglected, when about ten days after, as his party was on their way to join his partner, they were again suddenly attacked by another large party of their savage allies. He had but forty men ; but they instantly 'forted' in the correl attached to the trad- ing post and stood on their defense. The assault lasted from
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noon to sundown, the Indians charging the pickets several times with great bravery; but they were finally repulsed with the loss of forty men. Frappé himself was killed, with seven or eight of his people."*
In his report, Captain Stansbury says, "Before noon we passed a spot where a party of fourteen fur-traders under Mr. Vasquez, had 'forted' and fought forty Ogallala Sioux for four hours, suc- cessfully defending themselves and repulsing the Indians. One of our men, a half-breed hunter, had himself been in the fight, and pointed out to me the localities with the most minute particu- larity of bloody details." This was, in fact, one of the most his- toric valleys in the whole mountain region, full of reminiscences for the old hunters and trappers. The party continued along Muddy creek until September 20, when they struck cast again, and ascended slowly the continental divide, and in a short time stood at the spot where the waters divide, part flowing east to the Mississippi and part west to the Colorado. Far to the east. they could see the Platte valley spread out before them like a picture and glistening in the sun. This became called Bridger's Pass.
They had now come about two hundred and seventy miles since leaving Fort Bridger. They continued eastward down a steady and gradual decline until at last, on the 21st, they encamped on the North Fork of the Platte. Here was another famous hunting and trapping ground; and here and there could be seen the ruins of the okl Indian stockades, there being in the valley at this time fifteen or twenty of them still standing, silent and deserted. In every direction, also, were the bones of buf- falo, scattered, but telling the tale of slaughter. Here the party began to see buffalo for the first time on the return trip. Passing down the Platte, they ascended Medicine Bow river, and on Sep- tember 25, reached Frappé creek, named for the man mentioned above, who had been robbed at its mouth several years before of sixty horses by a war party of Arickarees. On September 26, they entered Laramie Plains, where, on the open, they were threatened by a party of Indians ; but they hastily sought the tim- ber, where they fortified themselves, and sent Bridger out to reconnoiter. There were about thirty whites in the party, and nearly all were expert riflemen and knew no fear. Bridger returned with the report that they were Ogallalas ( Sioux), and were friendly. In fact the Indians all came to the camp and hecame altogether too friendly, for they slyly stole several articles,
* Stansbury's Expedition to the Great Salt Lake.
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among which was a valuable gun. They were out after a war party of Crows, with whom they were at war. Bridger knew many of the chiefs personally. They were supplied with tobacco, coffee, flour, sugar and given a square meal : there were several hundred of them. It is a singular fact, yet true, that although Bridger did not know a word of Sioux, nor the Indians under- stand a word of English, yet he conversed with them for two hours wholly by the sign language, each understanding each other perfectly, the Indians several times bursting out in laughter at the witticisins of the old mountaineer. This language was understood by all the tribes, and by the old hunters and trappers, and was the same everywhere. The whites visited the Ogallala village several miles away, and were entertained at dinner, but did not linger over the ineal. Around here were the outliers of the Black Hills, and here the party stopped for some time to take observations and make measurements. The plains at this place were strewn with buffalo carcasses, and the live animals roamed in immense herds. On October 6 they advanced, and reached Fort Laramie on the 12th. Fort Leavenworth was reached on November 6, and Washington, D. C., on December 6.
