Joseph M. V. Cochran – First
Homesteader
&
‘Josephine’ River Boat
(Biography, BLM Record Files & Personal Statements)
Revised 29 May 2003 [Corrected typo
error in 1877 dates]
Forward
Numerous
articles and histories about his past exist in the newspaper files for
Cochran
reported that “he filed homestead papers for land in Clark’s Fork Bottom at
the
the property location from his earlier visit in 1873. At the time,
land office had not identified Section 16 for school exemption, thus allowing
him to obtain title to the property. It consisted of 35.34 acres and was just north
of
Prior
to the dissolution of the land and its return to the state, it was sectioned
into eight pieces.
Lot #2 – Joseph Cochran 35.34
acres riverfront
Lot #3 – John Miller 35.44
acres riverfront
Lot $4 – Mrs. MG Miller53.92
acres riverfront
Lot #5 – Not owned 5.61 acres
part of a river island
Lot #6 – Mrs. MG Miller 80
acres
Lot #8 - Orson Nickerson
Newman 240 acres
He then acquired
another piece of land (Warrant) located about 1 mile north of present day
Riverfront Park on Section10, Tp 1S, Rn 26E, and he gained title on September
16, 1887. He had to pay an additional $450 since there were some improvements
on it. Although he was reported to be the first to actually file for land in
the area, Cochran was preceded by other early Yellowstone Valley settlers such
as Bela Brockway and Edward Forrest of Canyon Creek, Thomas McGirl and Omar
Hoskins 12 miles down river (at Huntley), Lige Rouch at Rouch’s Point, and
Alonzo Young at Young’s Point (west of Park City). The settlement of these
persons were soon followed by a party led by P. W. (Bud) McAdow who in 1878[1]started a sawmill in the
area later known as Coulson. McAdow and other settlers offered their land for
sale to the railroad for construction of a permanent town but asked for too
much money, which helped sway the railroad to build a town further west (
In September
1877 [September 13], while Cochran and an Irish friend were logging, for
McAdow’s sawmill operation, near Canyon Creek, on the Indian Reservation land,
two trappers named Clint Dills and Milton Summer were living in a tent on the
Cochran property. Cochran and other loggers heard gunshots in the area of
Brockway ranch nearby. [According to Ed Forest, who was at the stage stop, no
gunshots were heard.] The shots must have originated from the Cochran farm. It
was also reported by Perry McAdow that he and other loggers at his sawmill
heard gunshots before they were attacked. These must have been the gunshots
heard at Cochran’s farm since the Brockway place was over eight miles distant
from the sawmill located on Perry McAdow’s land. [Note: Later in 1878, the sawmill
was relocated onto John Alderson’s land, and became part of the newly formed
Cochran left
the bodies and headed for Coulson, finding that the Indians had set fire to the
town’s saloon. He and the Irishman hid in a buffalo wallow until dark, and were
happy to find that voices in McAdow’s tent were that of white men. Cochran
reportedly submitted a claim to the government for $654.50 in property damage
for loss of the tent and supplies. It was never paid.
After this
attack Cochran left the area with “Liver Eating” Johnson to join with General
O. O. Howard’s command near Pompeys Pillar. He became one of the
Yellowstone Scouts commanded by George Houston, and was scouting about 25 miles
away when Chief Joseph surrendered for the Nez Perce to General Miles. He
stayed on as a scout until October 10th.
Cochran’s
homestead Warrant was relinquished in 1889 when the land office ruled that his
land was platted on school land*. This plat of land owned by him was
reported by him as having been the site where**, the steamer Josephine anchored
to a large cottonwood tree, later named the “Josephine Tree” by Coulson area
residents. He wasn’t home at the time of the docking, but arrived a while
later.
Cochran clearly recalled the tree, but said that it was washed away some years
later. He stated in his notes that he wished that the tree trunk had been cut
up and saved, rather than just having it wash away when the river rose in
height. Some people believed that the site was just below Coulson, which today
is a barren piece of land, on which sits portions of the water plant for
* No
records have been located to verify the reversal of Cochran’s land ownership by
name, but six titles were created by the BLM to accommodate the transfer, and
the former landholder’s names were not recorded. According to the BLM
procedures (July 2001), it would have been unlikely (if not impossible (?) that
school land could have been issued to a claimant after the survey. However,
based on the information provided by Cochran in his biography and the survey
performed by W. W. de Lacy in 1878, he did have ownership to Lot #2 Section 16,
Township 1S, Range 26E before being evicted. His actual currently reported
homestead (Warrant paid for with script) is on fertile soil located just above
the park school land (which today is basically brush, swamp and small trees,
unsuitable for farming. When this property was later acquired by the BLM and
transferred to School-Lands usage, he stated that it was taken away from him.
