USA > Montana > Yellowstone County > An illustrated history of the Yellowstone Valley : embracing the counties of Park, Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, Rosebud, Custer and Dawson, state of Montana > Part 23
USA > Montana > Park County > An illustrated history of the Yellowstone Valley : embracing the counties of Park, Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, Rosebud, Custer and Dawson, state of Montana > Part 23
USA > Montana > Dawson County > An illustrated history of the Yellowstone Valley : embracing the counties of Park, Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, Rosebud, Custer and Dawson, state of Montana > Part 23
USA > Montana > Rosebud County > An illustrated history of the Yellowstone Valley : embracing the counties of Park, Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, Rosebud, Custer and Dawson, state of Montana > Part 23
USA > Montana > Custer County > An illustrated history of the Yellowstone Valley : embracing the counties of Park, Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, Rosebud, Custer and Dawson, state of Montana > Part 23
USA > Montana > Sweet Grass County > An illustrated history of the Yellowstone Valley : embracing the counties of Park, Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, Rosebud, Custer and Dawson, state of Montana > Part 23
USA > Montana > Carbon County > An illustrated history of the Yellowstone Valley : embracing the counties of Park, Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone, Rosebud, Custer and Dawson, state of Montana > Part 23
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102
It was in 1866 that one of the first parties to enter what is now the Yellowstone National Park made its way from Virginia City up the Madison river to the geyser basins. This party, which was under Geo. Huston, crossed to the Yellowstone at Mud geyser, ascended the river to Yellowstone lake, passed com- pletely around the latter, discovering Heart lake on the way, and then descended the Yel- lowstone by the falls and canyon and finally came to Emigrant gulch, where by this time the miners were again at work. Here they were interviewed by a newspaper reporter, I .. R. Freeman, who chanced to be in the camp. and an account of the travels through the park was published in the Omaha Herald. The members of the party were Geo. Huston, Geo. Hubbard, Rube Lilly, Soors, Lewis and a Mex- ican. After the year 1866 mining was carried on in Emigrant gulch for many years, but never to the extent that it was during these first three years.
D. B. Weaver estimated that during these
three years there was less than $30,000 taken out. However, as mining was continuous for many years, the total amount recovered front the sands of Emigrant gulch may have reached quite a respectable figure in later years. In 1889 C. R. Glidden estimated the amount at that time at $250,000, and stated that 250,- 000 cubic yards of gravel had been worked, thus making an average yield of one dollar per yard.
While the greater part of the people who came to Montana in the early sixties were ac- tuated by the sole desire to obtain wealth by mining operations, a few turned to the less strenuous pursuits, with which they were more familiar, and this was true of those who came to Park county at that early date. A few years after the discovery of gold in Emigrant gulch we find that a few scattered settlers had begun tilling the soil. This would have been more general but for the fact that the choicest lands in the vicinity of the mines lay on the east side of the Yellowstone river, and that was a por- tion of the Crow Indian reservation and not open to settlement. The first practical attempt at farming was made near the present site of Fridley. Before long a few scattered settlers might be found in that part of the valley now called Paradise valley. These raised produce for the camp at the gulch besides supplying their own wants. Sometimes driven out of the country by hostile Indians, they returned and resumed their work when the scare was over. These few scattered settlers proved the worth of the country from an agricultural standpoint.
In the spring of the year 1867 occurred the death, at the hands of Indians, of John Boze- man, that intrepid pioneer who had opened the route across the plains that crossed Park county and who had brought the first train over it. The place of his death was just east of Mission creek, about seven miles east of the present city of Livingston. The spot is near the present line of the Northern Pacific rail- road, and in the early days stood a cairn, or
125
HISTORY OF PARK COUNTY.
small stone pile, upon the spot. The story of the tragic taking away of this pioneer is told in Topping's "Chronicles of the Yellowstone:"
"In March of this year ( 1867) John Boze- man and Tom Coover started from Bozeman to go to Fort C. F. Smith, where they expected to get a contract. They stopped the first night out at Louis Reshaw's cabin, at the Yellow- stone crossing. Indians were prowling about the cabin all night and stole one horse. The next morning Reshaw advised Bozeman to wait till night and then travel far enough to get away from the war party, but it was not taken and they went on. At noon they camped at a little stream below Mission creek. Just after they had eaten, Coover saw six Indians coming up the bottom afoot, and started for the horses. Bozeman stopped him, saying, 'they are Crows.' When the Indians were about 200 yards distant, Bozeman said, 'I do not think they are Crows. You get the horses and I'll stand them off.' Coover started for the horses, which were about 200 yards away and on the opposite side of the camp from the visitors.
