The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1878-06-13
A LEGEND OF PAWNEE ROCK.
By COL. H. INNIAN.

LEGEND OF PAWNEE ROCK.
By COL. H. INMAN.
~Pawnee Rock" a short distance from
the Great Bend" Of the Arkansas in this
State, is classic spot in the Indian history
of that portion Of the Plains. Its rugged
mass of brown sandstone throws a deep
shadow almost immediately over the
broad trail that for hundreds Of years was
the highway Of all the tribes on their peri
odical hunts to the favorite feeding grounds
OF the buffalo, southwark across the Cana
dian, and to the north far beyond the
Smoky Hill. Under the gloom, too, OF its
eraggy and rough hewn face, that great
international highway-now merely mem-
ry-the Santa Fe trail, passed.
In early Fall, when the Rock" is wrap
ped in the soft amber haze, a distinguished
characteristic OF the delightful Indian
Summer on the Central Plains; or in the
nascent Spring, when the mirage weaves
its mysterious and weird-like shapes, it
looms up in the land scape like huge
the prairie, it appears as if it were part OF
well defined range. But when the frost
comes and the mist is dispelled, and when
the thin fringe Of timber on the Walnut, a
few miles away, has doffed its emerald
mantle and the grass has grown yellow
and rusty, then in the golden sunlight OF
early winter the Rock sinks down to its
natural proportions, and cuts the clear blue
of the sky with sharply marked lines. If
this sentinel OF the Plains could speak,
what a story it could tell Of the events that
nave happened on the beautiful prairie
stretching out for miles at its feet.
All over its Scared and weather beaten
front carved in rude letters, are the
names of hundreds who must have in
stinctively felt that in no other way was it
possible for knowledge Of their existence
TO live after them. Some names are rough
ly chiseled, these too, who were not ambi-
tious perhaps of a more enduring fame,
and gave no further thought to their effort
at the time than was concentrated In the
bare idea of relief from the ennu Of the
moment, but who will go down to history
cursed or praised, as viewed from varying
aspects, long after the storms OF centuries
have obliterated every marx on the isolated
rock of the Central Plains. Conspicuous
among these is that OF r. E. Lee, lS43, "
who when Colonel OF the Mounted Rifles, +"
crossed to New Mexico at the date connect
ed with his name. Under the shadow of
its summit probably Coronado and his
little band OF faithful followers rested on
their lonely march To the far famed Oui-
viro. for ne RECENTLY az 1879 the Spanish
gog could no t,acej ON tbe ton os n detacb-
ed mass of Stone not many miles To the
north and updar the fac an indiStinynisha-
lilo da,e and initials Tho Rock alone is
ali nerbans that remains unon which the
Snaniards looked for the mighty interval
of nearly fnur hundred wears must have
re,eoated To their nrimor,liaI elements all
else and this iron .bound hill whose I'M.
suscentibiIity to change is as the earth
itself the only Witness Of their march.
The tbinly scattered and now almost oh
liberated trails leading in every direction
away from Pawnee Rock. have n fearful
record of desperate adventures and iour-
neys that often ended there with tragic
deatb and volumes could no written were
II nossibIe To gather the materials floating
In legendary form among the old trainers
hut who unfortunatelv are ronidly mass.
in n IN
;nfsreSt muS. ho irravocablv lost
Tbo trada With Now Wa.ico TIA tbe
plains w,s ;paug,rateJ in Iso2 at which
data Tho first train 81 wagops that eyer
travelled in that direction started from
Ronny;Ii. NisSouri Their route WAS al
rectiy mn tho valley ~ the Arkansas 4,
pawnae Roct and for f;ftv veors~,,ptiI
the advent Of the railroad in This norton
az Kansas in Is-2-tbe trail Of the freight
crS noSsaJ within , hundred rods ~ the
ROCK
Duyipy ,b;s half centurv Pawnee Rock
w,s copS;derad ono Of the most dangerous
nIacos M tbe Central plains for Indians
for !. was NJ tbis noint that the Kiowas
Com.ncbas Aranaboes and Cbeyennes
nsnau,. made ,hair Sa,I.s n, of,en,imes
SronasS,,,i ra;ds M, the trains II was
raoar,ieJ ne n t;cLi,sh snot as late as Isse
In tho oorI;or yaoyranbi.s nnhj;shed In the
TTrita5 Statos bow we'll many ~ vour
readers must remember tina. most oopspic-
nous and to the hovisb mind Sensa,ipna,
n;ct,,re ILLUSTRATING the santa Fe traders
aa,,actaJ hy Ind;ans
Tn these nr;mit;ve DAYS ~ the horler
E;t Carson Tncien r. Maxwell, John
smith the Rents and Rooms. with other
fan,ons reinforcement coumenced their life
r., ,hn for We, n,era hoys tben.-hu,
,,hoSe axnl,;ts have made for Them n world
,,;de ran,,tation XII Carson MAXWELL
smith ami tba Rents are dead. died with
harn.ss ON ana ON tho confines Of that civ
M-at;on mitch l. ran;dlv closing nm the
aan nj the foot ~ the mountains and