On February 2, 1901, the Department of the Interior General Land Office,
Washington. D.C. issued a final approved listing for 4,621.72 acres of
confiscated and presumably non-assigned lands to be taken from the Public
Domain and transferred to the state for use by school districts. Reason for the
discrepancy was not noted, but probably after achieving statehood, the amount
of land assigned for school districts must have been in error, and more was
required. The Abstract Title files held by the Forum indicate that there was a
lengthy process to clear land titles in the previously assigned homestead,
mining claims and other titles for these two sections, since they were not
completely “
In 1865
Cochran was at
Biography Summary (Reference:
Joseph Morton
Venerable Cochran (Joe) was born in
Mary;
died very young
Lester
George
Nellie
Josie
Joseph
(moved to NY)
Fanney
Victor
Kate
(moved to
Their home was
a story and a half of hand-hewn logs, and was just north of
**
The Josephine
was a wooden hulled stern-wheeler packet/snag boat originally owned jointly by
John S. Coulson, Elisa Coulson, Sallie Coulson, James McVay and Fanny Maratta
(Coulson Packet Co.) so as to conserve on the expense of insurance coverage. It
was named for the daughter of General Davis
[When the
Josephine started its first journey up the Yellowstone in 1875 the Cottonwood
trees near the Glendive area were reported to be from 3 to 5 feet in diameter.
They diminished in size upon approaching the Billings area. In the vicinity of
where Coulson would be formed three years later, the trees were small,
typically 6 to 10 inches in diameter. When the area known as Josephine Park was
reached [Perry McAdow’s land], the trees were reported to be from 20 to 26
inches in diameter; and that size continued upstream at least for about a mile
or two. A boat the size of the Josephine would probably require a large tree to
safely anchor it to the riverbank. After the town was well established
(approximately 1879 to 1882) diaries of the local residents, compiled by I. D.
O’Donnell, recalled that the Josephine docked near the site where the water
plant was eventually located. This would have been immediately downstream of
Ramsey’s Rapids [Hell Gate Rapids.](Josephine Park on the south edge of
McAdow’s land) to load and unload supplies, thus the creation of the Park to
honor those occasions. To go further upstream would have been a complete folly
on the Captain’s part as he would have had to travers the rapids, and the
supplies would have had to have been transported a long distance back to the town.
This location for transferring supplies and goods to Coulson residents in 1877
has no relation with the initial military expedition in 1875 that terminated
upstream of the Duck Creek Bridge and its highly probable stopping at
Riverfront Park [Cochran’s land] on June 6th, or the later initial trip to town
in June 1877 carrying supplies when captained by Grant Marsh. In June 1877,
Joseph Cochran reported that he wasn’t home when the boat tied up to his tree,
but recalled seeing the tree and its inscription left by the captain. He
regretted not saving the tree.
The Yellowstone
River’s length is not exactly known but is currently reported to be about 671
miles in length. The two military commanders and not Captain Marsh recorded the
official distances traveled for this specific military trip. They reported 46
miles to be the distance from Pompeys Pillar to the end of their journey.
Forty-six miles from Pompeys Pillar places the terminus below the Ditch pick up
point southeast of Laurel at the edge of Yellowstone County (Gallatin County)
when it was first formed. It is presently called Stillwater County. When I. D.
O’Donnell mapped the area for the start of the irrigation project, the edge of
the county was where he selected the place for the Ditch (Section 36, which was
also later confiscated by Congress and turned over to Montana for use as School
Land).
Thirty years
after the 1875 exploration, it was proposed by our government by the residents
of Miles City that a dam should be constructed across the Yellowstone River for
improved water supply to the local area. Captain Grant Marsh, on 21 November
1907, sent a letter to President Theodore Roosevelt, requesting that such a dam
would be disastrous to the river. The President listened to him, and the plans
were stopped. In that letter he described several riverboat experiences,
including the one where he piloted the Josephine upriver in June of 1875, along
with Colonel Forsythe. There are three conflicts of memory committed in that
letter, as compared with the official government report. These memories are
actually part of the June 1875 exploration that immediately followed the trip
described below:
“
There were some professors from the Smithsonian Institute with us for the scientific
part of our expedition”
[These
were assigned on the 2nd trip established in June 1875 by the War
Department.]
“Careful
measurements are best on an expedition like this of course, but we had neither
the time nor the safety for careful surveying on shore. What we did was put
three men on top, or ’hurricane’ deck, with one at the stern and two at the
bow. One at he bow would pick a point on shore and walk from bow to stern,
keeping even with the point on shore, so he was in place while the boat moved
beneath him. When he reached the stern, the boat had traveled exactly 150 feet.
He went back to the bow while the second man also picked a point and walked to
the stern, and the man in the stern kept track of how our distances from point
to point, Inexact distances I grant you, but still the standard pilots us on
the Yellowstone.”
[The Josephine’s upper deck is calculated to be about 138 feet; the Far West’s deck was 150 feet, and earlier he had performed that measurement feat using that steamer. Recording of mileage distances going upriver in 1875 were not required, as the river and its various streams had been well surveyed, and a copy of that map was onboard at the time. The 1” Gatling gun, a huge weapon resembling a howitzer, along with its 10,000 rounds of ammunition took up a lot of space. The only place it could have been erected was on the upper deck. The bow, where it would have otherwise been located was full of poles and rigging for sparing, hay and straw for the horses, plus the four horses were stabled there.]
“[When stopping on the night] I carved the name ‘Josephine’ and
the date, June 7th, on the cottonwood to
which the boat was tied.”
[The
steamer arrived on June 6th, not the 7th. Departure dates
aren’t generally used to denote arrivals. This had to have been the 1877
arrival date.]
