,,brother ,,van ,illustration3 ,,william ,,wesley ,,van ,,orsdel ,but the ,northwest knows him only as ,brother ,van ,transcriber's ,notes ,punctuation has been standardized4 ,characters in small caps have been replaced by all caps4 ,non-printable characteristics have been given the following transliteration3 ,italic text3 -- text ,this book was written in a period when many words had not become standardized in their spelling4 ,words may have multiple spelling variations or inconsistent hyphenation in the text4 ,these have been left unchanged unless indicated with a ,transcriber's ,note4 ,the symbol #8' indicates the description in parenthesis has been added to an illustration4 ,this may be needed if there is no caption or if the caption does not describe the image adequately4 ,,brother ,,van ,by ,,stella ,w4 ,,brummitt ,illustration3 7 ,colophon7 ,,new ,,york ,,missionary ,,education ,,movement ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,,and ,,canada ,copyright1 #aiai1 by ,,missionary ,,education ,,movement ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,,and ,,canada ,to the ,best ,known and ,best ,loved ,man in ,montana ,,brother ,,van ,,contents ,foreword ,i ,a ,boy at ,gettysburg ,,ii ,explorers of a ,continental ,purchase ,,iii ,westward ,,iv ,a ,sky ,pilot's ,race ,up the ,missouri ,v ,brother ,van ,,vi ,a ,brother to the ,blackfoot ,,vii ,the ,gospel ,team ,,viii ,scouting for ,uncle ,sam ,,ix ,new ,trails ,x ,great ,heart with the ,indians ,,xi ,brother ,van and ,new ,montana ,,xii ,seventy ,years ,young ,,illustrations #a ,william ,wesley ,van ,orsdel1 known as 8,brother ,van40 #b ,the ,battle of ,gettysburg4 #c ,a statue in honor of ,sacajawea in ,portland1 ,oregon4 #d ,sitting ,bull was dressed in full war regalia4 #e ,historic ,fort ,benton1 where ,brother ,van ate jerked buffalo meat4 #f ,brother ,van visiting a ,blackfeet medicine lodge4 #g ,the ceremony of adoption into the ,blackfeet tribe4 #h ,indians were terrifying settlers everywhere4 #i ,brother ,van's dispatch to the ,helena ,herald4 #aj ,chief ,joseph1 leader of the ,nez ,percs at ,big ,hole4 #aa ,dr4 ,thomas ,c4 ,iliff and ,brother ,van1 who had many adventures together4 #ab ,brother ,van was 8hail fellow well met0 with the people4 #ac ,brother ,van shot the herd leader in the head4 #ad ,the ,van ,orsdel ,home for ,nurses at ,helena4 #ae ,great ,heart with a ,blackfoot brother4 #af ,a copper mine at ,butte4 ,,foreword ,,grateful acknowledgment is hereby given for the interest and helpfulness shown by many people in ,montana while ,i was collecting material for this book4 ,to have known ,brother ,van better has been a joy1 and to have met his beloved people 8out where the west begins0 has been a privilege4 ,the readers of this biography owe much to the ,rev4 ,george ,logan and to the ,rev4 ,a4 ,w4 ,hammer1 both old-time friends of the pioneer missionary4 ,from them have come stories and tales of adventure which could not have been forced from the boyishly modest preacher himself4 ,the story is sent out with the hope that through it some young people may add a new name to their list of heroes4 ,,stella ,w4 ,,brummitt4 ,,chapter ,i ,a ,,boy ,,at ,,gettysburg 8,,now1 boy1 watch and you'll see one of the sights of the war6 ,our troops are going to charge and take that battery40 ,it was the first day of the great battle of ,gettysburg1 ,july #a1 #ahfc2 and the ,confederate cavalry leader1 ,general ,jenkins1 at his post on a sheltered hillside1 was pointing out to a rough-clad1 barefoot boy from a near-by farmhouse the movements of the troops on the opposite side4 ,as ,william ,wesley ,van ,orsdel had heard at home of the battles in which his ancestors had fought1 he may have wondered if some time1 he1 too1 would march away to war4 ,he had never dreamed that while he was still a boy one of the most important battles in modern history would take place in the quiet fields and on the wooded hills surrounding the little farm where he lived4 ,the opening of the battle found him ready to take his part whatever it might be1 even though he could not be one of the fighters4 ,he soon found that there was no lack of opportunity to help4 ,fearlessly he went back and forth among the men of both the ,northern and ,southern armies1 carrying water to the wounded no matter what the color of the uniform they wore1 and relieving the distress of many a stricken soldier4 ,in the course of one of his errands of helpfulness he suddenly found himself at the side of the dreaded ,jenkins1 whose cavalry raids had made his name a terror to all of the farmers of the region because of the heavy toll of horses1 cattle1 and grain which he took from them4 ,jenkins' present orders were to guard the baggage train and hospital of the ,confederate army commanded by ,general ,ewell1 and as he waited at his post he chatted easily with the bright and attractive farmer lad who showed himself to be so interested in all the stirring events that were going on around him4 ,william was a loyal ,federal at heart and he felt decidedly uncomfortable in the presence of the ,southerner as he followed the ,general's explanation of what was happening on the adjacent hills4 ,it was a scene of furious struggle and of seemingly wild disorder upon which they looked4 ,now the ,federals and now the men in gray appeared to have control4 ,then suddenly ,jenkins shouted1 8,now1 boy1 watch1 and you'll see one of the sights of the war60 ,a fresh and powerful force of ,confederate troops was advancing steadily1 and to his dismay ,william saw that the blue lines along ,seminary ,ridge were giving way4 ,it was one of the brilliant actions of the battle1 the charge of a fiery ,southern general1 ,jubal ,early1 and the boy's heart sank as the ,federal positions were overrun and their guns captured4 ,he could catch glimpses of the men in blue retreating through the streets of the little town of ,gettysburg to the slopes of ,cemetery ,hill4 ,he hid from the ,confederate general his fear lest the attacking forces might drive the ,northerners even further back1 but as the afternoon passed1 the fighting became less violent and when night fell ,cemetery ,hill was still in possession of ,federal troops4 ,the following two days were filled with thrilling adventures for the boy as he saw thousands of men struggling desperately in the valleys and on the hills where he knew every path and almost every tree4 ,it seemed very strange to him that these familiar places,round ,top1 ,little ,round ,top1 ,seminary ,ridge1 and the peach orchard should suddenly become of such importance4 ,from the gossip of the village1 however1 he knew in general what the ,federal commanders had to do1 and to many a scouting party he was able to give valuable information about trails1 roads1 and observation points4 ,everywhere there were wounded men crying for water and all through the hot days ,william hurried from point to point1 carrying help and cheer4 ,often he was in danger from the heavy shell fire1 for ,gettysburg saw the greatest artillery engagement that had ever been known4 ,five hundred and sixty-nine tons of shells were hurled by the opposing batteries in the course of three days4 ,the boy had at one time a moment of breathless suspense when a cannon ball fell near him1 but it failed to explode4 ,except for some powder marks on his face1 he came through those trying days without injury4 ,william's work was not done when he had spent the daylight hours in going among the wounded on the field4 ,in the evening1 when there was a lull in the fighting1 he went into the village carrying news of the battle and helping friends whose homes were surrounded by the fury of the conflict4 ,he was saddened by the death of his friend1 ,jennie ,wade1 a girl of twenty1 who had been killed by a chance shot that came through the door of the house4 ,she was the only resident of the town killed during the whole battle4 ,the home of another friend1 ,josephine ,rogers1 stood where the thickest of the fight came in the last two days of the battle4 ,william watched over the safety of this eighteen-year-old girl1 and was able to give assistance and comfort in the hours of danger4 ,on the first day1 as ,general ,carroll of the ,union forces fell back1 he saw the girl at her door and exclaimed1 8,what are you doing here8 ,this house is in the trail of the greatest battle of the war4 ,seek a place of safety60 8,mother has gone1 but ,i have bread in the oven4 ,as soon as it is baked1 ,i will go10 replied ,josephine4 ,when she took the fragrant bread out of the oven1 there were so many hungry soldiers that wanted it that she decided to bake more for the struggling men4 ,this work she continued for three days1 and gave bread to the troops on both sides4 ,her home became a refuge for the wounded1 and all the delicacies she could find were placed at the disposal of the soldiers4 ,on the last day of the battle the house was in the line of ,general ,pickett's charge against the ,union lines on ,cemetery ,hill4 ,from the riddled house the bodies of seventeen men were taken1 some in blue1 some in gray2 but the nurse and benefactress of both came through the event without a scratch4 ,when at last the ,confederates were forced to withdraw1 after having struggled gallantly but in vain to drive the ,union forces from ,cemetery ,hill1 and from the adjoining hills now famous in history,round ,top and ,little ,round ,topit was found that rarely if ever had armies suffered such a high proportion of losses4 ,meade1 the ,federal commander1 went into the battle with eighty-two thousand men4 ,he lost in killed1 wounded1 and missing twenty-three thousand4 ,general ,lee had moved on ,gettysburg with about seventy-three thousand men and his losses were as large as those of ,meade if not larger4 ,illustration3 ,copyright1 ,brown ,brothers4 ,,general ,,hancock ,,and ,,his ,,men ,,near ,,round ,,top ,the ,battle of ,gettysburg was fought among the hills surrounding ,william ,van ,orsdel's home4 ,the scenes of daring and of strife in those exciting days of battle and the talks with the wounded men could not but make a deep impression on such a thoughtful boy as ,william ,van ,orsdel4 ,he saw what men were given power to accomplish when they held their lives as nothing in the struggle for the things which they believed to be right4 ,the memory of those stirring days with the acts of sacrifice and of heroism which he had witnessed made him long for the time when as a man he could engage in such deeds of action and of daring as those of the soldiers4 ,with the thoughtfulness which marked his quiet days on the farm and in the country school1 he now began to look forward to some life task that would call for hardship and adventure and would make his life of the largest service to those in need4 ,there was a dauntlessness in ,william which was partly due to the fact that he had pioneer ancestry4 ,his great-grandfather came over from ,holland to ,new ,jersey with the early settlers4 ,his grandfather settled in ,pennsylvania about the time of the ,revolution1 and ,william's father was born there4 ,his mother came from ,england1 and in the little farmhouse near ,gettysburg1 ,william was born on ,march #bj1 #ahdh4 ,hard work and heavy responsibilities fell to the boy early in life1 for when he was but fourteen years old1 his father died4 ,he then had the care of his mother and sister and the management of the farm4 ,two strenuous years followed2 then his mother died and the children were separated and taken into the homes of relatives4 ,william was now cared for by an aunt1 whose farm was close to ,gettysburg4 ,the change made it possible for him to attend a better school and he was proud to become a student of ,hunterstown ,academy4 ,eagerly did he grasp this opportunity to prepare himself to render the greatest service in whatever life-work should open before him4 ,,chapter ,,ii ,,explorers ,,of ,a ,,continental ,,purchase ,,as ,william pored over his big geography in the firelight of his ,pennsylvania home1 that great stretch of territory vaguely called the 8,northwest0 filled his mind with interesting visions of possible adventures4 ,another name given to it by his elders1 and by the books1 was the 8,great ,american ,desert10 and the boy could never hear enough of the tales that came out of it4 ,he always wanted to learn more about the ,indians1 with their strange beliefs and customs1 and about the great brown herds of buffalo that roamed over the plains1 and that were being slaughtered wantonly by white man and red man alike4 ,he day-dreamed of ,indian camps1 of the long wagon-trains of venturesome pioneers1 of swift1 pony express riders1 and of the hardy hunters of wild animals in the mountains4 8,when ,i am old enough1 ,i am going west10 said the boy to his friends4 8,i shall come back to ,pennsylvania to live1 but ,i am going to see the land of ,lewis and ,clark first40 ,the adventures of these explorers had a great fascination for the schoolboys of that period even as they have at the present time4 ,the great western land of which ,william dreamed became known to the world principally through the journeys of these daring men4 ,william loved to hear about every one of their wonderful experiences4 ,the story of the ,louisiana ,purchase1 by which most of these territories had been acquired by the ,united ,states1 was a favorite1 too4 ,he liked especially to read about the day when the ,louisiana ,purchase had the unique experience of flying three different flags in twenty-four hours4 ,in #ahjc ,spain ceded all this unexplored land to ,france4 ,france sold it to the ,united ,states4 ,so in one day the ,spanish flag came down and1 for form's sake1 the ,french flag was put up2 and in turn that was lowered for the flag that has floated over the ,purchase ever since1 the ,stars and ,stripes4 ,president ,jefferson made plans at once for the exploration of the new domain1 and chose as the leaders of the expedition two young ,virginia college men of energy1 ability1 and high character4 ,they were well fitted for the dangerous enterprise ahead4 ,none but stout hearts could have completed the venture1 of which ,william ,wesley ,van ,orsdel and thousands of other boys were to hear and read many years later4 ,lewis was ,president ,jefferson's secretary and a man whom he loved much4 ,jefferson has left this fine appreciation of him3 8,of courage undaunted1 possessing a firmness and perseverance of purpose which nothing but impossibilities could divert from its direction1 careful as a father of those committed to his charge1 yet steady in the maintenance of order and discipline1 intimate with ,indian character1 customs and principles1 honest1 disinterested1 liberal1 of sound understanding1 and a fidelity to truth so scrupulous that whatever he should report would be as certain as if seen by ourselves40 ,the maps showed few cities on the ,missouri ,river when ,lewis and ,clark started on their expedition4 ,st4 ,louis was then forty years old2 it contained less than two hundred houses and about two thousand people1 nearly all of whom were ,french4 ,these men who started up the ,missouri in the fleet bearing the expedition1 little dreamed that from the territory which they were to explore there would be carved the great states of ,missouri1 ,kansas1 ,iowa1 ,nebraska1 ,south ,dakota1 ,north ,dakota1 ,montana1 ,idaho1 ,washington1 and ,oregonfertile and prosperous states from which would come the necessities to strengthen nations in need in the great war more than a hundred years later4 ,not only wheat1 sugar1 and cattle1 but timber1 and metals to renew the world's shipping1 were to come from those western fields1 forests1 and mines4 ,the fleet consisted of three craft2 the largest was a keel-boat1 fifty-five feet long1 drawing three feet of water1 carrying a sail1 and propelled by twenty-two oars1 eleven on each side4 ,it had a forecastle and a cabin guarded by breastworks to protect against ,indian attacks4 ,the other two were piroques4 ,these were boats bound together side by side and floored over2 one with seven oars1 another with six oars1 and both carried sails4 ,besides ,lewis and ,clark1 the party consisted of three sergeants,ordney1 ,pryor1 and ,lloydtwenty-three privates1 two interpreters1 and a ,negro servant4 ,the interpreters were ,charbonneau and his ,indian wife1 ,sacajawea4 ,the ,negro1 whose name was ,york1 was ,clark's slave and body servant4 ,many heroes were discovered in that company before it had reached the waters of the ,pacific4 ,there is just one heroine1 ,charbonneau's wife1 ,sacajawea1 or the ,bird ,woman4 ,by birth she belonged to the ,shoshone tribe4 ,when a little girl she had been taken prisoner in a war between the ,minnetarees and ,shoshones and sold to a traveling ,frenchman1 who was a roving hunter and guide4 ,he brought her up as a slave and afterward married her4 ,sacajawea guided the expedition and acted as interpreter1 all the while giving her baby tender and watchful care4 ,she received no gift when the party disbanded1 but to-day she lives in the grateful memory of the ,west as one of its real explorers and a true benefactress4 ,in the city park in ,portland there stands a statue in honor of this brave ,indian matron4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,statue ,,in ,,honor ,,of ,,sacajawea ,,in ,,the ,,city ,,park1 ,,portland1 ,,oregon ,the romantic episode of the return of this woman guide to her own tribe was one of the strange incidents of the expedition4 ,over unknown trails the daring scouts went in the untracked wilderness4 ,it is hard to realize the suffering they endured from hunger1 sickness1 and other dangers4 ,their advance along the upper ,missouri is of particular interest here4 ,one day ,captain ,lewis1 who was traveling on foot in order to lighten the canoes1 climbed a high cliff and there before his glad eyes lay the 8,land of the ,shining ,mountains10 for such was the ,indian name for the region which was afterward known as ,montana4 ,as they pressed on1 the roaring of water sounded in the distance1 and soon the great falls of the ,missouri came into view4 ,here the river drops over four hundred feet in a ten-mile stretch4 ,the map that ,lewis and ,clark made of this section is so accurate that in #ahib1 when ,william ,van ,orsdel resided temporarily in the town of ,great ,falls1 it was reproduced in facsimile with the modern improvements added4 ,it was near the falls that ,sacajawea recognized the spot where she had been taken prisoner by the ,minnetarees4 ,just at that point in their progress the expedition was in need of horses for the journey across the mountains1 and taking ,sacajawea1 ,captain ,clark set out to find her people and to buy horses from them4 ,captain ,lewis went with another detachment on a different course4 ,after much journeying he found ,chief ,cameahwait and gave him an ,american flag as an emblem of peace4 ,the chief took them to a leathern lodge1 smoky and ancient1 and seated them on green pine boughs covered with antelope and buffalo skins4 ,a warrior in splendid attire kindled a fire in the center of the lodge2 the chief produced a pipe and tobacco2 the warriors took off their moccasins1 showing the white men that they were expected to remove their shoes4 ,when all was in readiness and the circle completed1 the chief lit his pipe4 ,he then made a speech1 and at its close he indicated the four cardinal points with the stem of his pipe1 beginning with the east and ending with the north4 ,he handed the pipe to ,lewis1 who supposed that he was to smoke1 but the chief drew the pipe back three times1 then pointed to the heavens and to the center of the group4 ,this concluded the ceremony and ,lewis was allowed to smoke4 ,after the foregoing reception ,lewis was permitted to tell how he and ,captain ,clark had separated as they started to find ,sacajawea's people1 and how they had agreed to meet at ,three ,forks but had missed one another4 ,he explained his anxiety concerning the safety of his friend and his party and asked for help4 ,suddenly some ,indians came in crying1 8,white man6 ,white man60 ,eagerly the group seated around the fire left the lodge1 as from its entrance they saw that ,captain ,clark's party was drawing near4 ,sacajawea approached the watching ,indians sucking her fingers1 signifying that they were of her native tribe4 ,as she advanced1 a woman darted to meet her and weeping and laughing alternately embraced her4 ,it was then found that they had been childhood friends and now were meeting for the first time since the day on which the ,minnetarees had taken ,sacajawea captive4 ,captain ,lewis and ,captain ,clark embraced also in their joy at meeting1 and the chief called for the ceremony of smoking4 ,the warriors and the white men arranged themselves in a circle1 and the pipe was about to be smoked when ,sacajawea was sent for to act as interpreter4 ,she entered modestly and shyly1 but when her eyes sought the chief1 she suddenly ran to him weeping once more1 for the big chief was her own brother1 from whose side she had been snatched on the day of the tribal war4 ,after this meeting ,charbonneau and ,sacajawea were taken to the camp of the ,shoshones4 ,anything that the white men wanted was easily secured now4 ,fifty horses were bartered for and delivered to them1 so the expedition was able to proceed4 ,sacajawea was eager to go to the coast to see the 8big water0 and the 8monster fish10 but the time of parting had come4 ,charbonneau was paid five hundred dollars and thirty-three cents for two years' service1 and the little ,bird ,woman1 ,sacajawea1 was given nothing but the gratitude and respect of the white man4 ,the party proceeded with other guides and finished the hard journey through the mountains to the ,columbia ,river and to the ,pacific4 ,they brought back to the ,american public a romantic story of strange animals1 of prairies1 of rivers1 of waterfalls1 of mountains1 and1 above all1 of ,indians with their weird1 barbaric customs1 their strength1 and their eagerness to learn4 ,as a result of the travels of ,lewis and ,clark1 and of other explorers and early settlers who followed them1 a strong interest in the ,west sprang up among the people of the ,east4 ,many adventure-seeking boys left homes of comfort in the older states during the next fifty years in search of larger opportunities in the opening ,west4 ,but these glowing tales of ,indian tribes1 and of wealth easily gained1 had another effect besides that of luring high-spirited boys to seek new fortunes beyond the ,mississippi2 there was also kindled a flame of missionary endeavor in the churches of the ,east4 ,some of the great chapters of ,american history are written about the men who gave their lives to the task of carrying the gospel to the ,indians1 and to establishing churches in the new settlements scattered over almost half a continent4 ,growing up as he did in a ,christian home1 ,william ,van ,orsdel heard the stories of the brave pioneers of the ,cross as well as those of explorers and hunters4 ,it is not strange that as a young man he should respond with enthusiasm to the calls that were being made throughout the churches