In the early 1920s a group of Charles M. Russell’s closest friends in Great Falls, Montana, were partners in the Montana Newspaper Association, a venture that published advertising supplements in the state’s daily newspapers. They hit upon the idea to publish a series of entertaining stories chronicling the history of the Old West, and they prevailed on Russell to provide pen-and-ink illustrations for each one. These stories appeared nearly every Sunday for a year, from March 5, 1922, through February 18, 1923. Nearly all of Montana’s 170 newspapers carried this popular series. For his part, Russell was glad to participate; he loved the history of the American West, avidly reading many books on the subject. Today these wonderfully narrative drawings stand apart from the articles they once accompanied. The original ink drawing pictured here was originally in the estate of the artist’s widow, Nancy C. Russell. It is part of a group that constitutes the largest selection of them to be found anywhere—almost half the number that the artist eventually produced for the series. In each of them, Russell’s fluid and dextrous lines create a vivid picture of truly historic events—elevating them to the power of epic and myth. Among the trailblazers to extend the influence of New France westward, Pierre Esprit Radisson was one of the foremost. In 1659 he became one of the first white men to see the Mississippi River and to encounter many of the Indian tribes of the Upper Missouri. He built a post near where the city of Duluth now stands, the earliest outpost in the Old Northwest. He eventually returned to Quebec in triumph with a fleet of canoes laden with furs, accompanied by Indian warriors anxious to see the French settlements. However, the successful activities of Radisson and others quickly drew the attention of the British, who also began to recognize the areas potential riches. Radisson was among others who urged the British to use Hudson’s Bay as an outlet for the furs they were gathering, rather than the St. Lawrence River, where the French held sway. As a result, the Hudson’s Bay Company was founded in 1668 to handle the trade.