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97-455: The idea of the arch is attributed to Hiram Martin Chittenden , who felt that the area surrounding Gardiner was not sufficiently impressive and required an emphatic statement of arrival at the famous park. Before 1903, trains brought visitors to Cinnabar, Montana, which was a few miles northwest of Gardiner, Montana, where people would transfer onto horse-drawn coaches to enter the park. In 1903,

194-413: A bill approving Moore's proposal. Disappointed, Chittenden prepared an extensive report on how to accomplish the task of completing the canal work. He submitted several proposals that called for alterations to Moore's plan, some of them proving to be controversial, calling into question the required number of locks and their locations. An issue that had bothered Chittenden from the start was the location of

291-571: A broken-down hospital ship abandoned on the shore, which was found to have been used by Major Marcus Reno 's troops who were now pursuing the Indians. As they proceeded on, LaBarge came upon a small party coming down the river from Montana who brought news of Reno and his encounter with the Indians. The party boarded LaBarge's vessel and the next day made the return trip down the Missouri. On the 15th LaBarge arrived at Reno's camp. The Indians had already crossed

388-637: A canal to link Lake Washington , Lake Union , and Salmon Bay , at a cost of half a million dollars. Calls for such a project had been in the works for years. Since the Federal government had jurisdiction over the navigable waters, congressional approval was necessary to commence work on the project and would inevitably require Chittenden's involvement. Chittenden in May 1906 was directed to review Moore's plan for canal work. Having found it inadequate he reported his findings on May 26. However, on June 11 President Taft signed

485-459: A cigar and, holding the cannon in plain view of the Indians, he directed them to leave at once or he would "blow them all to the devil". In a panic, the fleeing Indians fell over one another to get off the boat. In 1850 LaBarge was making a voyage aboard the steamer Saint Ange heading for Fort Union , on the upper Missouri River in the dense wilderness of north-west North Dakota . LaBarge's wife and other ladies were aboard, his wife being among

582-541: A good run. We are five hundred and seventy-five miles above St. Louis. By June 17, with the Missouri River four feet (1.2 m) higher than ever known before, LaBarge and his partners decided to stop ten miles (16 km) above Fort Benton, where they built a trading post, naming it Fort LaBarge. LaBarge, Harkness & Co., and the American Fur Company, were fierce competitors in the fur trading business. In

679-648: A half hours before he died. Historian Gordon Dobbs maintains that no other historian before or after Chittenden has gone through the "half carload" of documents and manuscripts from the American Fur Company . In June 1916, Chittenden penned a letter to the editor of the New York Times , praising the U.S. Congress for passing the Randall-Humphreys bill by a huge margin. In international matters, his views during his last years became more nationalist towards

776-568: A large steamer, and the Shreveport , a shallow draft vessel. The LaBarge brothers managed affairs concerning the steamboats, while Harkness went to Washington to obtain the necessary permits from the Interior Department, and to establish friendly relations with the Office of Indian Affairs. Supplies and tools were also purchased for building a store to sell furs and other goods in what would become

873-533: A lifelong Democrat. The demands of the fur trade were largely responsible for the advent of steamboat use on the Missouri River, and by 1830 the young LaBarge bore witness to the steamboats coming to and departing Saint Louis, which were employed in the service of this trade, their principal business in the mid-nineteenth century. Answering the high demand for furs in the East and in Europe, the American Fur Company , dominated

970-549: A lifelong friend of LaBarge, gave the final funeral sermon, expressing that LaBarge had led a good life and that no stigma or vice could be attached to his name. He was buried in his home state of Missouri in Calvary Cemetery near the Missouri River. In 2002, Joseph LaBarge was inducted into the National Rivers Hall of Fame , sponsored by The National Mississippi River Museum, as "The most renowned mountain boat pilot on

1067-525: A man stationed there, wary of the outbreak, and watching for anyone coming from Missouri. LaBarge was not permitted to proceed and was threatened to be shot if he persisted. LaBarge agreed to remain where he was if the man would inform Chouteau of the purpose of his arrival. On Captain Bennett's return the boat proceeded on her voyage up the Missouri and arrived at the mouth of the Yellowstone on June 17, becoming

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1164-456: A more prestigious school taught by Elihu H. Shephard, considered an excellent teacher. His command of English would come slowly, but eventually he mastered the language. At age twelve Joseph attended Saint Mary's College in Perry County for three years. His parents had intended to educate their son for the priesthood, and Joseph's curriculum at Saint Mary's was selected for that purpose. However,

