Full Text of "A Brief History of South Dakota", pages 53-59

	This file contains part of a full transcription of "A Brief 
	History of South Dakota", by Doane Robinson, Secretary of the 
	State Historical Society of South Dakota. Originally published 
	in 1905, it was republished many times through the 1930's. This 
	transcription is from the 1919 Edition.

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                                    CHAPTER IX

                               A NOTABLE BOAT RACE

   THE information brought back by Lewis and Clark regarding the vast extent of 
the fur-bearing country through which they had traveled, caused great activity 
among the fur merchants of St. Louis, and they immediately organized for the 
purpose of trade with the Indian tribes upon the head waters of the Missouri 
River and in the Rocky Mountains.  The most prominent of these traders were 
Pierre Chouteau and Manuel Lisa, the men of whom we learned in the story of the 
return of Big White. They were prompt in entering the country and claiming prior 
rights in its occupancy.

   The great king of all the American fur trade was John Jacob Astor of New York 
city.  When the reports of Lewis and Clark's successful trip came to Astor, he 
immediately determined to establish a great fur depot on the Pacific coast at 
the mouth of the Columbia River, and to dispatch two expeditions to that point, 
one to go by sea around South America, the other to go overland. The overland 
expedition was placed in charge of a famous fur merchant of that time, Walter 
Price Hunt of Jersey City.

   Hunt began to recruit his men for the enterprise at Montreal, securing there 
many of the best-trained fur men from the Hudson Bay and Northwestern 
employment. He went on to Mackinaw, where he secured other trained wilderness 
rangers, and thence went to St. Louis, where he purposed to lay in his supplies 
and employ additional men. He reached St. Louis in the autumn of 1810.  There he 
met with the most violent opposition from the St. Louis merchants, who were very 
jealous of Astor. They refused to sell Hunt any goods and used every means to 
prevent men from going upon his errand.

   In this opposition no one was more active than the Spaniard, Manuel Lisa. It 
was important to Hunt to secure a guide and interpreter who was thoroughly 
familiar with the upper Missouri, and he found such a man in Pierre Dorion, Jr., 
son of the old guide to Lewis and Clark. Dorion was a half Sioux, born at 
Yankton and familiar with all of the Indians residing on the Missouri River. 
However, he was in the employment of Lisa, and that made it particularly hard 
for Hunt to secure his services. It was the policy of all of the fur merchants 
to keep their employee's in debt to them, and Dorion was deeply indebted to Lisa 
for whisky he had purchased and consumed. Lisa was not slow to see that Hunt was 
tampering with his man, and he coaxed, scolded, and finally threatened Dorion's 
arrest for the whisky debt. This had the desired effect, and Dorion refused to 
accompany Hunt.

   To keep his men away from the influence of the St. Louis merchants, Hunt 
moved his expedition some 400 miles up the Missouri late in the autumn, and 
there made a winter camp. Toward spring he returned to St. Louis to recruit more 
men, and again entered into negotiations with Dorion, who agreed to accompany 
him into the wilderness. Learning of this, Lisa got out a warrant for Dorion's 
arrest on the whisky debt, but Dorion escaped into the brush and, after 
traveling a long and circuitous route, joined Hunt far up the river. Hunt went 
with all haste to his camp, quickly made ready for the voyage, and finally, on 
the 27th of April, 1811, set off up the river in four boats, one of which was of 
large size and mounted two swivels and a howitzer. He was aware when he left St. 
Louis that Lisa was about ready to embark for the head waters of the Missouri, 
and he had every reason to believe that Lisa was now in close pursuit. 

   Hunt's party got along prosperously and reached the mouth of the Big Sioux 
River on the 15th of May. On the 23d they had reached the sharp bend in the 
Missouri between the site of Springfield and Bon Homme Island, when they were 
overtaken by a messenger from Lisa, who informed them that Lisa had passed their 
winter encampment nineteen days after they had left, and that he was then at the 
Omaha village opposite the mouth of the Big Sioux; that he had a large boat 
manned with twenty oarsmen, and that he had set out to overtake the Astorians at 
any cost. The messenger said that the Teton Sioux were hostile, being excited by 
the religious craze inspired by the teaching of the Shawnee Prophet, which had 
reached all of the tribes in the Mississippi and Missouri valleys, and that Lisa 
wished to join his expedition with the Astorians for mutual protection while 
passing through the hostile country.  Hunt sent back word to Lisa that he would 
await Lisa's arrival at the Ponca village at the mouth of the Niobrara; but no 
sooner had the messenger disappeared downstream, than Hunt redoubled his energy 
to pass through the Sioux country in advance of Lisa, for he feared that Lisa 
would use his well-known influence with the Indians to excite hostilities 
against the Astorians. Hunt was in a state of terror, and it is hard to tell 
which he feared most, Lisa or the Indians he was pretty certain to meet in the 
Dakota country.