In the summer of 1849, an expedition under the command of Maj. Samuel Woods was sent to the Red River of the North to ascertain the relations existing there between the Hudson's Bay Company and the Indians south of the British line, and between the latter and the white settlers also south of the boundary. With him went Capt. John Pope, afterward famous in the Civil war, and a company of forty dragoons from Fort Snelling. The expe- dition, well equipped, marched from Sauk Rapids June 16, pass ing in succession Sauk lake, Lightning lake, White Bear lake, Pike lake, Elk lake, Potato river, Rabbit river, and when near the latter meeting a train of wagons of the American Fur Com- pany in charge of Mr. Kitson of Pembina. "We were- much struck with the primitive appearance of the train. of carts, with- out a particle of iron about them, cach drawn by a single ox in the shafts and carrying about one thousand pounds." The expedi- tion crossed Red river a short distance above the mouth of Sioux Wood river, and, keeping out of the valley much of the time, marched northward, crossing Cheyenne, Maple, Rush, Big Salt and other streams, and recrossing Red river several times before Pembina was reached August ist. They had seen their first buf- falo July 22d. At Pembina, it was learned that, while Hudson's Bay Company openly sent whisky across the boundary to the Indians south of the line, the American Company's traders were
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not permitted to do so, thus seriously reacting on their traffic. It was seen that the abuses of the Indian trade tended to make friends between the British and the Indians at the expense of the Americans. The population was largely half-breeds, who lived almost exclusively on dried buffalo meat. Ilere was a civiliza- tion, or semi-civilization, different from anything the members of the expedition had ever seen. Having accomplished its object in this section of the country, the expedition divided, part under Captain Pope passing up Red river, thence across the divide and down St. Peter's river to the Mississippi, and the other crossing to the Mississippi southeast from Pembina. Much valuable information concerning the Territory of Minnesota was gleaned from this expedition.
An expedition under the command of Thaddeus A. Culbertson was sent across the upper country from Fort Pierre to the Little Missouri river in 1850. He started in April, and by May 10th was on the headwaters of that stream. On his return, he passed across the uplands to the Black Hills, and thence through the Bad Lands, or Mauvaises Terre. The object of the expedition was two-fold: To ascertain what the Indians were doing and to find a new and better trail for wagon and other trains. Immediately . succeeding this trip, he passed up the Missouri from Fort Pierre, meeting and endeavoring to make friends of the warring Arick- arees and others. On this trip he visited Fort Clark and Fort Buthold, both on the Missouri in what is now North Dakota.
What was called "the Oregon expedition" left Fort Leaven- worth in May, 1850, under the command of Colonel Loring, and consisted of an entire regiment, divided into three detachinents of two companies each, accompanied by many wagons contain- ing the supplies, and by a large party of emigrants, who availed themselves of this opportunity to secure a safe escort across the plains. It is needless to say that the regiment arrived in Oregon in due season. The divisions marched a few miles apart, so as to be always in readiness to assist one another in case of an attack by the Indians. So many wagon trains crossed the plains at this time that the Indians soon adopted the tactics of stampeding their stock-horses, mules, cattle and sheep-either day or night as seemed best. Indian scouts on horseback could be seen at all stages of the journey watching the emigrants from a safe dis- tance and noting the vulnerability of the trains. When a train was too well guarded to permit this attack, the Indians often approached the wagons under a flag of truce to beg or trade. Many of the chiefs had vouchers, given them by unscrupulous
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traders or travelers for hay, wood, grass, etc., of the country, calling for reimbursement from the government : when this was refused they usually became indignant. It is related that, during the progress of this expedition, the members thereof were always in sight of wagon trains, when in the valley of the Platte. By June Ist, 1850, not counting those who passed along the right bank of the river, over four thousand wagons passed Fort Kear- ney that year, going westward. Estimating an average of four persons to each wagon, it will be seen that an aggregate of twenty thousand persons had thus gone to the West before that date. There were usually ten or twelve oxen to each wagon, thus aggre- gating from forty thousand to fifty thousand oxen, to say nothing of the large numbers of cattle, sheep, horses and mules driven along. It was estimated that during the year 1850, fully eight thousand wagons went up the Platte valley alone, representing over thirty thousand persons and nearly one hundred thousand animals. It was estimated that more persons went over the-Santa Fe trail than over the Platte trail. When the total is thus esti- mated, the remarkable westward movement becomes apparent. With the Loring expedition went seven hundred horses and twelve hundred mules, all intended for use in Oregon, where the regiment was to be stationed. But after all, the wonderful westward emi- gration was natural and is easily accounted for. The marvelous agricultural resources of Oregon and California were just becom- ing known. That fact was alone sufficient to attract to the coast large numbers of permanent settlers. When to that magnet is added the other of gold in almost every stream and on almost every mountain side, the large emigration may be regarded as natural and reasonable. An incidental result was to open to the gaze of the people, the wonderful possibilities of what was for- nierly the Louisiana Province.