Captain Marsh
identified in this letter that when they stopped at Pompeys Pillar, and that he
took a second American flag he was carrying, and planted it at the top. He also
admitted to carving ‘Josephine, June 3, 1875'
on its face. His letter has caused much confusion about the events that took
place during the ensuing years. These minor infractions do in no way demeanor
his heroic achievements. This appears to be the sole source for
creation of a June 7th, 1875 arrival date in Riverfront Park. All
other references appear to have copied this comment as being the arrival date
as used to mark the tree; when the 1875 date has been mentioned.
The Josephine Journey
[Extracted from reports made by Lt. Col. J. W. Forsyth, Lt. Col.
F. D. Grant, & Capt. William Ludlow]
“War Department Report Expedition Up
the Yellowstone River – June 1875”
&
“War Department Report Reconnaissance
… to Yellowstone – Summer 1875”, by Corps of Engineers
Forward
The
Josephine provided round-trip transportation for both expeditions. For the
first trip it was assigned to the army on 19 May 1875; and for the second trip it
was assigned immediately thereafter upon its return to the Missouri River. It
appears that many articles written about the first expedition mistakenly
included references to civilians (biologists, archeologists, & others) who
were un-named and on-board. The following civilian scientists were on the 2ndexpedition
and assigned as special assistants to the Army, without compensation.
Identified were: Edwin Ludlow & W. H. Wood from New York; and George Bird
Grinnell & Edward S. Dana from Yale College. The first trip had only the
boat crew and assigned military personnel.[Note that the Billings Gazette, June
30, 1927 article assumed that the boat first docked on June 7thof
1875 on Cochran’s land; site of the Josephine Tree.]
General Orders (Letter of Instruction dated May
19 1875, P. H. Sheridan, Lt-General)
“I
decline to authorize you to allow any person whomsoever to accompany you except
Lt-Col Grant (Aide de Camp), who is part of your expedition, …. officers and
troops forming your escort. “ Boat personnel will accompany you. Four mounted scouts are
authorized.
Personnel on Board
Both
Lt-Colonels boarded the Josephine at Bismarck, [along with Acting Assistant
Surgeon J. A. McKinney]. Twelve officers and 31 men manned the boat; Captain
Marsh, boat commander, was the only boat person identified in the reports. The
Josephine carried no freight for this trip, although it was permitted to do so
up to the point that it would enter the Yellowstone River. It drew 20 inches of
water when it entered the Yellowstone River. All army personnel were from the
Sixth Infantry. No photographers were on board. Note that there were no
professors from the Smithsonian Institute. They were on the same boat, the
following month.]
Stopping
first at Fort Stevenson they took on Company H with 2nd Lt R. E.
Thompson and 2nd Lt C. L. Gurley commanding 40 men, and a one inch
Gatling gun supplied with 10,000 rounds of ammunition. Stopping next at Fort
Buford they took on Company E with Capt. Thomas Britton and 2nd Lt
R. I. Jacobs commanding 30 enlisted men; and Company G with 1st Lt
W. H. Cornell and 2nd Lt Thomas G. Townsend commanding 30 enlisted
men. One month’s food rations were loaded for the army members. Each soldier
carried 350 rounds of ammunition, and the enlisted men were assigned duties to
chop wood for the trip.
2ndLt
Thomas G. Townsend provided pen & ink sketches of the country, 2ndLt
Richard. E. Thompson provided the map of the Yellowstone River used for the
journey, and Corporal Thoma prepared pencil views of the trip. [2nd
Lt R. E. Thompson also accompanied the 2nd expedition of the
Josephine.]
Four
mounted scouts were added to support the infantry, no names provided. [In
the 2nd expedition, some of these persons were identified, and their
exploits interchanged in error with the 1st expeditions travels in
many published articles and books.]
Mileage Records
Col. Forsythe 1
Both Colonels took on the responsibility of making independent
“estimations” of distances traveled each day, both going upstream and returning
downstream. These measurements on the river and landmark locations agreed
closely with each other. From the mouth of the Yellowstone River to the
Powder River, Col Forsythe on a previous May 1873 trip reported the
distance to be 238 miles. Measurements used by Col Grant & Col Forsythe for
calculating mileage during this trip placed the distance at 180 miles. From the
Powder River to the terminus of the Josephine, their independent measurements
agreed within a variance of two river miles. Col Forsythe reported 250 miles
traveled, Col Grant reported 248 miles. There was one-mile variance in
measurement from Pompeys Pillar to the final stopping point near Duck Creek (58
miles versus 57 miles). [The method of measurement was not discussed,
however, on the 2nd trip the mileages were recorded by use of
military survey equipment at each stop. They probably used established
landmarks to determine where they were geographically, and then they estimated
the additional mileage caused by bends in the river.]
[There
was no indication that for this trip Captain Marsh made any measurements of
distances traveled, although stories created in his letter to President
Roosevelt so stated, were embellished about how he used his crew on the upper
deck to establish the distances traveled on this trip. The Yellowstone River by
1875 was well mapped by survey crews, with over eight separate revisions having
been made by the time this trip took place.] If these measurements were
actually used, then there would not have been two separate measurements by both
Colonels. Captain Grant stated that the “upper deck” of the Josephine was 150
feet in length. According to the photographs of the ship, this deck could only
have been about 100 to 120 feet long. The Far West, a slightly large boat, had
a vastly different design, and its upper deck was at least 150 feet long.
