The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1905-11-04
WMRRE WEATHgR b MApE.
E'al-la: HAS. Als.rs.. Canada. :.

Medicine HAT. AIhsFta. Canada, anA
Asw IL Got Its Rama.
Here Il where you set your weath-
@s says the conductor. a. the traln
pulls into Medicine Hat province az
Alberta. Canada, And then the na.
dVes take the visitors from the States
around tbs corner and point to q box
eight By four feet on the side Of the
hill whore weather for the States 10
bred" Medicine Hat gets a eOnsple-
uous place on the weather map issued
BY the United States bureau, says the
Indianapolis News. The name igures
In most Of the cold weather reportA
but. ~ q matter OF fact. the town Il
not a weather breeder. II possesses
an extremely mild climate In winter
In comparison with some OF these
northwest territory towns, and does
not deserve all the advertisement Il
receives through Uhele Sans vaIua-
BILE bureau, II may be remarked Incl
centally that it gets hot here in sum-
mer. To-day 1t was eighty In the
shade and all that was lacking 70
make q summer day Of the Central
West was humidity, a commodity
with which they are not acquainted
up here.
The traveller who drops on here Il
inclined TO ask Of the trst native he
meets: Where did you get that hatg'
He learns that there are many ths-
Ories concerning the origin Of the
towns name They grew out OF In.
dian legends. The country In the vi.
entity Of the town was once the cen
ter Of the land OF the Crees, and oas
Of the traditions Is that In the dim
and distant past the daughter Of the
head chief VI the tribe fell into tbs
deep. swift nowing Saskatchewan nv
Ct a few miles above the site Of the
town.
An expert swimmer herself. she
was able to keep her head above
water for a long time. bat on ac-
count OF the high bluns which skirt
the river. she was carried rapidly
down stream by the cuFreat and was
fast becoming exhausted, when a
young and athletic member OF the
tribe. beholdIng from the top OF a
blun the girls predleamsnt. jumped
unhesitatinEiy into the stream aud
soon succeeded In carrying her TO the
shore, much to the Joy Of all the tribe,
and especially Of her father
The rescue occurred at point
where the railroad now crosses the
river. and Il was there that the old
chief. according TO the legend. con.
ferred his own hat on the young ath-
lste. With the Indians In those days
the hat waa an insignia Of chiertatn-
ahip. and 10 thereafter the brave
young Indian was the leader Of the
tribe. and as such was known a. the
chief q the Medicine Hat" The L.
Esnd h defective In that Il does not
record the marriage Of the young chief
ts the girl but the white people %
the section have done their best to
DerpetuAte the Indians memory By
aamlng the town for hlm,
Another legend L. that when. as
enc time. the Creea were AZ war with
the Piegans and the Blackfeet. and
the enemy was supposed 10 be prrpar.
ing fsr an attack on them. = young
Cree brave fell asleep on the banks
Of the river. snd in a vision saw the
hat Of a member Of the enemy'a forces
floating down the stream Thls was
Interpreted as . supernatural warning
that the PLewana and Blackfeat were
creeping up on the Crses Thus fore
warned, the Crees were prepared for
the onslaught and a. : result were
victorious Thereafter the spot at
which the young maa slept vas
known AZ Medicine Hat.