of the ,east for strong1 energetic1 and devoted men to enlist for ,christian service in these new and difficult fields4 ,william had already proved the depth and earnestness of his ,christian faith4 ,when a boy on the farm he had given his life fully into ,god's guidance and keeping4 ,that he had caught the spirit of his ,master he showed to all about him by his many acts of neighborly service to those who were in need4 ,although he had to work very hard on the farm even while attending school1 he found time on ,saturdays and ,sundays to visit the sick and the unfortunate and to help and encourage them4 ,thus the boy who had carried the news of the battle of ,gettysburg to the village people now became the bearer of news of another battleof the battle against all that is mean and unworthy in lifeand of the ,great ,captain of our salvation who gives the victory to those who in loyalty of heart place themselves under his leadership4 ,the people came to love his simple telling of the old message and crowded the little churches and schoolhouses whenever he would speak to them4 ,soon they began to call him the 8boy evangelist0 which was only the first of many honors that his friends and neighbors were to pay him in the long years of useful service that lay ahead4 ,thus young manhood brought to ,william the firm conviction that in the missionary service of his church in those distant regions of the ,northwest1 where there was such need for young men who could be at once both pioneers and ,christian leaders1 he would find the life-work which would allow him to be of the largest service to his country and to his ,god4 ,each year brought him a stronger sense of beckoning ,indian hands4 ,to these people of the western plains and forests1 he must go and preach2 his decision was clear and firm4 ,his small savings were far from sufficient to cover the cost of the long and expensive journey1 for he found that the money which he could scrape together would carry him only as far as ,champaign1 ,illinois4 ,he had faith1 however1 that if he made the start1 the way would be opened for him to reach his final destination in ,montana4 ,he knew how to do hard work2 he could earn his fare for the remainder of the journey4 ,so ,william started on his eagerly anticipated travels4 ,no mother was there to give a farewell blessing1 but he carried with him an abundance of good wishes from the people in the neighborhood of ,gettysburg1 for they had known him since childhood and loved him for his helpful1 friendly ways1 and for his sincere character4 ,tucked away in a safe pocket was his most highly prized possession1 an exhorter's license granted him in recognition of his work as an evangelist1 a high honor for a boy of seventeen4 ,alone and unafraid he pressed on toward the western land of his dreams4 ,,chapter ,,iii ,,westward ,,the first task that ,william ,van ,orsdel found1 as he journeyed westward1 was at ,oil ,city1 ,pennsylvania4 ,he had a cousin at that place whom he visited1 and who urged him to remain and run an oil-pump4 ,he was offered more money for the work weekly than the country lad had ever seen at one time2 so in ,april of the year #ahgj1 and while on his way to a thrilling career in the ,west1 the boy became a day-laborer4 ,at the end of the first week in his new occupation1 ,william was surprised to learn from the foreman that he was expected to run the pump on ,sunday4 ,when he protested against this use of the day of rest1 he was told that it would be all right if he would hire a substitute4 8,i'd as soon do it myself as to cause another to work on the ,lord's ,day4 ,i'll do neither10 was the courageous reply4 ,william worked through the summer and into the autumn4 ,when he announced his intention of quitting he was offered an increase in wages1 although he had never worked on ,sunday as his co-workers had done4 ,instead of earning on that day1 he had used his time for the organization of a ,sunday-school1 and with true missionary spirit1 had talked of sacred things with his fellow workmen4 ,just before the time that ,william was to leave the pumping job1 the 8bush meetings0 were announced4 ,woodmen would go into the forests and cut a road as they went4 ,when they reached a place fitted by nature for an auditorium1 a rough pulpit would be erected1 slab benches put in place1 and all would be in readiness for a meeting4 ,the first night came and a large crowd1 which was both serious and curious1 gathered at the place of meeting1 but no preacher arrived4 ,the young oil-pumper who had organized the ,sunday-school1 and had talked with thoughtless workmen1 was sought for and urged to preach4 ,modestly he assumed the role of evangelist to the waiting people1 and three persons were led to know the saving power of ,god on that night4 ,for ten days the meetings continued2 many people having their interest in religion rekindled1 and many others made to feel the obligation of right living for the first time4 ,from these inspiring gatherings ,william ,van ,orsdel went to ,walnut ,bend1 an old settlement where1 with the exception of funeral sermons1 no religious services had been held for six years4 ,here a great revival occurred which lasted three weeks1 and forty citizens set to work to make their community life mean more for faith and goodness than ever before4 ,then followed meetings for three weeks at ,oleopolis1 where twenty-five people renewed their faith and endeavors4 ,meetings were held at ,pit ,hole1 and continued for as long a period1 and with the same encouraging result4 ,the three places where successful meetings had been held were put into a circuit4 ,one hundred and thirty-five members were received1 and the ,presiding ,elder asked ,william to take the charge at a good salary for those days1 and it included the privilege of boarding around4 ,the school-teachers and preachers in former times accepted 8boarding around0 as one of the compensations of their calling4 ,they recognized its social value1 even though dreading some of its privations4 ,it meant that the homes of the community were opened in succession to the itinerant1 who usually spent a week in the shelter of each home1 sharing its luxuries and difficulties as a member of the family4 ,he was then passed on to the next nearest neighbor until the round of homes had been made1 when the process was started all over again4 ,but the boy evangelist turned his back on the joys of boarding around1 for again came tidings from the ,west4 ,the need of reinforcements for the missionaries in the ,oregon territory was related to him1 and tales of the settlers' needs and of their privations4 ,stories reached him1 too1 of the brave freighters serving the people of the wilderness2 so again the call of the ,west made the days of the boy preacher restless4 ,that map of the ,louisiana ,purchase became very real in those days of decision4 ,many years earlier ,wilbur ,fisk1 who had been stirred by a strange story of the ,indians1 had made an appeal in the columns of ,the ,christian ,advocate4 ,the incident which had come to the knowledge of ,wilbur ,fisk would stir the heart of any eager young ,christian4 ,in these days when all churches are giving to home missions as never before the story must be retold1 for it brought the beginning of ,christian work in the section where the quest was made4 ,four ,indians garbed in their odd dress appeared on the streets of ,st4 ,louis in the year #ahcb4 ,all through the summer and fall they had traveled1 for they had come two thousand miles in search of the 8,white ,man's ,book of ,heaven10 and to ask that teachers would be sent to ,oregon4 ,general ,clark1 the distinguished explorer1 was then superintendent of ,indian affairs4 ,he had charge of all ,indians in the far ,west1 with headquarters at ,st4 ,louis4 ,the ,indians were received hospitably by ,general ,clark and cared for through the winter4 ,he was a ,roman ,catholic and they attended the church services regularly4 ,during their visit to ,st4 ,louis two of the ,indians died1 and the other two decided to return to their people4 ,a farewell banquet was given to these well-entertained guests and at which one of them made the following speech3 8,i came to you over the trail of many moons from the setting sun4 ,you were the friends of my fathers1 who have all gone the long way4 ,i came with an eye partly open for my people who sit in darkness4 ,i go back with both eyes closed4 ,how can ,i go back blind to my blind people6 ,i made my way to you with strong arms through many enemies and strange lands that ,i might carry much back to them4 ,i go back with both arms broken and empty4 ,two fathers came with us4 ,they were the braves of many winters and wars4 ,we leave them asleep here by your great water and wigwams4 ,they were tried in many moons and their moccasins wore out4 8,my people sent me to get the white man's ,book of ,heaven4 ,you took me to where they worship the ,great ,spirit with candles1 but the book was not there4 ,you showed me the images of the ,great ,spirit and the pictures of the good land beyond1 but the book was not among them to tell us the way4 ,i am going back the long trail to my people in the dark land4 ,you make my feet heavy with gifts and my moccasins will grow old with carrying them and yet the book is not among them4 ,when ,i tell my poor blind people1 after the more snow1 in the ,big ,council that ,i did not bring the book1 no word will be spoken by our old men or by our young braves4 ,one by one they will rise up and go out in silence4 ,my people will die in darkness and they will go a long path to other hunting grounds4 ,no white man will go with them1 and no white man's ,book of ,heaven will make the way plain4 ,i have no more words40 ,among the early missionaries1 who became inspired by a knowledge of the quest for the 8,white ,man's ,book of ,heaven10 were ,francis ,mc,cormick1 known as the 8man with the fist and the ax10 and ,john ,kobler1 the first ,methodist preacher north and west of the ,ohio ,river4 ,another of these leaders was ,thomas ,hall ,pearne1 a young man of great culture4 ,he practically received his commission from ,bishop ,janes in #ahea4 8,go to ,oregon2 live there2 work there and die there for ,jesus10 said the bishop4 ,young ,pearne went west by way of ,panama and landed in ,san ,francisco4 ,william ,taylor was then leading the religious forces of the sunset city1 and ,pearne preached in the streets of ,san ,francisco for ,taylor2 then he sailed to the mouth of the ,columbia ,river and finally reached ,portland4 ,on the first ,sabbath day the new missionary appeared in his wedding finery1 for he had brought a wife to share in his labors1 and the stalwart pioneers looked askance at the silk hat1 kid gloves1 silk necktie1 and morocco shoes of the new preacher4 8,you do not look like the fortieth cousin of a ,methodist10 said one of the men frankly4 ,the young man asked to be given a hearing and preached with such spiritual power that the people gladly accepted him as their leader4 ,pearne erected the first ,protestant house of worship on the ,pacific coast from ,cape ,horn to the ,straits of ,juan de ,fuca4 ,when later this pioneer became presiding elder1 his district included all of the ,united ,states from the ,missouri ,river to the ,pacific ,ocean1 the total area being #a1agj1jjj square miles1 and it covered all that part now known as ,oregon1 ,washington1 ,idaho1 ,montana1 ,north and ,south ,dakota4 ,the population was #ac1bid white people and #ajj1jjj ,indians4 ,it was toward this vast territory that ,william ,van ,orsdel was working his way4 ,he left ,oil ,city with only enough money to carry him to ,chicago4 ,he stopped at ,champaign to see a relative1 and then went to ,chicago1 where he met with a man who made clear to him just what his future field was to be4 ,this man was ,chaplain ,mc,cabe1 who was thrilling thousands by his lectures on the bright side of ,libby ,prison1 and by his singing of such songs as 8,the ,sword of ,bunker ,hill40 ,mc,cabe was secretary of the ,board of ,church ,extension of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church1 and had taken for his slogan1 8,a church a day10 as he sought funds for the building of churches in the south and west4 ,to this man ,william confided his dreams and desires1 and leading him to the ,south ,park ,avenue ,church1 his new friend invited him to preach4 ,the ,chaplain's keen eyes twinkled as he listened1 and visions came to him of the churches which this youth would help him to build4 ,from ,chaplain ,mc,cabe ,william learned much of the work to be done in the west4 8,you are on the right track1 young man10 he said4 8,go west to ,montana1 and help to build the kingdom in the western wilds40 ,he backed his advice with some money and added1 8,you will realize what ,paul meant when he rejoiced that he did not build on any man's foundation4 ,you will not find many foundations out there40 ,william ,van ,orsdel did not feel that he was yet justified in having aid from the ,missionary ,society1 but he accepted the money as a personal gift from his new friend4 ,he set out again on his journey for the unexplored land of his dreams4 ,,chapter ,,iv ,a ,,sky ,,pilot',s ,,race ,,up ,,the ,,missouri ,,it was a penniless but hopeful youth who came into ,sioux ,city in the spring of #ahgb and made a straight path to the ,methodist parsonage4 ,pastor ,crozier was the minister who received the traveler1 and who found a congenial spirit in him4 ,there was much work at hand1 and under his new friend's direction1 ,william gave himself eagerly to new1 and yet familiar tasks4 ,sunday-schools were organized in schoolhouses1 and the religious interest of the community was revived as the happy boy evangelist sang his songs and preached his earnest message4 ,he was not idle for a day4 ,early in ,june a minister named ,bennett ,mitchell returned from ,new ,york1 where the ,general ,conference of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church had been held1 with the news that a ,conference of ,north ,iowa had been organized4 ,mr4 ,mitchell had been appointed as its presiding elder and he offered ,van ,orsdel a charge in this new field4 8,take the night to consider it10 he said4 8,pray about it1 and give me your answer in the morning40 ,it was settled long before morning1 for ,william had learned that the same ,general ,conference had formed a ,rocky ,mountain ,conference to embrace the territories of ,washington1 ,idaho1 ,montana1 and a part of ,wyoming4 8,the line of duty is very clear to me4 ,i must go to the mountains40 ,such was the young pioneer's firm reply on the morrow4 ,that very day a boat was starting up the ,missouri for the ,northwest4 ,the captain was hastily sought and interviewed4 ,the fare was found to be one hundred dollars4 8,i haven't that much money10 was the missionary's frank reply to the statement concerning the sum required4 8,well1 ,i have no through passenger1 so ,i'll take you for seventy-five40 8,i'm sorry1 but ,i haven't got it40 8,well1 what in the world are you going to ,montana for80 8,oh1 to sing and pray1 and to encourage people to be good40 ,the captain eyed the would-be passenger wonderingly4 8,well1 ,i have been running this boat for a good many years1 but ,i have never known of a person going to ,montana for that purpose10 he exclaimed4 8,if you will sing and preach for us1 ,i'll take you for fifty dollars40 ,the embarrassed young man was forced to admit that he did not have even five dollars2 then he made a venture of faith4 8,if you will take me to ,fort ,benton1 you will find fifty dollars waiting for you here in care of ,pastor ,crozier when you return10 he said4 ,the good-natured captain agreed4 ,when the boat came into ,sioux ,city again many weeks later1 he promptly received the fifty dollars4 ,so much was he impressed by the incident1 that he sent the greater part of the money to ,montana for the missionary's workto help 8encourage people to be good40 ,the debt was paid in a curious manner4 ,a group of friends back in the oil region of ,pennsylvania had been following the western journey of the young missionary with deep interest but with no real knowledge of his exact circumstances4 ,they realized1 however1 that some money would 8come in handy10 and without previous notice or arrangement had forwarded to ,pastor ,crozier1 at ,sioux ,city1 a sum which made it possible for him to keep the promise which the dauntless ,van ,orsdel had made to the captain4 ,it was on ,june #ab1 #ahgb1 that the boat1 the ,far ,west1 started on its twelve-hundred-mile trip up the ,missouri ,river carrying the missionary to his new work4 ,this proved to be a notable run1 the quickest made by any boat to ,fort ,benton4 ,the reason for the unusual speed was the fact that a rival boat1 the ,nellie ,peck1 had left ,sioux ,city two days before1 and the captain was eager to pass her4 ,in spite of insufficient fuel1 hostile ,indians1 and difficult channels1 the ,far ,west came to ,fort ,benton one hour before the ,nellie ,peck4 ,on the second day out from ,sioux ,city the tenderfoot missionary on the boat saw a battle between hostile ,indians on the banks of the river1 and the question came to him1 8,if we are in hostile country so soon1 what will it be when we get to ,montana80 ,coming to the ,upper ,missouri1 they found that the woodchoppers had been either killed or driven away4 ,no coal was used on the river boats in those days2 so whenever fresh supplies of cut wood were not ready at the usual supply points1 the boat roustabouts would rush into the cottonwood groves near the bank1 chop down trees and carry the logs on deck to be cut into lengths as the steamer proceeded4 ,the pilot-house and other parts of the ,far ,west showed that the aim of the ,indians was far from perfect as they pursued the frantic workers1 for the men escaped unhurt1 while the boat was frequently struck by the shots of the attacking party4 ,at one time when the boat was nearly out of wood a landing was made close to a large cottonwood flat4 ,the plank had scarcely touched the shore when from all directions there advanced parties of ,sioux warriors in full war-regalia4 ,two braves with a great following came on board4 ,one of them was a splendid specimen of ,indian manhood4 ,he stood over six feet high and wore a brilliant bead war-bonnet1 decorated with many eagle feathers2 each feather represented a scalp taken in the terrible warfare which these tribes practised4 ,in one hand he held a tomahawk1 and with the other grasped the folds of his gorgeous robe4 ,it was a critical moment4 ,if these chiefs should be angered1 the boat would be at the mercy of the band4 ,the captain made gifts of pipes1 beads1 and jewelry1 and without showing too much anxiety1 tactfully persuaded them to depart4 ,when the ,indians had taken their leave1 the boat proceeded as far as it could go with its scanty supply of wood4 ,again a stop was made for fuel1 and as the roustabouts were loading it1 a remarkable personage suddenly appeared4 ,he was a tall1 athletic1 white man1 with long black hair flung back on his shoulders from beneath a wide-brimmed hat4 ,his suit was of buckskin and he wore a cartridge belt1 while on his arm there rested a fine rifle4 ,as he came on board the vessel1 the missionary watched him wonderingly4 ,it was his first meeting with a man who was to become world famous for his exploits in the far ,west1 ,william ,f4 ,cody1 known more commonly as ,buffalo ,bill4 ,these are not the only names by which this interesting man was called in the course of his long and thrilling career among cowboys and ,indians4 ,first he was little ,billy ,cody1 the western messenger2 then ,wild ,bill1 the pony express rider1 and as a grown man he was known as ,bill ,cody1 the wagon master4 ,finally1 to the heart's delight of boys and girls the world over1 he became ,buffalo ,bill4 ,for many years before his death in #aiag1 he was generally spoken of as ,colonel ,william ,f4 ,cody2 but to the ,indians he will always be their beloved 8,pa-has-ka10 or 8,long ,hair40 ,when ,cody was told about the braves having boarded the boat dressed in full war-regalia1 he marveled4 8,that was the band of ,sitting ,bull and ,rain-in-the-,face1 two ,sioux ,indian chiefs10 he exclaimed4 8,they have five hundred men with them and are out for a lark4 ,it is miraculous that you escaped1 for you have in the boat just what they most wantfood and ammunition40 ,illustration3 ,courtesy of the ,american ,bureau of ,ethnology4 ,,sitting ,,bull ,,was ,,dressed ,,in ,,full ,,war ,,regalia ,sitting ,bull's life story has been the theme of many writers4 ,this great warrior was a medicine-man1 who preached of a happy day to come when the palefaces should all be wiped out1 and the land which they had occupied should be restored to the ,indians4 ,to this end he greatly incited his people to murder and devastation1 but one thing must be remembered1 ,sitting ,bull believed firmly that the ,indians were unfairly treated4 ,he sternly declared1 8,god ,almighty made me,god ,almighty did not make me an agency ,indian4 ,i'll fight and die fighting before any white man can make me an agency ,indian40 ,and he did4 ,he defied the government up to the very moment of his death in #ahij2 and his resistance did not end until he fell pierced by the bullets of the soldiers sent to take his person dead or alive4 ,rain-in-the-,face was a warrior who had met all the tests of the exacting medicine-man1 ,sitting ,bull4 ,his breast had been slashed1 and rawhide strips passed through it by which he was to hang until the flesh gave way4 ,sitting ,bull was not satisfied with the test and maintained that the flesh had torn away too soon4 ,rain-in-the-,face thereupon demanded another trial1 lest he spend the rest of his life despised as a squaw4 ,so the strips were passed through the muscles of his back1 and for two days he hung1 taunting his torturers1 jeering1 and singing war songs4 ,at last ,sitting ,bull was satisfied1 and buffalo skulls were hung on the feet of the tortured brave so that the folds of flesh might tear away and release him4 ,after that rather terrible test1 he was counted worthy of the title of warrior4 ,rain-in-the-,face died at ,standing ,rock ,agency in #aije4 ,the voyage in the ,far ,west became more and more exciting as the boat proceeded4 ,indian camps came into view peopled so entirely by squaws and children1 that it was evident that the men were out on hostile business4 ,great herds of buffalo and numberless droves of deer and antelope were to be seen roaming on the prairie4 ,young ,van ,orsdel was fascinated by the novelty of it all4 ,his high spirits1 his friendliness1 and his willingness to help in every way made him a general favorite1 and he soon won the complete confidence of the captain and the roustabouts4 ,he gave a hand at any odd job that offered1 singing as he worked1 and daily living out his religion of happiness and trust4 ,when the woodchoppers were at work1 he would climb to some high point where he could watch the wide prairie for the approach of ,indians4 ,in leisure moments as the boat forged ahead he sang for the crew1 much to their enjoyment1 