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THEY SCOFFED IN 60 S WHEN TOLD OF THE YELLOWSTONE CHARLES W. (TOOK SAYS PEOPLE REFUSED TO BELIEVE STORY OF WONDERS DISCOVERED Member of First Exploration Party Recalls Experience« Encountered On Perilous Expedition Into The Wilds of Upper Y'eliowstone. Surrender 55 years ago to the urgings of a wandering foot and a desire to locate the headwaters of the Yellowstone river today dis tinguishes C. W. Cook, of White Sulphur Springs, ns a member of the first party which explored the interior of w hat 1« now Yellowstone park. Too, It permits him to com pare that great playground of the present, preserved under federal jurisdiction and Us wonders viewed annually by scores of thousands of tourists, with the mythical region of which metropoUtan newspapers would not, in 1 Still, publish an ac count because they regarded the descriptions as the inuiginings ot some forlorn soul who had I teen made lrres|K>nslble by the great sol itudes. In 1868 Mr. Cook, then manager of a ditch company at Diamond City, met a miner who bad seen the falls of the Y'eliowstone. Vague rumors were in circulation of amazing sights witnessed by the few white men who had passed through the upper Yel lowstone country. Few believed them. Usually the reports were regarded as an ancient tale, told perhaps to test the credulity of the occasional pilgrim who found his way across the great plains or the Great Ameri can desert. Mr. Cook whetted his inclinations as an explorer on the miner's account of the giant falls and the rumors which persisted in making the rounds of the west's then few settlements. He told the story of the first exploring expedi in Great Falls recently as a dele gate to the sessions of the Masonic grand lodge, "I guess that when I was a young man I always wanted to go where nobody else had been." said Mr. Cook whose erect figure and brisk step would do credit to a man of half his 80 odd years. "I wanted to go with Stanley when he started to explore the interior of Africa, but there were too many applications ahead of mine. There was not a remote region in the world that I had not wanted to see and when this opportunity came, in my early twenties, to tramp through a region from which so many fantastic tales had come that I de cided that for once I would gratify the wanderlust that kept tugging at my feet. Start Following Year "The season was too far advanced to make the start after I talked with my miner acquaintance in 1868, but the next year, with D. E. Folsom, a civil engineer, and William Peterson, a miner ,1 started for the country from which so many wierd accounts had come. We had two objectives— to discover the origin of the Yellow stone river and to make a thorough exploration of what is now Yellow stone park. We spent five weeks in the region that was a few years later set aside as a national park and I have never heard disputed our belief that we were the first to make a systematic and thorough explora tion of the upper Yellowstone country "It is conclusively established that we were the first white men to see many portions of the park and there can be no doubt that we discovered a large number of the natural won ders ot the region. For the first time I ^satisfied my desire to be where nobody else had been. It was fascinating to know that we had vis ual evidence of the marvels about which so many yarns had been spun. Jim Bridger, famed frontiersman, had told Folsom that he had been In this country and ha d found a mountain of glass through which he attempt ed to shoot a deer without knowing of the intervening obstruction. This was one of the wild tales that had been circulated, but there were enough genuine wonders to see with out missing any of the myths that had figured in rumors. "I did not see the park again un til three years ago, when the 50th anniversary ot the creation of the park was celebrated. Because I had been a member of the party which explored the region in 1869, the man agement saw to it that I revisited all the country we had seen half a cen tury before. Most of the locations (Continued the Agricultural ]*nge) A Thousand and One Records With Machine, for $35. 00 Dance Music, Opera, Comic Numbers, News Items, Baseball and Football score«.—-even Dramas. Some thing new each night. Nothing to wear out but inexpensive batterie«. Of course, it's a KADIOLA. Reliable Easy and to Inexpensive Operate To Montana Electric Company. 