arbh22.pdf

Bent-Hyde Papers, 1905-1918

The collection consists of original maps of Indian and military positions of such areas as Sand Creek, the Arkansas River, etc., and correspondence between George Bent and George Hyde, covering the years 1905-1918.

Statements concerning distances relating to a map of the Upper Arkansas River

Bent, George, 1843-1918

author

Hyde, George E., 1882-1968

author

1917-05-14

creation

Gantt's fort. Dodge, p.140 says they left Fountain Cr and crossed divide to Ark, marched 4 or 5 ms down Ark, passing aban'd fort and camped 60 ms above Bent's. Sage p304 says Grant's post was "some 6 ms below Fountain Cr." If Sage dist is right, "Dodge did not leave fountain Cr and strike s-e across the divide, but really left the valley and marched south paralell with fountain Cr, striking Ark only a mile or so e. of Fountain Cr. Fisher's Peak is s-e of Trindad Colo, near the upper Purgatoire and just east of the old Sta Fe trail "'from Bent's Ft. Hdbk says named after a German artillery officer of Kearny's army who camped at its foot 1846—but that sounds Fishyer. Log houses, 1852-3 were one mile west of New Fort Bent, 1917. -Geo Bent Letter, 1917 Haynes Creek below Black squirrel Cr is evidently named for Haynes who is mentioned in Ind. Affairs rpt for 1864 as contractor working on chey and Arap reservation. Chey and Arap. agy, Colo. The rpt of the irrigation engineer Apr 1864 dates his letter from Point-Rocks. William Bent testifying before the Joint Committee that investigated the Sand Cr affair in 1865 said his Rnahc of that period was "25 miles from Fort Lyon." That is correct--about 23 ms from Lyon to the mouth of the Purgatoire, then 2 0r 3 ms to the Ranch which was a short dist. up hthe Purgatoire. Bent Letters Stone Bluff were Apaches were buried in Holes, right across from New Fort, 4 ms below Muddy Cr and 5 ms below Big Timbers, Letter159 L.148 Cheys heard Mandans got smpox and moved up Chey R. 1864: In spring the engineer at Chey and Arap agy, Point of Rocks was hard at work; in Apr he let water into irreg da ditch and had ploughing weel forward; in Msy was dressing stone for bldgs. Rpt 1864 Geo Bent distances Short T. Crs, 5 ms below Old Fort. Old Ft about abt 80 ms below stockade. Old stockade , 1826 New Fort 35 ms below old-or 38 ms. Big Ts 30 ms below Old and 5 miles above New Ft. –Big Timbers "5 ms long" Red Shin Standing Ground stone peak 25 ft high at upper end B.Ts. Bent's New Fort. According to the Wheeler map it is just west of, and touching, the line 102° 45', and that line measures just 3 ms east of Graveyard Cr. Measured on the Lamar sheet, 102° 45' is just 3 ms e. of Graveyard Cr; so the Longitude of the Wheeler map is correct; but the Wheeler map shows the fort just about in the middle of Grape Id., while on the Lamar sheet the site would me 1 mile above the middle of Grape Id and nearly 1/2 m above upper end of Id. The site should be 3 ms east of Graveyard -- measuring from a line 3 ms above mouth Graveyard cr due east and thence due south and Ft. Lyon should be just one mile w. of Bent' Latest distances by Bent: Purgatoire l0 or 12 ms to Big Timbers. Big Timbers 5 ms long. B.s New Fort 1 or 2 below B.Ts. Therefore B.s New For 16 to 19 ms below Purg. Old Frt 29 ms above B.Ts (upper end). Purg to New Fort 22 ms New Fort to Sand Cr 20 ms Old Fort to Purg 13 ms. By measure on Geo1. map: purg to Graveyard cr, 22 ms. Graveyard to Sand Cr abt 18 or 19 ms. Limestone Cr to Graveyard abt 4 ms. "30 ms below New"--guide--Should be abt 35 ms ABOVE. "abt 10 ms above mouth of Purgatoire" --Ruxton. --really abt 12 ms. "29 ms above upper end Big Ts"-- Bent. "13 ms above mouth Purg"--Bent. Cor. Ingalls (Ark. Crossing) to B.s Old Ft. abt 160 ms on Geol. Bent's Ft 530 ms from Independence and 138 above Cimran Xing--Chit. Parkman camped abt 6 ms below B's Ft and had plenty timber for fires. Big Ts all gone 1864--Off Recs. Spring Bottom was about 20 ms below Fillmore, 