, 1906-06-05
OF
THE TRIBES
INTERESTING DATA CONCERNING
INDIANS OCCUPYING sHo-
SHONE LANDS.
Been Home of Large Family of
Shoshone or Snake Indians for
Long Time, and Military History
of Tribes Is Most Brilliant One
Peace at Fort Bridger.

Peace at Fort Bridger.
h government is to open the Sho-
shone reservation to homestead settle
ment on July 10, and this brings us
around to the history of the Indians
who have been occupying thai land
since 1867, says the Denver Field and
Farm in its Frontier Sketches" This
wonderful country has been the reser-
walton and special home of the Sho-
shone or Snake Indians, a family en-
bracing the Shoshones proper, the
Utes, Comanches, Moquis, Cheme.
hueves, Cahuillo, and the Kechi, Kizh
and Netela of California. The Sho-
shones proper are a large and wide
spread people. According to their ira
dition they came from the south, and
when met by Lewis and Clark in 1905.
they had been driven north along the
Rocky mountains. The various Sho-
shone bands have gone by numerous
names.
Some Important Tribes.
The most important were the Kool-
satakara, or Buffalo Eaters, who long
defended their homes on Wind river.
and the Tookarika, OF Mountain Sheep
Eaters, a fierce tribe in the Salmon
river country and upper Snake river
valley. The west Snakes near Fort
Boise were separated from the others
by the kindred Bannocks. The .Sho-
shocos, or footmen, called also White
Knives, from the fine white flint
knives they formerly used, were dig
ger tribes on Humboldt river and
Goose creek and included apparently
most of those in the basin of Great
Salt lake. These bands were generally
mild and inoffcnsive, lurking in the
mountains and barren parts, N hay-
ing little intercourse with anybody.
Warfare at Various Times.
About 1S49 thy were in open war
and the peace made with some of the
bands at Salt Lake in September.
1855, did not end it. In 1862 Califor-
mia volunteers under Colonel Conner
nearly exterminated the Honkandikah,
or Salt Lake Diggers, in a battle ON
Bear river. The Washakies and other
bands of the Koolsatikara Shoshones
made peace at Fort Bridger, July 2,
1868; Pokatellos and other bands of
the Tookarika at Box Elder, July 80; |
the Shoshoco or Tosowitch at Ruby |
Valley, October 1; and the Shoshones
n Bannocks at Soda Springs, Octo-
Der Ia. In 1864 the Yahooskin Snakes |
made peace and with the Klamaths
and Modocs coded their lands; and on
August IL, 1865, the Wohlpapes also
submitted. The government did not
properly carry out these treaties and
many of the bands renewed hostilities
In 1867, in the campaign of GeneraIt
Steele, a number of Indians were killed
and immense stores of provisions laid
up by the Shoshones we're destroyed.
Made Peace at Bridger.
'ShSia <huSui at ldSl dllOWSu lIGLl
to come in NJ make peace at Fort
Bridger. The government then at
tempted to collect the whole nation
and restrict the Shoshone bands to
certain reservations. The Yahooskin
and Wohlpape Snakes had prospered
on the klamath reservation, although
their crops frequently failed. The Fort
Hall reservation in Idaho was begun
in 1867 for the Bannocks and several
bands of Shoshones, about 1900 in all.
The Shoshone reservation in Wyoming,
set apart under treaty of July s, 1868,
for Washakies and other bands of
eastern Shoshones and Bannocks. was
exposed to attacks from the Sioux, and
only about 500 united there. Besides
these tribesmen in Wyoming, there are
also the northwestern Shoshones in
Nevada and Utah, estimated at from
2 200 to 5000, with a band of 400 in
the northwestern part of Idaho.
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