Henry Mai continues his recount of Colonel Stanley and General Custer's return from the Yellowstone River to Fort Abraham Lincoln on January 2, 1874. He begins by describing a suspected Indian set prairie fire. The men narrowly escape across a small river but not before some supplies and animals are consumed. He describes the passage through the "sand hills of Montana" as so bad that it "could not be worse in the Sahara desert." By September 18th the party left the mountains and reached Big Knife Creek's "good land and grass." Four days later the group arrived at Fort Abraham Lincoln and the Missouri River. Mai then writes about the nearby small town of Bismarck, where the Northern Pacific Railroad ends. While the arrival of the train has caused rapid growth, it has also brought "the scum of humanity." Nothing in Bismarck is "less than a quarter" and the railroad owns most of the land, which Mai deems excellent in quality. Mai warns against any Germans coming to the Dakota Territory, as the threat of Indian attack is still nearly constant. Note, this is the third section of a multi-part letter written between December 31, 1873 - January 4, 1874. The remaining parts are digitized and can be found in the Frederick J. Putzier Collection.
Collection Description
This letter is a part of the Frederick J. Putzier Collection available at the Center for Western Studies. The collection contains the letters of Henry Mai, written from Fort Abraham Lincoln to his cousin. They are written in German around New Years 1984 and were translated by Elke Putzier. A photograph of Mai is included.
This item maybe protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. In addition, no permission is required from the rights holder(s) for instances falling under "fair use" as defined in United States copyright law. For other uses obtaining permission from the rights holder(s) and the Center for Western Studies is required. Credit lines should appear immediately adjacent to the image or on a separate acknowledgments page and must read, “Courtesy Center for Western Studies, Augustana University.”