30 ms below Booneville--Off Recs, 1864 It was the station at the time btw Fillmore and Ft. Lyon that would be abt midway btw Bob Cr and Rocky Ford, site of Spring Botm. Wright says Spring Bot was 20 ms above P-of-Rs which was above Ft Lyon-1864 Trail: Anthony says the camp on Sand Cr was "within 40 ms of Ft Lyon" The Ind trail xed Sand C at this camp. Old Fort is marked on Geol. Guide Book Map 9 p54 just 6 ms above Wild Horse Cr. Sage says he set out alone from Lancaster, end Feb, to join Warfield; met a courier with a despat tches for Warfield, who accompanied Sage to Ark. Reached mouth Animas abt March 20 Gant: "Some six ms below the mouth of Fontaine qui Bouit are the ruins of an old ft. occupd sev trs since by one Capt. Grant as a trading post." Sage, March, 1843, p304 Warfield was camped at mouth Animas, Mar 20, 1843, with just 24 men in camp, includ officers, says Sage. The plan was to go down the Cimng of the Ark and there meet a party of 80 vols from the States and Snivley from Texas, p304 On Mar 21 Warfield with 10 men set out for Xing of the Ark while 12 men under a lieut set out from mouth Animas to spy toward the Tao Trail. Sage went with this 2d party. Warfield sends order to rejoin him at Rabbit Ears mounds; Sage's party marches from head las Animas, down cimarron. Join Warfield, n of Cimarron, move back to Cimarron and up it. Return to Taos Trail at xing of las Animas. fight near Mora, return down Animas, party breaks up. Says Armijo with 700 troops was encamped of Cimarron when Snivley attacked the Mex train. Augustine Clermont, old French trapper, Sage p340 Big Timbers, 110 ms above Xing of the Ark--Sage, 1844, went down from B. Timbers but gives no details. "Big Salt Bottom, is some forty ms in length and four or five ms broad. It contains frequent streams and pools of brackish water, with spots in which vegetation entirely gives place to thick coatings of mineral salts Sage p353 Coon Creek, must be named after an Ind, sage Ft Lyon in 1871 was 50 ms by stage from Kit Carson, the nearest rr station in Kan. The country btw was a barren rolling treeless plain with one wretched ranch stockade. The fort buildings were mostly new, low broad adobe with v thick walls; a little acequia or ditch runs all abt the post and the houses have heavy wooden shutters as protection against sand storms. Mrs. Roe Camp Supply, 1873, a wretched place, old cottonwood log houses in the midst of barren hot sand hills. even the officers qts were of verticle cotton logs plastered btw with mud and roofed with poles and mud, sand floors in many rooms. Mrs Roe. Calhouns map No. 3 compiled by Lieut Parke, 1851: Made by from other survey and from inf.m from St. Vrain, Hatcher and many old timers. Chouteau's Id, on Ark, at mouth of a n. trib and just abt 2 ms e of Two Butte Cr. Lower Spring on Cim is due s. of Chouteau Id. but the branch from Chouteau joins Sta Fe trail a lit west of Lower Spring and neither trail touches this spring. Pretty encampment on n. bank Ark in a bunch of timbers on both banks of a Dry Creek, which is made as long as Sand Cr. This encampment is 3-5ths of the dist from Chouteau Id to Sand Cr or abt 40 ms above Chouteau Id (40) and 25 ms below Sand Cr Sand Cr is shown unamed. Big Timber (sic) begins abt 5 ms above Sand Cr and is 10 ms long. Upper end B. Timber to mouth Purg, abt 12 ms Sand Cr to Purg abt 25 ms. Purg to Lower Cry Cr 15 ms Lower Dry to Upper Dry cr abt 3 ms Upper Dry to B's Old Ft, about 6 or 7 ms. Trail is shown leaving Cimarron at Middle Spring, goes n-w cross 2-butte Cr 5 ms above forks, crossed ark at Big Timbers, thence n-e across Sand Cr 15 ms above mouth, thence n-e to Smoky Hill Fork. Sage Cr. n trib of Ark, 10 ms below S. Carlos River and 20 ms below Fountain River. Pueblo is shown w. bank Fountain R. as Pueblo de S. Carlos. Upper Ark. (Camp 29, cont.) Road passes frequently over small spurs (this is shown on guide book Sheet 8, where the old trail passes