General Forsythe was on this boat long before the Josephine was in operation,
and this is where the apparent mileage estimations must have been observed.
Captain Grant also stated that he gave his notes of the trip to Col. Forsythe.
River Conditions
It would
appear that the river shape is basically the same today as it was in 1875, except
for erosion and loss of trees. The chutes, sandbars and channels are created
mainly from rock and soil, and are un-moving. When the Josephine entered the
Yellowstone, the river was two feet below its high water mark for the season.
Water levels dropped about 1-1/2 inch per day. Cottonwood trees grew to 3-5
feet in diameter along its bank, and there was plenty of driftwood available
for the boat’s boilers. The enlisted soldiers chopped wood for each next-day’s
journey after stopping for the night. Throughout the entire journey, no
white men were seen, although it was hoped that there would be some along
the river to assist the crew in getting wood. Soldiers were placed on guard
duty during the nights, spaced about 300 yards out from the boat.
Monday, June 3rd, 1875
Portions of
the river below Pompeys Pillar, starting about 12 miles distant, were running
at 8-9 miles per hour, maximum speed of the boat, through a 75 - 85 yard wide
channel. The boat forward speed was calculated to be 1/6thmph.
Captain Marsh had to resort to spars and lines to pull the boat along. This
place was called: “The Narrows” by the crew. Before this section the
average width of the river was 800 yards. Col Grant considered the river easily
navigable to Pompeys Pillar, even with all the sparing the crew had to do.
They docked at Pompeys Pillar at 5:30 pm. This location was reported to be 39
miles from the Big Horn River inflow, and is the starting point for the
location of the total distance traveled in this summary. Col Forsythe places
the mileage at 204; Col Grant stated it was 203 miles. A sketch of the total
trip follows in five sectional displays of the Yellowstone River.
Captain
Marsh, reported by other un-named sources, stated he placed an American flag
from his ship (it carried two) on the pillar’s top. Following Clark’s example,
he reportedly then carved the landing date into the rock face of the pillar
with a chisel, “Josephine June 3, 1875[4].”[However, according to Park
officials, there is no evidence that he carved anything into the rock. Only the
soldiers from the Josephine, who carved their names into the northeast face,
and a date “June 3, 1877”, exist. There are reportedly over 3,500 names carved
into this side of the mountain.]
Col
Forsythe visited the site, looked at Clark’s signature, and discovered that it
was badly deteriorated. He had a soldier onboard who was a stonemason, and he
had him carefully restore the signature and date by re-carving the information
deeper into the stone. Note that after the NPR decided to restore and protect
the signature, it was in need of another recarving.
Pompeys
Pillar is located about one mile southeast of the docking point. (Reference Mile Marker 203)
The dashed
line represents the future site of where the Northern Pacific Railway would
pass in 1882.
Tuesday, June 4th, 1875
The group started
west at 8:45 am. The water current was very strong, and the crews had to resort
to spars and pulling the boat along for most of the day’s journey. This was
called Cordelle, and employed a length of rope tied to a tree and a capstan on
the ship, which was turned by a separate Donkey style engine to pull the boat
forward. [Neither file report indicated where they stopped for the night, but a
place called “Little Great Rapids” at mile marker 218, some 15 miles from
Pompeys Pillar is noted and is probably the location. With the headway being
slow, and the current increasing at this point, it was probably as far as they
could go for the day.]
It was stated
that the current increased in velocity as they passed further upstream during
the next two days.
Wednesday, June 5th, 1875
At mile marker
227 they reached Baker Ground, a location later named Huntley, and then parts
named Huntley Project. They explored portions of the Pryor River (Creek), which
was 25 yards wide at the mouth. They had been passing through portions of land
considered by the Sioux Indians to be their territory, but none were seen. A
sketch of the creek’s mouth was made.
Thursday, June 6th, 1875 (Morning)
The journey
continued to be difficult, with the crews still having to use spars and pulling
for part of the way. Eight miles from the Baker Ground camp they encountered a large
group of Indians at mile marker 234. This is at the entrance to Clark’s Fork
Bottom, with the edges of the rims [at the east edge of Billings] on both sides
of the valley become quite evident. This was referred to as “Belle Butte”.
The Crow
Indians were encamped on the north side of the river, on the flat sections of land
about two miles above where the Metra (Fairgrounds) is currently located. They
were on the way to Big Porcupine to hunt. The camp consisted of five tribes and
351 Lodges, approximately 1,800 Indians:
Mountain Crows – 270 Lodges ruled by Iron Bull, Crazy Head,
Black Foot, Long Hair and Bear Wolf
Nez Perce
– 50 Lodges ruled by Looking Glass
River Crows – 20 Lodges ruled by Black Bull and Forked Tail
Gros Ventres of the Prairie – 10 Lodges ruled by Brass Bracelet
Bannacks – 1 Lodge represented
Many of these
Indians were supplied with Sharp’s carbines and had 15,000 rounds of ammunition
given to them by the Indian Bureau. Their families were along, and they had
many ponies. The Indians boasted that if they could get a chance at Sitting
Bull and his people “not one would tell of the meeting.” The Crow Indians
further stated that this Big Horn country belonged to them and if they had to
kill all the Sioux Nation they would do so. [The Crow Reservation at this
time ran along the south border of the Yellowstone River.] The Indian
agency was moved prior to this meeting, from a location near Fort Ellis to the
‘wagon crossing’ on the Big Rosebud River.