In 1852 Capt. Randolph B. Marcy, of the Fifth infantry, was detached with fifty-five men of his company to examine the sources of Red river above the mouth of Cache creek. Associ- ated with him as second in command was Capt. George B. McClellan, afterward famous in the Civil war and as a candidate for the presidency. Strange as it may seem, the country thus designed to be explored was, as Marcy termed it, "terra incog- nita." If it had ever been visited by white men, no record had been kept. Marcy repaired to Fort Smith, and then to Preston, Tex. ; and the rendezvous took place by detachments at the mouth of Cache creek. He took with him a supply train of twelve wagons drawn by oxen. The most of his troops were detached
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from Fort Belknap on the Brazos river in Texas; and all assem- bled at the mouth of Cache creek on the 13th of May, 1852. The start was made on the 16th, the force ascending the ridge divid- ing Cache creek from Red river. Indian signs were seen almost every day from the start. Soon buffalo tracks were seen in the prairie sand. On the 17th a panther measuring eight and a half feet from tip to tip was killed. The next day a stray horse was caught. A few days later they turned more to the northward, and on the 23d reached Otter creek. Three days later their first buffalo was killed, and the following day a party of one hundred and fifty Witchita Indians visited the camp to inquire where the expedition was bound. With them were many horses and mules, laden with buffalo meat; also ten wild horses recently captured. The chief .was Ca-ne-ja-hex-ee. The object of the expedition was explained; but the Indians used all their arts to dissuade the whites from advancing, stating, among other things, that the country was a desert, destitute of water and animals, and was so barren that even the Indians not only did not live there, but rarely ventured there on any pretext. These stories did not deter Cap- tain Marcy, who determined to proceed. A council was held and presents were distributed. About this time Captain Mcclellan took a small force and established the one hundredth parallel of west longitude at a point six miles below the mouth of the Dog Town branch of the river. As it afterward turned out, this was much too far to the east, and was partly the cause of a dispute regarding territory between Texas and the United States.
As they advanced, the country, instead of becoming barren, became even better than that through which they had before passed. An excellent grass covered the plains, the water of the streams was good for man and beast, many cool springs bubbled out from the hills or the Washita mountains, the air was delight- fully cool and fresh, and the cattle and the mules actually took on flesh instead of losing it. Deer, antelope, buffalo, wild fowl, bear . and panther afforded all a chance to prove their prowess as follow- ers of the chase. By the oth of June they were on Sweetwater creek. Many Indian signs were observed, made both by war par- ties and by traveling villages of the Kiowas, Comanches, Wacos, Keechies and others. Kiowa creek was reached June 14th. Hav- ing arrived at what was thought to be the most northerly point of the North Fork, Captain Marcy determined to march with a small escort across to the Canadian river to examine the country lying between the two streams. This was done from the 17th to the 19th. The Canadian was reached near the mouth of Sandy
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creek. Returning, they reached the North Fork in what is now . Gray county, Tex. The North Fork was now so small that it was thought useless to ascend it any farther, whereupon the expe- dition marched almost directly southward, and on the 20th reached the stream which they named MeClellan creek. Two days later they reached the Salt Fork of the Red and were then in Donley county, Tex. For the last few days, they had seen many of the wonders of the famous Llano Estacado-mirages, streams wholly dry, bare, hot sand, repulsive reptiles, wonderful rock formations, strange gray grass and a brassy sky.
