Mill ditch construction

              MILL DITCH CONSTRUCTION
Dec 19, 1971 newspaper
Deed to Mill Ditch - Dorm Jackson, long-time resident of the Lewistown
area, looks over the quit-claim deed to the mill ditch, which was issued April 6,
1891. The document states that "Robert G. Jackson and Amelia Jackson, his wife
of Lewistown, Fergus County, Montana parties of the first part," convey the
property to "Cyrus Stiles and William C. Waldorf, jointly and equally of
Lewistown, Fergus County Montana" for the sum of $500. The elder Jackson built
the mill ditch and the old flour mill in 1885-86.By Esther Hill
The modern machinery being used on the mill ditch project today is a far
cry from the equipment used to dig the ditch and build the headgates back in
1885-86.
At that time, the work had to be done with an oxen team, a big walking
plow and scrapers. The Fresno hadn't even been invented yet.
The ditch and the old flour mill were built by Dorm Jackson's father,
Robert George Jackson.
The Jacksons came to Lewistown form Bozeman in 1884. At that time a
man was building two flour mills in Bozeman and Jackson planned to build one
here.
Francis Janeaux had already settled in Lewistown.
He headed a group of Metis, who originated in Michigan, moved west to
Minnesota and then to the Turtle Mountains in North Dakota. In 1875 the buffalo
were thinning out, so Janeaux and his group came to Hays and Harlem for their
winter meat, buffalo, elk and antelope.
Cree Indians from Canada were in the United States and wanted to stay
here. The rebelled in 1875 and again in 1879, and were fighting U. S. soldiers on
the Milk River.
The Crees' were led by Louis Reil, a French-Candian who was hanged by
his government when he returned to Canada with the Crees.
The Metis, or half-breeds, who were able to buy arms and ammunition,
traded the weapons to the Crees. As a result the U. S. government gave the
Metis an ultimatum - either go back to North Dakota or south of the Missouri
River in Central Montana.
Janeaux, who was married to Pierre Lavendure's daughter led 52 of the
Metis to Lewistown. They each squatted on 161 acres here, but did not
homestead.
When the Jacksons came, Janeaux had plotted three 40 acres for the city.
One of these plots included the coulee, which was eroded, between Main Street
and the hospital site, the high cut bank where the flour mill was later built, and
on down to the present site of the fish pond.
Janeaux apparently thought this property might be hard to sell, so he
traded it to Jackson for six mares.
Frank Moshner had squatted on 160 acres on the hill eact of town. When
Jackson came here with his family, he paid Moshner $300 to relinquish this
acreage.
An 18' X 27' cabin was located on this land, and the remains of the cabin
are still there, just across the mill ditch from the Farmers Union Elevator. This
cabin, says Dorm Jackson is two years older that the Reed's Fort post Office.