After leaving
the Indian encampment, they passed through “Hell Gate Rapids”, two miles
further upstream, which leads into Clark’s Fork Bottom. Col Forsythe referred
to this section of river as “Hell Roaring Rapids”, and is at a point where the
Yellowstone-Clark’s Fork Valley begins. JM Hanson[5]described the location of
the rapids he called “Hell’s Roaring Rapids” as being just before the boat tied
up for the night on June 6th. This rapid was identified by Captain
Grant Marsh as “ being at the foot of Belle Butte” [Sacrifice Cliff – Four
Dances Area], immediately east of Bitter Creek. On the 1878 survey maps, this
rapid is identified as “Ramsey’s Rapids.” As Billings grew and the need for
water and electrical power became evident, the Billings Water & Power
Company was formed in 1885. Water was extracted from the Yellowstone River at
the beginning of the rapids, and ducted 4,000 feet around the rapids through a
ditch 30 feet wide and seven feet deep, and passing through the plant before it
rejoined the river. The rapids had a drop of 13 feet[6]. A concrete dam was
placed across the river at this point so as to improve the water flow, and in
1909 it was abandoned and destroyed[7]. This dam and its destruction eliminated
all evidence of the rapids. According to Lewis Freeman, in “Down the
Yellowstone”, in 1921, there was no evidence of the rapid anywhere in the vicinity.
When the power dam was constructed, the rapid was wiped out. Water feeding into
the inlet is backed up for quite a distance, suggesting that there was
originally quite a fall. [Note: on the map below, the location is incorrectly positioned.
It should be opposite Perry McAdow’s land. Correct position in larger scale
follows. This will be corrected later]
Thursday, June 6th, 1875 (Afternoon)
The boat
continued upstream until they tied up for the night on the north bank of the
river. They attached a line so as to continue Cordelling when they started out
in the morning, since the water was flowing swiftly, and they needed to be
pulled along.
The exact
placement of the Josephine for the night was not specifically mentioned. Col
Forsythe simply stated that they “fastened up for the night above Hell Roaring
Rapids.” [The location at Riverfront Park would be ideal for docking, since
the water at the north bank is fairly deep, affords good anchorage, and allows
for cordelling. According to Cochran’s statement that the boat tied onto a tree
on his land, which was later taken from him for schools, has some merit. The
land denoted as Section 16, in ‘red’ was confiscated by the BLM in Washington
D. C. By congressional action, and given to the Montana School District. The
exact location is actually of little relative purpose, since it merely
identifies where the boat docked for the night, and does not reflect where the
journey ended. Cochran and the other settlers were not in this area at the time
the boat passed through. It is also very doubtful that Captain Marsh would have
been allowed to dock the boat in the vicinity of Josephine Park, since it would
have been within easy reach and visibility of the Indians encamped about two
miles to the north.] When encamped for the night, Col Forsythe stationed army
personnel some 300 yards from the boat to guard against intruders.
The stopping
for the night was apparently no different from the previous night dockings, and
they didn’t realize that their journey would cease the next day. The town of
Coulson was located on land sections later belonging to John Shock (Schock),
John Alderson, and Perry McAdow. When Perry arrived, he started a sawmill
business, and opened a store. The site for Josephine Park was created out of
Perry McAdow’s land. The following article, published in the Billings Gazette
about 1939, source unknown (believed to be written by Jennie McFarlain, wife of
Gazette publisher), contains misinformation about the Josephine’s initial
journey, leading to the belief that Josephine Park was the terminus of that
journey, and that the famed ‘Josephine Tree” commemorated the event.
Many
biographies of early Coulson residents state essentially the same thing, “the Josephine was bringing
supplies to the town, tied up to an old tree near the old filtration plant
(Josephine Park), and was as far as any boat traveled up the river.” This created the
long-standing myth that the terminus of the journey in 1875 was at the Billings
location, whether at Josephine Park or Riverfront Park. It is quite evident
that there were two separate events occurring, and that these became one in
peoples minds. Since there was no town, or white people in the area in 1875, it
was not possible for the residents to recall that specific event. What they
probably recalled was the first subsequent docking of a loaded Josephine, and
it’s tying to a tree at that time. Then it would have tied up to large tree
near the settlement. The trees start to become large [20-26 inches in diameter]
at the Josephine Park area.
The next
day’s journey on June 7th establishes the basis for the two events becoming
one, and the creation of the ‘Josephine Tree’ legend. Since McAdow originally
had a sawmill on his property in 1877, it seems very probable that the boat
tied up on the land near his place when it arrived at Coulson that year. The
river channel at the south end of his property is where Hell Gate Rapid’s
starts. The rapid continues into the sharp bend of the river. To pass through
this section and deliver supplies to the town would be senseless, as it would
require much exertion on the part of the crew; and they would have had to
backtrack to get supplies to the town, and to acquire wood from the sawmill.