1261-457: A point further from the sea by river navigation than any other boat had up to this time. LaBarge permanently ended his service to the American Fur Company in 1857 and spent the next three years mainly on the lower Missouri river, rarely venturing beyond Council Bluffs, Iowa . By the summer of 1859 he built himself a new steamboat, considered one of the best vessels to navigate the Missouri River. Pierre Chouteau, Jr., LaBarge's former employer from

1358-425: A raiding party of Yanktonian Sioux Indians took possession of the woodpile, demanding payment. During the incident they boarded the vessel and killed one of the crewmen, and then drowned the boiler fires. Aboard the boat was a cannon which was in the engine room having its carriage repaired. While the Indians were occupied towards the front of the vessel LaBarge had the cannon brought up to the cabin and loaded. Lighting

1455-558: A riverboat captain. Work was interrupted when Chittenden was called away during the Spanish–American War of 1898. While stationed in Huntsville, Alabama , he received news from Saint Louis that LaBarge was dying. Chittenden immediately telegraphed LaBarge's son asking him to assure LaBarge that "I shall faithfully finish his work. It will take me a long time, but I shall not fail to do it." Chittenden's telegraph reached LaBarge one and

1552-593: A sister, Ida (1864–1954). In 1878 Chittenden accepted a scholarship to Cornell University and an appointment by his congressman to the United States Military Academy at West Point. After attending Cornell for two terms, he studied literature, languages, and history briefly at Ithaca, New York before transferring to West Point in 1880. Steaming down the Hudson River on the Vibbard , Chittenden arrived at

1649-491: A small pond was built a little way in front of the arch, with unusual landscaping including sequoias from California. The pond and trees eventually disappeared. The north entrance station was located just past the arch from 1921 until it was relocated a substantial distance to the south in 1961. The arch is listed as a contributing structure to the North Entrance Road Historic District , and was placed on

1746-447: A striking resemblance to General Ulysses S. Grant . LaBarge married Pelagie Guerette on August 17, 1842, whom he knew since his childhood. Pelagie was also born in St. Louis, on January 10, 1825. One of the first water-driven mills in St. Louis was built and operated by her father, a millwright and architect. They had seven children. LaBarge was a lifelong Catholic in religion, and in politics,

1843-525: A three-year contract to serve as a clerk for the American Fur Company at a salary of $ 700. He returned to the Yellowstone and traveled up the Missouri River to Council Bluffs, Iowa , where he worked in the flourishing fur trade along the Missouri River. LaBarge earned his Master's license for piloting riverboats at the age of 25. In 1833 LaBarge, aboard the steamship Yellowstone , left Saint Louis and

1940-740: The Army Corps of Engineers from 1906 to 1908). Chittenden was one of the first three elected Port Commissioners at the Port of Seattle . He also helped found the Pacific Coast Association of Port Authorities, later known as the Association of Pacific Ports in 1913. The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in Seattle are named in his honor. As a historian he was noted for his work on the American West , especially

2037-649: The Chippewa was sold to the company for a sum about equal to its charter price. At this time, freight from the Spread Eagle was transferred to the Chippewa . The Spread Eagle was commanded by Captain LaBarge, while his brother, John, assumed command of the Chippewa . On July 17, 1859, the Chippewa made her way successfully, to within fifteen miles of Fort Benton, and unloaded her cargo at Brule bottom, where Fort McKenzie had once stood. In so doing she had thus managed to reach

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2134-574: The Mink . When the hull was almost completed LaBarge brought the boat down into the river and supervised her completion and worked as her pilot during the entire season. As early as 1834, new speed and distance records for steamboats were being established on the Missouri River. That year the steamboat Assiniboine reached a point near the mouth of Poplar River , a hundred miles above the Yellowstone River, but because of low water levels remained there for

2231-475: The Montana Territory two years later. Their venture was short- lived because Harkness was not suited for the arduous task of managing such an enterprise on the frontier; LaBarge, Harkness & Company disbanded and sold their wares to the American Fur Company, at Fort Benton in 1863. On April 30, John LaBarge, aboard the Shreveport , embarked northward for Fort Benton with 75 passengers aboard and all

2328-470: The National Register of Historic Places as part of the district in 2002. 45°1′46.1″N 110°42′31.2″W  /  45.029472°N 110.708667°W  / 45.029472; -110.708667 Hiram M. Chittenden Hiram Martin Chittenden (October 25, 1858 – October 9, 1917) was an American engineer and historian. A graduate of West Point , he was the Seattle district engineer for

