Important events in the History of Fergus County

              Important Events in the History of Fergus County
1805 Captain Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition names the Judith River.
1846 Father P.J. De Smet holds council with the Indians on the Judith River.
1853 Lieutenant John Mullan crosses Judith Basin from Arrow Creek to Judith
Gap.
1869 Captain Clift, 13th infantry, U.S., crossed Judith Basin from Judith gap to
Carroll on Missouri River.
1873 Peter Koch located a trading post on Casino Creek in November and built
the first house in the Judith Basin.
1874 Capt. Williams, 7th U.S. Infantry crossed the Judith Basin with a military
escort from Judith Gap to Rocky ridge on the west.
1876 Reed and Bowles located a trading post at the present location of the
County Farm on Spring Creek.
1878 F.A. Janeaux established a trading post at Camp Lewis in the very center
of what is now the Lewistown business district.
1879 Reed moved to the Reedsfort site where a post office was established with
Major Reed as postmaster. This log cabin is still standing.
1880 Discovery of gold in Maiden gulch, also Maginnis Mine.
1880 Governor H.F. Brooks locates on Warm Spring Creek and with T.C. Power
organizes the Judith Cattle Co. known as the Horse Shoe Bar Ranch.
1880-01 James Fergus moves his cattle and horses to Armell's Creek from Lewis
and Clark County.
1880-01 Fort Maginnis was located and built, named after Major Martin Maginnis,
delegate to Congress, being a ten company post.
1880-01 Davis, Hauser and Stuart drive their large herd of cattle to northern
Fergus County, then Meagher Co, and locate their ranch four miles
northeast of Fort Maginnis, known as the D.H.S.
1883 The Mineral Argus publishes its first issue, August 9, 1883 at Maiden.
Fell and Vrooman publishers of the first Judith basin newspaper.
1884 July 4th , desperate gun battle on the Main Street of Lewistown and the
death of two notorious outlaws, Charles "Rattlesnake Jake" Owens and
Charles Fallon.