"The Indians carried their guns in buck- skin covers and Bozeman must have still thought they were Crows, for he let them come up to within fifteen feet of him. Then one raised a gun quickly and fired through the cover, hitting Bozeman in the breast, and he fell. Bozeman was holding Coover's rifle and his own, and as the Indians came near, Coover ran back and when they shot was about the same distance from Bozeman as they were. He ran toward Bozeman as he fell, shooting his pistol rapidly as he did so, and the Indians backed off. When Coover had secured his gun and found that Bozeman was dead, he re- treated slowly and reached the bush with but a slight wound in the shoulder. He came to Re- shaw's cabin that night, and the second day after a party went down and buried Boze- man's remains. In 1870 the body was taken up and buried with ceremony in the cemetery
of the town that bears his name * *
It was also in 1867 that Montana's militia came to that part of the territory which is now Park county on the proposed war against the Indians. The militia, 600 strong, was sent out by acting Governor Meagher to protect the settlers who were fast settling up the Gallatin valley and other portions of eastern Montana. It was doubtless also the intention to engage in battle with the Sioux, who were on the war path, but this event did not come off, partly because of the action of the general govern- ment and partly because of the acts of the militia, about to be related.
The state soldiers crossed the divide between the Gallatin and Yellowstone valleys and spent the winter of 1867-8 at the mouth of Shields river. Taken as a whole these soldiers were a pretty hard class of citizens, though they were all brave, energetic and adventurous, and some few of the number later became highly respected citizens of the territory and state. But they were all men accustomed to think for themselves and men who revelled in personal freedom; hence the discipline of army life had but little effect on these rough frontiersmen. Of the doings in this camp on the Yellowstone that winter a writer in the Livingston Enter- prise, under date of September 8, 1888, said : "Among the number were many outlaws, renegades, horse thieves and others who were too glad to seek shelter from the law by enroll- ing under its protection. As the winter went on, however, provisions commenced to get scarce. None were forthcoming from the gov- ernor and no pay could be obtained. The vouchers issued by the territory were worth- less. A mutinous spirit grew apace and raids on the commissary by hungry men became a daily occurrence. All discipline soon come to an end and a mutiny was soon in full sway. Whole squads of men deserted, taking with them what they could. Officers found themselves without men and many a member of the organization was killed in the numerous quarrels which per-
1 26
HISTORY OF PARK COUNTY.
vaded the camp. It is said by some who were there that more men were killed among them- selves than were ever killed by the Indians during the whole organization. A strong guard of trusties tried to preserve the scanty commissary from maurauders, but it was al- most useless. Captain Hart was killed in de- fending the stores, and many others whose names are long since forgotten. What was left of the regiment gradually dwindled away, some being discharged, many, however, not waiting for that ceremony to be completed, but quietly went away and engaged in other busi- ness. It is claimed by some that the territory owes these men their pay yet and that it could be collected up to the present time, but we think that most of them were so glad to get out of the scrape that they have not thought twice about the matter of pay since they left the camping ground."
Many years after this event, when Living- ston had become quite a city, a few graves were still discernable just below the town- graves that marked the last camping grounds of some of Montana's first militiamen.
By a treaty signed May 7, 1868, the bound- aries of the Crow reservation were changed, so that now it took in only that country boun- ded by the 107th meridian of longitude, the Yellowstone river and the southern boundary of the territory. This cut off all the country between the Yellowstone and Musselshell rivers which had heretofore been included. The only effect of this treaty, so far as Park county was concerned, was the opening of the northeast corner of the county to settlement- that part east of Shields river. At this time the white people were interested only in that part of the country which was adjacent to the Emigrant gulch mines, and the changing of the boundary lines had not the slightest effect upon these.
The spring of 1868 marked a few Indian depredations upon the white settlers. The home of the Whitman family was attacked, all the
household goods burned and their cattle run off. The miners organized a company and pursued the Indians. After a short skirmish, in which no lives were lost, the miners suc- ceeded in recapturing the stock. Some of the miners then returned with the stock, while the rest of the party pursued the raiders to a point on the mountains nearly opposite to where Liv- ingston is now located.
