Joseph "Joe" Raven Quiver Kipp was born on November 29th, 1849, along the Heart River in what is now North Dakota. Joseph was born to a Columbia and American Fur Companies on the Upper Missouri River fur trader named James Kipp and Marita "Mary" Earth Woman Garno (Garneaux) Kipp, who was Mandan. Joseph followed in his father's footsteps and became a fur trader with the American Fur Company, working at Fort Union in 1857 and then at Fort Benton from 1862 to 1864. In 1870, Kipp was working as a guide for the U.S. Army during the Marias Massacre (aka Baker Massacre). Kipp later testified that he had warned General Baker that he was approaching the wrong Piegan (now Blackfeet, Siksika, or Piikunii) camp, but Baker disregarded him. In the aftermath, Kipp adopted three of Heavy Runner's orphaned children: Spear Woman (Emma Miller), Last Gun (Dick Kipp), and Comes With Rattles (William Upham). His first wife, Double Strike Woman, had also survived the massacre. Joseph married Margurite "Maggie" Blackweasel Mountain Chief (Neat-A-Sin-Ne) Gobert Kennerly on March 17, 1911. Kipp passed away in Browning, Montana, on December 12, 1913, and was buried in Saint Michaels Cemetery.
Colonel Guido Joseph Julius Ilges was born in Germany in 1834. He served with Company E of the 14th U. S. Infantry during the Civil War and then continued in the Army of the Frontier. Rising in rank from Captain to Colonel over the course of his more than twenty year military career, he served and later commanded posts throughout the U. S. West including Camp Grant, Arizona Territory and Fort Benton Military District, Fort Keogh, Camp Poplar River, and Fort Assiniboine in Montana Territory. He commaneded several companies that pursued the Nimiipuu (Nez Perce) during the 1877 Flight of the Nez Perce. Following financial difficulties, he was court martialed for depositing duplicate pay, and was dismissed from the Army on October 31, 1883. He spent some time on a speaking tour about his service during the Indian Wars before settling in Cincinatti, Ohio. Ilges died in Cincinatti on January 14, 1918, and was buried in Walnut Hill Cemetery.
The Joseph Kipp Letter to Colonel Guido Ilges, was written from Fort Conrad, Montana Territory (near present day Shelby, Montana), on April 22, 1883, and details the dire condition of the Piegan (now Blackfeet, Siksika, or Piikuni), urging immediate action be taken to prevent starvation. Having already contacted General Ruger about his concerns, Kipp writes to Ilges, Post Commander of Fort Assiniboine (near present day Havre, Montana), and notes that with everyone's attention directed towards the actions of the Cree, no one was noticing the Piegans killing cattle off the reservation to stave off starvation. The letter also states Kipp's opinin that an immediate presence of troops in the area would be better than a scouting party, and suggests a permanent camp of cavalry.
This collection is open for research.
The Letter to Colonel Guido Ilges, April 22, 1883 was donated to Montana State University by Harry Cookrum from Bozeman, Montana, in 1970.
This collection was processed 2018 June 19
[Creator Name], [Date of Creation], [Brief Description of Object], Folder [#], Box [#], [Collection Name], [Collection #], Montana State University (MSU) Library, Bozeman, MT