2425-515: The Sonora , he made a trip up to Fort Union with their annual outfit of supplies. His next order of business took him to New Orleans where he operated for the remainder of the season, and found plenty of business left by many captains and crews who abandoned the city because of a yellow fever scare. That autumn he sold the Sonora and purchased a smaller vessel, the Highland Mary , which he put to work in

2522-458: The Spread Eagle , which finally arrived on June 20. Bailey was soon held accountable for damages and reckless endangerment when he returned to Saint Louis, but LaBarge one month later pardoned him, allowing his reinstatement. Captain LaBarge also saw service in General Custer's campaign in 1876. In the autumn, when water levels on the upper Missouri River were low, a light-draft riverboat

2619-526: The United States Military Academy at West Point . He found its atmosphere quite different than at Cornell, with its rigorous schedule and emphasis on discipline, and the constant drilling. Chittenden graduated on June 15, 1884, first in his class in the area of discipline and third overall. Shortly after graduation, Chittenden was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army Corps of Engineers . In September 1884, he continued his education at

2716-532: The fur trade . Historian Gordon B. Dodds stated, His works on the Yellowstone , the fur trade, and on Missouri River steamboating were long recognized as definitive....His style was formal, clear, and undramatic. His works contain a mass of detail. He was typical of the Progressive era of American history in his strong belief in progress and in 'the divine mission of the Anglo-Saxon.' Chittenden also wrote

2813-638: The American Fur Trade, having heard about his undertaking, offered any assistance he may have needed, as the Company still valued LaBarge's services and would gladly have given him employment again. Having thanked Mr. Chouteau, LaBarge declined his offer. Upon completion of his new steamboat, LaBarge named her the Emilie , after one of his daughters. LaBarge was now the proud owner, designer, builder, and master of his own private riverboat. The Emilie soon became one of

2910-766: The Army Corps of Engineers, Chittenden was in charge of many notable projects throughout the United States. In 1899 after the Spanish–American War he was again sent to Yellowstone National Park and was in exclusive charge of the road work and general improvements, the basalt arch at the northern entrance and the single-span Chittenden Memorial Bridge (formerly the Melan arch bridge) across the Yellowstone River . Chittenden served as an engineer in two terms of service at Yellowstone National Park in 1891–1892 and 1899–1906. In 1891 he

3007-534: The Fur Company's inventory and supplies there. LaBarge was then commissioned to transport army personnel to the newly acquired fort. In 1852, Captain Edward Salt-Marsh arrived from Ohio to Saint Louis with the Sonora , a steamboat that LaBarge considered "an excellent craft". After learning it was up for sale, and following lengthy negotiations, LaBarge purchased the Sonora from the captain for $ 30,000. Using

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3104-494: The Missouri River, and was often consulted by historians and others who had occasion to recover accounts about people and events involved with the Missouri's early history. In 1896, LaBarge biographer Hiram M. Chittenden , an officer in the Army Corps of Engineers, decided to publish an account of steamboat wrecks that occurred on the Missouri River in an attempt to determine which types of improvements for navigation were needed. Searching for information he sought out LaBarge, who

3201-601: The Missouri River, commanded by LaBarge and his brother, John, with its annual outfit of men and supplies. The Company employed its own boat, the Spread Eagle , and chartered a second riverboat, called the Chippewa . It was a light vessel and her owner, Captain Crabtree, was contracted to reach Fort Benton, 31 miles below the Great Falls , or as far past this point as was possible. At Fort Union Crabtree defaulted in his contract and

3298-613: The Missouri that year when he piloted Saint Ange , with more than a hundred passengers aboard, from Saint Louis to Fort Union at the mouth of the Yellowstone River in twenty-eight days. The next year, departing from Saint Louis, he set yet another record with the same steamboat to the Poplar River , the farthest point north on the Missouri river ever reached by a steamboat. Aboard were the notable Jesuit missionaries, Fathers Pierre-Jean De Smet and Christian Hoecken , Catholic missionaries who were working with and teaching Christianity to

3395-456: The Organic Act is set above the arch in a rectangular slab of concrete. Similar panels flank the arch above the pedestrian doors, with "Yellowstone National Park" on the left and "Created by Act of Congress, March 1, 1872" on the right. Original ambitions for the design included a lake and waterfall, which could not be practically constructed in the semi-arid region and were never pursued. Instead,

3492-524: The South. Although somewhat sympathetic also, Captain LaBarge remained loyal to the Union and took an oath of allegiance to the Union, not wanting to see the nation divided. While operating on the Missouri River, Confederate general John S. Marmaduke , whom LaBarge knew well, placed LaBarge under arrest and seized his boat and crew at Boonville and ordered him to transport Sterling Price , another Confederate general who

