Army order influenced new communities start.

              Arnmy wrder &ffiffEenernced
by ROBERT L. DISSLY
Soon after Peter Koch turned
Fort Sherman over to T. I.
Dawes in March, 1874, an event
occured at Fort Shaw, M.T. that
was to further the continuity of
this new community on the
banks of Big Spring Creek and,
in fact, give it its name,
Lewistown.
Fort Shaw, M.T. was the
headquarters of the 7th Infan-try.
It was there that Special
Order No. 73, dated April 7, 1874
was issued ordering Captain
Constant Williams, ?th U. S.
Infantry, to proceed with his
company (Company F), to
Story's trqding post (Fort Sher-man)
and there to build a
summer encampment. The or-der
read that the post would be
maintained until the first of
October. (The post was aban-doned
on Nov. 1 instead of Oct.
1.) Each man was to take 200
rounds of ammunition. The
company also took rations untii
June 30, almost seven weeks. As
usual, a journal was kept.
Guarding the Carroll Trail,
Camp Lewis - lB74 - 1875 bY
Capt. Michael J. Koury and
edited by Glen C. Morton con-tains
this iournal.
After a foot march af 248
miles, Capt. Williams and his
company "F" set up camp on
Big Spring Fork of the Judith
River about 1% miles above the
crossing of the road from
Helena to Carroil, M.T. It was
the first of over 50 companY-sized
units of the U.S. MilitarY
to be associated with the com-munity
of Lewistown during the
next 100 years (1873-1973).
The troops of Camp Lewis did
a great deal of escort dutY.
Often they manned small out-posts
such as Box Elder, a waY
station and road repair.
Although there are no known
pictures or drawings of CamP
Lewis, a description of it was
written in the Helena WeeklY
Herald written by Van H. Fisk
who came to CamP Lewis to
bring goods and establish a
Sutler's post on CamP Lewis.
(See artist's sketch)
"Camp Lewis is beautifullY
located in the extrerne north-eastern
part of Judith Basin. on
Big Spring Creek. lteai ihe
Muscelshell road. The name of
this temporary military post
was given in honor of former
major of the 7th Infantry, W. H.
Lewis, now lieut. colonel of the
19th Infantry, officered by Cap-tain
Constant Williams, Lieu-tenants
Levi F. Burnett and W.
A. English. The company now
here expect to remain until the
close of the freighting season,
when they will return and
winter at Fort Shaw, unless
further military operations
should intervene. The camp is
laid out with precision and
everything made safe against
Indians that prudence would
dictate, while the tents have
been made more barracklike
by elevating each one on three
tier of hewed logs. A good log
cook house, company bake
oven, corral, a 60 foot flagstaff -
from which the Stars and
Stripes float proudly everyday -
and a nice garden of string
beans, peas, lettuce, radishes,
and other frontier luxuries, afe
among the things noted.
(Thirty-seven stars were on
that flag flown over Camp
Lewis, M.T. in 1874 and 1875.
Nebraska, the 37th state enter-ed
the Union on March 1, 1867
and Colorado, the 38th state did
not come in until August 1, 1876) In Vol. 8,, No. 34 of the
HELENA WEEKLY HERALD
dated July 16, 1874 an article
was printed, written by Lieut.
W. H. Nelson, adjutant of the 7th
Inf. about his visit to'Camp
Lewis on or about June 25, 1874.
Lt. Nelson was quite a fun
loving officer who spent three
days "resting" at Camp Lewis.
One of these three days was
spent hunting grizzly bears up
East Fork of the Big Spring
Creek. He promptly named this
small, muddy, and mirey trib-utary
"sinovial Magoosalem"
after a former assistant sur-geon
on duty with the 7th
Infantry. Thank goodness the
name didn't stick. They weren't
successful with their bear hunt
that day either but did manage
to get a coupie of white tail deer.
