Rocky Mountains. 247 



place between its signature, from which time it was binding 

 on them, and the payment of the first and second annuities, 

 which were not made till September 1811. The trading house 

 was kept up, and well supplied, until early in June 1813, at 

 which time the establishment .was, by order, broken up, and 

 has been discontinued ever since, contrary to the expecta- 

 tions, and entirely against the consent of the Osages, who 

 considered the trading house as the only benefit they had 

 acquired by the treaty. 



" No complaints have been made against the Osages, from 

 the signature of the treaty till after the trading house and 

 garrison were withdrawn from Fort Clark; since that time 

 a party of the Great Osages murdered one of our citizens; 

 and the murderers were promptly demanded, agreeably to 

 the treaty, by Governor Clark, and would have been surren- 

 dered, if Mr. Chouteau, who was sent after them, had per- 

 formed his duty. Several other important things are pro- 

 mised the Osages in the treaty; a mill; ploughs, and other in- 

 pkments of husbandry; a blacksmith to mend their guns, 

 ploughs, Sicc.; and block houses, to defend their towns. In 

 short they were induced to believe, that an establishment 

 was to be permanently kept up near their towns, which 

 should afford them a ready market at all times for their furs 

 and pelts, encourage and assist them in acquiring habits of 

 civilization, and protect them from their surrounding ene- 

 mies. A mill and one block house have been built at an 

 enormous expense; and a blacksmith has been fixed; all at 

 the town of the Great Osages. The mill I believe is of some 

 use to those few who are near it. The blacksmith, although 

 expensive to government, is not of the smallest service. The 

 block house is only useful to the traders, who sometimes go 

 to that village. 



" All of them would be extremely useful, if properly 

 placed, and taken care of, but detached as they are from the 

 agency, and unconnected with an establishment such as was 