3589-729: The University at Willets Point in New York City, an engineering school serving the Corps of Engineers. On December 30, 1884, he married Nettie at Arcade, her home town. Their marriage brought two sons and a daughter. After completing his education, his tours of duty were mainly in the West, including two terms of service in Yellowstone Park (1891–1893, 1899–1904). His service at Yellowstone sparked his lifelong interest in history and conservation . With

3686-498: The age of 21, traveled from Quebec in a birch-bark canoe over lakes and rivers and settled in St. Louis at a time when the city was the center of the enormous fur trade. LaBarge Senior fought in the War of 1812 , most notably at the Battle of Frenchtown where he lost two fingers during the battle. LaBarge Senior was a trapper who also worked as a guide and engaged in many trapping expeditions in

3783-437: The board to reconsider and permit him to take the ride. The board subsequently referred the matter to senior officer General Adolphus W. Greely , who left the decision to Chittenden. Upon completion of the test he suffered a major physical setback that caused a partial paralysis in his legs. Chittenden's 1902 history of the fur trade has been highly influential among historians of the West. His first major work and publication

3880-405: The cargo the vessel could carry. Two weeks later LaBarge, piloting the Emilie , set out, loaded with 160 passengers and 350 tons of freight, and in the process set speed and distance records. The Emilie completed its trip upriver, covering 2,300 miles (3,700 km) in thirty-two days. This was the first time LaBarge had been more than one hundred miles (160 km) above Fort Union. Some of

3977-484: The choice of Chittenden, asserting that his "service would be of more value than any other officer" because of his extensive experience. Along with Chittenden, R. B. Marshall, a topographer, and Frank Bond, from the United States General Land office were also members of the commission. In the spring of 1906 Chittenden moved to Seattle, Washington. That year the developer James A. Moore offered to complete

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4074-455: The cholera outbreak aboard the Yellowstone spread, a pro tempore board of health from Jackson County ordered the boat to move on, threatening to burn the craft if it remained. Now acting as both pilot and engineer, and realizing the danger, LaBarge took the boat up a short distance from the mouth of the Kansas on the west shore of the Missouri, where there were no inhabitants. The cargo aboard

4171-524: The circumstances he was allowed to continue operating on the river for the remainder of the war. In the winter of 1861–1862 LaBarge and several partners formed the firm of LaBarge, Harkness & Co., based in Saint Louis, for purposes of trading on the upper Missouri River. Members of the firm included LaBarge, his brother John, James Harkness, William Galpin and Eugene Jaccard. Each member put up $ 10,000 with which two steamboats were purchased; The Emilie ,

4268-515: The dedication, including John F. Yancey , who subsequently caught a chill and died in Gardiner as a result. The arch is constructed of hexagonal blocks of columnar basalt , quarried locally. The arch is 52 feet (16 m) high. Two towers or buttresses flank the main archway, pierced by pedestrian passages with heavy wood doors. The arch is flanked by curved walls of the same basalt stone, 12 feet (3.7 m) high, ending in short towers. The quote from

4365-411: The duration of the winter. This remained the farthest point reached by steamboats until 1853 when the steamboat El Paso surpassed this point by 125 miles (201 km), five miles above the mouth of Milk River , which came to be known as El Paso point. This marked the uppermost limit of steamboat navigation for the following six years. In the spring of 1859 the American Fur Company sent two vessels up

4462-431: The duration of the winter. When spring arrived the citizens of Atchison, offering to supply fuel for his steamboat, asked LaBarge if they could employ his steamboat for use as an ice-breaker to open a passage between Atchison and Saint Joseph , some twenty miles to the north. LaBarge maneuvered the bow of his boat up on to the ice and with its enormous weight broke through, doing this repeatedly to Saint Joseph. The next year

4559-452: The ever emerging railroads. By 1866 there were only 71 steamboats in active service which could feasibly only service the river between Saint Louis and Kansas City . From 1890 to 1894 LaBarge worked for the city of Saint Louis. Thereafter he found employment with the federal government documenting steamboat wrecks that occurred on the Missouri River. Captain LaBarge managed to survive most of his associates involved with shipping and trade on

4656-399: The first cholera epidemic in the United States, which at that time killed half the crew aboard the Yellowstone . After years of success in the shipping business, LaBarge, his brother, and other partners formed their own trading firm on the upper Missouri River. A steamboat captain for more than fifty years, LaBarge was considered the greatest steamboat man on the Missouri River, and was among