In accordance with the provisions of the Crow treaty of May 7, 1868, before referred to, in July, of the same year, Captain LeMott disbursed the first annuities ever received from the government by the Crows. This took place on Little Timber creek, in the present Sweet Grass county. A short time after this event Major Camp, of the United States army, was appointed agent and at once commenced building an agency on Mission creek. A ferry boat was put in there by Billy Lee for the government, and the place later be- came known as Benson's Landing. About the same time "Buckskin" Williams built a cabin for a saloon and trading post on the north side of the Yellowstone, opposite the agency.
It was in 1873 that this post was christened Benson's Landing. In the summer of that year Amos Benson and Dan Naileigh built a log house for a liquor saloon, near the ferry boat landing, and the place was named in honor of one of the partners. The place became quite a noted point and was headquarters and main resort of the trappers, miners and frontiersmen of the upper river.
Here the trappers brought their furs and here the traders came to buy, and here also for poor whiskey was spent a great part of the money for which the hunters imperiled their lives.
Benson and Naileigh established and main- tained a scantily supplied store for the accom- modation of trappers and hunters. In the years that followed Benson's advent to this place, when staging over the route was a safe mode of travel, this point became a stage station and
127
HISTORY OF PARK COUNTY.
postoffice, and though only a small cluster of log cabins marked the site, it became as well known as any point on the Yellowstone. Here in 1873 and 1874 Hugo J. Hoppe, afterwards quite prominent in the history of Park county, was also engaged in business.
The tales of prospectors and trappers con- cerning the wonderful freaks of nature in that part of the country which we now term the Yellowstone National Park led to several trips to that country by parties who went to verify these tales and to learn of the wonders which were reported as being there. These different parties invariably passed through the country whose history we are writing, as have thou- sands upon thousands of people done since the first one in 1869. The first of these parties consisted of only three men, David E. Folsom, C. W. Cook and Wm. Peterson. They started out from Diamond City, Montana, on Septem- ber 6, 1869. Their route lay up the Missouri river to the three forks, thence by way of Boze- man and Fort Ellis to the Yellowstone, and thence up the Yellowstone into the park. The writings of these explorers gave to the world the first authentic accounts of some of the won- ders to be found in the country of the upper Yellowstone.
Another party explored the park in 1870, being composed of General Henry D. Wash- burn, commander of the expedition; N. P. Langford, Cornelius Heges, Samuel T. Hau- ser, Warren C. Gillette, Benj. Stickney, Tru- man C. Everts, Walter Trumbull and Jacob Smith. There were also two assistants, Mr. Reynolds and Elwyn Bean, and two African boys for cooks. At Fort Ellis (near the city of Bozeman) the party was joined by a detach- ment of United States soldiers under command of Lieutenant Gustavus C. Doane, 2nd U. S. cavalry. The soldiers in the escort were Ser- geant William Baker and Privates John Wil- liamson, Geo. W. McConnell, William Leipler and Chas. Moore. The start was made from Helena August 17th and on the 22nd the ex-
pedition, accompanied by the soldiers, set out from Fort Ellis.
On August 26, the Washburn party entered the park and visited nearly all of the points of interest therein. To the explorations of this party was due the first agitation that brouglit about the setting apart of this wonderful coun- try into the Yellowstone National Park.
Dr. A. J. Hunter, who had in 1864 staked the hot springs which now bear his name and who for several years after that date had spent his time in the different mining camps of Mon- tana, returned to the springs in the spring of 1870 and built his home there, at a point op- posite the present hotel. He also built a big dam between the cold creek and the hot creek, and in the big pond white men and Indians bathed for years-in fact, at that early date was started the sanitarium, which has since be- come famous all over the country. In 1873 Dr. Hunter built more pretentious bath houses. These were built from lumber that cost $80 per thousand feet in Bozeman, with an addi- tional charge of $60 per thousand for hauling to the springs. The Crows, who inhabited this part of the territory, were friendly to Dr. Hunter and his family and did not resent the encroachment, nor did the doctor attempt to deprive the natives of their rights to the use of the water for bathing purposes. The only thing the Indians protested against was the cultivation of the soil, which they wisely said would bring rain and spoil their hunting sea- son. Nevertheless, Dr. Hunter engaged in agricultural pursuits to a limited extent.
