Real West – True Tales of the American Frontier
Nov. 1970 Issue
RE: Judith River basin, Montana 1881
“Just a mile below the crossing, at the foot of Claggett Hill, is a lonely grave. A sandstone marker tells it’s brief story
MAT DUNCAN
Killed by Indians
April 2, 1881
Age 21 years
Res. N.Y.C.
"It seems the young Duncan, a surveyor or surveyor’s helper, while pursuing his vocation, was ambushed and shot to death by a passing band of River Crows. Robbery may have been their motive or it could have been the whiskey-inspired act of some young braves. Duncan’s partner escaped injury and after the marauders had departed he buried the young man where he fell. He neatly carved the headstone that remains today.“
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Another account.
Per George D. Mueller as told to him by his father Oscar O. Mueller (authority on local history).
“About a mile south of the present P-N buildings, at the foot of Clagett hill, lies the lonely grave of Mat Duncan. Duncan was a 21-year-old boy from New York City who was working at the sight of Clagett. A band of renegade Indians were up on the bluffs, daring the white settlers and this young city boy against the advice of his elders approached them and was shot and killed. It was a long shot, from where the Indians were located. They buried him there and put a neatly carved headstone with the following inscription: Mat Duncan Killed by Indians April 2, 1881 RES. N.Y.C The stone has now been removed as the grave is now unfenced and cattle graze in this area.”
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Yet another account
Montana History Weekends:52 Adventures in History
"To the East of the road near the base of Claggett Hill is the fenced headstone and grave of Mat Duncan, a young man from New York who wandered off and was killed by Indians here in 1881."
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This would have been the general time frame the GLO would be in there surveying. I wonder if there are any field notes that describe what happened? He is buried within a couple hundred feet of a section corner. There is a small hill located several hundred feet from where he was buried, where Indians may have sneaked up behind him.
120 years from now, when people start wondering about the headstone that reads "Here Lies Iamudigger" found in the wasteland of Northwestern California, to what scenarios will their speculations run?
Some oldtimers say he took a bad fall out of a second story bedroom window when he was surprised by the unexpected arrival of the master of the house.
Others say he fell victim to an unruly and angry group of bar room pool shooters who felt they had been taken advantage of.
He may have been a surveyor who succumbed to one of the many hazards of his perilous profession.
All we know for sure is that he died too soon:-(
Oh, and also, he damn sure was not from New York City.:-)
Don
Your story reminds me of the couple having a tryst when the husband was heard entering in the hallway.
"Jump out the window!" said the woman.
"Are you kidding? We're on the thirteenth floor!" he said.
"This is no time to be superstitious!" she screamed.
Ok...jump out the window jokes..
I knew a "not-so-faithful" fella that told me after hearing a car door slam he made it up out of bed and half-way out the window...before he realized he was in his own bed.
wait for it....
What really screwed him up was when the car door slammed, his wife sat up in bed and hollered, "Oh my God, it's my husband!"
:pinch: (insert rim-shot)
"Some oldtimers say he took a bad fall out of a second story bedroom window when he was surprised by the unexpected arrival of the master of the house."
My theory is that if I'm over 80 at the time I will have lived a mighty fine life. I mean, really, if you're over 80 and still worried about jealous husbands coming home early.........
(Just now Jim Frame's post about the 1881 Yolo Baseline is right above this one ... young Master Duncan died the same year the Yolo Baseline was being measured out in California.)
I found what must be his grave on Google Earth - just a little southeast of the NW corner of Sec. 36, T23N R16E at the north end of Clagget Hill, identified as "Grave (Historical)":
The GLO plat for this portion of T23N R16E was surveyed in 1884 however, 3 years after Duncan went to his reward:
It was just a partial survey of the portion of the township lying southerly and easterly of the Missouri River:
Of note is that the 1884 plat notes graves (plural) at this location:
I'm not familiar with the Montana BLM on-line records and didn't find the field notes to see if the 1884 crew made reference to the occupants of the graves. This doesn't rule out Duncan being a GLO surveyor I suppose. I've heard tale of work being abandoned due to vehement protests by the locals, so that may be the case.
Interesting story, I hope someone can find out more about the survey side of it.
Here is a link to the 1884 GLO Plat
I have read accounts of multiple markers being placed at a single grave. One was a head stone with the typical information, then another at the feet, inscribed "feet".
I don't know if this was a tradition brought from another country, but it doesn't seem to have been adopted.