for his voice was of fine quality and persuasive in tone4 ,he became a fast friend of ,jack1 the cabin boy1 for he helped him to wash the dishes and arrange the tables4 ,many were the intimate talks they had about their distant homes and friends4 ,as a result of this new friendship ,jack became a ,christian1 and later abandoned the river to take up the varied life of a frontier preacher4 ,so helpful was the missionary1 that by the time the journey came to its close1 he was called the ,sky ,pilot of the expedition4 ,he was a friend to every one1 from the captain to the lowest laborer4 ,the voyage contained one other interesting experience4 ,at a landing near ,fort ,benton1 a typical plainsman clad entirely in buckskin boarded the boat1 saying1 8,i can't stay in this place any longer4 ,there are too many hostile ,indians40 ,this was ,jim ,dexter1 who became one of ,montana's great landholders and one of its well-known pioneers4 ,from the first moment of meeting there sprang up a warm friendship between him and ,william ,van ,orsdel4 ,this tie grew stronger in the long years following1 as in their different fields of effort they threw themselves into the task of building a commonwealth in the wilderness4 ,,chapter ,v ,,brother ,,van ,,about seven o'clock on the first day of ,july1 #ahgb1 a gloomy1 clouded ,sunday morning1 the ,far ,west drew up to the landing at ,fort ,benton and established the record for an up-river trip on the ,missouri1 seventeen days and twenty hours from ,sioux ,city4 ,that was an exciting ,sabbath day for the settlement4 ,the ,nellie ,peck arrived an hour later2 while from ,st4 ,louis came the ,josephine after a sixty-days' trip4 ,a number of ox-trains were waiting to take the incoming freight to the towns and settlements beyond2 some of these were many days distant4 ,wagons drawn by mules and horses were crowded around the landing1 eager for what business might turn up4 ,cowboys1 ,indians1 and soldiers from the ,fort mixed in the crowd1 making the motley assembly which greeted our ,sky ,pilot as he stepped on shore4 ,all the white families came from the tiny shacks of the new town to join in the curious throng as it welcomed this unusual stir in the monotony of frontier life4 ,the tenderfoot did not know the terror of 8gumbo10 but as he made his way through the streets in the rain1 he found the soil sticking to his shoes in such quantities as to make walking difficult4 ,it was ,god's day1 and in spite of the dismal weather1 the missionary trudged through the town seeking a place to hold services4 ,he was told that he could use the courthouse4 ,this sounded encouraging and he turned toward the building eagerly4 ,disappointment was awaiting him1 for it was only an adobe structure1 and the rain had washed holes in the roof and walls through which muddy streams of water were pouring4 ,in continuing his search for a place in which to hold worship1 ,william learned that a ,roman ,catholic priest1 ,father ,van ,gorp1 was conducting a service in a saloon near by4 ,he sought him out and was received cordially4 ,on hearing the desire of the newcomer1 the priest assured him that he could have the room as soon as his service was concluded1 for he intended to take passage on a boat which was to leave the ,fort in a few hours4 ,it was at that afternoon meeting of his first day in ,fort ,benton that ,william ,van ,orsdel received the name of ,brother ,van4 ,there was a frankness and kindness in the young man's manner toward these strangers before him4 ,the years of unselfish service for others1 and his conviction regarding the work he must do in the ,west had developed a magnetic personality4 ,the rough and hearty frontier people were keen judges of character4 ,they saw at once in the stranger1 who had come among them so naturally and courageously1 a sincere1 helpful spirit4 8,brother0 was just the word that described him4 8,van0 was as much of that lengthy and dignified name of his as they felt that they could take the trouble to say4 ,so1 with the good-natured bluntness of the ,west1 8,brother ,van0 he became4 ,it now rarely occurs to any of his friends and neighbors that he has any other name4 ,they would probably assure you1 if you were to raise the question with them1 that he was christened 8,brother ,van40 ,crowded in the saloon on that afternoon were the steamboat officers1 roustabouts1 freighters1 cowboys1 ,indians1 and settlers1 making a strange audience for the young missionary's first ,montana sermon4 ,he would talk for a while1 and then1 when the attention wavered1 he would sing the songs that some of them had heard back ,east before they had come under the hardening influences of the rough western life4 ,brother ,van asked if they would like an evening service and received an eager request for one4 ,the news of the arrival of this tenderfoot and of his message and singing had traveled fast2 so in the evening a larger congregation gathered4 ,again he gave the message that many of them had been missing in a long period of separation from church life1 and again hearts were stirred1 as for the first time in years the uncertain voices tried to follow the singing of the gospel songs which had been sung 8back home40 ,there is no written record of the sermons of that day2 but the simple1 straightforward manner of the preacher made a lasting impression on the hearts of that strange crowd4 ,the missionary spirit of the zealous youth so won the respect of the cowboys that they withheld from this tenderfoot the 8initiation0 which they were accustomed to give to strangers4 ,brother ,van was a vigorous youth with a florid complexion and light hair4 ,the simple directness of his manner and the good humor showing in his blue eyes1 so ready to twinkle with fun1 gained fast friends for him in the odd mixture of peoples4 ,while the ,far ,west was in port1 ,captain ,coulson extended the hospitality of the boat to his missionary passenger1 though his obligations had really ceased when he reached the town4 ,when the boat started back down the river1 carrying the only people whom he knew1 pangs of homesickness came to the lonely youth2 now he felt himself truly a stranger in a strange land4 ,but a new friend appeared4 ,a good woman who had been at the service on ,sunday opened her home to him1 and established that night an 8institution0 which gradually extended throughout the state of ,montana1 8,brother ,van's room40 ,even in the newest town where a beginning was just being made1 there was always some home in which a place was set apart to receive the welcome traveler whenever he could come that way4 ,illustration3 ,,ruins ,,of ,,historic ,,fort ,,benton1 ,,where ,,brother ,,van ,,ate ,,jerked ,,buffalo ,,meat ,,and ,,heard ,,tales ,,of ,,indian ,,warfare ,on the ,monday following that eventful ,sabbath1 ,brother ,van set out to explore the town4 ,the central interest of ,fort ,benton was its fur trading4 ,this industry was developed in the ,united ,states by the enterprise of ,john ,jacob ,astor4 ,he saw that ,canada was profiting by this trade1 and in #ahab he petitioned ,congress to establish fur trading posts within the boundaries of the ,united ,states1 and to introduce such goods as were necessary for bartering with the ,indians4 ,trading posts soon began to dot the vast wilderness of the ,north and ,west4 ,they were all built on the same general plan4 ,a heavy stockade was made by driving tree trunks into the earth so close together as to make a wall1 the only opening left being a massive double gate4 ,in one of the sections of this gate was a small door through which in times of danger the trader could admit a single person at a time4 ,he could open it and talk with any ,indian who came1 without allowing the visitor to enter4 ,within the outer stockade was an open space2 then in the center was a strongly built log or adobe structure containing the trader's quarters1 storeroom1 and the fort4 ,in the wall of the storeroom was an opening about eighteen inches square4 ,this was called the 8trading hole0 and was protected by heavy shutters controlled from the inside4 ,when the ,indians came with their packs of furs the trader's men met them outside the stockade1 and took from them all guns1 bows1 arrows1 tomahawks1 and any other dangerous weapons which they might be carrying4 ,then1 in a group at a time1 they were admitted to the stockade and the heavy gates locked behind them4 ,they were virtually prisoners1 and advancing across the open space between the stockade and the fort1 they would come to the trading hole1 where the agent of the fur merchant's company was waiting to barter with them4 ,one by one the ,indians would offer to the trader1 who was often an unscrupulous cheat1 the beautiful soft furs which had been secured by trapping and shooting amid the dangers and the hardships of the cold and lonely ,north4 ,gaudy calico1 cheap blankets1 or the bad combination of bullets and whisky1 were given in exchange for the valuable pelts4 ,to such traders1 to certain selfish and designing settlers1 and to some of the government agents1 who have steadily driven the ,indians back and back from wide prairie to a hunting ground1 and then to a reservation1 the red man owes much of the degradation and humiliation which overtook him4 ,as we look curiously at the straggling herds of buffalo1 deer1 and antelope in our parks and preserves to-day1 we can scarcely realize how abundant was the game which the early hunters and trappers found roaming over the 8,great ,american ,desert40 ,there is evidence of one herd of buffalo that made the earth brown for a stretch of country seventy miles long by thirty miles wide4 ,on one of the first railroads to be laid across the plains of ,kansas1 a train was once held up for nine hours while a herd crossed the tracks4 ,both whites and ,indians slaughtered these vast herds carelessly and wantonly1 using a variety of methods4 ,a government report of #ahge speaks of one hundred thousand buffalo that were killed near ,dodge ,city1 ,kansas4 ,only the saddles were used for food4 ,the same report says3 8,it is known that south of the ,arkansas ,river1 west of ,wichita1 there were from one to two thousand men killing buffalo for hides alone40 ,at one place on the south forks of the ,republican ,river in #ahgd1 there were six thousand and five hundred carcases from which the hides had been stripped4 ,towers for religious purposes1 or medicine lodges1 were built by the ,indians with the horns of buffalo1 antelope1 and deer4 ,some of these towers were so high that they could be seen for many miles4 ,father ,de ,smet speaks of seeing one of them from the ,missouri ,river as he made his way westward in the year #ahdf4 ,as a result of this enormous destruction of the herds1 the hide markets became so glutted that the skins of bulls brought only one dollar1 and the hides of cows and calves from forty to sixty cents each4 ,just outside of the city of ,fort ,benton there was pointed out to ,brother ,van a famous cliff about one hundred and twenty feet high and rising sheer from the river4 ,there the ,indians were in the habit of killing buffalo by a method that is interesting if brutal4 ,a fleet1 active young man of the tribe would disguise himself as a buffalo by wearing a buffalo skin with the head attached4 ,he was possessed also of a 8,iuis ,kini0 7i uis-ki ni7 or buffalo stone1 which gave power to call buffalo4 ,before a run to a 8falling place10 he spent the night invoking the aid of the gods by burning sweet grass and sweet pine to draw the spirits4 ,he purified himself by passing through the smoke of this fire4 ,when all was ready the buffalo hunter would attract the attention of the herd by strange antics1 and then begin to call3 8,hoo-hoo-hoo-ini-uh-ini-uh40 ,men and women concealed behind rocks began to yell2 and the buffalo1 terrified1 ran with ever increasing speed toward the decoy1 who led them toward the precipice4 ,the herd1 which might vary in number from one hundred and fifty to ten thousand1 would rush blindly forward and plunge over the wall to death in the shallow water beneath4 ,the decoy would dodge into a crevice previously chosen in the edge of the cliff4 ,brother ,van had arrived in this interesting country of ,indian exploits just before an eventful day1 the ,fourth of ,july4 ,he was invited to the ,fort as a guest of the non-commissioned officers4 ,the ,stars and ,stripes fluttered over the rude barracks every day1 but in the town the flag was displayed to show that it was a holiday4 ,wild scenes were enacted in the saloons1 and ,indians1 who were waiting with their hard-earned furs1 learned of the white man's 8fire-water10 which was used freely in the celebration4 ,out in the stockade of the fort a feast was spread4 ,the boat had brought bread and dried fruit1 both of which were great delicacies4 ,these1 combined with the usual western fare1 made a sumptuous repast4 ,the western fare consisted of 8jerked buffalo10 which is simply dried buffalo meat1 fresh antelope meat1 a great delicacy even to the westerner1 and the best dish of all1 dried buffalo tongue4 ,speeches were made and weird stories told of the warfare with the ,indians4 ,the eastern youth listened and wondered1 and on that day he pondered over the subject of the red man's condition4 ,later he decided the matter in his own mind2 he knew that the ,indian had been more sinned against than sinning1 and that the original ,american had been greatly misunderstood4 ,those days of tarrying were fruitful days for ,william ,van ,orsdel4 ,not only were the cowboys and freighters won to friendship by his sympathy1 but the ,indians' confidence was gained4 ,friends1 whose helpfulness was to last through his busy lifetime1 became interested in him4 ,young ,tatton1 a tall1 vigorous1 fighting scout1 a member of ,company ,b of the ,seventh ,infantry1 was one of the men who became one of ,brother ,van's fast friends in those days4 ,he knew the ,west and understood its joys and privations thoroughly4 ,he had noticed the new preacher as he faced the motley crowd that first day in ,fort ,benton4 ,though ,tatton was a ,roman ,catholic1 he admired the zeal which had found a way and a place for religious services on the very day on which the missionary had set foot on the new soil4 ,with leveled eyes the soldier scout had watched the crowd as they listened to that first earnest sermon of the eager newcomer1 and to ,brother ,van he gave his support and a loyal and lasting friendship4 ,,chapter ,,vi ,a ,,brother ,,to ,,the ,,blackfoot ,,the first strenuous days in ,fort ,benton1 and the welcome he received there1 might have convinced ,brother ,van that he had found a good place in which to settle4 ,it was plain that his ministry was much needed and the prospects for a growing and useful work were bright4 ,but he never forgot for a moment that he had taken the long journey from his ,gettysburg home for the sake of serving among the ,indians4 ,hence it is not surprising that within a week from that exciting morning when he had begun his ,montana preaching career in the crowded barroom1 we find him pushing on toward one of the agencies where he could more readily get in touch with the tribes4 ,again his attractive manner and his earnestness of purpose won for him a lift on his way1 only this time he was to jolt over the rough prairie roads in a heavy wagon1 instead of gliding smoothly along the ,missouri4 ,the ,regimental ,adjutant from ,fort ,shaw had brought his wife into ,fort ,benton so that she might take passage on the return trip of the ,far ,west4 ,the ,adjutant had met ,brother ,van1 and learning of the missionary's desire to continue his journey to the ,west1 had invited him to share the army wagon for the ride back to the post4 ,the eager young traveler grasped this opportunity without delay4 ,it did not take him long to stow away his baggage in the army conveyance1 for his scanty wardrobe made only a small bundle4 ,he took his place beside the ,adjutant1 and soon they were rumbling over the prairie toward ,sun ,river settlement and ,fort ,shaw4 ,the gumbo was still sticky and tough from the rains of the previous days1 and it was apparent from the first that there was to be a hard journey ahead4 ,the five army mules drawing the wagon objected to the heavy traveling of the unbroken roads1 and caused delays by their 8objections40 ,the driver's patience at last was exhausted1 and in true western style he spoke to the errant beasts4 ,then he remembered that there was a preacher in the wagon1 and apologized for the language he had used4 ,brother ,van showed himself to be a very human missionary1 for he laughingly replied1 8,why1 bless your soul1 you express my sentiments exactly1 though ,i can't approve of your language40 ,before dark a severe thunderstorm overtook the travelers1 and the only shelter they could find was a lonely1 deserted cabin4 ,here they spent the night1 making the best of such comforts as were found in the government wagon4 ,the coyotes sang a lonely song1 and the prairie-dogs1 their only neighbors1 made vigorous protests against the intruders4 ,this was the initiation of the tenderfoot preacher into the joys of overland journeying4 ,on the next day they reached ,sun ,river where no church or schoolhouse existed2 so again a place for ,sunday service was sought1 and a ,christian home was found which was opened gladly for this unaccustomed use4 ,riders were sent out to all the settlements within reach1 with the result that on the following day a fine congregation gathered in the frontier cabin4 ,carelessness about habits of prayer and worship was common among these lonely people of the opening ,west4 ,brother ,van's tender songs and warning words brought a genuine response from them4 ,after the service the travelers pushed on so that they might reach ,fort ,shaw by evening4 ,at this place also1 ,brother ,van immediately set about making arrangements to preach2 and within a short time he had the soldiers of the garrison gathered about him1 talking to them in a manly1 helpful way that won their interest and their respect4 ,tarrying but a day at ,fort ,shaw1 he traveled with several companions north to the town of ,chouteau1 which was on the ,teton ,river1 and fifteen miles from the base of the ,rocky ,mountains4 ,he hastened then to the ,indian agency near there where the ,blackfeet were settled4 ,this tribe had migrated from ,canada to the prairies of ,montana1 and it is interesting to know that they had been first called 8,blackfeet0 by the ,flatheads and ,shoshones1 for when they had come to the end of their long journey1 their moccasins were travel-stained and black4 ,on arriving at the agency1 the missionary first made himself known to the officials and clerks and spoke to a group of them4 ,they received him cordially and from the beginning of his stay he was given fresh confidence for his new work by the good will that they showed him4 ,in his first meetings with the ,indians the ,blackfeet tribesmen listened to him stolidly and were apparently unmoved2 but they caught the spirit of brotherhood in this paleface preacher1 and they soon began to show signs of their approval of him4 ,brother ,van was happy indeed in the new opportunities opening before him1 and in the increasing evidence that the ,indians gave of their affection for him4 ,he was fascinated by the strange life and mysterious customs which he found all about him4 ,during his stay with the ,blackfeet1 and through later years1 the missionary loved to study their ceremonies and legends4 ,one of the oldest institutions of the tribe was the building of the medicine lodge1 a celebration which ,brother ,van followed with the keenest interest4 ,it took place at the time of the ripening of berries in the summer1 and lasted through four days and nights4 ,the lodge was always erected in fulfilment of a vow made by some woman of the tribe who was in trouble and who wished the help of the gods1 perhaps to bring back in safety a husband or son away at war1 or to restore a sick child to health4 ,her pledge was made publicly1 so that all the tribe would know that she would build the lodge in case her prayer was granted4 ,at the proper time the whole tribe would assemble and set up their lodges in a circle in the middle of which the medicine lodge was erected4 ,the woman who had made the vow neither ate nor drank throughout the four days1 except once only1 and that in sacrifice4 ,the other members of the tribe gave themselves over to visiting and feasting with their friends1 and1 also1 to a strange kind of worship in which they tried to prove the sincerity of their prayers by torturing themselves in various painful ways4 ,the lodge was built in accordance with a plan which the ,sun himself was supposed to have given to one of the young men of the tribe in ancient times4 ,it represented the world1 and was made by placing small trees of uniform size in a circle1 and bending the branches toward the center to form the roof4 ,one half of it was painted red for the ,sun1 and the other half black to represent night4 ,in recent years the medicine lodge is seldom used owing to the effect of modern education in destroying the superstitious beliefs of the ,indians1 and within another generation the ceremony will probably be extinct4 ,illustration3 ,board of ,home ,missions and ,church ,extension ,methodist ,episcopal ,church4 ,,brother ,,van ,,visiting ,a ,,medicine ,,lodge ,,erected ,,as ,a ,,tribal ,,ceremony ,,by ,,the ,,blackfeet ,,indians ,brother ,van also discovered that the tribal dances were not as simple as they had appeared to be1 but that they were filled with hidden meanings1 and that each had a history of its own4 ,the story of the ,pigeon ,dance1 which was one of those witnessed by the new missionary1 shows the background of folk tales1 dreams1 and of the imitation of animal and bird life from which these dances grew4 ,it is believed by the people that all of their dances originated in the dream of a seer of the tribe many generations ago4 ,the custom was for some old man to go off into absolute seclusion out of sound of any human voice4 ,he then subjected himself to various ceremonials1 and becoming at last exhausted sought sleep and dreams4 ,the process was continued until something new and unheard of was dreamed4 ,the seeker for 8something new under the sun0 would then come back to the waiting tribe1 and patiently wait and watch for his dream to come true4 ,not until he saw it in reality could he call the tribe together and proclaim the glad news4 ,once upon a time an old man went away to a quiet spot and after the proper ceremonials fell asleep and the much desired dream came to him4 ,he saw a flock of beautiful1 many-colored pigeons and as they circled and whirled1 he perceived that they were in truth executing a rythmic dance4 ,with grace and perfection of motion they performed wonderful and intricate figures4 ,their soft cooing made a weird and strange music which added to the charm of the mystical dances4 ,the old man had dreamed the dream for which he longed4 ,he came back to the tribe and said nothing1 but he watched for the realization of the vision4 ,eagerly he