For years after first settling here Dr. Hun- ter and his family spent only the winter at the springs, being compelled to return to Boze- man after the spring crops were put in, for in May the Crows went out on their hunting trips, and they were immediately followed by the murderous and thieving Sioux and Blackfeet. A few times the Hunter home was attacked by bands of these tribes before they could get out of the country. Lieutenant Jas. H. Bradley,
128
HISTORY OF PARK COUNTY.
who visited the springs in 1876, wrote of con- ditions there at that time as follows :
"Two miles from camp are Dr. Hunter's warm springs, which I visited. Found the water very hot, but did not learn the tempera- ture nor the mineral constituents, though sul- phur evidently predominates. Gypsum is abundant in this neighborhood. Dr. Hunter's family is now at the springs, but full of dread of the Sioux. His house is, in the summer season, something of a resort for the afflicted, but the Sioux frequently appear in the vicinity, and once attacked the house-facts which do not attract custom. The springs pour out a copious stream of steaming water, and the day will come when the property will be very valuable."
Even the wild animals recognized the good of the waters, and for years after Dr. Hunter settled there they would come and drink of the warm water. On one occasion, Mrs. Hun- ter declared, she saw a band of not less than 5,000 elk come to the springs for a drink, pass- ing the cold waters of the Yellowstone river on the way.
Again in 1871 the present Park county was traversed by a party on the way to the country of the National Park. There were, in fact, two expeditions under the direction of the government-one in command of Dr. Hayden and the other under Captains Barlow and Heap, of the engineer corps of the army. Both traveled under the same military escort, although the work of the two expeditions was different. The route was the ustal one up the Yellowstone, leaving the present Park county at the mouth of Gardiner river. Mammoth hot springs, which had heretofore escaped the notice of all the previous expeditions, were found by these parties.
Now let us turn our attention to the dis- covery of the mines, and the early history of the mining operations, in that part of the county which was known as the Clark's Fork district-in the extreme southeastern portion
of the present Park county. As before stated, that part of the county east of the Yellowstone river was, according to the treaty of 1868, in- cluded within the Crow reservation. Among other stipulations of the treaty was the provi- sion that this territory
Shall be, and the same is, set apart for the absolute and undisturbed use and occupation of the Indians herein named, and for such other friendly tribes or individual Indians as from time to time they may be willing, with the consent of the United States, to admit amongst them; and the United States now solemnly agrees that no persons, except those herein designated and author- ized so to do, and except such officers, agents and em- ployes of the government as may be authorized to enter upon Indian reservations in discharge of duties en- joined by law, shall ever be permitted to pass over, settle upon, or reside in the territory described in this article for the use of said Indians, and henceforth they will, and do hereby, relinquish all title, claims, or rights in and to any portion of the territory of the United States, except such as is embraced within the limits aforesaid.
This article was plain enough but the pros- pectors of the early sixties, in their search for the precious metal, paid not much attention to the boundary lines of Indian reservations. It was in 1870 that a small party discovered very rich silver ore in three or four places near the head of Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone, and this, too, cropping out in such large bodies as to leave no doubt of the permanent values. But, of course, title could not be obtained. The mill stone of the Crow reservation hung over this country, and white men had no right there. Although it was believed to abound in rich mineral, the country was of no benefit to any- one. Not even the Indians, to whom the coun- try belonged, ever visited this part of their domain on hunting trips.
Notwithstanding the fact that they had no right there, in 1870, 1871 and 1872 a few prospectors found their way into this country, and good prospects were found. Some little time after this prospecting, in spite of all ob- structions from difficult transportation, hostile Indians and the impossibilty of obtaining title
129
HISTORY OF PARK COUNTY.
to their holdings, a Bozeman company erected a smelting furnace at the place now known as Cooke. In 1877 the Eastern Montana Mining & Smelting company made a run of silver ore in the old stone smelter. The bullion obtained from this run was not removed until the Northern Pacific railroad was built into the country in 1883. But it was not until the open- ing of the reservation in 1882 that mining to any extent was carried on in that part of our county.
The year 1875 witnessed the last act of hostility by the Indians in Park county, with the exception of the raid of the Nez Perce two years later. It was in July, 1875, that James Hughes and a driver named Anderson, each having a six or eight mule team, left Boze- man for the new agency of the Crows upon Rosebud creek. Hughes and his companion camped the first night west of the Bozeman pass. Next day about midday, while they were between the divide and the site of the present city of Livingston, they were attacked by a marauding band of Sioux. Hughes, who was the owner of the two teams, stopped to catch a mule he was leading behind his wagons, the same having broken the lead rope during the first onslaught of the savages. Having secured the animal, he turned his attention to the enemy, when a rifle ball pierced his heart. Anderson jumped from his wagon, sought safety in the bush of Billman creek, cached himself under this shelter till dark, and then made his way to Fort Ellis, near Bozeman, and gave the alarm.