4753-543: The first steamboat pilots to navigate the uppermost Missouri River in the 1830s. His long career as a riverboat captain exceeded 50 years and spanned the entire era of active riverboat business on the Missouri River. Joseph LaBarge was born on Sunday, October 1, 1815, in St. Louis , Missouri . His father was Joseph Marie LaBarge, Senior and his mother was Eulalie Hortiz LaBarge. He was the second of seven children, three boys and four girls, who all survived to adulthood. His father, at

4850-413: The first steamboat to reach the mouth of the Yellowstone. During the summer of 1838, LaBarge was serving as pilot aboard the steamboat Platte . Twelve miles downriver from Fort Leavenworth one of the guys of the yawl derrick broke, sending the yawl adrift down the river. The yawl was so essential for navigating the steamboat up the Missouri River that its loss would have proven irreparable. Aware of

4947-410: The first white women to ever see the fort. Along the way a boy fell overboard from the forecastle . LaBarge was nearby and immediately dove into the river and seized him, keeping the boy from being taken in by the steamboat's sidewheel and got the youth safely to shore, an event that again demonstrated LaBarge's ability as a skilled swimmer. LaBarge exceeded the existing speed record for steamboats on

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5044-455: The fur trade and made regular and frequent use of steamboats. From 1831 to 1846 steamboat navigation on the upper Missouri River was confined almost entirely to riverboats owned by the American Fur Company. Among these vessels were the Yellowstone , and the Spread Eagle , both of which would eventually be piloted by LaBarge during the course of events. Not content working as a shop clerk,

5141-470: The head of the bay. Chittenden found himself in an uncomfortable position and did not want to shoulder the responsibility of making the difficult choice. He ultimately contended that the decisions should be made by the various local interests since they were providing the financing required for the work involved. On March 18, 1907, the Washington legislature passed a bill permitting the construction of locks on

5238-403: The idea of war readiness and its effect on peace, a departure to what he espoused in his book War or Peace that preparing for war would prevent war, sentiments he had expressed in another letter to the New York Times editor. In 1917 he condemned President Woodrow Wilson's speech "Peace without Victory". When Germany continued its unrestricted submarine warfare campaign he wrote "I hope so" to

5335-431: The locks on Salmon Bay; either location would compromise the interests of the various parties involved, including residents, mill owners, and steamboat owners. He came up with a proposal calling for both a large and a small lock, which would be constructed of concrete and masonry work next to each other at the narrow foot at the west end of Salmon Bay, rather than using Moore's proposal for a single lock constructed of wood at

5432-467: The lower Missouri river during the entire season of 1853, after which he sold this vessel that autumn. By 1854 Captain LaBarge was commissioned by the U.S. government most of the time. During the previous winter Colonel Crossman, of the U.S. Army Quartermaster stationed in St. Louis, contracted a shipbuilding company operating on the Osage River for a steamboat for use by the government. It would be named

5529-452: The man himself, asking him to compile his documents and correspondence and offer his personal recollections of his lifetime career as a riverman, trader and riverboat captain on the Missouri River. Work was moving along steadily until Chittenden was interrupted when he was called away during the Spanish–American War of 1898. While stationed in Huntsville, Alabama , Chittenden received news in 1899 from Saint Louis that LaBarge had taken ill and

5626-417: The morning of August 12, with the objective of heading off the Indians in that vicinity. LaBarge made about thirty miles (48 km) that day, making one stop at Fort Union to drop off General William Babcock Hazen and pick up a load of beef for the troops. On August 13, because of low water levels, LaBarge was only able to travel some twenty miles (32 km). The next day the party stopped to investigate

5723-404: The most famous boats on the Missouri River. She was a sidewheel vessel, 225 feet (69 m) in length, had a beam of 32 feet (9.8 m), with a hold 6 feet (1.8 m), and could easily carry cargoes of up to 500 tons. The riverboat proved to be an exceedingly beautiful vessel. LaBarge embarked on Emilie's maiden voyage on October 1, 1859, which happened to be his forty-fourth birthday. In

5820-463: The mouth of the Kansas River until he could return to Saint Louis and get replacements for the crew. Before leaving, he assigned LaBarge the charge of the steamboat; this is when LaBarge, at age 18, began his fifty-year career as a riverman and steamboat pilot. While Bennett was away, the remainder of the crew died; LaBarge buried their bodies in a trench-grave alongside the Missouri. When news of

