| Summary: | The Lester Schwabs, Clarence Doolittles and Patrick Malones picnicking at elevator—1929 Elevator rebuilt after fire which was located at Horse Head Bottoms, in what is now Emmons County. Gayton didn't need help at that time but told us that Andy Marsh had set up a wood-yard about 25 miles farther down the river on the west side and needed help badly. The west side of the river at the point mentioned was controlled by the Indians as it was included in the Indian Reservation. We took to our little boat again and soon reached the Andy Marsh camp. Well, he put us to work cutting wood to feed the steamboats, the only means of getting merchandise up to the camps and forts as far west as Fort Benton on the upper Missouri. There was big demand for fuel to push these boats up to their destinations. This wood was chopped in 4 foot lengths and every time I finished one cut and moved up to the next, I moved my rifle up another 4 feet and leaned it near me where I could get hold of it in a hurry. This chopping, chopping all day long was hard work and on account of danger from the Indians was no job for the timid. One day when I was standing on the log I was swinging my axe on, a shadow fell across the log and I looked up to find an armed Indian standing not more than 10 feet from me and I hadn't heard a thing of this approach. They were masters at appearing on cautious mocassins and had he been out to kill a white man, I would have been a dead duck. As I couldn't understand the Sioux language at that time, he made talk with his hands. He was a real artist at pantomining and I made out that he didn't want me to cut any more wood. First he pointed up at the sun, then to the west where the sun would go down and then he made a motion across the river to the east side and it was all too plain what he wanted me to do. He then pointed in the direction of the wood-yard which all meant that I should cease chopping and go back to camp. I shouldered my axe and took my gun in hand and went to our camp. I told Marsh about the hand talk and as he had been among the Indians for several years, he knew just what it meant but had to kid me a little by telling me that he bet I never even saw an Indian. About that time the Indian came walking into camp and told his little story to the Boss Man. Andy interpreted what the Indian said and sure enough, we weren't supposed to cut any more wood on the west side of the river and were to move ourselves and our equipment before sundown. Well, it was a pretty big order but we proceeded to build a raft of logs, loaded our camping outfit and tools on it and with Captain Lapham in charge, they maneuvered the raft across the water and then unloaded and Andy Marsh was in business on the other side of the river. Andy and I swam the horses across behind our little boat. The timber was just as good on the east side of the river, and it didn't make any difference to the steamboats, just so we had plenty of wood ready for them. We were all happy, especially the Indian who had shoved us around. Ferries The Missouri River was to the early settler, as our highways are to the modern traveler, a connection to the rest of the world. Crossing the river by this means began as soon as the area was settled, Andy Marsh and Fred Carrow being the earliest known operators. In April 1884 H. M. Douglas was granted the ferry license at $25.00 per year to cross the river at Fort Yates, and H. A. Archambault was given the same privilege to cross Big Beaver Creek for $10.00 per year. The following year Douglas lost his license to Marsh whose bid was a little higher. In the early years there were two ferries: the Cannonball and the Winona- Fort Yates. Later ferries were operated at Fort Rice and due west of Linton. The ferry season closed every year when winter set in, and the boat was taken from the river or moored at the edge. Sometimes dynamite was used to loosen the boat in the spring and free it from the frozen river. Bids for operating the ferry were advertised, and the County Commissioners granted a 3-year license to the highest bidder. Bids usually ran between $400 and $500 per annum. For carrying stock and merchandise across the river the following prices were set by the Ferry Law in 1892: 2 horses, mules or oxen and wagon, with or without load $1.00 each additional pair of mules, horses or oxen . .30 each 2 horses or mules and buggy 75 each 1 horse or mule and buggy and driver 50 each lead horse or mule with buggy and driver .25 loose cattle, per head 15 sheep and swine, per head 10 each 100 lbs. freight or merchandise unloaded . .10 each 1000 foot of lumber unloaded l .00 The Cannonball ferry boat built in 1895 at Rock Haven by John Leach was 80'x20' wide with an 8' stern wheel, and powered by a 10-HP gasoline engine. In Feb. 1901 Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited with Multi-Page TIFF Editor.
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