Diary of a Journey West and Letters Home
Diary of Robert E. Fisk's journey to Montana in 1866, excerpted
Monday June 25. The organization having been completed, and all ready for the forward movement, the bugle sounded the "assembly," and at 10 o'clock, A.M. the Montana Caravan, numbering between 300 and 400 persons, and nearly two hundred wagons, took its course, three columns abreast, westward. Marched five (5) miles, forded the Wild Rice river, which occupied three hours' time, and went into camp at 4 o'clock P.M. on the west bank of the river. Wood, water, and grass plenty and of good quality.
- If there were between 300-400 people with the 'Montana Caravan' and only two hundred wagons, about how many people per wagon were there?
- The caravan moved five miles in three hours time, how many miles per hour were they moving?
- Robert remarked that their campsite had plenty and good quality wood, water and grass. What would they need each of those items for?
Several hunting parties went out early this morning, and brought in a number of buffalo tongues, livers, and other delicate parts of this royal game.
The nation's birth day was celebrated by a great portion of the party, mounted and dismounted, in the exciting sports of the hunt. The afternoon was excessively hot, the thermometer ranging at 2 o'clock at 98° in the shade, but the temptation offered by large herds of buffalo, with here and [there] a herd of antelope-the former game mustering in large force on either flank and in front at a distance of one mile-was too great to be resisted, and the horsemen, getting in rear of a thousand shaggy bison, drove the monster game in a run over the rolling prairie toward the footmen ... Among the number killed were several fat, young bulls, two cows, and a calf weighing 100 lbs. The hunt was of the most exciting character ... From the carcasses of the slain animals the choicest parts were cut, and the huge bodies were left to rot on the prairie, or be food for wolves.
- What happened to the bison after they were shot?
- Draw a picture of Robert's "exciting" hunt.
- Why do you think the food items Robert wrote about were so expensive?
- What was his opinion of Helena?
- What stereotype did he make of the Chinese residents in Helena?
- Imagine that you are visiting your town for the first time. Write a journal entry describing the architecture, the residents, as well as the prices for the food items that Robert lists in his entry: peaches, potatoes, green apples.
[Helena, July 31st, 1867]
[D]uring all [of last week] we have had only one eastern mail and that one brought no letters for me. Wells, Fargo & Co. are great swindlers and great monopolists. With their immense capital on which to perform business, they "buy out" every opposition line of coaches or mail wagons, and oblige everyone to wait for them. They regularly bring through passengers and express matter for which they will be paid, but having contracted for the mails, and being sure of their pay at any and all hazards, they toss the bags containing all those letters, books, and papers which are reminders of the continued affection of absent friends into any convenient gulch or defile of the mountains....
- What is the monopoly Lizzie speaks about in this letter? Why did Wells, Fargo & Co. opt to take passengers over mail?
- Do you get letters in the mail? Or do you communicate mostly by email? What are some of the advantages and disadvantages of mail and email?
I made bread on Saturday and would like to send you a piece; it is very nice. Fabricated some pie, too, after my most approved style and sent come to the office hoping to get [an editorial] puff, but it doth not appear. Can you credit my words when I tell you that, in this country where milk well water is one dollar per gallon, and eggs one dollar and a half per dozen, I made cream pies. Any today, I have been guilty of the further extravagance of cooking for supper a spring chicken for which I paid only $1.25 in [gold] dust. Such is the fact and not a bone is left to tell the [tale], but we had visitors at tea, Stuart and Jacky, and we don't have chickens every day.
- Why do you think that the food items Lizzie spoke about were so expensive?
- What types of utensils and cooking methods would Lizzie have used to prepare her food? Remember they did not have electricity in 1867.
Have you seen or heard (I hardly know which term is correct) the telephone? We were invited one evening a few weeks since to meet a party of friends at Prof. [H.P.] Rolfe's to witness some experiments with this instrument. The machine is very simple. Only a mouth piece and ear trumpet attached to the brass wire which they had been accustomed to use in telegraphing. The wire made a circuit of about three miles connecting the house of another friend where also a party was assembled. By applying the ear trumpet or cup to the ear, we could hear and distinguish voices in conversation, singing, &c.... With a little improvement we (you and I) will yet be enabled to visit with one another across the continent.
The voice or sound transmitted is most peculiar and unearthly. I can think of nothing like it. It seems to come from the depth of the earth. I fancy the still, small voice the prophet heard must have been something like this.
- Imagine that you are Lizzie using a telephone for the first time. Who would you call? What would you say? What would you be thinking about this new invention?
- Imagine that you have moved to Montana from your home far away. Write a letter to your family back home and tell them what life is like in Montana.
