Early Sketch of Macohmet Bluff
Posted in 1830-1839, Images on March 9th, 2007 by – Be the first to commentby Allan Tooley
This is an interesting little historical mystery. It’s the first known artistic representation of Macohmet Bluff in present-day McKinley. The notation references a Mr. Berger and the date 1830. In 1830 or 1831, a seasoned trapper by the name of Jacob Berger was dispatched by the American Fur Company to attempt to open trade relations with the Blackfeet. He set out from Fort Union with three companions, and returned some time later with a trade delegation from the Blackfeet nation. Negotiations ensued and a trading post was set up at the mouth of the Marias River. Berger reported that it had taken him some time to find any Blackfeet camps, so this sketch could have been made by one of his men during that time, but it hadn’t previously been thought that his expedition penetrated that far into Blackfeet lands.
Here’s the sketch. Click on it to see a larger version.