60 East Broadway, Butte, Mont. I am interested in Radio and would like to have you send your free Radio Booklet. Name-: Address -- My Radio Dealer is D D By MRS. C. A. HAHMUSSON Secretary Oro Fino Chapter D. A. R. HE historic old landmark, Fort Logan on Smith river in Meagher county, was the scene of unusual activity on Sunday, Au gust 17th. The occasion was the de dication and placing of a beautiful marker on the Block House, now the only remaining building of the fam ous old military post. That this land mark has been preserved to poster ity is the result of the energetic ef forts of a band of patriotic women— the members of Oro Flno Chapter Daughters of the American Revolu tion, of Helena. These noble wo men undertook the task and carried It through to completion. A handsome bronze tablet of na tive Montana copper was placed in its proper setting amid appropriate and fitting ceremonies. The tablet bears the following inscription: T « * * • ORIGINAL BLOCK HOUSE • • Part of Camp Baker established • • November, 1869. Post moved * • to present site 1870. Name * • changed to Fort Logan 1878, In • • honor of Captain William Lo- • • gan, killed by the Nez Perces In- • • dlans in the Battle of the Big • • Hole, August 9, 1877. Garrl- * • soned as a military post 1869- * • 1879. Abandoned by Govern- * • ment 1880. Restored and Dedicated to Posterity by ORO PINO CHAPTER DAUGHTERS OP THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION Helena, Montana August 17, 1924 * « « « • (Insignia) Old Fort Logan, or Camp Baker, as It first was called, was established had quite a lot of material on the W :: 'W M t ;ÿ. P v 'J ; 'M ■tm p s i » : Pg Captain William Logan Who Was Killed on August », 1877, by Tiie Ne* Perce« Indians at The Battle of The Big Hole. in November, 1869, for the protec tion of the miners at Diamond City and neighboring camps. It was main tained until 1880 at which time It was the headquarters of two com panies of United States Infantry. The War Department records show ithat the camp was established on recommendation of Major General Winfield Scott Hancock, who was in command of the department of Da kota at the time. General Hancock, who was one of the heroes of the Union forces at the Battle of Gettys burg, later became the democratic nominee for President of the United States, againist the martyred Gar field, who defeated him in 1880. At the time of its abandonment, the Camp Baker military reservation on which the fort was located, was purchased from the Government by Judge William Gaddis, who died In 1908. His son, Charles G. Gaddis, is the present owner. Mr. and Mrs. Gaddis announced that they would deed the ground where the Block House stands to the D. A. R. The name of the fort was changed in 1878 to Fort Logan, in honor of Captain William Logan, who was killed on August 9. 1877 by the Nez Perces Indians at the Battle of the Big Hole. This Intrepid Indian fighter, hero of the Civil war. and veteran of many Indian campaigns, was shot in the excitement of the bat tie by a revengeful squaw. When his body was recovered it was found that he had been stripped of uni form, scalped and one of his little - , . v/. • '■ W '4 ► $:rr M. y Va t ! i 2 ;Vv. l %.. v . * $fc| -■■V* « yfté it-- * The Block House, the Only Remaining Building on the Site of Old Fort Logen, in Meagher County, Showing the Tablet Which Was Placed Upon It At the Formal Dedication of This landmark, on Sunday, August 17. fingers removed. On this finger Captain Logan wore two rings, one mounted with various Masonic em blems, the other, a seal ring which had been In the family for genera tions. The seal was the family crest of the House of Bruce of Scotland, engraven and enameled on a violet colored stone. It was the gift from his father at the time the Captain started on his Journey to America. The seal ring was recovered three years later. In 1900,''after nearly a quarter of a century had elapsed the Masonic ring came to light. The family now have these rings In their possession. The annals of frontier history dis close much of interest concerning the career of Captain William Logan. His remains now repose in the National Cemetery on the Custer battle field, having been removed to that sepul chre in 1882. Incidentally, it may be mentioned that Captain Logan, then an officer with the command of General Gibbon, was on the ground where General Custer was killed the day following that disaster. It is believed that the first white man to set foot on the present site of Fort Logan was Captain John Mullan, then a lieutenant in charge of an engineering party under Gov ernor