P a g e 4 G h o s t T o w n s a n d H i s t o r y o f M o n t a n a N e w s l e t t e r Creek overnight. The Montana Gold Rush was officially on, and the Daltons were among the earliest pioneers to arrive at the scene. This is a map drawn up by Captain James L. Fisk of his proposed routes into the gold fields of Montana. The First Fisk Wagon Expedition Reaches Fort Abercrombie The First Fisk Wagon Expedition set out from St. Paul on June 16, 1862, and celebrated the 4th of July at Fort Abercrombie, which was located along the banks of the Red River in today's eastern North Dakota. According to Fort Abercrombie records, the First Fisk Expedition contained a total of 117 men, 13 women, 53 wagons, 168 oxen, 17 cows, 13 saddle horses, 14 team horses and 8 mules upon reaching Fort Abercrombie. Upon entering Fort Abercrombie, all of the expedition members were required to sign in at the Fort Abercrombie Guardhouse. This guardhouse is the only original building still standing at the present day Fort Abercrombie State Park in North Dakota, and is the exact place where every person on the First Fisk Wagon Expedition had to step into to sign the register. Therefore, this spot is the only place on earth where I know exactly where my ancestors once stood. During my visit to Fort Abercrombie in 2015, I stepped into this historic one room log building, and stood exactly where the Daltons had stood in 1862. This was a very stirring moment to say the least. The helpful and knowledgeable staff of Fort Abercrombie State Park showed me the 1862 register where William (age 65), Clara (age 51), Matilda (age 18), Alvin (age 16), Orrin (age 13) and Margaret (age 3), were all listed as members of the Dalton Family. According to the Fort Abercrombie State Park staff, Captain Fisk borrowed a cannon from Fort Abercrombie, and Matilda Dalton recalled that Captain Fisk indeed used this cannon to ward off hostile Indians durThis is the Fort Abercrombie Guardhouse where the expedition members, including the Daltons, were required to sign the fort register on July 4th, 1862. I followed their exact footsteps into this building during the summer of 2015.
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