5917-532: The noted work History of early steamboat navigation on the Missouri River: life and adventures of Joseph La Barge . Hiram Martin Chittenden was born on October 25, 1858, in Yorkshire Township, New York , near Buffalo . He was the oldest child of William Fletcher Chittenden (1835–1923) and Mary Jane Wheeler Chittenden (1836–1924), who owned a farm. Chittenden had a younger brother, Clyde (1860–1953), and

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6014-509: The passengers were making the trip because of reports of gold in the Dakota and Washington territories. Several days before the two steamboats embarked, Harkness had gone ahead by railroad to Saint Joseph where he began recording the venture in his private journal. His first entry read: St. Joseph, Mo., May 18, 1862. About one-third of this place has been burned and destroyed by the army. Took on ten passengers and left at 4 P.M. Weather very good. Made

6111-585: The possible predicament, LaBarge jumped into the river and swam over to the yawl, gained control and landed it a short distance downstream from the Platte , an episode which demonstrated LaBarge's ability as a swimmer. In 1847, acting as captain and pilot aboard the steamboat Martha , LaBarge journeyed up the Missouri River carrying supplies for various Indian tribes on the upper Missouri River. For several years Captain Sire had made this journey but had decided to retire from

6208-484: The prospect of the United States entering the war . This was Chittenden's last public cause. One of the great events for Chittenden during his last years was the opening of the Lake Washington Canal , which was inaugurated before a huge crowd. On October 9, 1917, Chittenden died in Seattle shortly after midnight, at the age of 58. Funeral services were held two days later, with Reverend Mark Matthews delivering

6305-487: The railway finally came to Gardiner. With the development of the Gardiner train station, the arch was proposed as part of the station ensemble. The design of the Roosevelt Arch has been attributed to architect Robert Reamer , who designed the train depot, but documentation is inconclusive. Construction of the arch began on February 19, 1903, and was completed on August 15, 1903, at a cost of around $ 10,000. The archway

6402-659: The residence of Jean Baptiste Trudeau, a noted and reputable teacher in St. Louis, where he studied the common branches in education, all in French. Knowing that their son needed to speak English fluently in order to make his way in America, his parents sent him to schools where instruction was given in English. To that end Joseph's next teacher was Salmon Giddings, the founder of the First Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, and after, to

6499-399: The retired Joseph LaBarge, who had an extensive and often first-hand knowledge of steamboat history on the Missouri River. Though LaBarge was willing to forgo any pay, Chittenden hired him as an assistant. While working with LaBarge, he soon discovered how knowledgeable and involved LaBarge was with Missouri River history and asked him to compile his documents and memoirs involving his career as

6596-501: The river, and Captain LaBarge immediately began the task of ferrying Reno's troops over, which was accomplished before nightfall. LaBarge then left for Buford the next morning, with General Terry, his staff, and 270 troops. LaBarge reached Fort Buford on August 17, and the John M. Chambers was discharged. After more than fifty years on the rivers, Captain LaBarge retired from steamboat piloting in 1885. By then steamboats could not compete with

6693-516: The river, leaving LaBarge in command of the boat and in charge of the company's business. LaBarge's wife, Pelagie, was also aboard. The trip north went without incident until they arrived at Crow Creek in the Dakota Territory, not far from a trading post owned and operated by Colin Campbell, who had a large supply of fire-wood ready as fuel for the steamer. In an effort to prevent refueling the vessel,

6790-474: The service changed when an order issued by President Theodore Roosevelt a famous veteran cavalry man himself, that the annual physical exam require each officer to pass a fifty-mile test on horseback, or face retirement. Chittenden was anxious of the test because his health was not the best due to his arduous service fraught with perils, including typhoid fever , causing gradual paralysis of his legs and attacks of nervous exhaustion. At forty-nine, he had to pass

6887-620: The service. Because the country was then at war, there was no military service conducted. The service was simple with a prayer and two hymns sung, in accordance with Chittenden's wishes. Joseph LaBarge Joseph Marie LaBarge (October 1, 1815 – April 3, 1899) was an American steamboat captain, most notably of the steamboats Yellowstone , and Emilie , that saw service on the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, bringing fur traders, miners, goods and supplies up and down these rivers to their destinations. During much of his career LaBarge

6984-451: The spring of 1862 the two companies were about to make their annual trip up the Missouri River to Fort Benton with men and supplies. Each company, and their captains, were determined to get to the fort before the other. The Spread Eagle , owned by the American Fur Company, and commanded by Captain Bailey, departed Saint Louis first, two days before LaBarge departed in the Emilie , the faster of

