The Buzby Family -- An Alaska Pioneer Family
Early Days in Montana -- Reminiscence by Harry BuzbyThe writer, then a young man, passed the summer, fall and winter of 1879 in eastern Montana - then a territory - in the Yellowstone River Country - now Dawson and Custer counties. During that summer I became acquainted with a man John Montigue by name who had resided in that country since shortly after the close of the Civil War, having served through the war in a Wisconsin Regiment. His dwelling place was a dugout 16x40 feet built in the bank of Spring Coulee near good water and a grove of box-elders and ash. The dug-out was divided into a dwelling house and a stable. He always kept a saddle horse in the stable when at home with which to round up his other horses and as a further protection against Indian and white horse thieves. He was the only white settler in that part of the Yellowstone during the first six or eight years of his residence in Montana. His place was noted for miles east, west, north and south, as a haven of rest, a place where one could obtain "grub" at all times; what may seem strange, is that during all that time he was only robbed but once of anything of any value. That once was by a young scalawag that had come to his place sick and hungry. He stayed long enough to become well and fatten-up and when he left he took as companions four horses, blankets, guns and $80.00 in cash, the latter Montigue had left in his charge while away on a trip to Ft. Buford. The young Rascal made a good get-away with his plunder too. Here situated six miles east of the confluence of the Powder and Yellowstone Rivers, two miles south of where the town of Terry was located at the time the Northern Pacific R.R. was built I first made the acquaintance of John Montigue. I was very fond of adventure in those days and to me Monty was the real kind of man in my estimation and it was not strange that a mutual like sprang up between us which fast grew to warm friendship. He invited me to spend the winter with him hunting Buffalo. It was his occupation during the winter to hunt these animals for their hides which were of good commercial value. At that time the last large herds of Buffalo were in the western part of Dakota Territory, east Montana and as far north as the Canadian line. Hides killed within 100 miles of the Yellowstone or Missouri Rivers could be handled profitably. The hunters would outfit at the trading posts on the navigable streams, move into the winter feeding grounds of the Buffalo, make a headquarters camp and hunt the surrounding country. |