Stevens, surveying a route for a railroad from the Mississippi river to the Pacific ocean. This survey was made during the administra tion of Franklin Pierce, fourteenth president of the United States, and under the diiect orders of Jefferson Davis, then Secretary of War, later president of the Confederacy. Mul lan and his party camped at or near the present site ot the fort on Sep tember 20, 1853. Of the pioneers living who were active in the district In and about Fort Logan, at the time the post was established and during Us ex istence may be mentioned, Charles W. Cook of White Sulphur Springs, Mr. Cook is one of the early pion eers of the days when the original f ■ • X \ ' ■ » 14 . • ** ■ » r .. m * ; - mm - t TF ' % \ O* * > ? .>•>. >• * ■* v ;■ : 'ùjà If mm 1 , , j * m & i i i WÆ& wmm » m Charles W. Cook, Discoverer of Yellowstone National Park, and Hanford Moore Who Hawed the logs for the Fort Logan Block House, on Which the .Memorial Tablet Was Placed. Camp Baker was established. The wonders of Yellowstone park were first brought to the knowledge of the people of Montana by Mr. Cook and David E. Folsom. The Folsom Cook exploration of the upper Yel lowstone river was made in 1869. Others living who witnessed the ev jents of those early Montana days are I John T. Moore, Long Bench, Califor nia, and Sanford Moore of Bozeman. The blocks used In the buildings , at the fort were cut at the Moore I Brothers' saw mill, which stood a [ few miles north of the fort on Smith I river. The other brother Interest j od In the mill was the late Perry J. Moore of Two Dot. j R. N. Sutherlln of (Ireat Falla, who founded the first newspaper 1 at Diamond City in 1875, and who still follows that profession, and Frank Day of Lewlstown, who was blacksmith at the fort In 1 880 , both are still living. An Immense crowd was present to witness the Impressive ceremonies. It seemed that the citizenry ot Meagher county was there en masse. Automobile parties were present from distant parts of the state, and a large delegation of pioneers and D. A. R. members and others from Helena were on the ground to pay their respect and honor to the mem ory of Captain Logan, and to help In the ceremonies that would preserve to posterity In Montana, this memorable landmark. The program was interesting and the principal speaker of the day was Hon. Sidney M. Logan, Kalispell at torney, and son of Captain Logan. Governor Joseph M, Dixon, Former Governor S. V. Stewart of Helena, and Congressman Scott Leavitt of Great Falls, and Mrs, Verne D. Cald well of Billings, state regent ot the D. A. H. talks reminiscent of the stirring days of the frontier by C. W. Cook, San ford Moore The program follows: Bugle Call, 1:15—Charles Henry Glasspool. Assembly, 1:30. Salute the Flag. "America"—Mrs. Foley Waters, leader. Invocation—Rev. Barber. Welcome—Judge W. L. Ford. Adflress—Sidney M. Logan, Reminiscences; Governor J. M. Dixon Ex-Gov., S. V. Stewart Hon. Scott Leavitt Mrs. Verne D. Caldwell Sanford Moore Charles W. Cook. Dedication—Mrs. F. H. Johnson. Unveiling—Blanche Ford and Isabell Johnston. Meagher County's Acceptance as Custodian of Tablet—Judge W. L. Ford. There were also short Mr. Logan in his address, said in part; "When our affairs with Spain growing out of misrule in Cuba and the destruction of the battleship Maine were approaching a crisis, a Spanish statesman made the remark that the world need not expect much from the army and navy of America because wo were a country without military traditions. Most of the European countries cherished a more or less secret contempt for our In significant little standing army and the fighting qualities of the people of the country. "As late as 1917 the military auto crat of Europe p: ofossed a belief rlt of the ed the lives and characer of the people that its dignity might be flouted and its ship ping destroyed without danger of that the the pacifist snl United States so doming arousing a spirit of retaliation or re j>rjen! "In the latter days of the month of May a few years ago it was my lot to address the largest assemblage of people who had ever gathered to gether In my home town, 1 recall that on that occasion I said: 'On Monday morning the President will deliver his message to Congress, a resolution declaring war will be adopted, and Kaiser BUI and his mili tary supporters will become the vic tims of the damndest April fool Joke ever perpetrated upon a people.' "On the following Monday the President did deliver his message and Senator Myers read into the