over spurs of bluffs); very poor grass, often none; camped in a meadow of core coarse grass at foot of a sandstone escarpment. This camp, as shown below, was 3 ms below mouth Purgatoire. That would place this camp just about where New Fort Lyon is on guide book Sheet 9. Camp 30. Ark R. below Bent's Old Fort, 15 .08 ms above Camp 29. Journal. Passed at 3 ms: marched 15 ms and camped 3 ms below B.s Old Fort. No features mentioned 15 ms above New Ft Lyon (Camp 29) would bring them to just about 3 ms below B's Old Ft. as measured on guide book Sheet 9. Camp 31 On Ark R., 24.00 ms above Camp 30. Journal: Abundant good grass btw camp 30 and B.s Fr.: ford was under water; fine site for a post--abunt pasture,plenty fuel and fine building stone. camped 24 ms on miserable grass. very poor country this day, most of day road passed oer the higher prairie, which is broken ground, and a railroad would have to cross a few ms above Bent Fort. Passed mouth Timpas Cr this day "a few ms above ft." The old trail is shown on Shee p crossing Ark at Bent's and running sw. Camp 32, Ark. R. opp. mouth Apishapa, 10.00 ms above last camp. Note --I told Geo. Bent about this army officer's wife and her book, and how she says the soldiers got hold of a fine Indian race horse and gave it to her, and she found out later it belonged to a half-breed named Bent. He says in his last letter this horse is the very one he told me above some years ago: the fine running and buffalo horses be bought from Carson at Bogg's ranch, when he was up there just a short time before Carson's death. The trouble with these notes from Beckwith and Gunnison, is that the distances given are from their camps, and it is almost impossible to locate their camps, which makes the distance useless. However: we know the exact location of the Bent's Log Houses, on the site of Old Ft. Lyon and 1 mile west of Bent's New Fort, Now, these men camped 1 mile below the Log Houses, therefore their camp was on the site of Bent's New Fort They place the upper end of the Big Timbers 12 ms above the log houses and 13 l/4 ms below Purgatoire, making 25 1/4 ms from the log houses to Purgatoire. They say that in this time, 1853, the Big Timbers were 24 ms long; since the upper end was 12 ms, above the Log Houses, the lower end of the timbers was also 12 ms below the Log House. , or about opposite the town of Lamar, 3ent usually speaks of these tibers as 5 ms. long; a military report dated 1864 says the timbers were completely cut and all gone at that date, Camp 28 was at Bent's New Fort site Leaving camp they note the log houses, at this point they say the sandstone bluffs come quite to the river. One of these bluffs of a knob was the place were Bed Shin, the Cheyenne Ajax climbed up and with a load of arrows and six or seven butcher knifes,, defied the whole world. Reacted upper end of B. Timbers at 13 ms from camp, 13 ms above B. s New Fort; here again the bluffs approached the river. Going back one day: their Camp 27 was 20.28 ms below Camp 28 and therefore that distance below B.s New Fort It was therefore within 2 or 3 ms of Sand Cr, east or west of that stream. They state they left this carmp and crossed 3 ms of heavy sand, struck clav soil, and at 7 ms reached lower end B. Timbers. Speaks of island in the river. Going back another day, their camp 26 was 21.87 ms. below Camp 27. At 15 ms they struck a bottom with salt on the surface. Salicornia growing abundantly on the bottoms; bluffs gentle and sloping. They must have camped near Sand Creek, but do not mention it. Going back still another day: their Camp 25 was 24.58 ms above camp 26. Mention no features this day, camped on a dry creek, evidently Wild Horse cr Bent's Log Houses, 1852-3. 