When the water plant constructed its plant, they chose the site adjacent to
Josephine Park, since this is where the river took a sharp drop in elevation,
and created the rapids. After the inlet flue was established for the plant, the
course of the Yellowstone River was shifted about 1/8th mile to the
west downstream of the flue. The water flow was greatly reduced, causing the
river to widen, and a large rock-sandbar island was created in that area. By
1921 all evidence of the rapids has disappeared.
Later in
1878, the sawmill was relocated onto the southeast corner of John Alderson land
at his request, thus placing it in the new town of Coulson. However, the census
records for 1880 didn’t report McAdow’s sawmill operation personnel (10 people)
as being in Coulson. They were apparently omitted from the census.
Friday, June 7th, 1875
The
boat, already prepared for the day’s journey, started upriver. The mounted
scouts were out ahead, evaluating the river terrain. The boat continued forward
until 2:10 pm when based on information provided back to Col. Forsythe by the
scouts, it was decided by him to terminate the travel (Per his Letter of
Instructions) and return immediately to Bismarck as the river was too dangerous
for them to continue upstream. The scouts reported that the river ahead of them
“… for several miles was unchanged in volu 
me, it was cut up into various chutes and
channels, by islands, and the river bed so wide, with a most powerful current
hurling it forward to its mouth, that any further progress up the stream could
only be accomplished by sparring and warping, and without any reward for labor
expended.” At this point the prow of the boat was turned around, and they
retraced their steps of the previous day. The area just up steam of where the
Duck Creek empties into the Yellowstone provides a suitable spot for a boat of
the Josephine’s size to easily turn around.
Careful
examination of the river at Duck Creek (which is north of the Big Ditch pickup
point in Section 36, also taken over for School Land) shows numerous chutes and
channels; many more than were located further downstream. Col Forsythe did not
indicate any stopping points on their way back, merely that “they retraced
their steps.” [After spending most of the day fighting strong currents, and
turning the boat around, they probably re-tied to the same place at Riverfront
Park and loaded on a supply of wood for the journey back, although they could
have tied up anywhere further downstream, but due to the time element, they
might have had to camp in the vicinity of the Indian camp.] There is no
indication that Captain Marsh carved the June 7th date into a tree at this time
in 1875, there being no specific reason to do so, as this was not the end of
their journey, although in his letter to President Roosevelt he so stated.
Records from JM Hanson also state that he did so on this trip. That would mean
that the boat docked for the second time at the same place, and then he carved
the note. After turning around no mention of where they stopped for the night
was indicated. It probably was at Pompeys Pillar, or nearby. They took four
days to return to Bismarck.
This enlarged view
shows the mileage locations made by Col. Forsythe and Col. Grant. Belle’s Butte
is now called Sacrifice Cliff (South Rims.) Hell Roaring Rapids [mile marker
237] was later called Ramsey’s Rapids. After the Power Plant was constructed in 1887, the water
diversion changed the river’s course, widened the stream flow and the rapids
vanished. In addition, the numerous islands now evident were created, probably
as a direct result of this construction effort. A full dam was created at the
site, and lasted for about two decades. When the boat docked for the night of
June 6th, its location was not reported. Col Grant, continued in his
report stating that on June 7th:“We proceeded up the river
until the afternoon of June 7, when we found the river so cut up with islands,
and all the chutes having rapids, that it was practically the head of
navigation, and decided to return, as the object of the expedition had been
accomplished. The distance of the highest point reached from the mouth of
Powder River we estimated as two hundred and forty-eight miles.”
Mileage Comparisons:
|
Location |
Col. Grant |
Col. Forsythe |
|
Pryor Creek
Convergence |
226 |
227 |
|
Crow Camp
Meeting |
234 |
235 |
|
Hell Gates
Rapids |
236 |
237 |
|
June 6th
Docking Point |
>236 |
>237 |
|
End of Journey
June 7th @ 2:10 pm |
248 |
250 |
|
Journey Ended near Duck Creek |
|
|
ID
O’Donnell, in a talk given to the Kiwanis Club in 1930[8]stated that Josephine tied up
for the night on June 6th, 1875, one mile upstream of Hell Roaring Rapids,
across from Belle Butte, [meaning the start of the rapids prior to construction
of the power plant in 1887]. This docking location he stated was ½ mile west of
the South Bridge [Washington Street Bridge]. This location agrees in general
with Col Forsythe’s diary; and places the boat’s anchoring directly on the east
edge of Cochran’s Land where the June 7th 1877 anchoring was
reported as having occurred. It was reported by O’Donnell that the exploration
party carved into the Cottonwood tree “the date of their arrival.” It was decided by the club
members to construct a marker for the location of the tree [which has for a
long time been washed away] and the boat’s docking so that the location and
memory of the event wouldn’t be lost. The group identified the site and
location in their publication for tourists called the “Golden Guide.” [Note that this site was not
the terminus of the journey, and the boat continued upstream during the next
day.]
