Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1884-11-15
THE sQUAW's ROCK.
The Tragic Love and Fate of
an Indian Maiden.
ROBERT DUNCAN MILNE.

Those who are acquainted with the
upper portion of the Russian River Val
lev cannot have failed to remark pc
culiarly precipi1ous bluff, some five hum
dred feet in height, which overhangs the
western bank of the stream, at point
about ten miles north of Cloverdale and
six or seven from Hopland or Sanel.
Those who have ridden in the stage from
Cloyerdale to Ukiah at the present day,
over the new toll-road, running along
the eastern bank of the river, gain a
clear view of this prec;pitous bluff while
passing over that portion of the road
known as the Blue Slide-a geological
freak which lies just opposite 20 Squaw's
Rock, and has acquired its reputation
from the glacier-like movement OF the
blue clay composing that portion OF the
riverward slope, necessitating continual
repairs of the roadway. and constituting
the acutest thorn in the side ofthe stage
drivers who ply between Cloverdale and
Eel River. Either the driver or some
fellow passenger, if you happen to be
travelling ON the stage, will probably
volunteer to give you tie traditional par
ticulars of how the Squaw's Rock acquir-
ed its name. These particulars, however,
arc usually extremely meagre, and all
that seems to be certainly known about
the matter is that, some forty years ago
before the discovery of gold, in fact,
and wien whites settlers in the State
were few and far between-an Indian
maiden was beloved by white youth,
the affection being mutual, but distaste-
fil to the maiden's tribe, who put every
obstacle in the way of a union; that the
maiden was eventually compelled to
marry the suitor chosen for her by the
tribe; and that, in a fit of despair, she
threw herself, like another Sappho, from
the top of the precipice which bears bel
name, and was dashed to pieces on the
powders of the rivers bed. This poetic
legend might haveremained shroudet
in historic vagueness had not chanc'
thrown me in the way of obtaining fur
tber particulars from an authentic sourc'
which invested the story with tragi
and dramatic force which was not hint
ed at in its original form.
Some years ago. while living in tn
neiphborhood of Cloverdale, made tn
acquaintance of an Indian of more thai
ordinary intelligence, whose natural ret
icence was thawed by some service
which | was enabled to do him, an
whose confidence l won far enough t
succeed in making him unfold, in dis
iointed manner, the real history of tn
occurrences from which Squaw's Roc
took its name, and which l now repro
duce for the benefit of my readers, wea'
ing the story intoa more connected forr
than was given me by old Santiago.
1t was some time in the twenties ths
John Willard, the captain ola trade
who brought the commodities of civili
ed life into Monterey, and there barte
ed them for hides got tired of his Sc
faring life, as many more have dor
before and after him i'm California, ma
ried himself to a stnorita with bros
acres and fat kline, and settled down in
sttady going rancher in the valley
the Russian River. A son was borE
the pair. stalwart youth, whose robu'
out of door life mad; him both strol
and handsome. 1t was universally co
ceded that Frank Willard, at the age