The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-12-05
AN INDIAN LEGEND.
a LONG, Low BUTTE AND STORY
FROM RED MANS HISTORY.
1t Was u Dragon Once, But When
thc>Coyote Smote in on Il Tender
Spot it Melted Away and Formed
Lake of large Area.

MISSOULA, Dec. 3.-On the left of
the wagon road that leads from the
Jocko Indian agency to Ravalli, about
six miles from the agency, is long
low butte, which rises abruptly from
the plain There is nothing particular
ly attractive about this elevation, and
nothing about it that would cause the
traveller to notice it especially, unless
he were told the old Indian legend
which concerns it. Then there at
tacnes to it that peculiar interest
which always surrounds objects of his
torical or legendary Importance.
Many moons ago, so runs the Indian
story, this butte was huge dragon.
terrible in aspect and mighty in pow
er. The whole beautiful valley of the
Jocko was his and he levied tribute
from all creatures who came that way.
In this way the monster hourished,
and as the moons rolled by, became
more awful, and his demands more
exacting. Vain was all resistance to
his will Naught could Withstand his
terrible might. To conquer and SUBJ
due him by force was impossible. So
often had it been tried in vain that
the inhabitants of the mountains and
valleys round about deSpaired Of rid
ding themselves of the monster.
Bolder and fiercer the dragon be-
came as repeated victories made him
proud, until at length the beasts who
dwelt in the mountains and valleys
saw that they must either rid them
selves of this terrible monster or else
leave the country. They did not like
to do this, as the valleys were beauti-
full and the mountains furnished them
with homes and hunting grounds. So
they called a council and all of the
beasts of the mountain and the forest
and the valley assembled. The crafty
coyote, the swift-running wolf the
powerful lion, the sturdy cat, the
gentle deer, the lordly elk and the
mighty bear were all present with the
lesser beasts. the rabbit, the fox and
the gopher. The eagle was there, also.
and the hawk, the goose and the other
birds
For many days they took counsel
together as to how they could conquer
the dragon and at length the coyote
planned thus for them: While the
bear. the elk. the deer and the eagle.
with the lesser birds and beasts made
pretense of attacking the moster by
force. as all other attempts against
him had been made, the wolf and the
coyote would come up behind him and
STAY him. This plan was carried out
forthwith and the coyote, stealing
stealthily up behind the dragon. found
a vulnerable spot and dealt the death
blow.
That was the end of the dragons
life The moment the blow was struck
he melted away into a great lake
which submerged the whole valley.
Only his bones remained which formed
an island in the vast body of water
and, as the lake dried up, the island
became the butte which now remains
as a monument to the cunning of the
COYOTE. In support of the truth of
this crude legend the red men point TO
the water lines on the butte and the
foothills around the valley. How
could these have been made If there
was no lake there and how could a
lake have been formed in the noun
tains except by the melting Of the
dragons body ?-Anaconda .Standard