| Summary: | STATE OF NORTH DAKOTA After harvesting his crop in Pembina county, Mr. Chalmers returned, bringing his family and goods, two oxen, a wagon, a cow and four pigs (one of which was of stock imported by the Hudson Bay company) for Mr. Saunders. That fall a trip was made to Valley City for flour and seed wheat, and another trip to the Goose river settlement for potatoes. In November Mr. Saunders went to Pembina with his Red river cart for goods left behind by Mr. Chalmers. Part were at Pembina and the rest at an Icelander's where Mr. Chalmers had had a breakdown. On coming over the steep bluff of the Sheyenne river, he suddenly came upon four large elk. They seemed too frightened to run, and parted just enough for him to pass. The rest of the journey down was without noteworthy event. The first night of the return journey he stopped at the home of an acquaintance. The second day it turned cold and began to snow. That night he spent at the home of an Icelandic family, which consisted of a man and a woman and two girls, the eldest of whom spoke English quite well. They had but little room in their newly made pole house, but they hospitably shared it with Mr. Saunders. The next morning it still snowed, but he thought it best to push on before the snow became too deep. Just at night he came in the storm to a house in the timber, and asked for shelter that night, if not for himself, at least for his weary team. The man attempted to drive him away with a pitchfork. It was night, a snowstorm raged, thc oxen were exhausted. The man had plenty of room and fodder. There was but one thing to do. Mr. Saunders drew a revolver * * * and stayed. At thc Goose river he stopped over night with a man and woman past middle life, who had sheltered him when he went north. It was clear the next morning, and he started on his way. Soon the storm again broke, and finally he became lost when about ten miles from his home. In the storm he met the driver of the Star mail route, who also was lost. They compared notes and started on. The mail carrier's horses were overcome by the storm and hard driving and reported to the government as killed by Indians. After .passing the carrier, Mr. Saunders lost his direction again, and also broke a wheel off his Red river cart in a snow bank. The cart and the goods were left in a snow bank. At about 3 a. m. he came to the house near what is now known as the Fluto bridge. In the morning he returned home, and with his other tca.m and wagon recovered his goods. The cart was abandoned and was destroyed by a prairie fire the next spring. In 1882 Mr. Saunders built a large comfortable log house, in which he is still proud to live. JOHN II. ATCHISON. John H. Atchison was born March 23, 1845, near Kelso, Rock- buryshire, Scotland. His father was a laboring man who found it Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited in Multi-page TIFF Editor.
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