Fort Connah Rendezvous honors Joe McDonald

The 23rd annual Fort Connah Rendezvous was held Saturday and Sunday, June 15-16, at the historic fort north of St. Ignatius. Many of the participants came early and set up a fur-traders camp June 11-14, where they practiced old-time skills, including a muzzle-loading rifle shoot and knife- and tomahawk-throwing contests. 

The public portion of the Rendezvous opened at noon Saturday with the Great Scots Bagpipers, followed by members of the Fort Connah Restoration Society leading a riderless sorrel horse, symbolizing respect and mourning for Joe McDonald.

McDonald, a stalwart of the Fort Connah Restoration Society and descendant of Fort Connah founder Angus McDonald, passed away Dec. 14, 2023. The author, scholar, founder and President Emeritus of Salish Kootenai College, teacher, coach, and outstanding athlete was a community icon and all-around good guy.

After that solemn moment, the rendezvous continued as Joe probably would have wanted. The three flags – American, flying highest, Flathead Reservation, and Hudson Bay Company – were raised and ruffled in the stiff breeze. The drum Buckshot played, and Gen Huitt, Native singer and author, sang “Indian Pony” and other songs with Renee Bassett.

McDonald’s longtime friend and collaborator Bob Bigart spoke, as did Joe’s daughter, Tracy McDonald, who described Angus as “a tall, good-looking guy, charismatic, and he could sing and play the bagpipes like you’ve never seen.”

Angus had an affinity for languages, and learned many of those spoken by the Native people he encountered in his travels.

Tracy told a fun story about Angus’ great friend Chief Kilispu, who helped him pick the place for Fort Connah.

Chief Kilispu warned him, “Angus, you can’t build the fort next to the creek. The Blackfeet hide down there and kill people.” 

So Fort Connah was built in a field, although nearby Post Creek was used for water. 

After the speeches, the society served a buffalo barbecue with beans and biscuits, which smelled amazing and was reasonably priced. 

Fort Connah’s claim to fame is that it has the oldest standing building in Montana. It was planned by Neil McArthur, established in 1846 by McDonald for the Hudson Bay Company and completed in 1847. McDonald was accompanied by his wife, Catherine, a Nez Perce beauty, and the first two of their 12 children when they rode into Fort Connah.

The fort was established before the Jesuits arrived in 1854. It was named after a river in McDonald ‘s native Scotland called the River Connon, but Francois Finley had such a heck of a time saying it that it morphed into Connah.  

The rendezvous, replete with teepees, horses, wagons and traders' tents, and more contemporary cars and food trucks were all visible from the highway. The morning weather was decent, but a storm blew up in the afternoon after the opening ceremony. Campers had to tie down their tents before a drenching rain with a touch of hail blew sideways from the north, forcing spectators into the small log buildings cheek by jowl. 

Many visitors caught a lift in a van to the parking lot because the draft horses pulling the wagon were loaded up out of the storm. People braved the deluge to head for home, but everyone agreed it was a great experience and wanted to return next year.  

Fort Connah is approximately seven miles north of St. Ignatius, and thanks to the Fort Connah Restoration Society, there is a sign on U.S. Hwy. 93 letting drivers know where to turn.

The Restoration Society welcomes members to help with their ongoing efforts to preserve and enhance this important historical site. They recently rebuilt the fence around the cemetery, and have a lead on logs from a falling down cabin of Maggie Goode’s to construct a fourth building.

For more information, stop by Four Winds Trading Post or call 406-745-4336 or 406-210-9824. 

    A youngster in a buffalo coat and riding Mark Steele's buckskin stud carries in the Hudson Bay Company flag during the opening ceremonies at the Fort Connah Rendezvous on Saturday. (Berl Tiskus/Leader)
  

    The Great Scots Bagpipers march in the opening of the Fort Connah Rendezvous. (Berl Tiskus/Leader)
  

    The American flag and the Hudson Bay Company flag snap in the wind as the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation flag is raised. (Berl Tiskus/Leader)