sought the nesting and feeding places of pigeons4 ,one day he actually saw the birds dancing as he had seen them in his dream4 ,immediately runners were sent forth to call the people together4 ,a great feast was prepared at which the seer announced the vision that he had seen1 and the manner in which the dance was conducted4 ,on the ,american nation's birthday in the year #aiag1 this strange but beautiful dance was a part of the celebration at the ,blackfeet ,indian agency1 and ,brother ,van1 so long a friend of the ,indians1 was the guest of honor4 ,the missionary found that through their love of beauty and heroism the ,indians had a peculiar understanding and appreciation of ,bible history4 ,there was much in their simple1 wandering life that made them feel a close kinship with those shepherds1 hunters1 and warriors of the ancient ,east4 ,they had passed through the same great human experiences1 and they shared many of the same beliefs4 ,in their crude and faltering way they1 too1 looked up to a ,great ,spirit who made all things and upon whose bounty all men depend4 ,as they told ,brother ,van their tribal legends1 he was struck by the remarkable resemblance which many of these bore to some of the stories of the ,bible4 ,the ,blackfeet story of the forming of the world is peculiarly interesting because it shows the belief which they have in a ,creator4 8,in the beginning there was water everywhere4 ,a raft was floating on which ,old ,man 7the ,sun7 and all the animals were gathered4 ,old ,man wished to make land4 ,he sent the beaver to the bottom of the water to bring up mud4 ,the beaver never reached the bottom4 ,the loon was tried and he failed4 ,the otter made the perilous journey and failed4 ,at last the muskrat was sent down4 ,he was gone so long that ,old ,man thought he was drowned4 ,finally he came up and floated almost dead4 ,he was pulled on top of the raft1 and as they looked at his paws1 they found a little mud on them4 ,old ,man dried this mud and scattered it over the water1 and land was formed4 8,old ,man then began to make the earth to suit him4 ,he marked places for rivers to run4 ,sometimes the rivers ran smoothly and sometimes with falls4 ,he made mountains1 prairies1 and timber4 ,he carried a lot of rocks around with him1 and of these he made mountains4 ,he caused grass to grow on the plains for the animals to feed upon4 ,he marked certain pieces of land where berries should grow2 others where camas should grow2 others for wild carrots and turnips1 and others for service-berries1 bull-berries1 and rosebuds4 8,he made the ,big ,horn sheep and put it on the prairie1 but it was awkward and slow2 so he put it on the rough hills1 and it skipped about4 ,while ,old ,man was in the mountains he made the antelope4 ,it ran so fast that it hurt itself2 so he put it on the plains and said1 #8,this is the place that will suit you4' 8,at last he decided to make a woman and a child4 ,he modeled clay in human shape and laid the forms on the ground and said1 #8,you shall be people4' ,after four days they were changed and he said1 #8,stand up and walk4' ,they walked to the river and the woman said1 #8,shall we live forever8' ,old ,man said1 #8,i had not thought of that4 ,we must decide4 ,i'll throw this buffalo chip in the water4 ,if it floats1 people shall live after being dead for four days4 ,if it sinks1 that shall be the end of them4' 8,he threw the chip4 ,it floated4 ,the woman said1 #8,no1 ,i will throw this stone into the water4 ,if it floats1 we shall live always2 if it sinks1 people must die4' ,the rock sank4 ,old ,man said1 #8,you have chosen4 ,that will be an end to them4' ,by and by the child died and the woman wanted to change the law1 but ,old ,man answered1 #8,what is made law must be law4' 8,at first people had claws like bears so that they might gather roots and berries4 ,there were buffalo which killed and ate people4 ,old ,man said1 #8,i'll change this4 ,from this day on the people shall eat buffalo4' ,so he cut some service-berry shoots and peeled them2 then he took a flat piece of wood and tied strips of green hide to it and made a bow4 ,on one end of each light1 straight shoot1 he tied a chip of hard stone1 and on the other end he put a feather4 ,he gave them to the men1 saying1 #8,take these the next time you go among buffalo4 ,shoot as ,i have taught you4' 8,when the arrows first struck the buffalo1 it called out1 #8,oh1 my friends1 a great fly is biting me4' ,after the buffalo had been killed1 ,old ,man saw his people eat the raw flesh4 #8,i will show you something better1' said he4 ,he gathered soft1 dried1 rotten wood4 ,he took another piece of wood and rapidly drilled a hole in it with an arrow-head4 ,a tiny flame soon sprang up from which he kindled a big fire and showed his children how to roast the meat40 ,the history of the forming of the ,blackfeet ,indian tribe is also very quaint1 and it could not but have an especial appeal to ,brother ,van1 for from his early youth his life had been one to encourage clean living4 ,the story tells how one brave looked with disfavor upon the tribal vices and misdemeanors1 and strove to bring the members into a finer1 cleaner way of living4 ,his own life was pure and good1 and his people recognized this1 but they would not heed his pleadings4 ,finally1 he went off into the silence of the plains to communicate with the ,great ,spirit4 ,he told of his desire for his people3 that they should all be pure and strong2 that the maidens should be contented2 that they should dwell in a land where game abounded1 and where wars should never come4 ,from this great spiritual leader the ,blackfeet tribe was said to have descended4 ,as ,brother ,van pursued his work among his beloved ,indians1 they became more and more attached to him4 ,like the white residents1 they1 too1 accepted their kind-hearted visitor as a brother4 ,this tie deepened with the years in which he was known to them1 and in time a great honor came to him4 ,he was adopted into the tribe1 and with a picturesque ceremony he was received into their circle and given a new name1 ,amahk-,us-,ki-,tsi-,pahk-,pa1 which means 8,great ,heart0 or 8,big ,heart40 ,there was a tribute in the meaning of those queer syllables which any man might be proud to winespecially from people of a different race4 ,at the same time he received a gift of a new and beautiful tribal costume from them4 ,it is ,brother ,van's custom to visit the ,blackfeet every year on the ,fourth of ,july when he wears his ,indian costume and celebrates the nation's birthday with his ,indian brothers4 ,illustration3 ,board of ,home ,missions and ,church ,extension ,methodist ,episcopal ,church4 ,,the ,,picturesque ,,ceremony ,,of ,,adoption ,,into ,,the ,,blackfeet ,,tribe ,with the progress of his work on the agency1 ,brother ,van's indignation was aroused by the injustice and oppression dealt to the red man4 ,as he witnessed the system of trading1 he came to see with ever increasing clearness1 that the ,indians would never have the necessary opportunities for progress and development unless the white man1 and the white man's government1 could be brought to deal fairly and justly with these original inhabitants of the plains4 ,the very future of the ,indian race he saw to be at stake4 8,what is the use10 he asked himself1 8of teaching and training these people when diseases caused by contact with the white man's civilization are threatening their existence1 and when their living is being taken from them by the settlement of their lands80 ,the problem which confronted the missionary has been put briefly in a more recent time by ,commissioner of ,indian ,affairs1 the ,hon4 ,cato ,sells1 who says1 8,before you educate the ,indian you must save his life40 ,as ,brother ,van faced the misery1 the disease1 and the ignorance among them1 he decided that even to save the ,indians' lives1 to say nothing of winning them to ,christ1 it would be necessary to lead the white people to change their ways4 ,how could he continue to try to convert and educate the ,indians1 when the ,indians could see very plainly that the white preacher's brothers were very much in need of the same kind of teaching8 ,gradually ,brother ,van's resolution was formedhe must give his first attention to establishing churches in the new towns that the white settlers were building4 ,it meant giving up the life among the people he had come to serve1 and who already had shown many encouraging signs of response to his preaching4 ,his decision led him away from his new friends and back among his own race1 but he continued to come into contact with the ,indians from time to time4 ,his sympathy with them and his understanding of their habits helped him to teach them successfully4 ,through the years he proved himself to be 8,great ,heart10 a brother to the ,blackfoot4 ,,chapter ,,vii ,,the ,,gospel ,,team ,,the unfriendly conditions which ,brother ,van found growing between the ,indians and the whites led later to the ,custer ,massacre4 ,while in the missionary's mind there was no expectation of such a serious climax1 yet he saw that the idea of a real brotherhood of man must be given as quickly as possible to the traders1 miners1 ranchmen1 and settlers4 ,through their better understanding of ,christ's religion the ,indian through example would be led to know the white man's ,god4 ,it was a fresh quest that made ,brother ,van set out for ,helena1 which was then a comparatively large settlement4 ,the town was in the proximity of the gold mine called ,last ,chance ,gulch4 ,this mine has an interesting history4 ,prospectors had been for long1 weary months at ,silver ,creek1 which was twelve or thirteen miles from where ,helena now stands4 ,luck had been against them1 and they packed their horses and came down the trail disheartened and 8broke40 ,they resolved to give up the search and go home4 ,coming into ,helena in the evening1 they made camp close to the tiny town1 intending to leave early on the following day4 ,on the next morning the horses were loaded1 and everything was in readiness for the start1 when the unquenchable faith of the prospector moved ,john ,cowan to take up a pick and to make one more attempt to find ore4 8,well1 boys1 here's our last chance10 he said1 carelessly1 as he drove his pick into the ground4 ,he struck gold4 ,from that mine fifty to eighty million dollars' worth of gold was taken4 ,the words of the lucky prospector always stuck to the section1 and it was called ,last ,chance ,gulch4 ,the mine was five miles long and the vein two hundred feet wide4 ,one nugget was free from quartz1 and was worth two thousand and seventy-three dollars4 ,last ,chance ,gulch has a thrilling record4 ,scenes of adventure and death took place there4 ,men made vast fortunes4 ,other men lost all that they had and went away broken in spirit4 ,gamblers won and lost2 prospectors failed2 but always ,last ,chance paid in gold4 ,entering ,helena to-day1 you will find a thriving1 bustling city1 proud of one of the finest hotels in the ,northwest4 ,the hotel stands on the spot where the miner stuck in his pick4 ,enough gold was found in the soil to pay for the excavation1 and this was taken from the 8tailings10 or discarded earth handled by the early miners4 ,but ,helena was a typical mining town when the ,eastern tenderfoot came4 ,he was at the mercy of the hard element4 ,only the rare good judgment and a sense of the fitness of things saved the preacher and made his ministrations possible4 ,brother ,van made a short stay there1 and then1 as a missionary to 8everywhere10 he pressed on to ,bozeman4 ,there he found the only ,methodist ,church building in ,montana ,territory4 ,it was a brick church and it had been built through the enterprise of the ,rev4 ,thomas ,c4 ,iliff4 ,this missionary was a great force in the new ,west4 ,he brought a dainty1 cultured1 ,eastern bride to the unsettled territory4 ,through the inspiration of her companionship and tactful assistance1 together with his own natural courage and ability1 he became a notable power for good in the development of the ,west4 ,dr4 ,iliff had come to ,helena in ,eastern finery1 and appeared on the streets adorned with an immaculate linen frock coat1 fancy vest1 striped trousers1 and silk hat4 ,as he came along the streets1 cries of 8,fresh fish6 ,fresh fish60 greeted him4 ,the silk hat seemed particularly to annoy the deriding miners who closed in around the preacher4 ,his fighting blood was up1 and the new preacher continued his way1 apparently undaunted by the jeers of the crowd4 ,but early next morning he stole forth to a hatter's and purchased a wide-brimmed hat1 which style of hat1 by the way1 he wore to the day of his death4 ,with the aid of the obliging haberdasher1 the silk hat was wrapped to resemble a joint of stove-pipe and it afterward became a relic of by-gone splendor4 ,brother ,van and the hero of the tall hat story became fast friends1 and had many an adventure together in the years of roughing it that followed4 ,a pony had been given to ,brother ,van during his visit at ,helena4 ,he was now in reality a circuit-rider1 and as he became familiar on the plains1 he and his steed began to be known everywhere as the 8,gospel ,team40 ,they traveled through a large section of the state and when the anniversary of ,brother ,van's arrival in ,montana came1 it was an experienced preacher who celebrated it4 ,such a wonderful year it had been6 ,hardships were forgotten in the triumphs1 for many 8first services0 had been conducted1 and scores of 8first members0 had been received4 ,the year had brought friends1 and his faithful pony seemed to be a real partner in service4 ,into the preacher's pocketbook had gone exactly seventy-five dollars as the year's salary1 but there was no thought of quitting because of the lack of stipend4 ,the ,west had called him and had claimed him4 ,on the day that marked the end of his first year in ,montana1 ,brother ,van received from the ,conference an appointment as ,junior ,preacher to the ,rev4 ,f4 ,a4 ,riggin4 ,the appointment read3 8,to ,beaver ,head and ,jefferson ,district40 ,virginia ,city in the southwest corner of the state was the center of this circuit4 ,beaver ,head1 ,madison ,river1 and ,salmon ,city1 one hundred and fifty miles away1 were its three points4 ,montana had been set off from ,idaho and erected into a separate territory in ,may1 #ahfd4 ,brother ,van's circuit1 therefore1 extended across the ,rocky ,mountains into ,idaho as far as ,salmon ,city4 ,the region provided variety in its characteristics4 ,there were lonely trails to travel over for the pony and ,brother ,van1 and for his co-worker1 ,mr4 ,riggin4 ,there were only eighteen members of the church in all that large region4 ,the junior and senior preachers so arranged their work that one man took care of the regular appointments while the other did the evangelistic work4 ,by this plan a continuous series of evangelistic meetings was held for seven months4 ,at the end of their first year in the district1 seven new societies had been organized1 and one hundred and fifty new members received into the church4 ,among the long rides which the ,gospel ,team took was one to the town of ,butte4 ,in describing the occasion ,brother ,van remarked dryly3 8,we had all but ten of the whole town in our congregation on that first night40 ,this would be a remarkable statement if it were made to-day2 but at that time the population of ,butte was exactly fifty people4 ,the city is now the most important railway center in the state4 ,it has been called the 8greatest mining camp in the world40 ,brother ,van's visit was at the very beginning of the history of what is now a city of great interest to ,america4 ,when the snow cleared away the ,gospel ,team penetrated to the ,national ,park1 and one day on coming into the ,upper ,yellowstone ,valley1 ,brother ,van found a large congregation waiting4 ,one man said3 8,if a herd of wild buffalo had run through the streets of ,st4 ,louis it could not have caused more comment than that a preacher had come to the ,yellowstone40 ,the ,national ,park was then but a year old1 and the grandeur of the 8,wonderland of ,america0 was beginning to be appreciated4 ,it was in the famous place of geysers1 deep canyons1 and waterfalls1 where nature had combined many influences to produce the beauty of the surrounding scene1 that ,brother ,van conducted the first ,protestant religious service held in the new park4 ,the missionary continued to go about steadily from section to section and at the close of his five years of work in ,montana as missionary to everywhere1 he received the appointment of local deacon4 ,it was just about the date of this recognition1 that the trouble brewing between the ,indians and the white men developed into the ,indian wars4 ,the settlers lived in small isolated communities4 ,some of the pioneers had seized the opportunity to return east to visit their old homes while the ,centennial ,exhibition was in progress in ,philadelphia in the year #ahgf4 ,in the spring of that year gold had been discovered in the ,black ,hills of ,dakota1 an almost unknown region girt around by what is known as ,bad ,lands1 or 8,medicine ,country10 as the ,indians called it4 ,at once there was a rush of miners out of ,montana to the new fields4 ,this move helped to reduce the white population4 ,a spirit of rebellion had been steadily rising in the minds of the red men until it reached the open hostility soon to give to ,american history the fearful story of the ,custer ,massacre4 ,illustration3 ,copyright1 ,w4 ,t4 ,ridgely ,calendar ,co4 ,painting by ,charles ,m4 ,russell4 ,,indians ,,were ,,everywhere ,,stealing ,,horses ,,and ,,terrifying ,,settlers ,the ,indians objected so strongly to the intrusion of prospectors and others into their territory1 that they sent ,red ,cloud and ,spotted ,tail to ,washington to protest1 because the coming of the white men into that region was a clear violation of existing treaties4 ,the government promised to keep prospectors out1 but failed to do so4 ,the ,indians then demanded payment for their lands4 ,the government sent a commission which reported that force would be the only way to settle the dispute4 ,the ,indians also decided that this was their only method of protest4 ,it had been seen that the first meetings worked no advantage to either side1 but served only to anger both ,indians and whites4 ,a message was sent by the ,united ,states government to ,sitting ,bull1 who had gathered all the warriors around him in the ,big ,horn country4 ,he was ordered to return to the ,reservation1 or the ,united ,states would make war on his people4 ,he sent this reply3 8,when you come for me you need bring no guides4 ,you will easily find me4 ,i shall be right here4 ,i shall not run away40 ,he kept his promise4 ,the ,indians took their allowance from the ,united ,states government and bought bullets and guns4 ,they gathered along the ,rosebud and ,little ,big ,horn rivers and among the hills and valleys between4 ,they were led by ,rain-in-the-,face while their real leader1 ,sitting ,bull1 was absent making medicine4 ,the ,united ,states troops in the western ,states had concentrated in their efforts to check the rebellion4 ,general ,custer was in command of the cavalry under ,general ,terry4 ,scouts brought word that a band of ,indians were riding rapidly to join the main body4 ,they were supposed to be ,pawnees1 and numbering not more than twelve hundred4 ,general ,custer was sent to surround the camp4 ,he divided his men into three companies as he prepared a well-planned attack4 ,major ,reno was to ride directly across1 but was to wait one hour to allow ,major ,benteen's detachment to go up the river1 cross it1 and so be above the camp4 ,the tactics did not allow for the hard traveling which ,major ,benteen found1 nor for the great force of hostile ,indians4 ,at the end of the hour of waiting1 ,major ,reno attacked and was so completely overcome and dismayed at the strength of the ,indians1 that he fled to the bluffs4 ,major ,benteen arrived at last1 but saw that he could do nothing1 so he joined the retreat4 ,this left ,general ,custer at the place which he had selected with two hundred men to face an infuriated band of ,indians numbering five thousand4 ,when ,custer saw the size of the ,indian army1 he sent a scout to the retreating men in the hills1 saying1 8,come on1 big village1 be quick1 bring packs40 ,he meant by packs the extra powder and bullets4 ,with their horrible war-cry the ,indians bore down on the little handful of men1 who soon saw that there was nothing to do but to fight and die4 ,general ,custer saw every one of his men mutilated and scalped1 and he stood at last alone4 ,he received seven wounds before he fell4 ,the onrushing ,indians were abashed and astonished at such bravery2 not a rough hand was laid on ,custer's body1 and no tomahawk tore into the hero's scalp4 ,on the next day ,major ,reno and ,major ,benteen were followed by the ,indians and attacked as they prepared to make their last stand4 ,but these enemies saw the rest of the white men approaching under ,generals ,terry and ,gibbon and quickly fled4 ,on the twenty-seventh day of ,june1 the bodies of ,general ,custer and his brave men were buried4 ,a monument marks the spot where they fell1 and all ,america honors the courage that the handful of men displayed on that summer day4 ,another people honor those dead4 ,the ,sioux ,indians look upon ,general ,custer as a god because of his bravery4 ,his memory is honored and loved among them1 and they call him the 8,evening ,star40 ,in ,lives of ,famous ,indian ,chiefs1 ,n4 ,b4 ,wood says that there were two survivors of ,custer's last stand1 ,curley1 the ,crow scout1 who put on a ,sioux blanket and escaped1 and the horse ,comanche1 the famous war horse of ,captain ,keogh4 ,he was found bleeding from seven wounds1 and was carried back by soldiers on a litter of blankets and poles4 ,comanche recovered and lived to the age of forty-five1 while few horses reach the age of thirty-five4 ,his skin was stuffed and is now in the museum of the ,kansas ,state ,university4 ,this massacre at ,little ,big ,horn1 now so memorable a part of ,american history1 threw a gloom over the whole nation4 ,the ,new ,york ,tribune on ,july #c1 #ahgf1 said3 8,it is the eve of ,independence ,day1 the ,centennial ,fourth4 ,all the land is ablaze with enthusiasm4 ,alas6 if the tidings of ,general ,custer's terrible disaster could be borne on the wings of the four winds1 dirges1 not anthems would be heard in the streets of ,philadelphia1 ,new ,york1 and ,san ,francisco4 8,a great shadow has fallen on the valley of the ,big ,horn4 ,the youngest of our guard1 the beau sabreur of the ,army of the ,potomac1 the golden-haired chief whom the ,sioux had learned to love1 has fought his last fight4 ,surrounded by over two hundred and fifty brothers in arms1 ,custer lies buried in the field where he fought1 and fought until he could fight no longer40 ,but this serious situation of the ,indian uprisings did not end with this calamity which is referred to commonly as the ,custer ,massacre1 and ,brother ,van had