They finally arrived at the Dog Town branch of the river, where they found its bed nine hundred yards wide, but containing very little water. About this time Captains Marcy and McClel- lan together killed a large panther. They used a deer-bleat to attract a doe, but also attracted a panther, which mistook it for the cry of a fawn and came bounding to the spot. The topog- raphy now became very rough and the water so bad that it could scarcely be used. For some time the men were so tortured with thirst that they talked about ice-water during the days and dreamed about it during the nights. One man present said he would give two thousand dollars for a bucket full of pure, cold water. As they ascended this fork the river water became better. They now began to find an occasional spring of fine water, where all thoroughly refreshed themselves before proceeding. By July Ist, the water in the river was good for drinking. The rock formations were wondered at, some being eight hundred feet high, shaped like forts and castles and singularly beautiful. Soon after this they reached the remote headwaters of this fork, in what is now New Mexico. There they found many fine springs and a picturesque country. They were now according to their calculations at the meridian of one hundred three degrees, seven minutes, and eleven seconds of west longitude.
On July 4th, they started to retrace their steps. Mulberry creek was reached on the 6th. Before arriving at the western extremity of the Witchita mountains, they passed the sites of the old Witchita villages, now deserted, but showing where the fields and lodges had formerly stood. By the 19th of July, they were at the eastern end of the mountains, whence they designed to strike across the country to Fort Arbuckle on the Canadian river. They marched northward along the divide between Cache and Beaver creeks, and when they arrived at Rush creek, a branch of the Washita river, they found the two principal villages of the Witchitas and the Wacos. At both places they held councils and
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distributed presents. To-se-quash was at this time the head chief of the former tribe. On the 23d, Captain Marcy released from captivity a Mexican boy about fifteen years of age, whom the Indians were loth to part with; in fact did not do so until given many presents and threatened that he would be set at liberty in any event. On the 28th, Fort Arbuckle was duly reached, much to the joy of the soldiers. In his report, Captain Marcy recom- mended the erection of a fort near the mouth of Cache creek, or at the forks of the Red, for the purpose of holding in better sub- jection the tribes of the remote headwaters of the Red and the Canadian rivers. The objects of the expedition were fully accomplished, and another supposed desert was found to be abun- d'antly fitted for a large population.
By act of March 3, 1853, the Secretary of War was authorized "to employ such portion of the corps of topographical engineers and such other persons as he may deem necessary, to make such explorations and surveys as he may deem advisable, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi river to the Pacific ocean," and the sum of one hun- dred and fifty thousand dollars was appropriated to defray the expense of such expeditions; later forty thousand dollars more , was appropriated to cover deficiencies. Under this act three expeditions were projected: First, westward on a line between the forty-seventh and the forty-ninth parallels of north latitude; second, one between the thirty-seventh and the fortieth parallel ; third, one on or near the line of the thirty-fifth parallel.
The first above mentioned was under the command of Hon. Isaac I. Stevens. The design was to locate the most eligible route, for a railroad from St. Paul to Puget Sound, between the above mentioned parallels. A large military escort accompanied the expedition ; also many surveyors and engineers. Marching early in June from St. Paul, they reachied in succession Sauk Rapids, Sauk Lake, Lightning lake, White Bear lake, Lambert river, Pike lake, Chippewa river, Red River of the North and Cheyenne river July 2d. Soon after this they began to see many herds of buffalo. On the 15th of July, they met a large party of Red river hunters, consisting of about thirteen hundred per- sons, over eight hundred carts, about twelve hundred horses, mules and cattle, and over one hundred lodges or tents. Vast numbers of buffaloes were slaughtered and the flesh was minced and afterward mixed with tallow and securely packed for future use. The product was used by the fur companies in the far north during the entire seasons and commanded a good price.
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Fort Union at the mouth of the Yellowstone was reached August Ist. On the way a large party of Assiniboines were met, but they offered no resistance. About the Ist of September, Fort Benton was reached; and on the 24th they arrived at Dearborn river. Early in October, they crossed the divide by the way of Traveler's Rest Creek, and soon afterward passed across the line into what is now Idaho. The report showed the practicability of the route.
