Show Fifty Famous Frontiersmen By ELMO SCOTT W WATSON ATSON The King KinZ of the Missouri as the Missouri river aver Is la an aD American stream the man who was hailed hal for far and wide as The King of or orthe the he Missouri should have hue been either as an in Indian chieftain or an American But Dut he wasn't Ue He was a ft Scotchman of ot distinguished birth an officer In the British army daring the War ar of ot 1812 a and nd a relative of ot the famous ramous British e explorer Sir Alexander Mackenzie Kenneth Mackenzie vaa as os has name and both his ancestry and his personal c characteristics had something to do with bl his hie of ot assumption kingship In Inthe Inthe inthe the American fur tur trade trad tie lie served seed his i ft apprenticeship In the old Northwest Northwest Northwest North North- west Fur company which after a bitter bitter bit bit- ter struggle was merged with the older old older er Hudsons Hudson's Bay Day company When that happened Mackenzie lost his job only to become an associate and the ablest one with Joseph Renville In Iu the Columbia Co Co- Columbia lumbia Fur company whose success with the Indians In the Northwest forced John Jacob Astor head of ot the American Fur company to buy bay out oot Mackenzie and Then Mackenzie enlisted under the A. A F. F C C. banner and quickly rose role to leadership In 1820 1320 be he built Fort Union at the mouth of ot the Yellowstone on the Missouri It was to be his Job to develop the fur tur trade In a region which the traders from St St. Louis Louts after after after aft aft- er efforts lasting 20 years lears had failed tailed to exploit hut Dot Mackenzie did It Ue lIe opened trade relations with the hostile hostile hos hos- tile and In 1831 made a treaty between them their hereditary enemies the and his hll company which stands landa as one ODe of the most remarkable exploits In the record of ot the relations of ot red men men nen and sad white From his bis headquarters at Fort Union he ruled with an Iron hand over an empire larger than many a European European Euro Euro- uro- uro peas principality Noted for tor his bis hospitality hospitality hos hOI he was particular as ai to who should sit down at his table lable with him Cl Clad d In full tull dress uniform he dined In formal state slate waited on by bl a full staff talT of ot a servants servants a feudal baron reigning In the wilderness But Dut one of ot the things which made him so successful as agent for tor the A. A F F. F O O. brought about his down downfall tall He De had always freely treely dispensed liquor to the Indians to help his trading op op- When the United States go government government gov gov- I shut shot down on that In 1832 II It marked the beginning of ot the end of ot the kings usefulness A year or so later Mackenzie sold out his bis Interest In to the American Fur For company retired to St St. Louis where he be entered the wholesale sale liquor business and there he died April 20 26 1861 1801 a forgotten fig figg ure are of or the days when beaver bearer was king and he was a monarch n n the kingdom of ot beaver bearer The Duke of Cimarron titles of ot nobility have bare bareno no place In our democratic form torm of ot government sometimes Americans by common consent confer upon some outstanding person such a title litle even eren though It Is s not officially recognized This Is the story of ot such a person ol ot Lucian B. B Maxwell the Illinois and Missouri farm tarm boy and wandering trapper r who ho became the Duke ol ot Cimarron Born Dorn In Kaskaskia m. m he be accompanied accompanied accompanied nied his parents across the Mississippi river Into Missouri while still sUIl a boyAt boy At Arrow Rock flock on the Missouri Missouri then the eastern terminus of ot the Santa Fe trail the boy saw law the great wagon trains depart for tor the New Mexican capital and his bis Imagination was fired red by the tales of ot the riches to be found In the Southwest Thither he be went In 1841 but the hoped for wealth did not come to fo him Immediately lie He was first a trapper then a hunter bunter hunt bunt er then a guide for tor General Fremont on one of ot his expeditions to California The turn In n his fortunes came In 1844 when he married Juanita Beaubien Beau Deau- bien blen the daughter of at Charles Beau Beau- au bien blen a French-Canadian French who had gone gonen to Taos In 1827 as agent with lupe Miranda for the American Fur company In return for tor services flen to the Mexican government Miranda and were given a large grant 9 of t land In northeastern New Mexico but soon afterwards Miranda sold his bis share to who soon became known Tn as Don Carlos Beaubien After Atler Maxwells Maxwell's marriage to JuanIta Juanits Juan Juan- Ita its Don Carlos made the young American Amerlean Amer Amer- Ican lean manager of ot his bis great ranch and after atter Beaubien's death M Maxwell bought bough out the other heirs and changed the name of ot the estate to the Maxwell Maxwel Grant It stretched along the Cimarron ron river for tor a distance of ot CO W miles and comprised over a quarter of ot a milLion mil mil- Lion HOD acres crea On It he be built a huge low rambling house bouse and other structures Here lIere he lived like a feudal baron dispensing lavish hospitality to all ell who came that way way army array officers Indian chiefs explorers trappers traders and lad settlers RUlers In his bis retinue of ot retainers were hundreds of ot white men cans Indians and half breeds tending his hi flocks and herds For awhile the thi Doke Duke of vt Cimarron prospered then his spendthrift ways began to erish him Out Bat the discovery of ot gold golc goldon on his bis land brought a new prosperity and a new era of ot extravagant living Again his fortunes began to decline and he be decided to sell his estate Sen Senator Senator ator Chaffee of or Colorado and Wilson bought It for tor Maxwell then went to Las Vegas am and there the Duke Doke of ot Cimarron died In 1875 with virtually nothing left of ot the vast fortune that had bad once been his hla C Co H. H Western N Union I |