The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1867-04-13
For the State Rights Democrat.
LECTURES BY REV. H. n. SpAOLDING
Early Oregon isslOHls...Thei Tsn.
pOrtance I'm securing the COuIl.
try 10 Americans.
INuMpEn sEvENTEEN.l

the arrival of the American Fur Company
yearly expedition, with their annual suppl,
of merchandise. IN selecting tho place
which was done by the resident mountain
partners--referenee was always bud TO suI
iciency Of grass for the thousands Of horses
Iand MULES, eongregatcd on atich occasions
belonging TO both the white and red men
also to timber suitable for foi.ting and hcay,
log pens for horses. S9netames 'tpierre'i
lIole"-a valley on the head waters OF th'
Missouri, some 30 miles long, and s wide
with the .tThree Teutons,n great land.inaFkl
for the country around, overlooking 1t from
the east--was selected as tho place Of ren'
ldeEvous and sometimes the Popiagi, O
branch Of the Big Horn, cast Of the Wind
River Mountains. This year the valley oi
Green River, a branch OF the Colorado, was
selected, well up under the Wind River
Mountains, about 100 miles south oi
'Pierro's lIole,n with these mountains
looking down upon us from the East, found
tby trappers to abound with small lakes from
one to five miles long, whose cool, limped
Iwatess, tnnibling In torrents through the
dark gorges, furnish the bead waters Of four
large rivers-the Platte and Yellow Stone
on the east, and the Snake, or Lewis, and
Colorado on the Vest. The Utah, or Bear
River, Mountains appeared like distant
white clouds in the southwest, with the sky
OF deeper blue than on the Atlantic side.
These Bear River Mountains constitute the
south eastern rim of.the ''Great Basin, ~
that great natural curiosity of North Amer.
Iica little continent, with its seas. rivers
and mountains, within continent. / shall
speak Of this hereafter.
The place was we'll selected, both on nc.
count of grass and timber. The mountain
men and free trappers, to the number Of 400
or 500, had already collected, and fort, a
trading house and large log pens were con-
strnctcd. Ten or twelve tribes, or parts of
tribes of Indians had collected in the valley
and were campcd in the vicinity. Three 9TH
er tribes arrived after we did. Some Of these
tribes were friendly with each other, and
with the whites; but others, such as the
Black Feet, the Crows, the Gross Huntars
and the Stone Indians, were hostile to all
others, and many of them to the whites ;--
consequently each band kept constant
guard out upon the point of every hill, to
watch their horses and prevent their neigh.
boring foe from pouneing suddenly upon
their camp. The whites doubled their watch
day and night
On tho third day the grand display, or re-
view, commenced A national salute was
given TO the whites by tho several nations.
The Blaekfoot tribe led off, and fairly won
the admiration of the whites by their war
equipments and fearfully painted horses
black aud yellow, or red aud white, accotd.
ing to the natural color Of the horse. Next
followed the Mex Perces and Flat Head
tribes, and received equal applause for their
mastery horsemanship, very natural sham
fights and thair national airs, consisting of q
few striking words oft repeated, but sung iri
plaintiye tone. in which they were joined BY
large band of young women, riding in an
extended column behind, their wonderfully
sweet voices, keeping most excellent time,
floating far through the air !; their dresses
proiuse with heavy bands of white and blue
cnt-giass beads, alternated with bands Of
"mother of pearla and aquoi shells, brill
liant in the sunbeams their saddles, rising
in front and behind-natural and important
supports--and their heavy cruppers and
breast bands ofthe finest blue or red scarlet
elaborately decorated and hung with hawk.
bells and steel.top thimbles, and fine bead
work. hung with phylacteries of elk teeth
and tin coils, produced n regular, loud, but
not harsh gingle, as their fiery steeds
pranced slowly along, seemingly uncon-
scious, not only Of their own fiery disposi
tons, but of their female riders. The scene,
altogether, remined one of the yearly gath.
erings of the Jews.
Several days were taken up with the re-
views Of one tribe after another. BY gener.
al consent each tribe s.was afforded sufficient
time and fair opportunity for their display.
Although there was some difference in the
equipments and songs of the different tribes,
the more hostile ones presenting the most
wild and furious spectacle, yet the general
order was the same. After silence had set
tied down for few minutes, the attention
would be suddenly called to a cavalcade of
horsemen coming in sight around point of
timber, or hill, and sweeping out upon the
plain, and moving forward in slow trot or
prance, presenting an extended and unbro
ken breast many columns deep; every
horseman. except the women, without sad
dies and riding upon mountain panther or
medicine wolf skin, thrown loosely over the
horse; 20 or 80 of the war chiefs and war
riors, upon their best horses, painted fear
fully, and some wearing buffalo horns and
bears claws, sweeping upon and down in
front of the long column, harranguing in a
loud and distinct voice. some of the tribe
nearly naked, with buffalo horns upon their
heads and silver fox skins at their heels
most of them. with buckskin shirts and
noccasins elaborately decorated with fine
beads and porcupine quills, and with full
grown white wolf or panther skins stream
ing full length in the air behind them, and
with wild war caps of eagle feathers, black,
with red tips, extending far behind-all
streaming and cleaning fearfully in the air
as these Jehus would sweep up and down,
now brandishing their spears, or muskets,
and bows, and now balancing them high
over their heads; now wheeling and cross
riding; now throwing themselves upon one
side of the horse, and wheeling and throw
ing themselves upon the other side, and
darting the spear under and before the horses
breast; and all accompanied by the constant
pounding of great number of Rocky Noun
tain gongs, or Indian drums, the terrific
screams Of number of whistles made of
the leg. bone of the grey eagle and sven,
the constant gingle of the medicine rattle
box, y and the heavy clang of hawk-bells, tin
coil, bear claws and human bones trimmed
with human scalps hanging upon every
horse--interrupted now and then by terrific
battle yell, rounding off in vibrating war
whoop, almost sufficient to curdle the blood in
our veins. In the center, and little in ad-
vance, is seen an aged and patriarchal one,
wearing an American coat and hat and bear
ing in one hand the American flag and in
the other an enormous calumet, or the great
pipe of peace.
At o sufficient distance the white men and
friendly tribes are gathered around, forming
three sides of the great ring, while the hos
tile tribes, in close squads, each under their
own strong guard, form the other side. As
the flag reaches within 20 rods of the Com
pany's great stone house, the old man stops;