Old Missoula

The 4 Albert Brothers – Placide, Dennis, William & Alex – “Serious Trappers”

 

Has Them On The List (1897)

William Albert, a Mighty Trapper and Hunter.

Few who are not familiar with the kind and amount of game in Montana can form any conception of the game killed in a single year within the confines of the state. In fact, there are not many local hunters who have a fair knowledge of the same. The best information about game comes from the hunters and trappers who spend all their time in the mountains. Such men are not in town often, and when they do come they do not talk much for more than one reason. The list of game killed by Wm. Albert, a hunter in the clearwater mountains between Montana and Idaho, has been brought to the city by Rev. R. N. Sawyer, pastor of the Christian church, who spent several weeks in the mountains during the summer months.

Mr. Albert told the reverend gentleman that between October 1, 1895, and June 15, 1897, he killed the following game: Forty-two bears, 500 martins, 3 mountain lions, 16 elk, 4 moose, 14 deer, 13 lynx, 45 mink, 2 skunks, 11 fisher, 6 otter, 1 beaver, 1,000 salmon fish, and close on to 2,500 chicken (sic) as well as capturing two bald eagles. After killing all this, there was plenty of game left and will be for years to come. Mr. Albert remains in the mountains winter and summer, rarely coming out except for supplies and to bring out his furs for market to either Montana or Idaho points.

 

The above article appeared in the Daily Missoulian on September 1, 1897.

https://www.newspapers.com/image/349069554/?terms=moose%2Bhunting

 

Trappers (Article From – “Frenchtown Valley Footprints”)

An April, 1878 Missoulian article mentioned that Colonel E. A. Poe, who came with General Sherman last summer, said that the fur trade was still lingering in Frenchtown. The Colonel had apparently been shown a good quantity of furs in the Demers store.

Although Frenchtown’s earliest settlers had been French fur trappers and traders, mention of continued fur activity in the area is extremely rare. Only the Albert Brothers – Alex, Dennis, William and Placid – are remembered as serious trappers. According to Elmer Poitras, they were from Green River Quebec, and came as far as Logan, Montana by railroad and then by wagon to Frenchtown sometime in the late 1870’s. William, and his wife, Mary, at first lived in the gulch near what is now the Port of Entry, and soon all the brothers lived in the two gulches in that area, and worked for the railroad on the Marant trestle and the O’Keefe trestle. Because of their trapping interests, all four brothers settled along the rivers with their large families. Placid was east of Frenchtown near the Dussaults’ while William was two miles west of Frenchtown. Each had his trapping territories, and several place names indicate that the Alberts left their mark. Placid trapped in the Placid Lake country, Alex near Alberton, Dennis in the area from Missoula almost to Alberton, and William at Lolo Creek and Packer’s meadow. Albert Point is located about five miles south of Huson, while Albert Creek flows into the Clark Fork about three miles southeast of Frenchtown.

Dan Longpre remembers the Alberts well, and recalls that Alex stayed in the mountains and trapped marten, fisher, and weasel, while Bill trapped the rivers for beaver and mink, then went to the Lochsa in September for bear hides, which paid $25 – 40. “When they didn’t have enough traps, they made ‘dead-falls.’ It was cruel, but it broke the bear’s back right away.” Dan continues, “. . . old Bill Albert . . . had a house with a large attic – and all their pelts was hung in there on a wire, from up above – one on top of the other . . . flat. . . they would have made a fortune today . . . and I remember those things were always moving, and I was kind of scared, I was little you know, . . . those hides were rolling on that wet wire; big long string – marten . . . I don’t know how many!”

Elmer Poitras, grandson of William Albert, remembered a bunkhouse in which furs lined all sides, and where, “. . . years later, when you lit a fire, you’d still smell those furs.” The Albert Brothers accumulated furs until one of the fur companies, such as the Hudson Bay Company, would come through the area to buy.

Both Elmer and Dan were also impressed by the Alberts’ skill at spear fishing, which was done at night. Elmer relates, “They’d take a stick about six feet long and about 4 inches in diameter and they would tie wire around it and make it so they could put pitch sticks in the center of that wire, set it afire and tie that to the front end of their boat. One man would stay there with a spear and another man in the back paddled around very slowly. The fish would gather underneath that light and they would spear them. . . They learned it from their father. As I understand it, they used to fish that way in the St. Laurence River . . . In those days there was no limit on whitefish that were in that slough and they would come home with 100 – 125 fish. They would smoke them and sell them. We had so much smoked fish at the ranch that we didn’t want to eat it anymore.

[At this point in the article a sketch of a spear appears with the following description: “The Albert Brothers made spears like this, using parts of the old bear traps.” (Sketch by Dan Longpre).]

