Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1865-10-20
The Legend Of Pyramid Lake.


The Pi-Utes living about Pyramid
Lake have the following legend con-
cerning the origin of the Oregon.
Many hundred years ago, they say
the country was barren-but waste
of sand and rocks, on which no green
thing grew. The Pi-Utes then liv-
ed on the shore of the lake and the
Truckee River, deriving their SUBJ
sistence from the fish that filed
both lake and river, and the water
fowl that frequented the borders of
these waters. The Pi-Utes were
then very happy. But soon tilurc.
came race of new beings-bad spir-
its, that made war on the P..-Utes,
driving them from the river and the
shores Of the lake. So vigilantly
did these bad spirits guard the wa
ters that it was seldom the Indians
could find an opportunity to approach
the old fishing grounds. A t last
there was a famine among them
Hundreds were dying daily, and it
seemed that soon all must perish
But at this critical juncture, there
came good spirit, a beautiful pale
faced lady, walking in the mists of
morning to the camps Of the famished
Indians. Approaching the head men
of the tribe, she gave into their
hands some 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 sprang up every
where on the hills. The bad spir-
its who desired the destruction Of
the Pi-Ute nation, seeing themselves
thus foiled, changed their shape, and
appearingas snakes, badgers, wolves
and other animals, and reptiles of
all kinds, set themselves to Destroy,
ing the pine-nut orchards. The bad
gers, snakes and many other reptiles
burrowing into the ground and at
tacking the fruit-trees at the roots,
while the rest waged a relentless
war above the ground upon the trunk
and branches. For a long time this
war ragged; the bad spirits striving
TO destroy the pine-orchards, and
the Indians exerting themselves to-
the utmost to defend them. AT last
the bad spirits, finding that the In
dians defended their orchards with
great stubbornness, determined to
make a direct attack upon the Pi-
Utes aud at once destroy them
For this purpose they resolved them-
selves into one body, assuming the
form Of huge animal of frightful
appearance.
This immense beast, which the
Indians call the Oregon, charged
upon the Pi-Utes, and attempted to
trample them to death. At first the
Indians were terribly frightened, but
finding the huge beast slow and un-
wieldy, they mustered all the war
riors Of the tribe, and boldly attack
ed him. With frebrands and arrows
they at last succeeded in driving him
into the lake. Here he remained
ever since. When heavy storms
raise the waters of the lake into
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 the shores is
strongly impregnated with salt and
alkali. In times ofstorms the rolling
together and imperfect mingling of
the black fresh water and the whittier
salt billows present an appearance
not unlike the roaring, tossing, and
raging of some huge beast. Who
knows but the animal referred to in
this legend, the Oregon, may be
more than sort of mystified
tradition respecting the huge species
of the elephants known, by the fossil
lately found, to have inhab-
tied this region ages ago.