Con gressional Record a telegram from a little backwoods Montana town say ing to the assembled senators that he believed that message exprosed the will of the people of Montana, just as it expressed his own views, on this momentous question. War was declared and the prediction was verified. Today the world realizes that, peace loving though we may be, the people of this nation place nation al honor and safely above every oth er consideration. • • • "The world knows that the army and navy of America are not without their traditions, and It will never bo said again by any ruler, however powerful, that the honor of the Unit ed States Is a thing to trifle with. "Not alone In the wars which have shaken the country from center to circumference, has our army built up a line of honorable tradition, hut in the service which It has rendered the west it has added glory to those traditions and lustre to our Flag, it would bo unfair to the memory of the men who governed this Fort were we to recount only their exploits within measurable distance of this old blockhouse. The story thus con fined would probably be a meager and unsatisfactory one; and we ! . Î c X - . / /« *, à * *4 Mr*. C. A. Hasmusson, of Helena, Secretary of Oro Flno ( Impter Daughters of the A inerti a n Re volution. would find little to Justify the D. A. R. and the citizens of Montana In as sembling here today to dedicate this tablet, to extol the virtues, or glori fy the achlevments of the officers and enlisted men who were stationed here. In order that we may visual ize the Importance of this Fort, and the character of its garrison, wo must go far afield. We must take Into consideration the history of al most every mil 1 'ary establishment In the west; we must pass over seas into the heart of Europe and the Orient; we must buffet the wintry blasts of Alaska and suffer under the torrid Sun of Arizona and New Mexico. This, to the end that we may really understand what this Fort means to us, our children and our children's children. "It will be noticed when we come to consider records of the War De partment, that three regiments wore stationed here at Intervals. The Se venth Infantry, known to the army as the 'Fighting Seventh'; a regiment with a glorious civil war record, and an unequalled record of Indian en gagements, battles, campaigns and expeditions. The Eighteenth Infan try, the regiment of Colonel Carring ton. of Captain Fetterman, of Lieut. Grummond and Lieut. Powell. The Third infantry, the regiment of Col. Brooke, a hero of the civil war. From the prairies of Texas to the ocean washed boundaries of Oregon and Washington, these regiments met, en gaged and fought to a standstill the enemies of the western pioneers and settlers. The history of no country on the face of the earth records such deeds of heroism os those which the War Department records show In con nection with these regiments if in fantry, and the other forces of the United States army that were asso ciated with them. • *, • "From this Fort in 1876 marched a portion of the Seventh Infantry. That regiment participated in the Yellowstone campaign, and had Cus ter been less impetuous and given the unmounted troops an opportun ity to co-operate with his mounted troops, a different story would have been told as to the event of this cam paign. The fact that the Seventh Cavalry alone and not the combined forces of General Terry fought the battle In the Yellowstone valley was due to the fact that Custer's regi ment was mounted and the other un mounted. But the gallant men of the Seventh Infantry were pushing for ward with all the expedition human ly possible to co-operate with Custer's forces. "The story of this fort must be as sociated with the story of Shaw and Kills. Benton, Missoula, F ('.Smith, Hem) and Phil Kearnev, when • men of the Eighteenth Infantrv un der Lieut. Powell fought the horde» !of Red Cloud in that historié .out. I must be aasueiated with lids and other Montana forts ns well, .is many of the men whom we are hoimrlng I here today were members of lhali I gallant Eighteenth Infantry that ln ithe Wagon Box fight .vrote .1 page of history of which every American may feel the greatest degree of pride. On that occasion, 32 soldiers and civilians engaged, and for hours un-'j der a hot summer s sun fought thousand* of Hod Cloud's warriors. *'* ien the day was done, 1200 In *^ ****** had lallen victims to the. courage and: unswerving aim of these [ r °ntler soldiers and civilians, while less than five whites were killed