7081-399: The summer of 1859 Abraham Lincoln came west and toured the Missouri River looking into real estate investments, where LaBarge saw the future president for the first time. Lincoln was a passenger on the Emilie , which carried him to Council Bluffs. During autumn of that year, river ice prevented the Emilie from proceeding while docked near Atchison, Kansas , which kept LaBarge there for

7178-423: The test or be forced to retire, with only the prospect of a small pension to support his wife and children. To ready himself he began taking practice rides. On his birthday in 1907 Chittenden was examined by military doctors, who discovered his precarious physical condition. Of the three officers on the health board, two refused to let him take the long ride. Alarmed by the looming consequences, Chittenden pleaded with

7275-412: The two vessels. The Emilie soon caught up to the Spread Eagle at Fort Berthold at which point the journey turned into a frantic race. In an act of desperation, Bailey rammed LaBarge's boat, but after LaBarge threatened to resort to lethal force if Bailey did not cease, almost starting a shootout, the attempt was aborted. Regardless, LaBarge managed to bring his damaged boat to the fort four days before

7372-565: The upper Missouri River. He was considered a riverman in his own right; subsequently all three of his sons, Joseph, John and Charles, aspired to the trade and became riverboat pilots. Not long after Joseph was born his parents bought and moved to a farm in Baden, Missouri , six miles distant from St. Louis. The area was mostly unsettled at the time and Sac and Fox Indians roamed the area and were at times aggressive and hostile. The infant LaBarge and his mother were once accosted by Indians while she

7469-564: The various Indian tribes in the North country. LaBarge was a close friend of De Smet, and always offered the services of his steamboat to the Catholic missionary effort. After LaBarge's record-breaking journey he sold the Saint Ange and retired temporarily at age thirty-six with the fortune he had amassed. Two years later he was back on the river, buying, selling and building steamboats. Before long he

7566-453: The western end of Salmon Bay. Chittenden prepared a full report on the existing canal to the Chief of Engineers, knowing that if the plan and its financing were supported by the people he could complete the canal before the winter of 1909 set in. Chittenden reached the rank of brigadier general on February 5, 1910, and five days later he retired. Chittenden's outlook over his remaining years in

7663-628: The winter's river ice once again caught LaBarge and the Emilie near Liberty, Missouri . While detained there he heard the news that his former passenger, Lincoln, had been elected president. A few months later the Confederates fired upon Fort Sumter in South Carolina and the Civil War became a reality. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, people along the Missouri River were largely sympathetic to

7760-408: The young LaBarge did not aspire to such vocation and began associating with young ladies to the extent where he was not allowed to finish school at Saint Mary's. At age fifteen he began working as a store clerk in a clothing store. Among the prominent events LaBarge witnessed in his childhood, was the celebrated visit to the United States by Lafayette in 1825, while he was in St. Louis. Lafayette

7857-487: The young LaBarge joined the crew of the steamboat Yellowstone , serving as a clerk, when the vessel was engaged in the sugar trade in the lower Mississippi River. In 1831 the Yellowstone made her first trip up the Missouri River, and was now in the employ of the American Fur Company. The Yellowstone was to proceed to the lower Mississippi to the bayou La Fourche. Since LaBarge spoke both English and French, his services were found useful. The following spring, LaBarge signed

7954-496: Was Yellowstone National Park: Historical and Descriptive (1895), which he authored during his first years working at Yellowstone. He also authored a two-volume book on the life of Joseph LaBarge and his life as a fur trader and steamboat captain on the Missouri River . In 1896 Chittenden decided to write an account of steamboat wrecks that occurred on the Missouri River in an attempt to determine which types of improvements for navigation were needed. Searching for information he met

8051-505: Was 83. Four years later, in 1903, Chittenden completed and published his two-volume biography of LaBarge and his life on the Missouri River. In Volume II of his work he quotes LaBarge expressing his love of the Missouri River. A natural and prominent rock formation rising 150 feet (46 m) above the Missouri River in Chouteau County, Montana , was named LaBarge Rock , is his honor. On Thursday morning, April 6, LaBarge's funeral

8148-438: Was built at the north entrance, which was the first major entrance for Yellowstone. President Roosevelt was visiting Yellowstone during construction and was asked to place the cornerstone for the arch, which then took his name. The cornerstone that Roosevelt laid on April 24, 1903 covered a time capsule that contains a Bible , a picture of Roosevelt, local newspapers, and other items. Several thousand people came to Gardiner for

8245-439: Was commissioned as an assistant to the officer in charge of road construction. From 1899 to 1906 Chittenden held several posts concurrently and was assigned to a number of projects that kept him moving to different regions, eventually bringing him to Yosemite National Park in the far west. Yosemite was in need of having its boundaries officially established, as the national park was created in stages in piecemeal fashion. Chittenden

