The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1865-08-25

The Legend or Pyramid Lake.
The Pi-Utes living about Pyramid |
Lake have the following legend con-
corning the origin Of the Oregon.
Many hundred years ago, say they,
the country was barren but waste
of sand and rocks, on which no green
thing grew. The Pi-Utes then lived
on the shores of the lake and the
Truckee River, deriving their subss-
tence from the fish that filed both
lake and river, and the waterfowl
that frequented the borders of these
waters The Pi-Utes were then very
happy. But soon there came a race
of new beings-bad spirits, that made
war on the Pi-Utes, driving them from
the river and the shores of the lake
SO vigilantly did these bad spirits
guard the waters that it was seldom
the Indians could find an opportuni-
ty to approach the old fishing grounds.
At last there was famine among
them. Hundreds were dying daily,
and it seemed that soon oil must per-
ish. But at this critical juncture,
there came good spirit, beautiful
pale-faced lady, walking in the mists
of morning to the camps of the fam
ishing Indians. Approaching the
head men of the tribe, she gave into
their hands quantity of seeds, and
instructed them how to plant them.
These were the seeds of the pine-nut
tree. They followed the instructions
of the good spirit, and, as if by magic,
groves of nut-pines in full bearing
sprang up everywhere on the hills.
The bad spirits who desired the des-
/ truction of the Pi-Ute nation, seeing
themselves thus foiled, changed their
shape, and, appearing as snakes, bad
gers, wolves, and other animals, and
reptiles of all kinds, set themselves to
destroying the pine-nut orchards The
badgers, snakes, and many other ami
mails and reptiles burrowing into the
ground and attacked the fruit-bear-
ing trees at the roots, while the rest
waged a relentless war above the
ground upon the trunks and branches.
For long time this war ragged; the
bad spirits striving to destroy the
pine-orchards, and the Indians exert
ing themselves to the utmost to defend
them. AT last the bad spirits, finding
that the Indians defended their orch
ards with great stubborpness, deter
mined to make direct attack upon
the Pi-Utes and at once destroy
} them. For this purpose they resolved
| themselves into one body, assuming
the form of huge animal of fright
full appearance. This immense beast,
which the Indians call the Oregon,
charged upon the Pi-Utes, and at
tempted to trample them to death
At first the Indians were terribly
frightened, but finding the huge beast
slow and unwieldy, they mustered all
the warriors of the tribe, and boldly
attacked him. With frebrands and
arrows they at last succeeded in driv-
ing him into the lake. Here he re-
NAMED ever since. When heavy
storms raise the waters OF the lake in
to huge waves, the Indians say it is
old Oregon trying to get out AT
such times no Indian will venture
near the shores of the lake. The
middle of the lake is mostly fresh
, water, while that near tho shores is
strongly impregnated with salt and
: alkali In times of storms the rolling
! together and imperfect mingling OF
the black fresh water and the winter
salt pillows presented an appearance
not unlike the rearing, tossing, and
raging of some huge beast. Who
4 knows but the animal referred to in
this legend, the Oregon. may be
nothing more than a sort of mystified
tradition respecting the huge species
of the elephants known, by the fossil
e remains lately found, to have inhabit-
t ed this region ages ago.
CANNOT EscAPE.-James Buchanan