Samuel Hearne Sought Copper in the McKenzie Basin 1771
The article recounts Samuel Hearne leading a 1771 overland expedition from Fort Prince of Wales with Chippewyan guide Matonabbee to locate copper. It notes prior failed attempts, harsh travel through barren lands, scarce provisions, and cannibalism fears, with emphasis on Matonabbee's guidance and the role of women in travel and camp support.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Samuel Hearne
Mckenzie River Basin
Matonabbee
Hearne
Great Slave Lake
Freight trails and Hearne tales from Montana to Hudson Bay
The article recalls Dillon as a historic freighting hub for Montana bound goods. It recounts T. J. Farrell’s role with Utah and Northern, later distributing freight from Dillon, and then shifts to detailed anecdotes of Samuel Hearne’s Arctic explorations, Eskimo tribes, Dogrib women, and the 18th century voyage from Prince of Wales Fort to the Northern Ocean, ending with Hearne’s death in London in 1792.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mantonabbee
Pitamaken
Hearne
Prince of Wales Fort
Hudson Bay
Northern Ocean
Indson’s Pay Company
Fort Prince of Wales
London
Montana Railroads and the Dodge of Powder Wagons
The narrative recalls Montana's early rail spur into Dillon as the territory’s first major terminus. Freighters from Corinne, Utah drove freight to Montana towns like Butte, Bozeman, and Virginia City, while safety fears from Nez Perce conflicts prompted wagons to desert camps at night. Chief Joseph’s war threat faded after Utah & Northern expanded, ending the mule skinner era as railroads spread inland.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Orty
Dillon
Montana
Territory
Utah & Northern
Butte
Bozeman
Deer Lodge
Missoula
Virginia City
Fort Benton
Union Pacific
Central Pacific
Corrinne
Utah
Corinne
Old Town
Nez Perces
Old Stage Road
Howard
Farrell
Tilton & Barber
Joseph
Cemetery Hill
Mule Skinner
Bull
Drawing on Dillon’s Freewheeling Forties
The passage evokes a bustling Dillon town in lively times when money flowed and a freighter sought only today. It captures an era of open opportunity and the anticipation of what tomorrow might bring for the frontier community.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Dillon
Also Mentioned on This Page
By Martha E Plassmann
Hudson’s Bay Company
Arctic Ocean
Knight
Chestermild Inlet
Churchill River
Arctic Sea
T. J. Farrell
Farrel
Esquimes
Coppermine
Papoose
Scully
Radiola X
KGO
WGY
Montana Electrics Company
East Broadway
Butte, Mont
Montana Territory
Utah & Northern Railway
Baby
Cutiura
Somi’ Aay
Bayer
Montana Life Insurance Company
Enduring As the Mountains
A. C. Johnson
X. RB. Cunningham
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!