The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1925-09-14

June 80, 1881, at +. NJ, as stop
ped with my soldiers in front Of the
post traders, Leighton & Jordan, at
Fort Buford. The the rmomctcr regis
tered ll5 degrees in the shade. 1t had
been so hot that our head nets to
protect us against mosquitoes had
not been used. On the night of the
following 3rd Of July. campcd at
Bob Mathews ranch just below the
present site Of Williston. and on the
morning of the fourth Of July there
was heavy white frost and We en-
countered prairie fires en- route to
Fort Totten, between Dogs Den and
Mouse River.
On arriving at Fort Buford. sent
the various ladies Of the post some
choice dried buffalo hump, and when
] called the next day to bid them
goodbye. every one told nc the buff
falo meat was excellent. charming.
etc, except Mrs. Brothcrton, the
commanding officers wife, who said
if I ever brought her any more such
meat she would never invite me to
lunch again. because all the ladies
had to fumigatc their houses. In
1882 the buffalo were scarce where
saw so many. and in 1883 there were
none of any consequence.
Buffalo Depleted
The depletion Of the buffalo and
advent of white men with poor whis-
key and diluted alcohol initiated the
ruin Of the Indian. could write a
book relative to the Indians tributary
to old Fort Union. Here in 1882. the
Crows made a treaty with the Black
u,I, al, ;nl,
afterwards. Again at the mouth Of
the Judith River under the Stevens
treaty the Crows. eros Ncntrcs.
Blackfcct. Pend 'Oreillcs, the Kutc-
nais, Ncz Perces and others agreed
to remain at peace with each other,
but the Grows broke this treaty,
stealing ponies from the Bloods and
| killing several members of this tribe.
1t must be remembered that the
Bloods. Piegans, and Blackfect propc r
were different bands Of the same
tribe. the Blackfeet.
The Musselshcll River was the
boundary line between the Crows
and the Blackfcet. However, the
Yellowstone River was often reached
by the Blackfcet. The Indians call
cd tho Yellowstone River. Elk River,
! the Cheyenne name being Mo-ay
O-ay, and the Mussclshcll was called
Dry Meat River.
Old Fort Union
| Fort Union celebration. of recent
date. also included the battle ground
Of Chief Joseph, and. there. the
Seventh Cavalry did the main fight
! ing. in the battalion that charged
the Nez Fcrces at Snake Creek,
! Mont. Sept. 3Oth, 1877. every Of
ficer was killed or wounded but one
Capt. Hale was shot through the
head. Lieut. Biddlc through the
throat, Captain Moylan through the
leg above the knee, and Captain
Godfrey through the body. narrowly
missing the spinal column. Due to
| this battle ! was promoted from the
Eighth Cavalry and transferred tC
the Seventh, and took command OF
X Troop. Seventh Cavalry. consisting
of lO3 men, just after the Ncz Pcrces
fight, having escorted Chief Joseph
and his band to Bismarck. where
they were shipped by rail to tho In.
dian Territory, where I have since
| found many died with chills ant
fever.
To see the Indian as saw ant
first knew him. and the result Of his
association with his white brethren
and the results. it affords food 70,
much regret and pity for race tina
once roamcd this vast domain, livct
and dreamed of hunting. danced, hat
their religion, just rs real and. j
lived up to, just as Cody as the re
ligion our white people preach.
Scenes Change
i Those days are gone, and will
them the stately old Indian warrior
whose word was good, also hav,
passed away the old settlers Of carl,
days. There is no Wcst-Buffal,
Bill, California Joe. Yellowstone Kel
ley. Ben Clark, Philip Brock. Ba
Mastcrson and other heroes with hin
at the Adobe Wall fight, all ha.'
gone. and with them the game tina
dotted the vast prairics Of .hc grca
west in countless thousands.
I have stood on lonely buttcs
hundreds Of miles from railroads
the western winds blowing cloud
Of alkali dust. the sad cry of th
flying curlew. with the howis of III
big timber and buffalo wolves. ac
companicd by the cluttcring bark u
the coyote. When on Broadway. Nc>
York, my mind has reverted t" thcs
scenes. and ] have longcd Cor then
again, lonesome in this big citv {"
; the Great West. with its impenctr:,
bic but mystic ties that made a tru
and generous people. brave to
fault.
; Unmarked graves or lonely butte
and in quiet valleys from the con
fines of Manitoba to the chapnrra
banks Of the Rio Grandc contai
members of the old Seventh Caviar
that fought clear across this cont
! ncnt. With the bones of the India
warrior they are sad reminders q
the past and feel at times tina
their spirits again visit this habita
and l wonder what their comment
when they compare the present wit
the past.
Describe Tribes
hope in the near future to dc
scribe the habits and prominent char
actcristics Of the various India
tribes that ! have met from Canad
to Mexico, their evolution from tn
stone age to bow and arrow periot
and then the firearms of the whites
also the moral status Of these peopI
as they passed through these period