New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-06-07

But n few weeks ago Secretary OF lux
Interior Lane signed the document th@'
ordained that. out Of compliment To the
wife of the President. that idylhc olne
glacial lake high up among the peaks W
Glacier National Park. 5000 feet above
the sea. which has been called Lax"
Louise. shall henceforth be known rs
Lake Ellen Wilson. Since then Mrs
Thomas ]. Walsh, the wife Of the Mon
tana Senator. has come forward with an
interesting idea. Mrs. Walsh Is the
standard bearer for a movement that has
for its end the naming in honor OF olher
DISTINGUISHED American women, Doth OF
the present and the past. Of many moro
of the wonder places in that splendid new
national playground which in many ways
is the biggest thing in that very big state
from which she halls In a word. Mrs.
Walsh proposes that with the tremendous
mountains. the still lakes the Laughing
rivers and the noble cataraCts OF the
park for its tablets and monuments there
shall be installed in Glacier Park a nan
of fame. so 10 speak. for the commemora-
tion of famous American women.
That the wonder places Of Glacier Park
nobody who has giimpsed the park can
deny. Nor does Mrs. Ryan in this IDEA
of hers propose that only the women OF
America shall be honored; she is merely
championing the women's part in broad
scheme that shall include the famous
Americans of both sexes
But. with every respect for Mrs. Ryan
and her worthy causc-and for Score
tary Laue-it is a somewhat entertain
inc fact shat the Bla"kfeet Indians in
PRODUCED this very Hall of Fame idea
into Glacier National Park long before
any white man or woman set eyes ppon
what is now the newest national play
ground The Blackeet, or Piegans. who
for centuries had their stronghold IN
the Rockies of Glacier Park. and who
3well nowadays in a reservation That Is
right alongside its eastern border IN
stalIeI Blackf2et Hall of Fame within
the park a great man" years ago
Scarcely a corner is there in Glacier
National Park where the visitor is out
of sight of some landmark that has been
christencd Iy the Blackfeet
The Blackfeet are a tribe that was
thoroughly capable OF doing thing OF
this kind as il ought TO be done. For
th9 Blackfect. or Piegans. are the aris-
tocracv Of the Indian nations of the
Northwest In the old days, high up in
their wonderland home ir the Glacier
Park Rockies. the Blackfcet in the mat
ters of fashionable attire and luxury III
living made the pace.
No are the Blackfeet to-day in any
moribund state. They no longer go 70
war, and they are greatly reduced IN
numbers. Of course. but they are yet very
notable Indians. They are sill the arbiters
Of Indian fashions: nowhere else is there
10 be seen such a display of the swagSer
and the gorgeous in blankets, beads, leg
cjncs. headdresses and the like as that
which the Blackfeet put forth in their
annual July celebrations out at their
AGENCY town of Browning. Mont AS traV-
elers they are doing unique things II Is
only year or 50 ago. for one instance
when. as the guests Of the Great North
crn Railway, a dignifed delegation OF
Blackfeet chiefs attended the New YORK
Travel Show, and, in order to attain as
nearly as was possible that skyland at
lnosphere of the Rockies which they were
accustomed to. pitched their tepees on the
roof Of what was then the Hottest hosiery
ON Broadway. \ junket down South 10
Atlanta with the Butte and Helena tenn
ples Of the Mystic Shrine is the Black
feet's latest pilgrimage. With men of al
fairs the BlacSfeet chiefs like to hobnob'
100. Three Bears and Lazy Boy enjoy
nothing better than a council with their
ptliS the
Great Northern. Lazy Boy, by the way
is an honorary member Of the exclusive
Adventures Club. of Chicago.
And the Blackfeet are thoroughly alive
IN the spirit of the times. Just recently
on the roof garden of the Hotel ST. PAU
al St Paul. the Piegan braves fIsh
Wolf Robe Frank White CULVER Medi-
cine Owl and Eagle Calf interchanSed
ideas on the dansant with Mr.. and Mrs.
Vernon Castle The Castles displayed
the best in the tango. the Castlewalk
and the make. and the Blackieet
braves reciprocated with the last word In
the Grass Dance.
\ very good example Of the Blackieet s
naming Of things in Glacier National
Park is Going-to-the-Sun Mountaln-Mah-
tab-pee Oh-stook-sis Meh-stuck-whose
bicness and boldness commemorate, most
appropriately that highly important per-
sonage of the Piegans, Sour Spirit
Sour Spirit, according TO the Plegan
lore. came down from the Lodge o. the
Sun many generations ago and benevo-
lentlv taught the Blackfeet efficiency in
The matter Of slaughtering the buffalo
lie instructed them how to drive entire
herds OF buffalo between converging
fences 10 a speedy and certain end over
a mighty precipice. in place Of the Old
fashioned and tedious method Of shoot
ing the animals one al a time with the
bow. Sour Spirit in addition, taught the
Elackfeet how to tan hides and builo
fences and all manner Of other useful
Things. Eventually Sour Spirit for me-
mento Of himself by magic wrought the
likeness Of his face on the summit oil
what IL now -tO-the-SIn, and re-
turned 20 his Lodge Of the sun. the
Blackfect accordingly christened that
superb height, to quote its complete ute
instead Of its present day shortening
"Tbe-facc-of-SOu Spirit-who-went back
~ - ,he-Sun-after-his work was done
Mountain
wo-Medicine River. on the other hand
the Blackfcet named after an epochai
event In their history. Far back toward
the beginning OF the nineteenth century
so unbeard Of drouth overlook their coun-
..g..s 10 s.f.H sIgfF a.