and, wounded. When we speak of tradl-{ v\m! Sidney M. Logan, KalKprll Attorney, non of Captain Will lam Logan in HIiono Honor Fort i/ogan Wan N'iiiikmI, Who Italivoml the IhMtflm tory Addren* at the Old lllock House, Sunday, August IT. lions, what country can match this story? Within a few days of the Wagon Box fight, other troops of this same regiment fought against odds of 10 to 1 in the hayfleld light within a few miles of Fort P, S. Smith, and emerged as successful and victorious as the victors of the Wag on Box fight, it was from the Fort at which wo are now assembled, Forts Ellis, Missoula and Shaw that Col. Gibbons command was mobilized In 1877 when he marched to the Big Hole River in Beaverhead county and engaged the forces of Chief Jo seph, Looking Glass and White Bird In the final struggle between civiliza tion and barbarism within the con fines of the Territory of Montana. "It was from here that Lieut. Lud er, a loveable young Lieutenant fresh from West Point, with less than 10 enlisted men pursued three times their number of hostile Sioux to the Musselshell River, and In a pitched battle destroyed the hostiles to the lust man. It was here that Major Richard Comba, a veteran of the civil war, and Lieutenant John T. Van Orsdale, a young West Pointer, marched with their troops to the Big Hole River, and there won special mention and promotion for conspic uous gallantry In the fight with Jo seph and his followers. From hence the men who garrisoned this Fort went forward to larger achievements and wider fields of experience In mil itary life. When the flag of Spain was lowered In Cuba, this same Cora ba and VanOrsdale were there loading their troops. Later they and many of the men, officers and privates who garrisoned this Fort served their country In the far off Phllllpplnos. When the Cape Nome troubles chron icled by Rex Beach occurred It was Capt. VanOrsdale In command of a handful of troops stationed in Alaska who took possession of the proceeds ot the placers In dispute, placed them In the bank and guarded them until the courts of the United Stales as sumed jurisdiction of the controversy. These regiments after having been transferred from this State, saw service in Arizona, New Mexico, and other parts of the country un der the most adverse climatic con ditions so that every duly which a soldier is called upon to perform was faithfully performed by the men who garrisoned this Fort and made it worth while for the people of Montana to dedicate it as we are here now doing. Battles with hostile Indians did not constitute by any means the hardest part of their service. They lived in a day when many of the comforts of the pres ent day were unknown. The cloth ing now furnished the army, as well as those enjoyed by the civilian, Is a vast Improvement on that to which the pioneers of Montana had recourse. Hard winter campaigns with inferior equipment was the lot of the western soldier. Called upon in the dead of winter to leave the comforts, such as they were, of gar rison life, and traveling sometimes for hundreds of miles In pursuit of hostile Indians when the thermom eter registered from 40 to 60 de grees below zero—when roads and trails were blocked with drifting snow—when the blizzard searched out every opening in tent or other shelter; when frozen hands and feet snow blindness and Intolerable suf fering were the order of the day, these men and their leaders never stopped to question the wisdom of an order received from the War De partment, or their superior officers. They knew but one word and that was DUTY, Their lives were dedi cated to the service of their country and no honor is too high to be con ferred upon them and no memorial too dignified or magnificent to record their achievements. "The soldiers and the settlers who established this commonwealth be long to no ordinary generation of men and women. They were of heroic mold. Many of them were survivors of the civil war. That great strug gle which tempered the character of boys and men to the point where It (Contlaned on Agrlculturcl I'asrei riinnrmtr rtr'T'O mn liAK KK I I ITT I S Hl\ A V/iilU IHÜ AllllT |\ltltl IMTIAIYTA IIWN 11 A I A DUKINC, 1 "'" 1 ' Ulli IX UUlvlMU f|>A|in AP If AMT 1 A IT I I III K I|H MIINI ANA V/VIV V/1 »«VilliUlii I POST Wit it Kit CARRIED JOKER { UP HIH HLEEVh, AINXIKDING un-'j jMvni Train at First stain,n Alter Questions Almut stale, ! TO RECENT REPORTS The (initial Tour With Committee And Asks The Funner« His Own Caret Garrett, economist und author of "That Pain in the