Josephine’s Stop on June 7th, 1877 at Coulson (Second
Trip to the local area)
The map in the
center depicts the area of Riverfront Park as surveyed by de Lacy in 1878. The
piece of land belonging to Cochran is enlarged to show the river and lake
boundaries. Currently the lake rests entirely within the former Cochran
property, and the Yellowstone River cuts south just below his property. The
large island has been reduced in size and changed into three chutes. The
distance between the river and the lake was at its narrowest point on the
southeast end as indicated by the marker shown. James Minnie, surveyor hired to
locate the place where the tree once stood re-identified the location. The
picture on the right shows how the river has changed its course since 1877.[Walter
deLacy added a note to his research stating that this was “the highest point of
navigation on the Yellowstone.” That statement was true only for the 1877 trip
into the area, as he stated in his other field notes.] The land and river
areas in this section have changed drastically from the original survey to
current ones. It would appear from review of land records that the tree site
location is still essentially as shown. Also note that the Josephine’s upper
deck does extend slightly beyond the smokestacks, making the approximate length
about 130 to 140 feet. The picture on the left came from NARA files.
De Lacy Survey
Notes 1S, R26E, FRACTIONAL S16: (October 21 1878, page 49)
“….. S61 ½ W 7.70
cross Cochran’s fence. Over S. thence S. 54 ¾ W 9.70 chs lks 6.60 dis (chains,
links and distance). Tree marked by steamer “Josephine” bears N 50 lks
distant, the highest point ascended to by steamboats. Cochran’s house lies
north of tree 4.00 chs. Leave timber at end of course” [lks = links, dis =
distance, chs = chains]
De Lacy Survey
Map Accompanying the Survey Notes: (Original Entry dated Oct 18th–22nd,
1878)
Tree
location noted: “Highest point reached by Steamboat 1877”. The tree’s location was
plotted on Cochran’s parcel, Lot #2. Location is about ½ mile west of where the
Old South Bridge on Washington Street was located, directly on the sharp bend
in the river just before Blinkey’s Island.
De Lacy Survey
Notes 1S, R26E, FRACTIONAL S16: (October 21 1878, pages 56 -57)
“General
Description. This fractional township is situated at the Eastern end of the
Clarke’s Fork Bottom. It is bounded on the South and East by the Yellowstone
River which has been navigated by a steamer in 1877 to a point within
this township and a little above the town of Coulson. The land is partly bench
and partly bottom land, all of which is 1st rate land, on which have
been grown vegetables of all kinds. There are several settlers in the township
who have operating farms. The only timber in the township is Cottonwoods along
the banks of the River and on the island mentioned.” [Blinkey’s Island]
Comment: After the Coulson trading
post was created the Josephine carried supplies to the residents for several
years, and tied up to large trees nearby. A photograph of the event was taken,
presumably when the photographic shop in Coulson opened (Forum files, undated
picture), and Captain Marsh was reported to have carved the date of his docking
into the tree [symbolic memory] for his second trip in the area prior his
departure of the region at that time. He couldn’t have done this earlier, since
there were no photographs taken during his first trip up the Yellowstone River,
and there really was no reason to identify a simple docking; the tie-up was not
the end of the journey. This first trip of the Josephine into Coulson after
it was formed probably accounts for the recollection of so many
residents recalling the docking, the carving and the carrying of supplies to
the town. The Josephine’s first trip was made without any cargo. There are many
erroneously published accounts of the original landing date, some state June 7th,
1877, others June 7th, 1875. The first date is the real one,
signifying the time the boat came to Coulson, loaded with cargo. It is doubtful
that Captain Marsh wrote a report about his first military excursion into the
Yellowstone River, since this trip was strictly a military expedition of which
he had no input in support of possible war with the Indian Nations,
specifically the Sioux. He did however; write a summary report about river
travels to President Roosevelt in 1907, reflecting back on his vast
experiences. These experiences are what has caused the misunderstanding as to
where and what was carved into the tree, and why the location became known as
“the highest point of navigation!”
Reality
Check of the Tree and Multiple Dates Regarding Josephine’s Journey into the
Local Area
Captain Grant
Marsh stated in his 1907 letter to President Roosevelt that he carved the boats
name [Josephine] and the arrival date into the area as June 7, 1875. He also
stated that he was forced to give up his notes to Col. Forsythe for military
usage.
Reality Check: He actually arrived on site
June 6th, not the seventh. If he carved the 7th into the
tree, then he used the departure date, not the arrivals date. It is more
probable that he did the carving on June 7th, 1877, which would
agree with the factual report provided by Walter deLacy in his 1878 report
where the 1877 date was established. Loss of his notes might have caused some
confusion between the two major trips. There was no mention of any special
considerations by the 1875 commanders, Forsythe and Grant that they attributed
any special significance to the June 6th docking, as they were
unawares that this was to be their last shore stop on the river.
I.D. O’Donnell in
his research for the Kiwanis Club’s Visitor’s Guide in 1930, and the
establishment of a permanent visitor’s marker at the Cochran site, stated that
the boat arrived on June 6th, and that that date was used on the
marker and guide. He also specified that this stop represented the terminus of
the boat’s journey up the Yellowstone River on June 7th, 1875,
indicating that the sign and guide carried a June 7thdate. (This
guide hasn’t yet been located.)
Reality Check:O’Donnell has the arrival
date correct, but since the tree had long since vanished, the date was not
recorded elsewhere, but apparently just remembered. He referred to the opening
remarks of Col. Forsythe as meaning to be that the boat stopped at the tree and
didn’t continue upstream on the seventh, but simply turned around. This was the
same statement made by Captain Marsh in his 1907 letter. Both individuals
forgot to read the actual journal entries that showed the boat to continue upstream
until they reached the many islands and chutes that would cause them problems.