The second generation of Alberts were also trappers. Philip Cyr said, “I learned to trap beaver from the Alberts, Louis and Victor. I won’t tell you how ‘cause it’s an old trapper’s secret. I wanted to trap beaver because they caused lots of problems. They would burrow into the fields about ten feet out from the slough, and one year while I was combining, the field caved in! It took me almost a whole day to get that combine out! Beaver dams would flood the fields and sometimes calves would fall into the beaver dens. In those days the Fish and Game Department gave you a permit to trap only so many beavers, and you had to trap on your own land. A good ‘blanket’ was worth $50 so it was a good source of extra money. I trapped a few muskrats too, but their pelts were only worth a little more than a dollar. Trapping was hard work! It took hours to clean and scrape a pelt!”

Pete Bisson trapped muskrats and weasels just to pass the time. Other local trappers included Edgar and Tom Scheffer, Joe Boyer III and his son Joe IV, and Bud and Archie Grover, who according to Dan Longpre, made enough money trapping to put themselves through college.

 

A postscript below this article, by Karen (Michaud) Hoy, notes the above information is from “Frenchtown Valley Footprints” by the Frenchtown Historical Society.

 

Albert Brothers

Wikitree gives the following summary of the Frenchtown Albert family:

Parents: Louison and Selice (Marie-Celeste Martin) Albert – Birthplace New Brunswick, Can.

Children:

Placide Albert – born 1842, died in Missoula in 1924. Wife Febrenie Gagnon – Obituary – survived by 6 children.

Dennis Albert – born 1844 in Maine, died in Missoula in 1928. Wife Anna Gagnon – 8 children.

William Benoni (Benoni) Albert – born 1846 in New Brunswick, Can. – died in Frenchtown in 1909 – Wife Marie-Mathilde Vaillencourt – Obituary – 10 children.

Alexis J. (Alex) Albert – born 1851 in New Brunswick, Can. – died in Alberton, Mt. in 1916 – Wife Marie Melvina Gandreau – 9 known children – see Wikitree

Three sisters of the above Albert brothers do not appear to have ever lived in Montana.

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Albert-1505

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Albert-1506

 

The origin of Alberton’s name is a controversial subject. Some sources attribute the name to the Railroad executive, Albert J. Earling. There appears to be no newspaper record of the townsite ‘Alberton’, prior to the arrival of the Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railroad crew in 1908. An article on this subject appeared in The Missoulian on June 30, 2008. See the link this article below:

https://www.newspapers.com/image/349191421/

 

Another serious trapper, Absalom Albert, was a son of William Albert. He was tragically killed while trapping in Idaho in 1929.

 

Absalom Albert, Frenchtown, Dies From His Wounds (1929)

Victim of Accident in Clearwater Forest, Where He Was Hunting.

Absalom Albert, aged 40 years, a resident of the Frenchtown district, was accidently shot and killed in the Clearwater district of Idaho, according to word received in Missoula last night. The only word received here was that with another man he had been hunting and trapping in the Clearwater river country and had been the victim of an accident.

J. B. Poitras of Frenchtown, a brother-in-law, left there last night for Superior to join a party that will go into the mountains to bring the body out. It will be brought to Missoula. It is said that the body will be brought out over a mountain trail through which the snow is deep.

Albert, it was said here last night, was born at Frenchtown and was a son of William Albert, early day resident of that district. It is said that he usually followed ranch work in summer and hunting and trapping throughout the winter.

 

The above article appeared in The Daily Missoulian on February 6, 1929.

https://www.newspapers.com/image/348711515/?terms=William%2BAlbert

 

Absalom body recovered – 1929

Body of Absalom Albert Recovered

Found After Group of Ten Men Had Dug for Five Days in Slide.

Wallace, Idaho, Feb 22. – (AP) –

The body or Absalom Albert, Frenchtown Mont., trapper, who was caught under a snowslide in the upper Clearwater country, east of here, January 31, was found by searchers today, word received here said.

The rescue party of 10 men left Superior, Mont., 10 days ago and dug for five days before the body was found under 15 feet of snow in Niagara creek bottom. Because of heavy snows it was believed here that no effort to bring the body out would be made, until spring.

Three Weeks Elapse.

Three weeks after he lost his life in a snowslide in the rough mountain country of the North fork of the Clearwater river in Idaho, the body of Absalom Albert has been found. Albert lost his life in the snowslide a half mile from his camp January 31.

Arrangements are being made to bring the body out of the wilderness. The body is to be brought to the Forkenbrock undertaking place here. The body was recovered after five days of shoveling by the three members of a searching party, who went into the country after the news was brought out.

Caught In Slide.

Albert, a native of the Frenchtown valley, went into the hills with Ralph Henderson of Superior for a winter of hunting and trapping. On the morning of January 31, Albert started out to visit their trap lines, but never returned. The following morning Henderson started out in search of his partner and a quarter of a mile from their camp found where the tracks of Albert disappeared under a snow bank, where a slide had occurred. As the tracks did not come out the opposite side of the slide, Henderson gave his partner up for lost and walked out to Superior, where he brought the word of the disaster.