North* west," which stirred beetle diseus shm In Montana because of Us cMt hisiu of agricultural ami banking conditions, after revisiting the i state at the Invitai Ion of various j chambers of commerce and after j being "banquettnl" and "toured" in Havre, Great Falls and la-vvts town, was pul safel.v on an east bound limited at Robson—but he stepped off at the next station and started through Montana, "via the hack door." I Joker Up Sleeve Mr. Garrett carried a Joker up his sleeve while being shown tin« beauti ful fields of grain in the country around these three cities. He ab sorbed Information for several hours I each day and took additional doses during meal hours, while listening to various club speakers, then he started out to obtain first-hand In formation, After leaving Great Falls two weeks ago, Mr. Garrett was enter tained In Lewlstown. being taken from the train at Benchlnnd and personally conducted Into the city. During his address at a banquet pro vided in his honor he poked fun at his hosts, asking why he was shown so many wheat fields, declaring that his article, which appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, had clearly stated that Montana was a great grain producing state. He Intimat ed clearly that he hud seen so many milk cans and been given so many statistics about milking cows that he dreamed of dairying, Lewlstown boosters held him to a rigid program of fours and meetings and then took him to Hobson to catch the train for the east and there waved a long adieu. Residents of the district east of Hobson met Mr. Garrett, personally the next morning. According to their stories, he stepped off the train at flie first stop out of Hobson, hired an automobile and started on a private tour of the farming dis tricts, making u house to house can vass. a a Is Asks Many Question« Prominent among question which Urn economist propounded to the farmers were; "How much land do you own?" "What 1« the indebtedness per acre?" "How much of your debts were you able to pay during the last three years?" "Do you expect to stay in Montana and continue farming?" "W'hat changes have you made in your system of farming during the last few years?" "What do you believe the future holds for you?" "Are your creditors helping you tide over the tight period?" Mr. Garrett spent three days gath ering such first-hand data in vicini ty of Hobson and Buffalo, declining all the while to let farmers visited provide more entertainment than a place at the table If he chanced to call during meal time, and then he left for Yellowstone park for an In terview with Horace Albright, super intendent. From the park Mr. Garrett will go to Idaho, to continue his studies of economic conditions, he said. • \ Eerekß Start Rumor Of That Part of State Here's a fish story that puts all others to date Into the discard: A. M. Mlaklson, who operates a mill on Glen lake and not far from Lick lake. In .the Eureka district, re cently brought In the story that there Is an alligator, or possibly two, in Lick lake. One of the little Triplet boys, aged about 12 entered the mill a short time ago and excitedly told of an en counter he hud had with a strange, large fish In the lake, and gave a graphic description of an alligator between two and throe feet In size. It also is reported that others In the neighborhood have seen strange unlraals (n the waters there. Some of the men at the mill re membered that several years ago when Lee Setser closed down his sa loon business he released two small alligators he had, In Lick lake. Put ting two and two together, they have decided that what the boy really saw instead of a big fish, was one of Setser'a alligators. Many persons have a dim recollec tion of hearing that Setser did turn the alligators loose into Lick lake, Tobacco valley has had man^ cre ditable boosts for her climate; hut If it can be established that alliga tors have thrived here for several years, it will beat anything jret ad vanced and wo may expect that the idle rich from the east will flock to the Mills resort on Glen lake this winter Instead of traveling south to Florida and other regions of touted sunshine and balmy weather. —o BIHIngs Gets Custer Hiway Meet Billings has been chosen for the next convention ot the Custer Battle field Hiway association, according to Information recently received. Billings was the unanimous choice of the 100 delegates at the 1924 con vention, which was held recently at Rapid City, So. Dak. The dates of the 1925 convention have not been announced.