The survey maps of 1878 show the river to be essentially clear of these cut-up
islands until they reach the Duck Creek area. It is there that the boat was
ordered by Col. Forsythe to turn around and head back as quickly as possible. The
current riverbed is badly distorted and widened in the area of the Cochran
ranch. There appears to be no real need to re-stop at the tree on Cochran’s
land just to carve the arrival date, and they certainly must have had
sufficient fuel to reach Huntley or Pompey’s Pillar area for the night.
Residents of
Coulson recall that the boat used to tie up near where Josephine Park is now
located.
Reality Check: This certainly makes perfect
sense. With the town being created and established across from Sacrifice Cliff,
why should the boat try to go further away from the town, and fight Ramsey’s
Rapids (Hell Gate Rapids), which had a 13 foot elevation gain in just a few
thousand feet? It would also be able to acquire substantial amounts of fuel
from the McAdow sawmill. In the area downstream of the park, the Cottonwood
trees were reported in 1878 to be small 6 – 10 inches in diameter. The larger
trees appeared on the McAdow site (Josephine Park.)
Walter deLacy
Stated that the tree was marked by the” steamer”, and that the date was 1877. He also stated that this
was the terminus of its journey in 1877.
Reality Check:He apparently read the words
from the tree itself, but never recorded all of the information; leaving only
Josephine and 1877 as the real dates. It seems unlikely that he would state
1877 if it were carved with 1875. Apparently the local residents filled him in
on the ships journey into town and that this stop represented the end of its
journey when loaded with supplies used by the initial residents and the start
of Perry McAdow’s store, still on his land at that time. Earlier in May, Thomas
McGirl traveled east and purchased supplies for his store that was being
established at Huntley. They arrived at his place at the end of May 1877. From
there Captain Marsh traveled upstream to where Perry McAdow and others were
busy establishing their home sites. Joseph Cochran had stated that he knows
very well of the tree, but when the Josephine arrived on his property, he
wasn’t there at that time. This statement has no direct bearing on what the
real date was. Could be either 1875 or 1877.
Summary
Recap about “Josephine Tree”
It seems that the
currently available source materials are in conflict with the dates, although
the facts seem to point to June 1877. The arrival date to the site (June 6th,
1875), which has been presumed by the early researchers to be on-site at
Riverfront Park (Joseph Cochran’s land) makes logical sense, but it could just as
well have been anywhere in the local area, upstream of the rapids. There is no
reason for Captain Marsh to assume that this was the end of the journey, since
they still traveled about ten more miles the following day, June 7th,
1875. So why would he carve June 7th, 1875 on a tree, when that
wasn’t the arrival date, nor the true end of the journey? Also, why would he
later in his 1877 trip travel past the McAdow trading store located just
downstream of the rapids, at Josephine Park, where he probably had his sawmill
in operation at the south end of the property by that time. There he could get
wood already cut for his engines. Why travel the extra distance just to carve
an arrival date of June [7th] 1877 or 1875, into the tree?
It also seems
improbable that Walter deLacy made an error in reading the military excursion
date as being 1877, when it was 1875. So dear friends, what is the true date,
and how did it come to be?
Size of
the Josephine’s Decks
The most probable
description of the steamer’s deck arrangements were made by Don Powers who
created a 1/96th scale ship model. The full details are available in
the October 1988 “Scale Ship Modeler” magazine. Thirty-nine pages are devoted
to the study and construction. The model is housed in the Montana Room of the
Parmly Billings Library. From this model the deck lengths verify that Captain
Grant Marsh could not have used the walkways for his “mileage – walk”
estimations of 150 feet as claimed in his letter to the President in 1909.
These calculations are probably more accurate than the ones calculated from the
NARA sketches, and referred to above.
Overall length 178
ft (Lower water-line deck / used to store wood for the boilers. Boilers use 1-2
cords per hour at full throttle. No access for walking)
1st Deck 107
ft (Passenger deck with lifeboat added. Has smokestacks protruding through the
decking)
1st Deck
98 ft (Available straight area for walking)
2nd
Deck 102 ft
(Hurricane Deck – Access to wheelhouse. Has cutouts for internal stairs.)
Front
Deck 29 ft (Area where
horses are stabled. Water-line area contains gangplanks, poles and spars,
donkey engine and numerous ropes and pulleys.)
Commentaries and
comments are welcome.
Copyright
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[1]Several
sources indicate he had the sawmill in operation before June 1877, but the date
is not clearly established. He probably was collecting wood in preparation for
sawing.
[2]South
Dakota Historical society boat ticket
[3]History
of Steamboating on the Upper Missouri River, Lass (pg 108)
[4]Letter
to President Roosevelt (21 Sep, 1907) Grant Marsh
[5]Conquest
of the Missouri, diary recollections of the trip up the Yellowstone by JM
Hanson. [These recollections do not entirely agree with the Military Diaries,
and he has mixed the two Josephine 1875 Journeys into one.]
[6]Chapter
V, “Billings, The Magic City”, Illustrated History of Yellowstone Valley, 1907
by State of Montana
[7]Billings
Power Dam, Gazette News article, undated (1914) with pictures; from Parmly
Billings Library Biography Files.
[8]Billings
Gazette Article dated May 14, 1930