a full share of the dangers4 ,later the wars came into his territory4 ,,chapter ,,viii ,,scouting ,,for ,,uncle ,,sam ,,great excitement prevailed throughout the ,west over the rebellion of the ,indians4 ,the effect of the disturbances was felt increasingly severely in the district between ,bannack and ,sheridan4 ,the ,nez ,percs ,indians had long dwelt in the beautiful and fertile ,wallowa ,valley in ,oregon4 ,they resented the new treaty and fled into ,montana from the soldiers sent to force them into the reservations4 ,they were accustomed to the trails through ,idaho and over the mountains as they had often come to ,montana to camp and to hunt buffalo4 ,this tribe had become known as the ,nez ,percs 7nose pinched7 ,indians because they wore rings in their noses when ,lewis and ,clark found them during their western explorations4 ,it is claimed by some members of the tribe that this was a mistake and that wearing nose rings had never been a custom of theirs4 ,the ,nez ,percs were a peaceful people and it was this tribe that had sent the delegation to find the 8,white ,man's ,book of ,heaven40 ,they had remembered the white man's religion during the twenty-five years after the visit of those early explorers and the time of the pilgrimage of their leaders to ,st4 ,louis4 ,they were eager to know the true religion and had often disputed about it among themselves4 ,some members of the tribe held that the white man worshiped the sun1 as he had pointed to the sky when he spoke to them of ,god4 ,they knew that the book would tell them the truth4 ,one of the religious ceremonies of the ,nez ,percs was the sun-dance4 ,a pole was set up in the center and the people circled about it4 ,the priest stood in the center of the circle and held up a fish1 berries1 or some other food and said1 8,oh6 ,father bless the fish4 ,oh6 ,father bless us40 ,the phrase varied1 of course1 with the food thus held to the sun4 ,every one would chant the words after him with their heads bowed to the ground4 ,the resentment of these peaceful and worshipful1 but now rebellious ,indians showed itself in their acts of defiance4 ,the settlements were greatly disturbed4 ,stories of wanton raids on the settlers were borne back and forth as the swift riders galloped over the prairies4 ,stockades were made for the protection of the women and children4 ,miners1 ranchmen1 and settlers were all engrossed in the one big object of protecting the lives of the scattered whites1 and of saving the property so dearly bought by their daring and toil4 ,thus ,brother ,van found a new job4 ,he gave his services to his country1 and1 still preaching1 singing1 and cheering sad hearts1 he became war scout for ,general ,o4 ,o4 ,howard1 who had been put in command of the troops sent to quell the ,indian uprising4 ,only indecisive battles were fought4 ,the ,indians were not quieted1 but were fired to further violence4 ,still resenting the presence of the whites on the plains1 and still failing to appreciate the protection of the ,great ,white ,father at ,washington1 they were moved to many acts of violence under such indomitable leaders as ,chief ,joseph1 ,looking ,glass1 and ,white ,bird to command their movements4 ,the town of ,bannack was built on ,grasshopper ,creek where gold was discovered in #ahfb4 ,it was the first capital after the region became a territory and it was there in ,december1 #ahfd1 that the first legislature met and divided the new territory into counties4 ,fear of the ,indians was so intense in ,bannack that the town was picketed1 and volunteers were on the lookout at night4 ,brother ,van was preaching to a large congregation in the courthouse and guards watched the building in which he spoke4 8,he that dwelleth in the secret place of the ,most ,high shall abide under the shadow of the ,almighty4 8,i will say of the ,lord1 ,he is my refuge and my fortress3 my ,god2 in him will ,i trust4 8,surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler1 and from the noisome pestilence40 ,these were the words with which the preacher sought to quiet the alarm in the hearts of the waiting people4 ,at daybreak a swift rider came into town and one arm dangled as he rode4 ,then came another rider who brought the message1 8,indians are devastating and killing as they come and many of the settlers are being killed40 ,a quick consultation followed in the grey dawn4 ,fifteen men volunteered and the missionary scout was among them4 ,melvin ,trask was elected captain of the volunteer band4 ,when all were ready a woman came and asked to be allowed to accompany them1 for her husband1 ,mr4 ,winter1 was on the plains at the mercy of the invaders4 ,the company absolutely refused to allow her to go1 and she was put under the guard of some neighbors that she might be protected4 ,the party set forth with grim1 set faces and had proceeded about twelve miles when they heard a rider approaching from the rear4 ,on guard and alert against possible surprise1 they were astonished on looking back to see ,mrs4 ,winter1 who soon rode into their circle4 ,declaring that no power on earth could keep her from her husband1 she had mounted the splendid horse which was her own particular property1 and now joined the party of volunteers4 ,they rode until they reached her home4 ,at the front door lay the body of a man with four bullet wounds in his head1 and on opening the door1 ,mrs4 ,winter found the body of her husband's partner1 ,mr4 ,montague4 ,mr4 ,winter could not be found in the house1 so the party started to search the grounds4 ,by the side of the house they found the body of a ,mr4 ,smith1 and further on discovered a ranchman named ,farnsworth and to him were able to give comfort in his dying moments4 ,two scouts now set out to find ,mr4 ,winter4 ,as they departed1 the ,nez ,percs warriors returned to the scene of devastation1 and the little band of volunteers was forced to ride rapidly toward ,bannack1 firing as they went4 ,this left the scouts alone at the mercy of the ,indians4 ,crawling when they must1 running when they could1 they evaded the ,indians and came at last to a protected section1 where they were able to make real progress4 ,here they met the retreating party and the glad meeting was just over1 when to their wondering eyes appeared a blood-stained1 disheveled1 white man4 ,mrs4 ,winter recognized her husband1 and their joyous reunion took place on the sheltered road4 ,cautiously the anxious riders turned back to the ,winter ranch4 ,the ,indians had again departed4 ,a wagon was found that could be used1 though the devastating hands of the ,indians had touched1 not only the house1 but all the property of the ranchman4 ,the four bodies were tenderly lifted and taken to ,bannack for ,christian burial4 ,that funeral is a sacred hour in ,montana history4 ,general ,howard's scout1 ,brother ,van1 was the preacher4 ,the terrified people gathered in a great sobbing congregation4 ,the isolation of the settlers gave them a feeling of desolation that was disheartening4 ,these four bodies were evidences of the murderous intent of the red men2 surely a large task was set for ,brother ,van in helping the terror-stricken on that day4 ,the services began and the preacher in his own quieting way talked to the living1 for hope was his vital breath4 ,comfort began to steal over the waiting throng1 when lo1 a messenger appeared at the church door4 ,he said1 8,the ,indians are again approaching ,bannack40 ,the service came to an abrupt close1 for those in attendance hastened home to protect children and property4 ,all was in confusion4 ,the men gathered in consultation4 ,they decided that word of the new attack must be taken to ,general ,howard1 who was coming toward the scene and was even then but twelve miles away4 ,again volunteers were called for4 ,once more ,brother ,van offered his services and with ,john ,poindexter set out for help4 ,they rode through ,indian country1 and evading every danger1 came at last to the detachment of the regular army4 ,they found the soldiers in sore straits1 for the long march through ,idaho had been most disheartening4 ,communications with the ,east were cut1 and they were compelled to live on such scant forage as the country provided4 ,the infantry was without shoes and the cavalry was tired out with long marches in a mountainous country4 ,on hearing of the danger that threatened ,bannack1 ,general ,howard dispatched a company of cavalry for the town's protection4 ,he then spoke to the two hardy1 seasoned scouts who had come to him for help1 and asked of them a great service4 ,he told them of the scantiness of his supplies4 ,he explained the importance of sending information to ,washington concerning the serious situation1 and asked them if they would be his messengers to the nearest point of communication with the government4 8,we are at our country's service10 was their instant reply4 ,so1 in the lonely watches of the night1 ,john ,poindexter and ,brother ,van started on another errand of mercy4 ,as they left the camp they could hear the hoot of the owl and the yelp of the coyotesounds that were plaintive and saddening at any time1 but to these two scouts they were now full of deadly meaning4 ,they knew that the hoot and the yelp were signals given by watching ,indians4 ,as silently as possible they moved1 going directly to the south1 and as they journeyed the calls grew indistinct1 and at last were heard no more4 ,the scouts relaxed slightly1 for their confidence was somewhat regained4 ,suddenly in the dim dawn twelve warriors loomed up before them4 ,no shots could be fired4 ,the party was small and a shot would but call other waiting ,indians to their assistance4 ,general ,howard must not be drawn into needless battle1 for his men and horses were suffering for lack of rest4 ,the horses which the scouts were riding were fresh and spirited2 so1 giving spur and riding in furious haste1 the two messengers outdistanced the ,indians1 leaving them and the immediate danger far behind4 ,at last the scouts reached the stage road1 and rode without interruption to a station4 ,here the precious message to ,washington was put in the hands of ,uncle ,sam's postmen1 who drove the stage-coaches amid such peril and hardship1 carrying passengers and letters across the 8,great ,american ,desert40 ,their duty accomplished1 ,brother ,van and his companion returned to the seat of war4 ,they found ,bannack ready for a siege4 ,captain ,bell was in charge of the company of regulars1 and there were also two companies of ,montana ,volunteers from ,butte under the command of ,major ,w4 ,a4 ,clark4 ,when the excitement over their safe return had subsided1 ,brother ,van again turned his attention toward the church4 ,the town was full of people and their need of solace was great4 ,a church building had been started but the ,indian wars had halted the work4 ,the missionary scout determined to finish the church and he found that everybody wanted to help2 soldiers1 settlers1 and cowboys went at the building with hearty good will4 ,the little church was thus very speedily completed1 and on a beautiful ,sabbath ,day another of ,brother ,van's first enterprises was dedicated to the ,lord4 ,illustration3 ,,brother ,,van',s ,,dispatch ,,to ,,the ,,helena ,,herald1 ,,august #ac1 #ahgg1 ,,describes ,,conditions ,,at ,,bannack ,what the helpful presence of the preacher-scout meant to the distressed townspeople in those trying days is shown by a dispatch sent from ,bannack to the ,helena ,herald1 ,august1 #ahgg4 ,the correspondent reported3 8,word also has just arrived that there is a load of guns and ammunition within fifteen miles of us2 an escort has just gone out to meet it4 ,news also comes that ,joe ,metlin is on his way from ,glendale with a company of volunteers for our protection1 and that he will arrive in a few hours4 ,it is now midnight1 and every now and then some one keeps coming in1 so that if we get the guns here by morning we will be in better shape4 ,the ,rev4 ,van ,orsdel is here doing duty as a volunteer4 ,he is a whole man4 ,god bless all good men of whatever creed40 ,a successful work in this community seemed ahead of the scout-missionary4 ,a common fear had drawn the people closely together and nearer to their knowledge of a protecting ,god4 ,but another work was given to ,brother ,van and fresh adventures shortly presented themselves4 ,,chapter ,,ix ,,new ,,trails ,,while danger of the ,indian attacks was still hanging over ,bannack and the other settlements1 new orders came to ,william ,van ,orsdel4 ,a ,conference in session at ,st4 ,louis had heard an account of the young missionary's work2 and these wise men seeing how rapidly ,montana was developing made plans for the extension of the work of the church in new fields4 ,their maps showed them a great unsettled section beyond the mountains known as the ,bitter ,root ,valley4 ,it would be a hard piece of work and no tenderfoot could be sent to open up that section4 ,there was but one man for the new frontier1 and obediently1 ,brother ,van took a last look at the tiny church just dedicated and bade farewell to the people of ,bannack4 ,the ride before the missionary covered a distance of about one hundred and fifty miles through the country where the ,indians were carrying on their warfare with the soldiers4 ,the trail which he followed was the very one taken by ,lewis and ,clark in ,september1 #ahje1 on their way to the ,pacific ,coast4 ,the explorers had been most hospitably received by the ,indians1 whom they found encamped at ,ross ,hole4 ,they greeted the 8white gods0 with all the awe of their simple natures and a feast and formal council was held in their honor4 ,they called the newcomers 8,so-,yap-,po10 meaning 8the crowned ones10 because they wore round hats or caps4 ,as ,brother ,van and his pony traveled through the historic country1 sometimes the long grass would reach to the horse's head on each side of the trail2 then stretches of barren and rocky ground with patches of sage brush would be reached1 and again they would come suddenly to steep-banked creeks hidden in the tall grass4 ,the road led up through the pass1 now called ,gibbon ,pass1 but the tragic encounter which gave it that name had but recently taken place4 ,when ,chief ,joseph1 the leader of the ,nez ,percs ,indians1 fully realized that the ,united ,states troops had been sent to drive him and his band from their valley1 he determined to migrate to ,canada4 ,the troops were in hot pursuit1 and finding all direct routes cut off1 the ,indians came east through ,lo ,lo ,pass into ,montana4 ,at ,stevensville they paid for all supplies purchased and gave notice that all that they wanted was to go on their journey unmolested4 ,when the soldiers in search of assembled ,indians heard at ,stevensville about ,chief ,joseph's party1 they gave chase and a number of residents of the place joined them4 ,the ,indians camped at ,big ,hole and the soldiers1 under command of ,general ,gibbon1 suddenly found themselves close to the camp one night4 ,they could hear the sound of ,indian voices2 so one of the soldiers climbed a tree and was horrified to see a great many camp-fires burning4 ,precautions were taken at once and no camp-fires were kindled by the white troops4 ,hard bread had to be their only fare1 a not very substantial food for their need in the fighting on the following eventful day1 ,august #i1 #ahgg4 ,when dawn was beginning to push back the shadows of the night1 an ,indian herder came out to look after the ponies2 he stumbled over the waiting soldiers4 ,the alarm was given immediately and the herder was shot and killed4 ,instantly all was in confusion4 ,braves forgot their guns and fled2 ponies broke bounds and ran wild2 dogs barked2 but the ,indians reformed rapidly and the battle was on4 ,it lasted all day and the ,indians fought like demons4 ,they captured the only cannon and two thousand rounds of ammunition4 ,they set fire to the grass in which the troops had hid so that the soldiers were nearly suffocated at first1 but the wind changed and the smoke blew in the red men's faces4 ,the troops were cheered by this turn in their favor1 and fought bravely and desperately1 although they had been so long without proper food or sleep4 ,suddenly the firing ceased4 ,a captured man had told the ,indians that more 8walking soldiers0 were coming4 ,fearing to be utterly destroyed the ,indians fled1 leaving eighty-nine dead men on the battle-field4 ,chief ,joseph was compelled to surrender when only eighty miles from the ,dominion line where strategic measures were used4 ,in his desperate attempt for freedom1 and by the record of his later life1 he gained the high esteem of the ,united ,states government for his lofty character4 ,his people had honorable intentions but they found it hard to submit to the conquering white man4 ,illustration3 ,courtesy of the ,american ,bureau of ,ethnology4 ,,chief ,,joseph1 ,,leader ,,of ,,the ,,nez ,,perc,s ,,at ,,the ,,battle ,,of ,,big ,,hole ,as ,brother ,van reached ,big ,hole on his way to ,missoula a scene of horror greeted his eyes4 ,the bodies of the lately fallen heroes had been hurriedly buried1 for another ,indian attack was impending4 ,a storm had followed which made the earth so soft that the prowling wild beasts of the plains had exhumed the bodies of the brave men and were devouring them4 ,the missionary halted in his journey and sent a messenger to ,fort ,missoula1 which was then in course of erection4 ,from there a company of men was sent immediately to care for the bodies1 which were taken back to the church for a public funeral4 ,so ,brother ,van came for his first service in the new district into a scene of sorrow and distress4 ,hearts were tender over the loss of these men and to the waiting people he spoke words of comfort as he committed the bodies to the earth4 ,after scenes of terror and bereavement it is not surprising that a great revival followed1 and the new preacher was again able to find 8first members0 for 8first churches0 in that great section where the dread of the ,indians' fury was always present4 ,missoula was the center chosen for the frontier district where ,brother ,van was to preach and teach the people4 ,its name in the ,indian language means 8a place of fear0 or 8at the stream of surprise or ambush40 ,the town1 which is near the mouth of ,hell ,gate ,canyon1 is now a great distributing point for a farming region and is the site of the ,state university4 ,the little church in the settlement of ,missoula had been built by ,brother ,van's friend1 ,dr4 ,iliff1 who had been stationed there previously for a short period4 ,through the busy years spent at ,virginia ,city and ,bannack1 these two friends had met and labored frequently together4 ,the experiences of one holiday journey which they took make a story well worth repeating4 ,dr4 ,iliff1 his young bride1 and ,brother ,van drove to ,salt ,lake ,city1 where the ,rocky ,mountain ,conference was held in #ahge4 ,although attendance at the ,conference was necessary1 their journey was an outing for them and gave them an opportunity to see civilization once more4 ,the ,presiding ,elder had a buggy1 and in this the three friends made the memorable trip4 ,they drove through the wide1 dusty prairie and over the mountains1 for they had to cross the main range of the ,rockies4 ,each night camp was made1 and the little wife officiated at the jolly supper which effaced all memory of the weary traveling4 ,the twilight hours were the moments when the ties of friendship were strengthened1 and the youthful spirits of the campers prompted many pranks and contests4 ,as they camped near ,idaho ,falls one evening the sport was to determine which could catch the largest trout4 ,this story will never have a satisfactory ending1 for1 being a fish story1 each caught the largest1 and1 of course1 no bride could decide against her husband4 ,the ,sabbath days of the outing were taken by the travelers as rest days for the horses1 and as refreshing times for their own souls4 ,they reached ,salt ,lake ,city in good season1 and found ,bishop ,haven presiding over the ,conference1 and ,brother ,van's old friend1 ,chaplain ,mc,cabe1 singing his way into the hearts of the people4 ,conference ,sunday came with a rousing sermon by the ,bishop4 ,the sermon over1 these two friends felt a longing to explore4 ,like culprits they stole away in the afternoon and sought the great ,mormon tabernacle4 ,they gazed in wonder at the huge building with its queer arched roof which gave the whole structure the appearance of an inverted soup tureen2 then they ventured farther to see how it looked on the inside4 ,as usual the ,mormons were gathering for their great ,sunday service1 and the two guests from ,montana sat down to listen to the famous ,mormon leader1 ,brigham ,young4 ,the building seats twelve thousand people and every seat was filled4 ,after hearing a sermon sharply in contrast with what they had heard from their own bishop1 the curiosity of these ,westerners was not satisfied1 so they tarried to examine the building and its surroundings4 ,when deepening twilight warned them that the time for departure was at hand1 they sought the entrance gate1 but lo1 the bars were down and no watchful attendant was there1 either to punish the intruders or to let them out4 ,brother ,van and ,dr4 ,iliff stood and looked at each other and then at the high iron fence4 ,had they come from scenes of ,indian troubles and the hardships of the wide plains to be daunted by such an obstacle as an iron gate8 ,off came preachers' coats4 ,hats were flung high over the fence and two agile pioneer ministers climbed over that formidable barrier and dropped down to earth4 ,then coats and hats were donned1 and again these inquisitive friends continued their investigating tour4 ,they found themselves walking along ,brigham ,street on which stood ,amelia ,palace1 the residence erected for ,young's favorite wife4 ,as they looked at the building interestedly1 they saw the ,mormon leader himself pacing the walk and followed by two wives4 ,again the spirit of adventure prompted them and they dared each other to cross the street1 speak to1 and shake hands with the august leader of ,mormonism4 ,no sooner said than done4 ,in a moment the two men were bowing and introducing themselves as ,methodist preachers from the ,west1 and proffering eager hands4 ,brigham ,young looked at them with an amused twinkle in his eyes1 and cordially shook hands1 saying1 8,i certainly am glad to shake hands with you4 ,i was a ,methodist once myself60 ,the friendship of these two young missionaries in the new ,west grew deeper and sweeter with the passing days in their work in ,montana4 ,at one time they held united revival services at ,virginia ,city4 ,they rode into the town unannounced and proceeded to seek a place where they might hold meetings4 ,the old opera house was secured and there they began their preaching and singing4 ,the people attended out of curiosity at first1 but a real earnestness came with the passing days1 and many were started on the way toward living a new1 clean life4 ,billy ,blay was one of the men who left off his evil habits4 ,the evangelists had heard of this notorious drunkard4 ,they went to his hut with its dirt roof and floor where the poor sot was huddled in his blankets4 ,they talked with him about other ways of living1 and prayed with him4 ,he promised to come to church1 and to the amazement of the townspeople1 ,billy ,blay not only kept his promise1 but he came sober4 ,during the services he was saved from his sins and took a fresh start in life4 ,after realizing that his sins would be forgiven1 he said1 8,give me pen and paper4 ,i want to write to my wife and children in ,wisconsin40 ,that ,billy ,blay could write was astonishing to the people of the town1 who knew him only as a notorious drunkard4 ,now he wrote like an educated man4 ,while he waited for an answer to the letter which broke a twelve years' silence1 he gave himself into the care of ,brother ,van and ,dr4 ,iliff4 ,he had great natural ability1 and he spoke to others about his new experience so effectively that he was at last given an exhorter's license and made a third member of the evangelistic group4 ,after a little time ,billy ,blay heard from his wife4 ,she was ill1 and had believed him to be dead4 ,money for his journey back home was raised in the two institutions of the town that knew him1 the church and the saloon1 and the family was reunited4 ,this new preacher gave his life to missionary work in a logging-camp in ,wisconsin1 making another link in the chain of missionary endeavor which will some day bind the world in a great ,christian fellowship4 ,this first evangelistic trip made by ,brother ,van and ,dr4 ,iliff meant much to the new territory of ,montana4 ,to-day in making a trip through the same section1 you would travel by rail or automobile1 but everywhere you would find living monuments of the wise pioneering of these comrade missionaries4 ,not only new churches1 new congregations1 and new members1 but in many cases new towns have sprung up where the partners held a first service4 ,the two men have always loved to recount the experiences of those days1 and especially to tell about their adventure in crossing ,madison ,river4 ,after the meetings at ,virginia ,city1 the two evangelists had an itinerary planned ahead4 ,one appointment was at ,madison ,river schoolhouse4 ,by the mail to ,virginia ,city had come a precious package from the ,east for ,dr4 ,iliff's wife4 ,this little woman had come to the ,west gladly with her earnest young husband1 but the people at home had distressing thoughts about the frontier hardships that she had to endure4 ,there were hardships certainly but of these she never complained4 ,now1 here was a package from home6 ,when the evangelists got into the buggy which was to carry them to the schoolhouse1 the precious bundle was carefully stowed away4 ,they traveled to ,madison ,river1 which they had to cross1 and found it in flood with the melted snow from the mountains4 ,the old bridge had been washed away4 ,so the two young men sat on the edge of the ruins and talked things over4 8,shall we give up the trip80 asked ,dr4 ,iliff4 8,no1 we can't do that4 ,the people are expecting us10 said ,brother ,van4 8,well1 let's try to cross10 replied his chum4 ,in they plunged1 driving the horses toward the nearest point on the opposite bank4 ,when they were about one third of the distance across the river the buggy began to float and the horses began to swim4 8,van1 can you swim80 8,not a lick60 8,well1 you get up on the seat1 take that package and keep it dry10 shouted ,dr4 ,iliff as he jumped out4 ,he unfastened the horses and they swam to an island in the stream4 ,then he began to guide the floating buggy toward the bank4 ,in the meantime ,brother ,van sat still1 holding the bundle aloft that it might not be soaked4 ,when they reached the edge of the flood in safety he deposited the bundle on the seat and climbed out into the water to help push the buggy up the steep bank4 ,valiantly they pushed4 ,the buggy went up slowly and then slid back4 ,again they boosted and again the slippery banks failed to hold the load4 8,van1 you aren't pushing60 8,yes1 ,i am60 8,well1 ,i'm all played out4 ,now let us try once more4 ,now all together60 ,they gave a mighty push and the buggy went over4 ,but1 alas6 the bundle had slipped out into the water1 and as they looked1 it was being rapidly carried down-stream4 ,iliff1 who was standing on the high bank1 called out1 8,van1 you'd better get that package4 ,it belongs to my wife40 ,in the dismay of the moment1 ,brother ,van forgot that he didn't know how to swim4 ,out he struck4 ,with mighty splashes and flounderings1 he overtook the package and brought it to shore4 ,then those two preachers stood and looked at each other1 wet to the skin1 hatless and disheveled1 hands torn and bleeding1 sermons no longer dry1 and the package seemingly ruined4 ,in a moment they burst into boyish laughter1 and all was well4 ,while they consulted as to the next move1 a ranchman came along and took them home with him4 ,from a promiscuous jumble of clothing the preachers were outfitted4 ,when they were dressed and came into the light of the room and beheld each other1 they laughed again like truant schoolboys4 ,they were comical figures enough in the makeshift garments of that frontier home4 ,they went to church in those clothes1 and began a revival which meant a great deal to the life of that community4 ,the bundle8 ,oh1 that was a fine black silk dress4 ,when the preachers returned to the ranchman's home1 they found their own clothes dry and in condition for wearing4 ,the beautiful1 lustrous silk found in the package was hung in rich folds about the room to dry4 ,the water in ,madison ,river was crystal clear and did not injure the silk1 which was of good grade4 ,an amazing thing about this evangelistic team was that though of the ,east eastern1 yet they won immediate favor with the people among whom they labored4 ,the shrewd ,westerners would have detected any insincerity in the missionaries1 and the cowboy's mission in life seemed to be to 8shoot up0 anything not genuine4 ,it is hard for us to-day to imagine the wild and lawless life on those lonely plains of the great ,west4 ,these two men1 and many other pioneers for the church1 carried on their ministry in the face of severe handicaps in a frontier region4 ,the principal difficulties grew out of the isolation of the settlements1 and the slow means of communication with the older parts of the country4 ,the ,missouri ,river provided the natural means of access to the ,northwest1 and as early as #ahea fire-boats began to reach ,fort ,benton4 ,for a long period only one boat a year made this hard passage2 then gold was discovered1 and there followed a rush of new settlers1 so that in #ahff1 forty steamers came into the old fur-trading post4 ,for a third of a century the stage-coach had no rival as the means of travel for passengers4 ,one of the most famous stage lines was over ,mullen's ,trail1 which ran west from ,fort ,benton for hundreds of miles4 ,this trail was opened through government land by ,captain ,mullen and his company of soldiers for the use of miners4 ,holliday's ,overland ,stage ,line played an important part in the development of the ,west4 ,it ran from ,atchison1 ,kansas1 to ,denver1 ,colorado1 and to ,salt ,lake ,city1 ,utah1 where other lines connected with it4 ,one of these lines extended to ,virginia ,city in what had been ,brother ,van's district1 and from there to ,helena1 a distance altogether of nineteen hundred miles1 usually covered in twenty-two days4 ,in order to secure rapid transportation for the mails1 the ,pony ,express was established in #ahfa and maintained for three years4 ,a band of swift riders1 eighty in number1 would cover the vast distances of the prairie in an incredibly short space of time4 ,one rider1 for instance1 would leave ,sacramento1 while another rider started from ,st4 ,joseph1 ,missouri1 at the eastern end of the route4 ,each would ride swiftly and as silently as possible1 guarding the precious mail at all hazards1 and would come1 after fifteen to twenty miles of riding1 to a station where a fresh horse1 saddled and bridled1 was held by a waiting agent4 ,the riders were allowed two minutes for the change of horses2 then on they went over the ever-widening prairie to the next station4 ,the fastest time in which a piece of mail was ever carried was seven days and seventeen minutes4 ,sometimes the station was found to be but a smoking pile of ruins1 and sometimes1 alas1 the station-keeper would be discovered scalped by wandering ,indians4 ,it is said that only one package was lost in the three years that the ,pony ,express was operated4 ,this happened when the rider was killed after being robbed4 ,another time1 the faithful pony came in along with the package bound safely to the saddle2 his rider had been killed as he rode4 ,omaha was the nearest railroad station1 and to reach this distant city meant a hard journey for the miner who had made his 8pile0 and wished to go back home4 ,gold dust was the only money and it was weighed and taken at its weight's value4 ,the traveler could go on horseback or wagon to ,fort ,benton and then take passage on a steamboat to ,sioux ,city1 ,iowa4 ,another method of travel was to follow the trail on horseback to ,salt ,lake ,city1 and take the train or the stage-coach from there4 ,the cost of the latter mode of travel can be estimated when it is known that the sending of a letter in that way cost two dollars and a half4 ,all travel was dangerous1 for with the finding of gold1 desperate men had come west1 who robbed and killed for the wealth so hazardously secured by the miners4 ,hold-ups were regular occurrences1 particularly between ,bannack and ,virginia ,city1 a distance of seventy miles4 ,miners who had spent months of hard labor in the accumulation of a few hundred dollars were never heard of again after starting from a mine to a distant home eastward4 ,men were robbed in camp1 daily and nightly4 ,gambling and all forms of evil abounded4 ,many of the men who disappeared were found to have been shot ruthlessly4 ,the nature of the country1 with its canyons1 gulches1 and mountain passes1 was especially adapted to this means of highway robbery4 ,the unpeopled distances between the mining camps also helped the lawless element to do their bloody work4 ,nowhere else on the face of the earth1 nor at any period since men became civilized1 have murder1 robbery1 and social vice presented such an organized front4 ,the young territory determined to stop this trade of stage-robbing and formed a protecting band called the 8,vigilantes40 ,the name is associated with some of the bloodiest episodes of frontier days4 ,in the absence of any other protection1 the ,vigilantes took law into their own hands1 and dealt sternly with the highway robber and murderer4 ,between ,december1 #ahfc1 and ,february1 #ahfd1 twenty-four 8road agents0 were hanged by the ,vigilantes for their crimes against the miners4 ,two years later1 one million and five hundred thousand dollars' worth of gold was taken from ,helena to ,fort ,benton unmolested4 ,the early ,vigilantes were the best and most intelligent men in the mining section4 ,they saw that in the absence of all law they must become a law unto themselves1 or submit to the bloody code of the desperadoes by whom they were surrounded4 ,they entered on their work without knowing how soon they might have to encounter a force greater than their own4 ,they did their work swiftly and efficiently as relentlessly they followed the offender4 ,little mercy was meted out to the guilty men1 and many a lonely tree on the plains held ghastly reminders of the swift vengeance which overtook the robbers4 ,the ,vigilantes hung many a hardened sinner1 giving him first an opportunity to make his peace with ,god4 ,little by little a change was being wrought in the territory1 and the missionaries were helping to bring about a condition of law and order4 ,in this period of transformation1 ,brother ,van was 8hail fellow well met0 with the people4 ,one gambler said1 8,i like that old scout1 he plays fair40 ,his singing helped him to win them1 for he would stand on the hillside and sing1 8,shall we ,gather at the ,river10 or 8,over and ,over10 and the miners1 gamblers1 and settlers would come to the service4 ,illustration3 ,,dr4 ,,thomas ,c4 ,,iliff ,,and ,,brother ,,van1 ,,who ,,had ,,many ,,adventures ,,together ,,in ,,the ,,opening ,,west ,arriving at a typical mining camp one day1 the scout-preacher took possession of a new building for a service4 ,it proved to be a saloon such as he had borrowed before4 ,it was an ordinary occurrence for lights to be snuffed out by bullets in a meeting that did not meet with approval from the men1 but they did not put out the lights when ,brother ,van spoke4 ,they liked his simple1 sweet message1 and1 above all1 they liked his singing4 ,the song 8,the ,gospel ,train is coming0 particularly pleased them1 for the railroad language held new and fascinating words in a community which was just growing accustomed to the railroad4 ,one of the men said to the preacher1 8,if you will sing that song to-morrow night1 ,i'll bring forty men to hear you40 8,all right1 that's a bargain10 said the singer4 ,this man was a leader of the gang4 ,he had a hurdy-gurdy which made his saloon especially attractive4 ,on the next night forty grizzled men marched in and took their seats4 ,no lights were put out4 ,no disturbance was made by the forty who had reserved seats1 but something did happen3 that 8hurdy-gurdy0 man got on board of the 8,gospel ,train0 and brought along a number of his comrades4 ,,chapter ,x ,,great ,,heart ,,with ,,the ,,indians ,,many acts of service rendered to his new brothers on his frequent visits to them had made the ,blackfeet ,indians know that ,brother ,van was truly their friend4 ,one incident in particular is now of interest to illustrate the character of the red men and the manner in which the missionary won their liking4 ,one day when ,white ,plume was chief of the ,blackfeet and ,piegan tribes1 camp was made and the evening meal was prepared4 ,into this busy and picturesque scene came the preacher1 and with the aid of an interpreter1 he started to speak the good tidings to these people of the plains4 ,the ,indians were interested and listened respectfully4 ,suddenly a runner came quietly but swiftly into the group and uttered an ,indian word4 ,instantly the audience dissolved4 ,they went so quickly that the astonished preacher inquired of the interpreter as to the reason of their going4 ,there was reason enough4 ,while these people were listening to ,brother ,van1 the ,crow ,indians1 a rival tribe1 had come and driven off the ponies which had been turned out to graze for the night4 ,when the preacher understood the plight of the ,blackfeet1 he offered his own fleet pony to them that they might overtake the raiders4 ,brother ,van always had a good horse4 ,the herd was easily overtaken and turned back to the camp4 ,then1 much to the surprise of ,brother ,van1 the ,indians returned to the place of meeting and indicated that they wished the service to proceed4 ,early on the following morning a messenger came to ,brother ,van telling him that the ,blackfeet were going on a buffalo hunt1 and a formal invitation was delivered requesting him to accompany them4 ,taking his sure-footed pony1 ,brother ,van joined the riders1 and soon the excitement of their hunt was on4 ,an ,indian honor was then conferred on this1 their well-loved guest4 ,after the herd of buffalo was sighted and had been started on the run1 the ,indians signified that the white man was to have the distinction of killing the magnificent specimen which was leading the herd4 ,riding toward the front of the stampeding beasts1 the unskilled marksman picked out the herd leader and shot him in the head4 ,it was a great shot4 ,an ,indian could have done no better4 ,the herd was a large one1 containing nearly one thousand of the great1 brown giants of the plains4 ,once more the preacher by his prowess had won the favor of the ,blackfeet4 ,with such experiences as the buffalo hunt1 an ,indian feast1 a hurried visit to the bed of the sick or dying1 and the preaching of the gospel1 the years passed4 ,after serving five years as a missionary at large without ordination1 ,brother ,van consented to become a ,conference ,member1 that is to say1 a regularly ordained traveling-preacher according to ,conference rules4 ,the first missionary appropriation ever made to ,montana ,conference was given to ,brother ,van when he became the first regular supply4 ,that allowance was three hundred and twenty-five dollars4 ,he was given the ,sun ,river and ,smith ,river charge as his first aggressive work in ,north ,montana4 ,so the ,methodist circuit-rider started out once more on his pony with his little all in his saddle-bags4 ,a journey was still one of many hazards1 for ,indians were everywhere and any sign of fear would have been fatal1 while any weakness would have met with scorn from the cowboys4 ,brother ,van visited ,sun ,river1 a settlement on the overland freight trail between ,helena and ,fort ,benton1 where he organized the first ,methodist church north of the mountains4 ,first1 ,brother ,van held a meeting in this settlement and then started a church building4 ,afterward1 he had to rescue the church from the sheriff's hammer1 but1 finally1 he completed the buildingassuming responsibility for the rest of the debt4 ,by and by there came a great day when he preached the dedication sermon of a church free from debt4 ,to this very settlement at ,sun ,river1 the tenderfoot ,easterner had come with the ,adjutant from ,fort ,shaw shortly after his arrival in ,montana several years before1 and had announced his desire to hold a service4 ,the service had been held in the cabin home of ,mr4 ,charles ,a4 ,bull4 ,now1 as an experienced plainsman and missionary1 ,brother ,van came again and built a church1 over which through the busy years since then1 he has kept loving watch4 ,in ,philbrook1 ,judith ,basin1 ,brother ,van found that ,indians were stealing horses and terrifying settlers4 ,prowling bands of raiders were scattered all through the region4 ,again the scout-preacher was frequently in danger as he went about his ministry4 ,riding one day along the bank of the ,cut ,bank ,river1 he saw a powerful ,indian in full war-regalia1 making rapidly toward the crossing to which he1 too1 was going4 ,believing that discretion was the better part of valor1 ,brother ,van turned his horse into a coulee1 and rode hastily into the deep shelter of the ravine4 ,from that vantage ground an approaching enemy was at the mercy of the watcher4 ,the ,indian pursued him to the entrance and then gave up the chase4 ,had he known that the white man was unarmed1 this history might never have been written1 for the ,indian was out to get revenge upon the whites1 and the story of his pursuit afterward created nation-wide interest4 ,it is a gruesome story1 but has much of value as it reveals some reasons for the ,indian traits which our government has not always understood in the past4 ,the first scene was enacted when a troop of ,united ,states soldiers under ,colonel ,baker who were quelling ,indian troubles1 came into an ,indian village while the braves were out raiding4 ,they laid waste the camp and killed some three hundred women and children4 ,when the ,indian men returned they found desolation1 and1 of course1 could not understand the reason4 ,all that they could think of doing was to set forth again on a raid of devastation4 ,one big brave1 ,spoo ,pee1 made a vow to kill the first white man he met1 for had not the white men taken the life of his aged mother8 ,the other scene was enacted when a ,canadian prospector having seen enough of western life came down from the ,north on his way to the nearest railway station that he might return to his home in the ,east4 ,he drove a fine team hitched to a good wagon4 ,as he journeyed he met two ,indians1 one a big brave1 the other a stripling of a boy4 ,the ,canadian asked his way4 ,the ,indian offered himself as a guide to the wealthy traveler and as such was accepted4 ,a friendship seemed to spring up between the white man and his red companions as they proceeded4 ,the first camp was made and on the next day they were setting forth again when the boy1 ,good ,rider1 spied some deer in the distance and asked the loan of a gun that he might bring fresh meat for their evening meal4 ,walmesley1 the ,canadian traveler1 promptly loaned him his gun and the boy went on his quest for meat4 ,spoo ,pee1 the ,indian brave1 now took his own gun and shot the white man4 ,he threw the body on the muddy bank of the ,cut ,bank ,river along which they had been riding4 ,with the fine horses in their possession1 the two ,indians came to ,fort ,shaw1 a ,piegan ,agency1 where ,major ,young was in charge4 ,they remained over night and then went on4 ,these visitors caused much comment at the agency4 ,curiosity was aroused because the horses which they were driving were much finer than red men usually had4 ,they were well kept and well fed4 ,the second cause for speculation was that the dog which had come with them stayed behind after the departure of the ,indians4 ,an ,indian's dog is most faithful4 ,he follows in spite of hunger1 distance1 or hardships1 but here was a dog which preferred the agency to the master4 ,one day a traveler appeared who reported finding the body of a white man on the bank of the ,cut ,bank ,river4 ,the ,major sent a party to investigate4 ,among them was the agency doctor4 ,as the body was examined1 the doctor noticed a peculiar scar on the heel of the victim1 and he exclaimed1 8,i went swimming with a man once who had a scar exactly like that one4 ,the man's name was ,walmesley40 ,detectives were put on the case2 ,spoo ,pee was overtaken1 and with the boy1 ,good ,rider1 was put into jail4 ,the agency doctor1 ,major ,young1 and his daughter became the chief witnesses4 ,miss ,young describes the journey to court in the thirty-below-zero weather4 ,as she was almost ready to start for ,helena1 an old1 dirty squaw came to see her1 and throwing her arms around ,miss ,young's neck1 implored her to save her boy4 ,this was ,good ,rider's mother4 ,the woman was unwashed and disheveled1 because it was the custom of the tribe that no ordinary practise of cleanliness should be observed when an individual was in trouble4 ,miss ,young brought ,good ,rider back to his mother but ,spoo ,pee was committed to prison4 ,from the day of his sentence to jail no word or sound passed ,spoo ,pee's lips for twenty years4 ,after a few years he was considered a harmless lunatic and moved1 first to ,michigan1 and then to an asylum in ,washington4 ,one day a party of western visitors came into the corridors of the asylum4 ,a woman of the party1 ,mrs4 ,ella ,clark1 observed the pathetic1 blank face of ,spoo ,pee1 and began to speak in an ,indian language4 ,the prisoner observed her with something akin to interest4 ,failing to secure a clearer response from him1 the woman began to croon an ,indian lullaby4 ,she sang as a mother to a child4 ,a look of dazed intelligence appeared on the face of the prisoner4 ,eagerly ,mrs4 ,clark ceased her singing and began to speak to him4 ,she told of tribal wars and conquests4 ,she repeated traditions held most sacred4 ,the attendants and keepers watched her efforts interestedly4 ,at last from ,spoo ,pee's long sealed lips there broke an ,indian word4 ,the kindly woman's victory was complete1 and with tears flowing unchecked1 ,mrs4 ,clark told the ,indian of his people4 ,she explained to the keeper the reason that the deed had been committed2 how ,spoo ,pee had returned to his village on that dreadful day and had found the women all slain4 ,the prisoner told of his strange vow and of the long silent years4 ,spoo ,pee was pardoned and he returned to his tribe but only sorrow was his lot4 ,new and strange customs had arisen since he had gone away4 ,his family had become scattered4 ,he could not learn the new ways1 and he pined for the friends who had gone4 ,in two years the broken spirit of the red man went to its long rest4 ,it was this revengeful warrior that ,brother ,van had met at the river crossing1 but danger held no terrors for him1 and that night in the coulee1 near the scene of the tragic murder of the ,canadian prospector1 he took the saddle from his pony1 pillowed his head on it1 and slept peacefully with the stars smiling down on him4 ,god's protection was with the man who had a vision of the life of peace and righteousness which could come to the ,west only through the gospel that it was his privilege to preach4 ,the ,epworth ,piegan ,mission is ministering to these ,indians to-day under the leadership of one of ,brother ,van's 8boys10 ,rev4 ,a4 ,w4 ,hammer1 who1 with his talented wife1 is continuing the service begun many years ago4 ,mr4 ,hammer is peculiarly fitted for this task because he knows the habits and language of the people4 ,he was but a youth when he went west to the plains of ,texas as a cowboy in #ahgg4 ,later he came to ,montana and worked on a ranch not far from ,chinook4 ,he craved the opportunity to enjoy the finer pleasures of life1 and when a literary society was started at ,chinook1 he rode in from the ranch to attend it4 ,one night the meeting place was deserted4 ,everybody was at the revival meeting4 ,taking his pal with him1 ,hammer went to have some fun4 ,they sat on the back seat and made flippant remarks about the meeting1 but confessed to each other that they liked the preacher's singing4 ,the next night found them on that same back seat4 ,a change came to young ,hammer in this meeting and he altered his manner of life4 ,he joined the church and took charge of the ,sunday-school4 ,he was later given a preacher's license4 ,then he began to want an education that he might work for his ,master more acceptably4 ,he attended school and college and went back to the range to ride and to serve as a shepherd of people1 instead of as a cowboy4 ,his life exemplifies the ideal missionary to the ,indians4 ,in ,brother ,van's new district were the famous great falls of the ,missouri1 which ,lewis and ,clarke had heard roaring in the distance as they pushed across the plains4 ,perplexed as to the cause of the strange sound that rolled to them over the lifeless prairies1 they traveled seven miles before they reached the spot where the great river takes its tremendous plunge4 ,the magnitude of the falls astonished them beyond measure4 ,the largest falls were given separate names later and became known as ,great ,falls1 ,rainbow ,falls1 and ,crooked ,falls4 ,it is claimed by local residents that the water in ,crooked ,falls runs in every direction1 even upstream4 ,great power-plants are built along the river at this point1 and they produce power second only to ,niagara4 ,when ,brother ,van reached the settlement of ,great ,falls on his first visit1 it was nothing but a great undeveloped possibility4 8,here we must have a church10 said this apostle of first things4 ,an ambitious1 far-seeing group of men constituting the ,townsite ,company was interviewed4 ,they gave several lots to the enthusiastic dreamer of a greater day for ,montana4 ,with the assured membership of two devoted souls and the gift of land1 a church was started4 ,is this record of 8first things0 beginning to make you dizzy8 ,does the recounting make you weary8 ,but suppose you were the missionary6 ,through heat and cold1 through drought and rain1 over green prairie and bleak desert1 you would have to travel4 ,you would have met plainsmen and ,indians1 friends and foes4 ,you would have endured hunger and thirst4 ,you would have rested under the stars on the open prairie and in the rude shelter afforded by the ranchmen's bunks4 ,you would have been obliged to be the leader in the building of first churches and first parsonages4 ,all this costs energy and vitality1 as ,brother ,van1 seemingly tireless though he was1 once discovered4 ,illustration3 ,,brother ,,van ,,was 8,,hail ,,fellow ,,well ,,met0 ,,with ,,the ,,people ,one day death seemed about to claim the scout-missionary4 ,he was very weary and very ill1 for mountain fever had him in its firm hold4 ,then how the little churches rallied to their friend6 ,after much praying and after careful nursing1 he was sent on a vacation that he might get well4 ,this was the only sick leave that he has ever had4 ,forty-five years ,brother ,van has spent with his 8shoulder against the horizon40 ,he has pushed the frontier back and back1 and in all those years he has never been ill but once2 then nature demanded a rest4 ,leaving his friends greatly concerned over his condition1 ,brother ,van went to ,seattle1 ,washington1 to recuperate4 ,that rest period turned out to be something of a joke4 ,in an old record of the ,battery ,street ,church in ,seattle1 there is an entry showing that certain meetings were held in the church at this time1 and noting that the evangelist was ,w4 ,w4 ,van ,orsdel4 ,he had gone away in ,october4 ,in ,december he was back in ,montana holding revival meetings from ,helena to ,glendive1 a distance of two hundred and forty miles4 ,,chapter ,,xi ,,brother ,,van ,,and ,,new ,,montana ,,the building of railroads through the state of ,montana brought a rapid development4 ,the section around ,great ,falls became a prosperous farming country4 ,the settlement1 therefore1 formed a new center for the church1 and ,brother ,van came to this district1 not as a missionary at large1 nor junior preacher1 nor circuit-rider this time1 he came now as a presiding elder1 or district superintendent for all of that part of ,montana east of the ,rocky ,mountains and north of the ,musselshell ,river4 ,it was known as the ,north ,montana ,mission and was about five twelfths of the total area of the state4 ,let us get some idea concerning this new work with which ,brother ,van was busy by making a comparison4 ,the whole of ,massachusetts1 ,new ,hampshire1 ,vermont1 ,rhode ,island1 ,connecticut1 ,new ,jersey1 ,delaware1 ,maryland1 and the ,district of ,columbia could be placed within the bounds of the district and still leave four thousand square miles of territory4 ,in all this area there were three hundred and fifty-five members of ,brother ,van's church and fifty-three probationers4 ,there were ten church buildings altogether4 ,this property was valued at twenty-five thousand dollars4 ,there were four parsonages valued at four thousand dollars4 ,the twenty ,sunday-schools had a membership of nine hundred and twenty-five4 ,the ten preachers received five thousand1 six hundred and fifty-one dollars a year1 or an average of five hundred and sixty dollars each4 ,the churches gave four hundred and seventy-six dollars to benevolences4 ,many of the people whom ,brother ,van now served came from ,eastern homes and were familiar with ideals of culture and refinement4 ,they had cut loose from the ,east with its old associations and conventionalities1 and had come to face a new life on the frontier so full of promise4 ,imagine a town of two thousand inhabitants composed of people from every state in the ,union1 and from every civilized country in the world1 of every color1 race1 and creed1 speaking fifteen or twenty languages1 and clinging to varying religious beliefs1 and you will then have an idea of a mining town such as ,brother ,van found as he traveled through his district4 ,the ,west was still1 however1 the easy prey for evil1 and at every crossroad and station could be seen the sign1 8,saloon and ,licensed ,gambling40 ,the gamblers and saloon men were leading citizens1 and they had to be reckoned with4 ,brother ,van had been a prohibitionist always4 ,he had seen the effect of alcohol in his boyhood days1 especially in the oil regions4 ,as he grew all too familiar with the dreadful fire-water which demoralized and beggared the ,indians whom he sought to emancipate1 a new hatred of the vile stuff took possession of him4 ,the ,rev4 ,george ,logan tells a story of ,brother ,van as district superintendent which illustrates the spirit of comradeship that he shares with all men1 even the saloon men and gamblers4 ,on one ,sunday morning ,mr4 ,logan asked for a good collection to make up the district superintendent's salary1 saying1 8,if ,i don't get it this morning1 ,i'll come again tonight40 ,the collection was not big enough1 and true to his word the second collection was asked for4 ,one man put a stack of six silver dollars on the plate and so the amount received was sufficient to make up the sum required for the unpaid salary4 ,going down town next day ,mr4 ,logan met the man of the silver dollars1 who with a grin asked1 8,did you raise ,brother ,van's money last night80 8,i did10 was the pastor's reply4 8,did you notice that stack of silver dollars on the plate80 8,i did10 said ,mr4 ,logan again4 8,well1 ,i'll tell you a story if you'll promise not to get angry about it40 8,i promise10 said the preacher4 8,two men at the service on ,sunday morning remembered afterward that ,brother ,van's salary was short1 and they agreed to play for the money in the afternoon4 ,if ,a4 won1 the money was to be ,brother ,van's2 if ,b4 did1 ,brother ,van lost4 ,word went around and the saloon filled with sports to watch the game4 ,if ,a4 won1 the crowd yelled1 #8,the ,lord gets that6' and if ,b4 was lucky1 #8,that goes to the devil6'0 ,a4 had won1 and the unsuspecting ,district ,superintendent's salary was paid by the successful gambler4 ,mr4 ,logan looked the narrator in the eye1 and said1 8,i'm so glad ,i got that money2 it has been in the hands of the devil long enough4 ,brother ,van will put it to a better use40 ,it was through many unique incidents and strange experiences that ,brother ,van's work was built up4 ,steadily the character of the country changed and another generation was growing up4 ,stalwart sons and daughters of the settlers began to try to win a means of education in the desert4 ,they looked beyond the shining mountains to college and to seminary4 ,as ,brother ,van traveled from place to place he pondered over this problem4 ,no children of his own will look to him for education1 but had he not claimed spirituality in this wide land for the children8 ,he saw that the boys and girls were eager for larger social privileges and for a higher intellectual life2 so he decided that ,montana should have a ,christian school4 ,for thirteen years he toiled to secure one2 other men's names appeared on the committee formed for the enterprise and in time disappeared1 but the name of ,william ,wesley ,van ,orsdel always headed the list4 ,he was not an educated man as far as the study of books was concerned4 ,only in the ,school of ,experience and in the ,seminary of ,hard ,knocks had he taken postgraduate courses4 ,but he was now determined that the young people of ,montana should have first1 a ,christian influence1 and1 second1 an education4 ,because of that thinking1 planning1 and praying of the missionary1 there came a day when the capital city1 ,helena1 had a new asset4 ,five miles from the center of the town stood a fifty-thousand-dollar brick building dedicated to the young people of ,montana4 ,the campus of two hundred and thirty-five acres was beautified1 and the school was opened4 ,the distance from town1 the newness of the undertaking1 the indifference of the people1 all proved insurmountable difficulties to every one but ,brother ,van4 ,for ten years the school struggled to succeed while the trustees felt almost constantly that they must close it1 but ,brother ,van would not consent4 ,then a radical measure was adopted4 ,the school was moved to ,helena1 where to-day ,montana ,wesleyan ,university stands in friendly neighborliness to the capitol building4 ,montana ,wesleyan antedated all state schools in ,montana for higher education4 ,brother ,van watched those two buildings on ,capitol ,hill with a peculiar yearning4 ,he remembered the town of ,helena as it had looked when he reached it on that summer day in #ahgb4 ,he remembered the first capitol building in ,bannack1 where it was his lot to bury the four plainsmen who had lost their lives because the ,indians could not understand the coming of the white man into their hunting ground4 ,the first legislature was held in two rooms in a log cabin4 ,tallow candles emphasized the gloom4 ,sheet-iron stoves made the pent-up air seem stifling4 ,one desk and a bench in each room completed the furnishing of this first capitol4 ,the library was composed of one copy of the ,idaho ,statutes4 ,on ,february #bb1 #ahhi1 ,montana became a state and ,helena became the capital4 ,helena of ,last ,chance ,gulch fame had grown rapidly1 as its eastern seekers of gold became housed in cabins1 wickiups1 shacks1 and tents4 ,helena became a wicked city1 where ,sunday was the wildest day of the wild week4 ,then came a period of reconstruction4 ,schools were built1 imposing sites were sought for churches2 the dugout school disappeared from the prairie1 and in its place came the little red schoolhouse4 ,the first public school had been opened on ,march #e1 #ahff1 in ,virginia ,city4 ,there were no text-books4 ,every child brought any book he might possess4 ,now schools were becoming common in ,montana4 ,daily papers were needed and in place of the ,montana ,post which had been published in the cellar of a log cabin in ,virginia ,city and dates from ,may1 #ahfh1 came the ,montana ,record ,herald4 ,montana had a state pride and no man could surpass ,brother ,van as he sang the praises of his adopted state4 ,as civilization progressed the new ,state-house now standing on ,capitol ,hill was needed4 ,this was a thrilling time in the life of the young state4 ,when the imposing building was completed and ready to be dedicated1 ,montana's representatives gathered and stood with bared heads as ,brother ,van offered this prayer3 8,o thou ,god of our fathers1 we draw near to thee in the name of thy ,son1 our ,saviour1 to acknowledge the many blessings of which we are the recipients1 on this our nation's birthday2 the day when this was declared to be a free and independent nation1 and which now stands out among the nations as a star of the first magnitude4 ,o ,god1 may thy presence ever abide with our nation4 ,we invoke thy blessing on our ,president1 and those associated with him in directing the affairs of the nation4 8,we are here in this great new commonwealth1 pioneer men and women1 who came here in the earlier settlements and opened up the way for success2 we are here to-day with our children and associates to honor the state and thee4 ,we are here to dedicate and set apart this magnificent building1 this capitol building1 to the purpose for which it was built4 ,let thy blessing rest on the exercises of this hour4 ,may thy blessing rest on the government of the state1 the officers1 the capitol commission1 and all who have been associated with the planning and completing of the building4 8,let thy blessing be upon our representatives1 on both houses of congress1 on state senators and legislators1 who shall meet in this house from time to time4 ,may we all realize that great is that people whose ,god is the ,lord4 ,may we flee evil4 ,amen40 ,the walls of the ,senate ,chamber of that great building are adorned with paintings done by ,mr4 ,charles ,russell1 who came to ,montana in #ahha and achieved fame as the cowboy artist4 ,no creation of his brain or brush ever exploits any theme but ,montana and the ,west4 ,the modern home of ,mr4 ,russell is at ,great ,falls and in the spacious grounds surrounding it stands a log cabin4 ,let us visit it with ,brother ,van1 who is an old-time friend of the owner4 ,illustration3 ,painting by ,charles ,m4 ,russell4 ,,riding ,,toward ,,the ,,front ,,of ,,the ,,stampeding ,,beasts1 ,,brother ,,van ,,shot ,,the ,,herd ,,leader ,,in ,,the ,,head ,the porch has no board floor and is low1 so we can see the roof strewn with buffalo horns and skulls4 ,on the stockade-door the latch-string hangs out1 and it means just that1 a true ,western hospitality4 ,we pull the string1 the latch lifts1 and we stand in the presence of the cowboy artist4 ,he looks both cowboy and artist4 ,his long hair is thrown back from a strong and sun-browned face1 and this suggests the artist2 so does the scarlet sash that he wears4 ,his flannel shirt is open at the throat1 and his ,khaki trousers are thrust into high boots1 showing the habit of the cowboy4 ,around that interesting room is a record of the history of ,montana4 ,war-bonnets and tomahawks hang from pegs4 ,in a rack are rifles which tell the story of firearm progress from the flintlock to the ,springfield1 and then to the ,winchester4 ,indian beads1 rugs1 baskets1 and blankets form a wealth of color on the walls1 and before a great fireplace stands an easel1 and lo1 the artist is telling our story in a finer way4 ,there are the figures of ,lewis and ,clarke on the canvas4 ,an ,indian village is in the background1 and in the center we recognize the woman guide1 ,sacajawea4 ,she is meeting her childhood friend who had been taken prisoner when she was4 ,as he watched ,montana develop with the anxiety that a father gives to the growth of an awkward1 beloved boy1 ,brother ,van saw a new need4 ,always had he ministered to sick and dying miners1 cowboys1 and settlers4 ,but as the years passed he saw that it would be a great advantage to the state if the sick and dying could be cared for with all the help that modern medical science affords4 ,he realized the necessity of placing patients under religious influence and teaching4 ,the cure of souls was to him even more important than the cure of bodies2 so he began to talk and to pray for a ,christian hospital4 ,probably fifty thousand dollars has passed through ,brother ,van's hands in the time he has served ,montana1 but he owns no home or cattle4 ,even the pony is no more and a ,ford is not its successor4 ,the salary for his first year's work was nothing1 and for the second it was seventy-five dollars4 ,in later years he received seventeen hundred dollars4 ,yet every ,protestant enterprise has had an impetus from ,brother ,van's pocketbook4 ,he interested his church in the need of a hospital1 and deaconesses were brought west and a hospital was started4 ,every one but the prime mover became discouraged by the hardships that the project encountered1 but he continued to sing1 to pray1 to praise ,montana1 and to work for ,montana4 ,in ,great ,falls now stands a beautiful hospital1 entirely fireproof and modern in every convenience4 ,in the hall of the building hangs a painting4 ,it is a western scene1 and shows a man riding furiously toward the leader of a herd of buffalo2 ,indians ride behind as interested spectators to the shooting of the large beast4 ,the inscription below is 8,brother ,van shooting buffalo10 and it illustrates the story already told4 ,the artist is ,charles ,m4 ,russell4 ,across the street is the ,van ,orsdel ,home where white-capped and swift-footed nurses reside1 and this is the story of the building4 ,once upon a time some gamblers1 cowboys1 and saloon men decided that they1 too1 wanted to tell ,brother ,van that they wished him well4 ,he had fought the saloon with a zeal that could not be misunderstood1 but he fought fairly4 ,he hated the business and told its supporters so in no mincing language2 but he didn't hate the men and they knew that4 ,they decided to raise one thousand dollars and give it to him that he might buy a home of his own1 or that he might have the money to do as he wished4 ,the fund was started4 ,at first it grew slowly and then by bounds4 ,it was put in a bank and as time went by the deposit was forgotten4 ,a gambler1 who was on his death-bed1 wanted to see ,brother ,van4 ,he answered the call at once1 and was able to help the dying man hear from the ,master1 8,thy sins are forgiven thee40 ,in his last moments the man told about the money that was lying in the bank and accumulating interest4 ,brother ,van drew it out and soon a nurses' home was started4 ,within the walls of the ,van ,orsdel ,home is a home life of rare culture and beauty4 ,many girls are sheltered and trained there who were brought to the pioneer preacher as infants twenty years earlier that he might lay hands on them in baptism4 ,at the beginning of each school year of the ,nurses' ,training ,school1 ,brother ,van greets those uniformed students with encouraging words and with a tender appeal for loyalty to the ,master whom he serves4 ,one of ,brother ,van's enterprises seemed not to be of ,god's planning4 ,that was the original home of ,montana ,wesleyan1 five miles from ,helena4 ,people spoke of the neglected building as a mistake and an expensive failure4 ,boys threw stones through every pane of glass in the three-story building4 ,a family of lively coyotes occupied the big dining-room2 bats took up their abode in the dark corners2 spiders spun their webs unhindered over the ceiling1 and owls seemingly joined the scoffers in their derision of the enterprise4 ,occasionally a solitary figure would come into the building and kneeling in the dust1 would implore ,god to give him a reason against the prevalent unbelief4 ,he would ask ,god to use these buildings for his own service1 and for the ,christian uplift of young people4 ,surely there was some use for them4 ,the years passed1 and this solitary figure began to see another need for his cherished ,montana4 ,the young people had long since been coming to the university on ,capitol ,hill1 but in the wide expanses of the state there were yet many children unschooled4 ,there were orphans to be protected1 and other children too far from the district school for daily attendance4 ,these became a new and dear care to ,brother ,van4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,van ,,orsdel ,,home ,,for ,,nurses ,,is ,,one ,,of ,,the ,,many ,,institutions ,,founded ,,by ,,brother ,,van ,again the old pocketbook made a beginning4 ,as the hard-earned money went for the house-cleaning a gift came to ,brother ,van2 a grateful ranchman presented him with a cow4 ,it was driven promptly to the two hundred-and-thirty-five-acre campus which surrounded the neglected building out by ,helena1 so that the few children he might gather there