The honor of surveying the second or central route above men- tioned fell to Capt. J. W. Gunnison. His party rendezvoused at Westport, near Kansas City, and started in June, 1853. In the party were about sixty persons, all well armed, with a large supply of provisions. They marched up the left bank of Kansas river until they came to the Pawnee or Republican fork, after which they continued farther from the river valley, crossing Sol- omon and Saline rivers on rafts ; and soon afterward passed south across the Smoky Hill fork, and, marching southwest, reached Arkansas river in the vicinity of its Pawnee fork. They then ascended the Arkansas to the mountains, crossed the same and were soon on the soil of the present Utah, where Captain Gunni- son and a small party, while out prospecting from the main party, were attacked by a large band of Eutaws, and several were slaughtered, including Captain Gunnison himself, who received eighteen arrow wounds and had his right arm severed at the elbow. This expedition was fortunate in discovering a new route and a better pass through the mountains by way of the Huerfano river. The report shows that this route was practi- cable for a railroad.
The third route above mentioned was surveyed by Lieut. A. W. Whipple and party. He started from Fort Napoleon at the mouth of the Arkansas river; but finally rendezvoused at Fort Smith in May and June, 1853. His escort, consisting of about fifty soldiers, moved under his command up the valley of the Arkansas until the Canadian fork was reached and then up the right bank of the latter. On the 7th of September, they were at Antelope Hills near the one hundredth meridian of longitude. When near the head of the Canadian river, he turned southwest, crossed the Pecos and entered the valley of the Rio Grande south of Santa Fe. Thence he marched through northern Arizona to California. Of his party were 1,icuts. J. C. Ives and D. S. Stan- ley. A practicable route for a railroad was shown by this report.
Under the act of congress of 1853, Capt. E. F. Beale, the superintendent of Indian affairs in California, who had been on
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a visit to the East, started from Westport, Mo., in May, 1853, with a party of twelve riflemen, intending to return to his work in the West. Under the act he was instructed to locate certain Indian reservations in California, and to provide for the subsist- ence, protection and colonization of the Indians thereon. The party went first to Council Grove distant from Westport one hundred and twenty-two miles, thence to Fort Atkinson on the Arkansas river two hundred and thirty-nine miles, thence to the mouth of Huerfano river two hundred and forty-seven miles, thence to Fort Massachusetts eighty-five miles, and so on to the coast. He encountered no serious opposition from the Indians.
The "Sioux Expedition" of 1855, under the command of Gen. W. S. Harney, performed as well important duties of surveying. A detachment under Lieut. G. K. Warren marched across the open country from St. Pierre to Fort Kearney, thence up the Platte to Fort Laramie, thence across a wild tract of territory to Fort Pierre, thence down to the mouth of the Big Sioux,. and thence northeast through Minnesota, passing first up the Big Sioux. It was in 1856 that a wagon road was surveyed from Fort Ridgley in Minnesota to South Pass in the Rockies by Col. W. H. Nobles : fifty thousand dollars had been appropriated by the government to defray the expenses of this survey. From 1858 to 1862 a military road from Wally Wally to Fort Benton was explored and surveyed by Capt. John Mullan.
An expedition commanded by Gen. William F. Raynolds explored the Yellowstone and other branches of the Upper Missouri river in 1859. They rendezvoused at Fort Leavenworth and St. Joseph and arrived at Fort Randall June 13, and at Fort Pierre the 18th, where a treaty was concluded with the Sioux and their allies. From this fort the expedition marched over the plains to the westward in the Bad and Cheyenne river basins, crossing many small creeks, and finally reaching the Black Hills about the middle of July. With the expedition was James Bridger, the famous hunter, trapper and mountaineer. Leaving the Black Hills, they marched up the North Fork of the Chey- enne; tlience across the divide to the Little Missouri; thence across Powder, Tongue and Rosebud rivers, finally arriving at Fort Sarpy the 19th of August. This fort was a post of the American Fur Company, with Robert Meldrum in command. During the autumn of 1859 Lieut. II. E. Maynadier was sent with a strong detachment to explore Rosebud, Tongue and Pow- der rivers. Passing back to the Powder river, the expedition moved up that stream, and finally across the divide to the North
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