The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1883-05-23

L
sent day. Pieces of finely carved pottery
have been found, and Obsidian and
Chalcedony spear and arrow heads are
plenty.
The Crows, Rees, Blackfeet, Piegans,
Bloods, Gros Ventres, Flathead and Pen
d'Oreille tribes of Indians ranged and
hunted at times on the Yellowstone, but
more of them acquired possessory sights,
till the latter part of the 18th century,
when the Crows claimed and held the
country bordering on the river from the
mountains to the mouth of Tongue river.
The Rees took the country at the mouth
of the Yellowstone. All between these
two tribes was a debatable land that
swarmed with buffalo, and till the Sioux
came was considered as common property
by the tribes mentioned. The Sioux
tribes lived and hunted in that country,
now embraced by the States Of Iowa,
Wisconsin and Minnesota. AS civiliza-
ton came they retreated, and in their
turn drove the Rees and Crows; the lat
ter tribe fought stubbornly for every inch
and many and bloody were the battles
between them. One of these is worthy
of being recorded.
Early in the winter Of 1864, twenty
nine young Crow warriors (the pick of
the tribe) went to the Brule Sioux camp
on the Missouri, near Mandan's present
site, to steal horses. The Crows at last
found their opportunity and run off two
bands, in all about 600 head. Six of the
Crows had band of 800, and this num-
Der being too unwieldly for SO few men
to handle they fell behind the remainder
of the party. The Brules soon found out
their loss, and 500 warriors started in
pursuit. They overlook the six Crows at
butte about eighty miles west of the
Missouri. The Crows left their captured
horses and went up the butte. The re-
mainder of the Crows were about eight
miles in advance and could have escap-
ed but when they heard the firing they
turned back to help their comrades.
After some lively skirmishing the Crows
all came together on the top of the butte,
where they made breastworks Of loose
rocks and dirt dug up with their knives.
The Sioux closely invested the place and
the fight continued for two days and
nights. On the morning of the third
day there were but fifteen Crows alive,
and these, being entirely out of ammu-
milton and suffering greatly for lack of
water, concluded to end it. So singing
their loudest war song and drawing their
knives, charged on their enemies and
bravely died, having sent before them
over one hundred Sioux braves. The
hill on which they fought was named
"Young Mems Butte" and can be seen
from the cor windows of the Northern
Pacific.
The Sioux, after the Minnesota fights
of 1868, had that State no more for a
hunting ground and was forced across the
Missouri river. They drove the Crows
from the Tongue and Powder river coun-
try and harassed the whites that were
all around them at every opportunity.
They were discontinued, and not being
handled properly by the authorities at
Washington, who showed weakness to
these people, that respect nothing but
force, were in constant state of ebuli-
ton which eliminated in the Fort Phil
kearney massacre of1SG6.
In 1865 the combined Sioux tribes sent
ambassadors to all ofthe Western Indians
to try to induce them to band together
against the whites. The Crows refused
to join, and stated most emphatically that
in case there should be war they would
be found with the whites. This decision
was in conformity with their actions, for
as tribe they have always been friend
ly with us. Small parties have stolen
horses, and the proof is strong that they
were the Indians that attacked Stuart's
party in 1868, and that tried to kill three
men during the winter of 1875. The
story of these fights will be told farther
on in the work; outside of these there
are no charges against them.
The Shosnones range on Wind river
and its tributaries. They were very war
like, and apparently had neither fear or
pity. They worried all the emigrant
trains that passed through Bridger and
South passes, and captured several. They
became SO impIudent that the War De
partment made grand effort to subdue
them. In the winter Of 1864 Gen. Con-
nors with troops and citizen volunteers,
all amounting to about600 men, attacked
the main camp of 500 warriors, on Bear
river. It was hard fight, id which the
whites were once whipped, had the
shoshones fallowed up their advantage ;
but they gave the troops time to sally,
and one grand charge decided the battle
and won the day. The retreating 1ndi-
ans had to cross the river and many were
shot while in the water. 1t is an axiom,
that strong enemy converted, becomes
a strong friend. 1t was SO in this case,
for ever since this fight they have been
friendly to the whites and have fought
with them several times against other
tribes.
These Indians and the Crows had been
enemies from time immemorial, and
many piles of rocks or cairns are left be-
tween Wind river and Clarke's Fork, to
mark bloody battle fields. When the
Shoshones made friends with the whites
they also treated with the Crows, and the
tribes have remained friendly.
CHAPTER Ill.
EARLY EXPLORERS.
In 1888 Verendrye, a French Canadian,
with some Catholic priests, and about
fifty men, came from Quebec to the head
waters of the Missouri. From the forks