Henderson was a member of the searching party composed of Clayton McBride of Superior and Vincent Albert, brother of the dead man, who went to recover the body. They found it buried under a mountain of snow 18 feet wide and 20 feet deep. The body was placed in a box and left at the cabin, so that a larger party of men could bring it out of the mountains. News of the tragedy of the hills did not reach the outside world until Henderson arrived at Superior February 6. However, the party that started in to recover the body did not leave Superior until last week.

 

The above article appeared in The Daily Missoulian on February 23, 1929.

https://www.newspapers.com/image/348712591/?terms=albert%2Bfrenchtown

 

Alex Albert’s Snake Story – 1908

Five Feet of Snake in His Tank

Alex Albert Tells a Story and Submits the Serpent in Full Proof.

“Where is your crack reporter?” asked a man who entered the business office of The Missoulian yesterday afternoon, carrying a red pasteboard box.

The man at the counter said that the crack reporter had been sent up to interview President Elliott of the Northern Pacific and asked if there was not somebody else who would do.

“Well, I want a good job,” said the man with a box, “but, maybe you’ll do.”

And, with that, he proceeded to relate a story that, before he had finished, had the cold chills running up and down the back of the man at the counter; the office boy’s eyes stuck out till they could with difficulty be restrained in their sockets; the janitor ran for the alley and has not been seen since.

“My name,” said the man with the box, “is Alex Albert. I have lived more than 20 years in this country; many people know me. For three years I have been staying most of the time in the city, getting medicine and surgeons for my sickness. I have been very sick. In my stomach there has been a bad feeling all the time and the doctors, they have given me much medicine; they made me feel better, but they have not made me well.

“A few weeks ago, I felt better and I went out to Brown’s[1] spur to work. I had some medicine that the doctor give me and I took that. But I don’t get much better out at the spur and today in the morning I start to drive in to town to see the doctors and get some more medicine or else get some more surgeons.

“I wish your good reporter was here. I want a good piece in the paper how I got well. That’s a great story; how I got well. I am coming to town this morning and when I get to the bridge at Cyr spur, I have another bad feeling in my stomach. Then I am cough and cough again. That time I cough up something from my stomach that make me well.”

“What did you cough up?” asked the man at the desk. A second afterward he wished he hadn’t, for the man opened the red box and shoved it under the nose of the man at the desk. Coiled in the box were five feet of snake – long, slimy, sinuous, ugly snake – bull snake it was, but it didn’t look good.

“Yes, sir,” continued Mr. Albert, “I coughed up that snake and I want you to put a good piece in the paper. Where is that crack reporter? He’s the man that ought to have this story. But you tell him and tell him to do it good.

“You know I have been an infidel all these years. Now I expect I get to be a pretty good Christian with that out of me. Don’t you think that ought to make a Christian out of a man?”

Then he took the snake out of the box and stretched it out on the counter. He wanted it measured so that he could know just how much snake he had coughed up. The bookkeeper got a yard stick and started to apply it to the serpent. But he stopped.

“The darned thing’s alive,” he exclaimed.

And, sure enough, the tail wriggled and the ugly, flat head raised. Mr. Albert made a few passes at the creature and it lifted its head higher and opened its mouth. The he made some more passes, and the snake calmed down and stretched out on the counter, which was so smooth that he couldn’t crawl.

Measured the snake was 56 inches long. It is no wonder that Mr. Albert feels like a Christian and that he has a better appetite than he had two days ago. It must be a great relief to get something like that off one’s stomach.

Albert stood pat on his story that he coughed up the snake. There was one man in the office who didn’t quite believe it, but Albert would have nothing to do with him. He turned his attention to the more sympathetic man whom he had addressed first. And to him he repeated the story, showing the snake again and twining it affectionately about his neck. He almost lost the sympathy of his hearer by that performance. The snake was put away just in time.

Albert says that Dr. Smith has been treating him and says that the doctor will vouch for the correctness of the story. This, however, Dr. Smith would not do last night, when he was asked about the case. Dr. Smith would not express an opinion in the matter. He said he had been treating Albert for some time and that Albert came to town yesterday morning with the snake and the story of having coughed it up.

“I never heard of just such a thing with just such a snake,” said Dr. Smith, “but Mr. Albert is very positive. He is certain of the details of his story and that is all I know about it. He told it to me as you say he told it to you.”

Albert is certainly positive in his recounting of details.

“Why,” said he, “I just coughed and I felt the head sticking out of my mouth. I took hold of it with my hand and pulled out the rest. You can see the snake. There it is. That is proof. Now you put piece in the paper. I was an infidel and now I will be a good Christian.”

 

The above story appeared in The Daily Missoulian on May 7, 1908.

 

Evidently, there has been documented instances of tapeworms the size of Alex’s Bull snake.

https://www.newspapers.com/image/349236635/?terms=%22brown%2Bspur%22