Lt. Nelson described a day's
sojourn by the members of the
Fat Brigade (desk soldiers of
the adjutant), Captain Williams
and himself to the source of Big
Spring Creek: "ail hands .r;ere delighted
with the result of their piscator-ial
efforts and observations of
things around; about 25 pounds
of getruine mountain trout hav-ing
been caught - from 11.,to 15
inches in length - sni scenery
b'ring of real interert. Big
Spring Creek is so named'from
the fact that its sources C'ome
from four large springs, all
within a radius of B0 rods, about
six miles above Camp Lewii, a
thousand or more inchesl of
.water bubbling from each
spring. The Creek is only about
26 miles in length, yet it is onerof
the main feeders of the Judith
River. Its waters are cold and
clear except for a mile or so
below where comes in the
muddy waters of Sinovial Ma:
goosalem.
"Near Camp Lewis Storey's'
Fort, a trading post run by the
Daws (sic) Brothers. The River
Crows do considerable trading
here, seldom going up to the
regular agency even for annu-ities.
Mitch Boyer (sic), an
intelligent half breed, is now
here awaiting the arrival of a
train of annuities dispatched
hither by Agent Wright, which
annuities Mitch is to distribute
to the River Crows. Captain
Williams, commanding Camp
Lewis, then whom no more
upright gentlemen can be
found, will personaily see that
these goods are distributed as
per intention of Uncle Sam.
Camp Lewis is almost on the
very site selected for the pro-posed
new agency for the Crow
Indians; but the belief prevails
that the change will not as it
certainly should not - be made,
and that a special agency
shouid and will be provided for
the River Crows at some con-venient
point in the Judith
Basin, than which in my opinion
no better }ocation could be
selected than at or near CamP
Lewis.
"On Thursday evening, June
25th, from headquarters at
Camp Lewis, we discovered
encamped at the crossing of the
Muscleshell road of Big Spring
Creek, a couple miles below, a
coinpany of cavalry, and rightly
surmising that it was Company
F, of the second cavalry, under
command of Captain George L.
Tyler. we paid them a flying
vi.sil., and'spent'a verl social
hour with'Captain Tyler, I.ieu-tenant
Charles Roe, and Dr.
Whitefoot. This comPany was
returning from Carroll to Ellis,
having been down escorting a
drove of beeves for Buford.
Captain Tyler's ComPanY are
mounted on as large and fine
and fat a lot of horses as I ever ,
saw, their appearance belYing
in every particular Nast's late
derisive caricature of the U.S.
Calvary in Harpers WeeklY.
Captain Tyler is known as the
most efficient militarY man,
and certainly makes a very
good impression upon one on
brief acquaintance. Lieutenant
Roe, it will be remembered is
engaged to and is to lead to the
altar at no distant day one of the
accomplished Miss Bogerts, of
Bozeman, and his absent mind-edness
upon his occasion is
pardonable, though perceptible.
Dr. Whitefoot preserves to the
last his equanimity of spirits
and geniality of disposition, and
his home like greeting is ever a
welcome.
Lt. Nelson was last seen
headed for Camp Baker, M. T.
with his silver Tounge and ,
golden pen to file his report on
July l, 1874.
. On November L 1874 with no
river traffic and therefore no
more freight over the Carroll '
Trail, Company F, 7th US Inf. ,
went back to Fort Shaw for the
winter.
Camp Lewis was again gar-risoned
in June of 1875 bY
Company G and Company K,
7th Inf. Captain Browning com-rnanded
Co. G. 7th Inf. with lst
Lti G. H. Wright, his junior
officer. Co. K, 7th Inf . was
commanded by Lt. Charles A.
Woodruff who signed the last
official correspondence from
Camp Lewis Oct. 19, 1875. It was
probably then that Lt. Woodruff
took Company K with him and
left the post. 1876 saw the 7th
Infantry under Colonel Gibbon
joining General TerrY and Lt.
Col. Custer in a major clash
with the Sioux. There was no
further mention of trooPs at
Camp Lewis at anY rate' 1875 at
Camp Lewis while shorter in
duration as far as time the Post
was manned saw more action
for the trooPs. There were three
soldiers killed;3t CamP Leyl.:
b), thq Siou,x.. T!1ey,rye19 ,p.ecr.u1l
George Laraux unassigned 7th
Eaelv c&mnTiEnnity' s start