12 ms below upper end B. Ts according to Beckwith . That wouod be abt 2 ms below New Fort. 3 ms below New Fort is cor on all my maps. Beckwith also says "13 ms above lower end B. Ts, and lower end B. Ts apparent'y 7 ms above Sand Cr, making Log Houses just 20 ms above Sand Cr, which is just where Bent puts the New Fort, but his dist. is wrong -- too long. The trouble with Beckwith is he says the bluffs at the Log Houses com "quite to the river" while if his dists are right the Houses were midway btw Lamar and Prowers, opp an island, and no bluffs come down to the river here. Lower end B. Ts I cannot locate on my maps from Beckwith. He says it was 12 to 15 ms below Log Houses which would measure on any map almost to Sand Cr. Measuring the other way -- west --he says left camp, evidently at mouth and Cr and marched 7 ms to lower end B. Ts. That would put the lower end just below Lamar, but Would make his location of the upper end too far up, if his dist of 24 ms length is cor. Latest distances -- May 14, 1917. Bent's Old Fort. Site is known. Purgatoire. Bent says 13 -- wrong. Bent's Ranch, 1/2 m. west of Purgat. and 100 yards s. of Ark. Boggs' ranch, 1 m. up purg. on w. bank, 1/2 m above Bent's. Upper end B. Ts and Red Shin's S Ground, 16 ms east of Purg -- Bent, May, 1917. ("10 to 12 ms" -- he said sev. yrs ago). On a map Bent puts Red Shin just opp. Caddo Cr. 13 1/4 ms below Purg according to Beckwith, which would be just opp. Caddoa Cr and seem exactly right. 15 ms Big Ts according to Bent only 5 ms long) Bent's New Fort, 22 ms to Purg -- Bent sev yrs ago. Cor On Wheeler map, Purg to B.s N. Fort 22 ms. New Ft. to Sand Cr 20 ms -- Bent sev yrs ago. (really about 17 or 18 ms.) "1 or 2 ms below Bif Timbers" wh are 5 ms long. "bottom of B. Ts. 5 ms west of B. s New Ft" –Bent May, 1917. Same repeated in sev letters. This statement of Bent worked out on the map amounts to this. Known site of Bent's New Ft to bottom of B. Ts f ms, would bring us to mout Mud Cr. B. Ts 5 ms long, would bring us just to mouth Purgatoire!! On Wheeler map B.s N. Ft is just 10 ms below here Beckwith puts upper end B. Ts. Apaches stone bluff, just opp New Frt and 4 ms below Muddy Cr -- ent w Beckwith and Gunnison, 1853: their information compared with distances on Geol. Survey maps. Bent's Old Fort. They say it was 15 ms above Purgatoire. That is exactly right on the Wheeler map, measuring along the old road. Also on the Guide Book Sheep 9. Also on the Las Animas Sheet Upper end B. Timbers. 12 ms above B.s trading-houses, here the sandstone bluffs approach the river; road above here passes over spurs; camped 10.26 ms above Upper end B.T.s and 3 below Pugatoire, making upper end 13 1/4 ms below Purgatoire. 13 1/4 ms below Purg. on Wheeler map road would be just opp. Caddo Cr, or a little above, allowing for bends in the road. Same on Guide Book Sheet 9-8. Same on the Las Animas-Lamar Sheets. On Lamar She the road is shown ascending the bluffs just opp. south Caddoa Cr. The Upper End B. T.s was therefore 13 1/4 ms below mouth Purgatoire and just opp. Caddoa Cr. This is correct on all my maps. Bent's Trading houses, 1852-3. "12 ms below upper end B. Ts." here the bluffs come quite to the river; "13 ms above lower end B.Ts". B.Ts "24 ms long". 12 ms below upper end B. Ts would be 3 ms below B.s New Ft on Wheeler map. Same on Lamar Sheet, where a big island is shown 3 ms below B.s New Fort, and the Bent trading houses would be just opp. the middle of this island. These trading houses were therefore abt 3 ms below New Fort and just midway btw Prowers and Lamar towns. Lower end Big Timbers, "24 ms below upper end"; "14 ms below B.s trading houses. On guide Book sheet 24 ms from Caddoa Cr would bring you to mouth Sand Cr, which would make dist wrong. On Lamar sheet 24 ms below Caddoa Cr would bring you below Ckay Cr and nearly to Sand Cr. Sand Cr. mouth, by road ond Granda and Lamar sheets is 2 plus 23 1/2 ms or 25 1/2 ms bwlo Caddoa Cr. That would make B. Ts start 1 and 1/2 ms west of Sand Cr. Lower end B. Ts were therefore somewhere btw Morse and Lamar -- measuring down river these dists given seem to point to Morse, but measuring up to Lamar as lower