8342-572: Was commissioned by the Secretary of the Interior , Ethan A. Hitchcock , to determine boundary changes because of his expertise in such matters. Of greatest concern to the government was the various private land claims in and around the park. Chittenden was requested by Hitchcock to take on the task and assume the role of senior member on the commission to study the Yosemite region. The chief of Engineers approved

8439-467: Was consigned to Cyprian Chouteau who owned a trading post ten miles up the Kansas River. Captain Bennett gave orders to LaBarge to turn over the cargo to the consignees before he left. LaBarge, accordingly, set off on foot to find the trading post and tell Chouteau to come and get his goods. About a mile from the trading post, which had quarantined itself from the cholera epidemic, LaBarge was intercepted by

8536-415: Was dying. He immediately telegraphed LaBarge's son asking him to assure LaBarge that "...I shall faithfully finish his work. It will take me a long time, but I shall not fail to do it." Chittenden's pledge reached LaBarge, who had been suffering from a tumor on his neck, just before he died one and a half hours later, after an unsuccessful surgery, from blood poisoning on April 3, 1899, in Saint Louis. LaBarge

8633-449: Was greeted by the Mayor and escorted by a company of cavalry on horseback, along with a company of uniformed boys, of whom the ten-year-old LaBarge was one. Lafayette shook hands and spoke inquisitively with each of the youths, which would prove to be an event LaBarge would reminisce about into his old age. LaBarge wore a full beard most of his adult life and in his later years was said to bear

8730-448: Was headed for Fort Pierre on the upper Missouri River. One of the passengers aboard was Prince Maximilian , a German explorer and naturalist. Returning to Saint Louis, another cargo was loaded, to be taken to Council Bluffs. During this voyage an epidemic of cholera broke out in the general area and claimed the lives of many of the crew members, forcing Captain Anson G. Bennett to stop at

8827-408: Was held at Saint Francis Xavier Cathedral in Saint Louis, and drew a large gathering. Attending Jesuits expressed their gratitude to LaBarge who, throughout his career, had offered his steamboat services to their missionary efforts, at no cost. A solemn high mass was held by Archbishop Kain , who was assisted by eight priests. Six of LaBarge's grandsons acted as pall bearers. Father Walter H. Hill,

8924-458: Was ill, to Lexington, Missouri . LaBarge and his crew were free to leave, but he knew that news of his help to the Confederates would soon reach Union authorities. He subsequently appealed to General Price, explained his situation, and asked him for help. Price wrote a letter for him, stating that LaBarge had acted under duress and was forced to help against his repeated protests. The incident landed LaBarge in trouble with Union authorities, but under

9021-506: Was in the employ of the American Fur Company , a giant in the fur trading business, before building his own steamboat, the Emilie , to become an independent riverman. During his career he exceeded several existing speed and distance records for steamboats on the Missouri River. Passengers aboard his vessels sometimes included notable people, including Abraham Lincoln . LaBarge routinely offered his steamboat services gratis to Jesuit missionaries throughout his career. LaBarge managed to avoid

9118-585: Was in the trading business once again. In 1855 the American Fur Company sold Fort Pierre , which was also used as a trading post, to the U.S. government. At that time LaBarge had purchased and supervised the completion of a new steamboat he named the Saint Mary , which he used in making the transfer of the former post to the War Department's new post further north in South Dakota, near Chantier Creek, and in moving

9215-416: Was needed, prompting the U.S. government to commission LaBarge and his steamboat, the John M. Chambers , to transport food and supplies to Fort Buford . LaBarge left Saint Louis on August 5 and reached Fort Buford on September 2. After the cargo was unloaded, Brigadier General Alfred Terry with a company of troops and an artillery piece were brought aboard. The steamboat started out for Wolf Point early on

9312-415: Was now retired, and who possessed an extensive and often first-hand knowledge of steamboat history from his many years of navigating on the Missouri River. Though LaBarge was willing to work at no cost, Chittenden hired him as his consultant and assistant. In the process, Chittenden soon discovered how knowledgeable and involved LaBarge was with Missouri River history overall and decided to do a biography about

9409-400: Was working in the garden, with LaBarge's father fending them off by presenting gun in hand. As a young lad, LaBarge was said to have exceptional ability as a runner and swimmer, and excelled in the various games and sports of the day. Joseph LaBarge's early education was somewhat limited given the basic and unrefined schools in St. Louis during his childhood days. He first attended classes at

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