Major Benham, then in command at Fort Ellis, sent out Lieutenant Jerome with his company of the 2nd cavalry, together with seven volunteers from Bozeman, in pursuit of the Indians. Nineteen days and nights were spent by the pursuing party in an endeavor to overtake the murdering savages. Without blankets, overcoats or bedding of any kind, through cold, bleak, rainy and snowy weather
they continued their search, which resulted only in failure.
The Nez Perce war of 1877 had but little bearing upon the history of Park county, al- though many events of considerable historical importance were enacted in the Yellowstone National Park, just south of this county. One or two small detachments of the marauding Indians, however, entered the confines of the present Park county and committed depreda- tions. The main body of the hostiles under Jo- seph entered the park on August 23 by Targhee pass and camped on Firehole river that night. On the 24th the Indians, with Chief Joseph at their head, moved to the Yel- lowstone river at the site of the ford near Mud geyser. Here they remained during the 25th. On the following day the bulk of the command crossed the river, ascended its right bank to the lake, and took the Pelican creek trail to the Lamar river valley in the northeast cor- ner of the park. A small body of marauders separated from the main body at Mud geyser, descended the Yellowstone by the Mt. Wash- burn trail, attacking a Helena tourist party on the way, killing one man, burned and par- tially destroyed Baronett bridge near the junc- tion of the Yellowstone and Lamar rivers, made a raid upon Mammoth hot springs, kill- ing one man there, and went down the valley as far as Henderson's ranch, where Cinnabar now stands. Here they committed numerous depredations, stole a number of horses, and then returned without having suffered any loss whatever.
The main body of the Indians left the park by the way of Miller creek, guided by a white man named Shively, whom they had captured and made to act as guide. One party visited the smelter which had been making the run there that year, partially destroyed the smelter and machinery, and stole some of the bullion.
While some prospecting and a little mining had been done in the Clark's Fork district dur-
9
I30
HISTORY OF PARK COUNTY.
ing the seventies, it was not until 1882 that the district was thrown open and active opera- tions begun there. The Indians caring little for this part of the reservation, it was a sim- ple matter to get their assent to its relinquish- ment, but the United States government moved with its proverbial slowness, and it was June 30, 1880, before a treaty was made, and nearly two years after that date before the district was finally thrown open to white settlement. From the earliest discovery of mineral here in the late sixties until this date the prospector had been impatiently waiting and hoping for the chance to get into this country.
The treaty of 1880 provided for the sale to the United States of that part of the reserva- tion bounded as follows: "Beginning in the mid-channel of the Yellowstone river at a point opposite the mouth of Boulder creek ; thence up the middle of the channel of said river to the point where it crosses the southern boundary of Montana territory, being the 45th degree of north latitude; thence east along said par- allel of latitude to point where said parallel crosses Clark's fork, thence north to a point six miles south of the first standard par- allel, being on the township line between town- ships six and seven south ; thence west on said township line to the Hoth meridian of longi- tude : thence north along said meridian to a point east or west of the source of the east- ern branch of Boulder creek; thence down Boulder creek to the place of beginning."
Under this treaty all of the present Park county was taken out of the reservation, al- though it left within it a large part of the county as it was originally created and re- mained until the counties of Sweet Grass and Carbon were formed in 1895. Before the new territory could be opened for settlement under the terms of the treaty, it was necessary to survey the lands and make the Indian allot- ments. This took nearly two years, and it was not until April 11. 1882, that the land was actually opened.
The prospectors and miners were not slow in getting into the new country. They came from all the mining camps of the country, wherever the reports of the richness of the Clark's Fork mines had penetrated. Some prospectors had waited all winter in the moun- tains, ready to make locations as soon as the treaty was signed; others were stationed in Bozeman and hastened over the mountains as soon as the telegraph brought the news of tlie relinquishment of the Indian title. The snow was still deep and the last twenty or thirty miles had to be made on snow shoes. Swarm- ing into the country, the prospectors spread out upon each other in ever increasing parts of cir- cles, having the original discoveries at the pres- ent town of Cooke as a common center. Their search was not in vain; for go where they would, they found the precious ore, covering a gigantic mineral belt.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.