should be fed4 ,the building1 so recently the home of the bats and the coyotes1 was cleaned and repaired and put in readiness for its first pupil1 a child whom a dying mother committed to the care of ,brother ,van4 ,others needing school advantages were found and placed in the renovated building4 ,the title page of the first ,annual published by the students of this school of faith is inscribed3 8,to ,brother ,van as an expression of love from the class of #aiae40 ,not all the time was ,brother ,van building churches4 ,there are one hundred churches in ,montana built by him1 and about fifty parsonages due to his labors1 besides six hospitals and two large institutions of learning1 but there is another piece of work which he has been doing between times for the church he loves4 ,since #ahgf he has represented the ,methodist ,church of ,montana in the denomination's great governing body1 the ,general ,conference4 ,at the meeting at ,saratoga ,springs in #aiaf1 one evening was given over to the two friends1 ,dr4 ,thomas ,c4 ,iliff and ,brother ,van4 ,they recounted the struggles and triumphs of their western life1 and sang the old songs which had carried inspiration to the people of the west4 ,a few years ago ,brother ,van made a long trip across the country and came again to ,gettysburg1 where1 as a boy1 fifty-four years before1 he had witnessed that great battle4 ,a large part of the land where the battle was fought has been bought by the ,united ,states government1 and the government and the states spent seven million dollars in erecting the memorials that do honor to the men who fell in those ,july days of #ahfc4 ,brother ,van saw again the house in which ,president ,lincoln was entertained when he made that memorable address familiar to-day to every schoolboy and schoolgirl4 ,he recalled how he had gone to seek the sad-faced man4 ,he had come into his presence a towsled1 barefoot1 awkward boy1 and with new appreciation he remembered how that great man had shaken hands with him4 ,since then other presidents have shaken hands with the boy grown into a missionary4 ,grant1 ,roosevelt1 and ,taft have all done honor to the man so well loved in ,montana4 ,,chapter ,,xii ,,seventy ,,years ,,young ,,the haze of ,indian summer hangs over the prairies of ,montana as they flaunt their golden flowers4 ,there could be no more perfect days than these for a journey with ,brother ,van through the great state4 ,one might almost call it his parish1 so closely has he been associated with the settlement and growth of vast stretches of its territory4 ,he shall be our guide as we visit the widely scattered villages and thriving towns1 where he is eagerly welcomed by men1 women1 and children of all faiths and of none4 ,there are no strangers to ,great ,heart of the ,indians4 ,brother ,van greets every one he meets with the ,indians' guttural 8,oi-,oi-,oi10 meaning 8,how do you do60 ,when we ask why he always uses the expression1 he replies1 8,oh1 just to show that ,i'm a friendly ,indian40 ,we start our trip at ,fort ,benton1 where1 in a well kept park1 stand the ruins of the old fort1 a crumbling relic of days forever past4 ,the stockade is gone and only a blockhouse remains4 ,it is carefully guarded1 for inside are precious relics of the past4 ,let us stand on the very spot where ,brother ,van celebrated his first ,fourth of ,july in ,montana by eating a dinner of jerked buffalo meat4 ,our eyes sweep the horizon and we try to imagine the scenes of former days when over those flashing waters of the ,missouri came bull-boats or birch canoes1 bringing precious furs to the ,northwest ,fur ,company's post4 ,in the town itself we pass the site of the old mud saloon where1 on that far-away ,sunday1 the tenderfoot missionary preached to a curious throng4 ,what of the church life of to-day8 ,we spend a ,sabbath in the historic town and go to the old mother church4 ,it is a small building1 simple in style1 but we enter it in a spirit of reverence4 ,repairs are in progress2 with his own hands the minister1 a college and seminary graduate1 has painted the woodwork and papered the walls4 ,he has been aided in the evenings by the earnest men of his congregation4 ,the days of the ,northwest ,fur ,company seem very remote when the new generation1 with a small group from the older one1 kneel to receive ,holy ,communion4 ,the life of the trapper and trader1 starved and godless1 seems a haunting and an impossible dream4 ,yet the pastor has his problems4 ,his church must be enlarged and modernized to meet the social demands of the little city4 ,he must find means for providing recreation and wholesome entertainment in connection with the church1 so that the people of the community may not have to depend for their amusement on the cheap 8movie0 theater with its sensuous appeals4 ,he must travel far out on the wide prairie to care for the ranchers who are setting up homes in these lands that under new methods of cultivation are proving to be far more fruitful than it was once considered possible for them to be4 ,the scout-missionary is still keen about first churches1 and we accompany him on a visit to a little town near ,fort ,benton4 ,we go to the schoolhouse4 ,we are early2 so we will play janitor4 ,the bell is to be rung4 ,the songbooks are to be distributed4 ,brother ,van does not preach this time1 but his influence is felt all through the service4 ,he stands in the closing moments and urges upon the people a new loyalty to ,jesus ,christ and a new loyalty to the church as the center of their common life4 ,all who will so pledge are asked to come and take him by the hand1 and every man1 woman1 and child in the little group comes forward4 ,among them are three soldiers1 guards in the uncertain days of war of the big bridge which swings over the ,teton ,river at the outskirts of the town4 ,one of ,brother ,van's churches is in process of building in this town4 ,you may smile at its dimensions4 ,it has one main room and a basement which is to be cut up into smaller social rooms4 8,well1 ,brother ,van1 when is it to be finished80 he is asked4 8,don't know1 ,sister60 8,why not finish it right away80 8,i'd love to1 but not one cent of debt is to be placed on this or on any other church ,i have anything to do with40 8,but1 can these few people build this church80 8,they can and will1 with the help of the ,board of ,home ,missions40 8,ah1 if people only knew the need of home missions1 we would not have to see these churches which we try to put in the new centers struggle and languish as they do10 he adds4 8,why try to have a church so soon1 then80 8,ah1 ,sister1 that is the point4 ,we must claim these new towns for our ,christ4 ,the devil has his agents at work in the saloon and dance halls4 ,why should we give up to him80 ,in that distant time when ,brother ,van made his first visit to the ,indian agency1 he traveled in an army post wagon4 ,as we seek the ,blackfeet ,indians1 we travel with him on a railroad train4 ,his vivid stories of the towns through which we pass make us realize how much the frontier owes to missionary influence4 ,brother ,van gets off at every station to look around4 8,see that church house10 he exclaims proudly1 for he always calls it that4 8,isn't it beautiful80 ,it is small and in need of paint4 ,compared1 however1 to the saloon building in which he had probably held the first service1 it is beautiful4 ,illustration3 ,,great ,,heart ,,with ,a ,,blackfoot ,,brother ,,and ,,his ,,family 8,browning6 ,browning60 calls the conductor4 ,nothing here but a small station4 8,this way1 ,brother ,van10 calls a voice from the starlit darkness1 and soon we are on our way to the ,indian reservation and the parsonage home of ,rev4 ,a4 ,w4 ,hammer1 the cowboy preacher4 ,a cheerful welcome awaits us in the little prairie home4 ,here in the shadow of the snow-clad mountains is symbolized the ,montana dreamed about by the boy from ,gettysburg4 ,a home has been established4 ,a trained preacher ministers to the ,indians4 ,on the following morning we find spread out before us a scene of rich beauty as we look across the fields from which the grain has been harvested4 ,all the members of the household gather in front of the cottage where there stands a straight mountain pine1 carefully trimmed and braced4 ,from a home-made cabinet the oldest daughter has taken a carefully folded bundle1 and now at her bidding it is fastened to the ropes swaying from the pine tree4 ,a steady pull brings ,old ,glory up to catch the breeze while the shining mountains seem to smile approval4 ,the son places his hat over his heart1 while ,brother ,van1 his head bared1 his face transfigured1 sings1 8,o say can you see by the dawn's early light0 and girlish voices catch up the refrain4 ,no flag raising in the presence of statesmen and of armies could be more impressive4 ,here one sees the loyal soul of the west laid bare4 ,this is the ,america that the forces of the ,christian church1 the ,christian home1 and the ,christian school are building on the vast plains and through the mountain valleys of the younger states4 ,the drive to the church in a lumber wagon is a novel experience1 and we understand why fur overcoats are called 8life preservers10 for the air gives a foretaste of the winter's cold4 ,the congregation of ,indians1 plainsmen1 business men1 and college graduates gathers4 ,the ,indians interest us the most4 ,these are the adopted brothers of ,great ,heart4 ,these are the people whom ,william ,van ,orsdel loved before he had seen them and whom he had left the old ,gettysburg home to serve4 ,he has seen disease1 ignorance1 and intemperance threatening to wipe out the race1 and he has had to give a large part of his energy to teaching a better way of life to the white man who is so largely responsible for the conditions that exist2 but he has persevered in finding ways to help his red brothers4 ,in the ,united ,states there are now three hundred and thirty-six thousand ,indians2 nearly one third of these are unchurched4 ,there are many who have no opportunity to know the living ,god1 yet they were the first ,americans4 ,their loyalty was proved when nine thousand young braves entered the army and navy to fight for a world democracy1 and one third of those entered the service through enlistment4 ,these wards of the nation1 though driven back from wide prairie to reservations1 have been taught trades and agriculture4 ,twenty million dollars worth of ,liberty ,bonds were bought by ,indians4 ,the war has given the ,indian an opportunity to show his fine qualities of manhood1 and to demonstrate his fitness for those privileges of citizenship which have been denied him4 ,hereafter1 too1 this native ,american will be a citizen of the world4 8,they have learned to step to the drum-beat of democracy10 says ,hon4 ,cato ,sells1 8and they will come out of the conflict an element of real and progressive strength in our ,national life40 ,like many others who have fought abroad1 they will ask the churches and schools to put into practise the principles that they defended 8over there40 ,the teachers to succeed ,brother ,van1 ,mr4 ,hammer1 and all of that host of devoted workers who have given their whole lives for the building of a ,christian civilization in the west must come from the young people of the church4 ,young men and young women of the new generation must have a vision clear enough to see the beckoning hands that point the way to great unfinished tasks4 ,the high purpose of the boy from ,gettysburg must fill other lives that will take up the new tasks1 as hard as the old1 perhaps harder1 which the changing times have brought to ,montana4 ,leaving the ,indians1 we find ourselves on the railroad and bound for the new frontier4 ,the monotony of the prairie is only relieved by homes and schoolhouses but these appear at intervals as we travel4 ,occasionally we pass small towns clustering around grain elevators1 which show the new day of agriculture4 ,we come at last to the end of our journey to the new section and from the small station we drive to a settler's shack on a claim4 ,surely tales of frontier life have been exaggerated1 for here are warmth1 blooming plants1 books1 and papers4 ,the homesteader is a retired preacher4 8,we must get the surveyor while you are here1 ,brother ,van1 and mark up that lot for the church10 says our host4 8,a church out on this prairie60 we exclaim4 8,yes1 do you see yonder that grain elevator and a few buildings8 ,that is a new town starting and we must have a church4 ,a saloon and a pool-room are there already4 ,the storekeeper has given us a lot for the church10 he explains4 ,this is a wise merchant who realized that the new town would not be fit for his family unless the church was the central interest4 ,with pick and compass we go2 ,brother ,van steps off the distance1 and the faithful pick finds the marker4 8,the corner-stone will be right here10 says the master of ceremonies4 ,the spade is stuck into the rich soil while the people cheer2 but ,brother ,van is silent2 his latest church is being started4 ,he is anxious that the children of the new town shall have a chance of a ,christian education4 ,the government will see to the schoolhouses1 but the responsibility of the churches rests on ,brother ,van and his aids1 even on you and me4 ,we continue our sight-seeing tour of ,montana and reach ,helena at a time when the city is thronged with visitors to the ,fair4 ,yonder is the ,capitol1 and in friendly nearness is a smaller building2 it is ,montana ,wesleyan ,university where college is opening4 ,brother ,van has a tumultuous greeting4 ,the ,board of ,trustees has just declared for a fifty-thousand-dollar enlargement of the institution4 ,the students and ,president ,sweetland are riotously happy4 ,visitors make speeches in the chapel4 ,one man does not need the well-chosen introductory speech from the new president4 ,he is not allowed to finish it4 8,who's all right80 sings out a yell-leader4 8,brother ,van6 ,brother ,van60 comes roaring back from the eager crowd4 ,no mention is made by the pioneer of his part in the enterprise which has made the ,christian education of these eager students possible4 ,when he finishes speaking1 a demand is made3 8,a song6 ,a song60 ,so he sings 8,diamonds in the ,rough0 for them4 ,then we hasten to a meeting of the ,board of ,trustees1 and arrive in time1 for ,brother ,van is never late for an engagement4 8,now1 let's go to the ,fair60 he says4 ,to go to the ,montana ,state ,fair with ,brother ,van is to become almost as much a center of interest as the prize pumpkin or the heaviest sheaf of wheat4 ,the hold the man has on the people of the state begins to dawn on you4 8,hello1 ,van1 old scout40 8,why1 ,brother ,van1 how is the church at 80 8,isn't this ,brother ,van80 ask children1 shyly1 as we pass4 ,out in the enclosure a flag is to be raised4 ,they send a messenger to ,brother ,van to say that he is wanted to offer the prayer4 ,after the prayer1 ,governor ,stewart is introduced1 and the heart of the ,eastern visitor is stirred to hear from him how great a part this new state took in the great world struggle for democracy2 how great an outpouring of its wealth there was for the needs of the government and for the relief of suffering2 and how large a number of the boys from these thinly peopled plains left their homes to take their places in the ranks of the armies of freedom4 ,it is a short drive over to the once owl-haunted1 coyote-inhabited building1 which for a time seemed to be ,brother ,van's mistake4 ,children's voices call a glad greeting1 for now it is the ,montana ,deaconess ,school4 ,out on the campus is an old building which the boys have fitted up1 and which they dignify by the name of 8gym40 ,class work which meets the regular school standards is done in this home1 but that is only a part of its work4 ,the development of strong1 helpful ,christian character is the great task to which the earnest teachers who labor here are devoting themselves4 ,now we visit the ,capitol1 a beautiful building of which the young state is justly proud4 ,we go directly to the ,governor's suite and find a delegation of citizens there waiting to consult him4 ,the attendant smiles on one member of our party and then disappears4 ,we resign ourselves for a long wait1 but immediately the messenger returns4 8,the ,governor will see you1 ,brother ,van10 he says4 ,we then have the privilege of listening to a conference between the pioneer missionary and modern ,montana's chief man of affairs4 ,it is near ,helena that ,last ,chance ,gulch is situated and the city still presents the problems of a mining center4 ,in the old days the miners came without families4 ,they lived the hard1 rough life of the pioneers4 ,many were only adventurers4 ,they gambled1 and even killed for the lure of gold4 ,yet it was they who found and developed the mines which have furnished so large a share of ,montana's wealthand that of the nation4 ,not only gold1 but silver1 copper1 lead1 coal1 and iron are found4 ,especially rich are the fields of copper1 and since #ahib1 ,montana has been the leading state in the production of this metal4 ,great smelting and refining plants costing millions of dollars have been established around which thriving cities have quickly grown4 ,in the maze of stacks1 mills1 ore-dumps1 tracks1 and surrounding streets filled with the cottages of the laborers1 the visitor who has been to the new settlements on the plains and to the reservations sees a different ,montananot that of the rancher and the ,indians but that of the industrial worker4 ,we have an enthusiastic guide when we travel through the mining regions with ,brother ,van4 ,he keeps the spirit of the pioneer4 ,while his work has led him more among the ,indians and the plainsmen1 he sees the great needs that have arisen with the growth of the industrial centers4 ,he is eager that the ,christian forces of ,america undertake new tasks of helpfulness for the men who toil underground and in the mills1 and for their families4 ,illustration3 ,copyright1 ,brown ,brothers4 ,a ,,copper ,,mine ,,at ,,butte ,a new ,america must be won in the restless1 throbbing centers of industrial life4 ,it is in ,butte that we find the heart of the great copper region of ,montana4 ,from the hill north of the city1 ore to the value of a million and a half dollars has been taken4 ,when ,brother ,van made his first visit there he found but fifty residents4 ,not only is it now a busy city of forty thousand inhabitants1 but the character of the community has entirely changed4 ,the settlers of that period were of ,american birth and parentage4 ,to-day the great majority of the miners are from distant countries4 ,the pioneers of the days of ,brother ,van's young manhood lived the hearty open life of the wind-swept plains2 the newcomers from ,europe must toil in the dark mine shafts or amid the dust and roar of the mills and smelters4 ,coming as these workers do for the most part from southern and eastern ,europe1 differing greatly in customs and in language from the older population1 they must be given special guidance1 if they are to find the real ,america of their dreams4 ,they will attain the kind of citizenship which will make them able to take a really helpful place in the life of the country only as we interpret ,christian ideals for them4 ,it was for these ideals of democratic brotherhood that the young men of ,america went abroad and for which thousands of them gave their lives4 ,is ,america now to show to those who have come as strangers to us1 and who do such a large share of the hard work of our country1 that these ideals of democratic brotherhood are being put into practise for the benefit of all8 ,brother ,van found a frontier region when he stepped ashore from the river boat at ,fort ,benton on that ,july morning in #ahgb4 ,he threw himself into the life about him1 and his years of service have brought friendship and hope and courage to lonely men and women and to aspiring young people all over a great commonwealth4 ,cowboy1 ,indian1 and miner have welcomed his help1 for1 as they put it1 he 8prayed lucky40 ,there is need to-daythere will always be a needfor the same ministry that ,brother ,van has been carrying on in his founding of new churches1 and in his friendly visiting in lonely homes1 and in his preaching anywhere and everywhere the word of cheer and of faith that his whole life taught4 ,and as a part of the same great task to which he has devoted all his years1 ,brother ,van will tell you that there is need for another kind of scouting to-day in the land of the shining mountains4 ,this vast development of modern industry calls for new and varied kinds of service4 ,the thrill of adventure is there1 although it may be different from that which was found in the early days of the frontier1 and the joy of conquest remains4 ,the winning of a new ,america is yet to be achieved in many of those restless1 throbbing centers of industrial life where men have not yet learned how to bring the spirit of ,christ into their daily toil2 where home life is narrow and harsh2 where growing boys and girls are shut out from the opportunities for recreation and for training1 that a preparation for healthy1 capable citizenship demands4 ,as we leave ,brother ,van looking out over the wide plains of his beloved ,montana and gazing at the great black masses of the mills and mines with the dismal clusters of miners' cottages around them1 we know what he is thinking about4 ,it is of the new scouts who will come to occupy these frontiers of modern industrial and community life for the ,master4 ,and we know that only those who are worthy to be called ,great ,heart will be able to carry on in the new age of world democracy the tasks that have been so well begun in the old days of the opening ,west4 ,other books for all boys and girls who love tales of heroic adventure ,,pathfinder ,,series ,livingstone the ,pathfinder ,by ,,basil ,,mathews ,this story of the life of the great missionary explorer is told in a thrilling manner4 ,every one should know the work of this well-known hero4 ,cloth1 #fj cents2 paper1 #dj cents1 prepaid ,the ,black ,bearded ,barbarian ,by ,,marian ,,keith ,the life story of ,george ,leslie ,mackay1 of ,formosa4 ,american ,youth says of it3 8,all workers with boys should welcome this little volume4 ,it has camp-fire stuff in it40 ,cloth1 #fj cents2 paper1 #dj cents1 prepaid ,uganda's ,white ,man of ,work ,by ,,sophia ,,lyon ,,fahs ,the story of ,alexander ,mackay1 an engineer1 who answered ,stanley's call to go to 8,darkest ,africa40 ,his adventures and the life of the people are vividly told4 ,cloth1 #fj cents2 paper1 #dj cents1 prepaid ,martin of ,mansfield ,by ,,margaret ,r4 ,,seebach ,this book tells many interesting things about the great reformer1 ,martin ,luther1 but chiefly about his family1 friends1 and school days4 ,cloth1 #fj cents2 paper1 #dj cents1 prepaid ,brother ,van ,by ,,stella ,w4 ,,brummitt ,the fascinating story of the life of ,dr4 ,w4 ,w4 ,van ,orsdel1 who has had a long and adventurous career as a home missionary in ,montana4 ,cloth1 #ge cents2 paper1 #ej cents1 prepaid