   By the morning of the 31st of May, Hunt had arrived in the neighborhood of 
the Big Bend, when the whole party were almost scared out of their wits by the 
approach of a large body of Sioux, who came racing down the river bank as if to 
intercept their passage. They were under the lead of our old friend Black 
Buffalo. They informed the white men that they were at war with the Rees and 
Mandans, and would not permit ammunition and guns to be taken to their enemies. 
Hunt explained to them that he was not looking for trade on the Missouri, but 
was going to cross the mountains to the Pacific coast; this satisfied Black 
Buffalo who allowed the white men to pass on. They, however, met several other 
bands of Sioux in the next day or two, and were kept in a constant state of 
alarm.  Just as they rounded the Big Bend they met a party of Rees, who greeted 
them most cordially. After spending a night with the whites, the Rees set off 
hot foot for their home on Grand River, to inform their people of the approach 
of the boats.

   At the very moment when the Rees disappeared up river, Manuel Lisa and his 
party were seen coming around the bend. This threw Hunt and his party into a new 
terror, but Manuel greeted them civilly and for two days continued to travel in 
their company, showing no disposition to pass them, though they feared that he 
would go on and excite the Rees against them.

   On the 5th of June both parties were encamped near the site of the present 
city of Fort Pierre.  It was a wet, disagreeable day, and they had decided to 
lie over for rest until the weather cleared up. From the moment of Lisa's 
arrival Pierre Dorion had kept aloof and regarded him most sullenly. During this 
day in camp the wily Spaniard decided to make up with Dorion, and invited him on 
his boat. After regaling him with whisky Lisa asked him to quit the service of 
Hunt and return to him. This Pierre refused to do. Finding that Pierre could not 
be moved by soft words, Lisa called to his mind the old whisky debt and 
threatened to carry him off by force in payment of it. A violent quarrel 
occurred between him and Lisa, and he left the boat in great anger and went 
directly to the tent of Mr. Hunt and told him of Lisa's threat.

   While Dorion was telling Hunt his story, Lisa entered the tent, pretending 
that he had come to borrow a towing line. High words followed between him and 
Dorion, and the half-breed struck him a hard blow. Lisa immediately rushed to 
his boat for a weapon; Dorion snatched up a pair of pistols belonging to Mr. 
Hunt and placed himself in battle array. The loud voices aroused the camp, and 
every one pressed up to know the cause. Lisa reappeared with a knife stuck in 
his girdle.  Dorion's pistols gave him the advantage, and he kept up a most 
warlike attitude. A scene of uproar and hubbub ensued, which defies description; 
the men of each party sided with their employer, and every one seemed anxious 
for blood except Hunt, who used every effort to prevent a general melee.  In the 
midst of the brawl Lisa called Hunt a bad name and in an instant Hunt's quiet 
spirit was inflamed. He wanted to fight Lisa and his whole company, and 
challenged the Spaniard to settle the matter on the spot with pistols. Lisa, 
nothing loath, went to his boat to arm himself for the duel.

   Two eminent scientists, Bradbury and Brackenridge, who accompanied the 
expeditions, now returned from a search for specimens just in time to interfere 
and undoubtedly to prevent bloodshed. But while they did prevent a fight, they 
could not bring the two parties to a friendly understanding, and all intercourse 
between them ceased. They started on, keeping on opposite sides of the river, 
each party determined, if the other showed bad faith by attempting to go ahead 
to the Ree camp, to resort to arms to prevent it. Thus they skirted along until 
they were close to the Ree towns on Grand River. Lisa then sent Mr. Brackenridge 
over to the Astorians to arrange a joint meeting with the Rees with due 
ceremony. Hunt, still suspicious, refused to have anything to do in common with 
the Spaniard, but upon the representations of Mr. Brackenridge finally 
consented, and it was arranged that both parties should go to the village at the 
same time.

   Here Hunt decided to leave the river and start across country to the Pacific 
by way of the Grand River route.  To enable him to do this it was necessary to 
buy a large number of horses of the Rees. He told his purpose in the first 
council held, but the chief Left Hand said it would be impossible for them to 
supply so many horses as were needed. Here Gray Eyes, another chief, interrupted 
to say that the matter could be easily arranged, for if they had not enough 
horses to supply the requirements of the white men, they could easily steal 
more, and putting this honest expedient into practice they soon had all the 
horses Hunt needed. Hunt remained with the Rees until the 18th of July, when, 
being fully equipped, he set out for the Pacific. Going up Grand River, he 
crossed through the northern part of the Black Hills, being the first to explore 
that region, and after great hardship and suffering reached the mouth of the 
Columbia. Lisa, having traded out his wares to the Rees for furs, set out for 
St. Louis about the same time that Hunt departed.