end. That makes a difference of 6 ms to be accounted for "14 ms below Bent's Bent's trading houses" would also bring you near to Sand Cr. There is not a word in the journal to tell whether they camped on Sand Cr or below or above it, p.27. Soft, argellaceous yellowish limestone 90 ms above Ft. Atkinson. That would be near Syracuse, where the guide book shows slaby crecaceous limestone all along bluffs. Yes this eckwith geologist descs the Greenhorn limestone just as the geol guide book does it at Kendall, just below Syracuse , p43; it is soft and chalky and weathers yellow. This would be Camp 25, "89 ms above Atkinson." 30 ms farther is a row of low hills of a harder gray limestone. That would be near Holy or Granada. Guide says the Timpas limestone appears in low bluffs n of Granda; below here into kansas the valley shows few rocks. This is a little above Camp 26 which was on a dry creek 24 ms above Camp 25. Holly on Wild Horse Cr is just 30 ms above Kendall. Beckwith and Gunnison. Jul 27 "A mile from camp we passed two or three log-houses, occupied as a trading station by Mr. Wm. Bent, during the past winter, but now left vacant, and, as yet, undestroyed by the Inds Here the bluff lands for a short dist come quite in to the river, and disclose sandstone in horiz.l strata, of a reddish, argillaceous character, which observed during the remander of the day on both banks of the riv. Thirteen ms brought us to the term.tn of the Big Timber, where the argillaceous sandstone hills again appr. the riv, and the road passes quite freq.ly over these sm spurs. The bottom of the riv at times quite disappeared, and was lightly covered with grass, or dest.te of it entirely, after leaving the timber. Our camp is on a very coarse grass, under a sandstone escarpment, in a large meadow bottom-- by far the poorest camp we have yet made." p 27-28 Jul 28. 3 ms from camp came opp. mouth Purgatoire, it enters Ark thro a large bttm well timbered, grass abundant. Encamped after marching 15 ms, 3 ms below Bent's Ft. Saw deer, antelope and turkeys today. No detail as to the character of country this day. p27 Jul 29. Between the cap and B.s Fot grass very abundant. Spent an hour hunting for ford at the fort, but "the excellent one which formerly existed here it (sic: misprint for near it) was found impracticable to cross, in the present statge of the water." River unusually high this spring. "Mr Bent aban.d his fort abt four yrs ago, but not until he had dest.d it. Its adobe walls still stand in part only, with here and there a tower and a chimney...There is an abundance of pasturage, fuel and building material in the neighborhood..." and it is only of the best sites for a post in the plains. Jul 29 cont: camped after 24 ms on "miserable grass --not being able, after hrs of search, to find better.. Indeed, during the day, after leaving the fort, we saw no good grass for this country even, on either bank of the river. p29. A few ms above the fort passed mouth of Timpas Cr. Most of this day the road lay over "the higher land, which is here consid.ble broken." A railraod should cros a few ms above B.s Fort and cross the angle to Huerfano -- that is to Apishapa? --They mistook Apishapa for Huerfano and only disc.d their mistake later. p29 Jul 30; the road again followed the high prairie for seven ms, then descended to the river bottom. here fine fields of corase grass in bottom. camped after 11 ms in a bend of the Ark with a river opp. which they supposed to be Huerfan, but turned out Apishapa. Next day found a ford in the northern bend of the Ark. 1/2 m west of camp. See table of camps and distances on UPPER ARK, p117. E n d .

Colorado--History--To 1876 -- Maps

Arkansas River -- History -- Maps

Bent's Fort (Colo.) – History -- Maps

Typewritten notes disputing locations, mileage and distances of forts and landmarks portrayed by a map of the Upper Arkansas region

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