The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1927-09-09
By NJ. E. ~PLASSAIANN

wv he will not have heard all the
stories of fur trading days In
one evening. nor in many years. REL
erence will often be made to the Indian
tribes which inhabited this region; the
Crows. Bannacks, F~leatheads, Black1eet
and others and he will learn That OF
these. none were so feared as the Black
feet under which name were included
the GrOs Ventres of the Prairie, ana ne
will naturally wish to know what kind OF
people the Blackfeet were before the
coming of the settlers.
These Indians claimed an immense
territory. resenting effectively any IN
vasion of it. They were divided INTO
three families. the Blackfeet proper, the
Floods. now residing in Canada, and the
Pie0ans. In The River of the West"
families. They were tall, sinewy, we'll
thev are described without distinction OF
made: good hOrsemen, and GOOD 1lghCers,
though inclined to be anu
numbering. They dressed comfortably,
and even h~andsomingly, as dress goes
among savages, n although were
more to be feared than deSpised.
Father Point found the Ptegans tine
most civilized but the most noted
thieves Their allies, the eros Ventures
of the prairie, were more adrolt, more
dociIe and more courageous, but they
we're more strongly attached to their
superstitions." After two OF their tribe
we're killed by Captain Lewis and one OF
his men. they were always enemies OF
white men, killing them whenever pos
sible.
The D D had to be constantly on
their guard against all indians puC
especially the Blackfeet, until the Amer1-
can Fur company made a treaty with the
Piegans.
The Crows were little more to be trust
ed than the Blackfeet. They were greater
- - AT4w NrafnndnH m ne
friendly with the whites 1T was merely
a scheme to gain allies against thelI
enemy the Blackfeet.
once a band of Crows stole three
hundred horses from a trapping OUTFIT
On discovering their loss, two hundred
trappers started after the thieves. They
travelled two hundred miles before near
ing the village Of the Crows. Cautlousl!
taking observations, the white mel
learned that sixty young men had driver
off the hOrseSe, and were now celepraClns
their recently gained wealth. The trap
pers, finding themselves i n the majority
opened fire and in the battle that fol
lowed were the victors. Whether an,
white men we're killed in this engage
ment it is not stated; but seven Crow
were slain, and undoubtedly many other
When it is claimed that TT
Crows have always been friends OF tn
whites, the assertion should be takel
with several grains Of salt.
The city of St. Louis is a long way from
the Wind river. To reach it in faVorabl
weather. through a friendly country, an
in summer. would be considered a Seri
Gus undertaking for a man travelling o.
foot. Yet we are told that in 1885,
when William Sublette's men had gon
into winter camp in Wind river valley
their leader, together with one mar
went to st. Louis on snow shoes, tax
inc with them dogs to serve as pac
animate GTThInfTn started on I'M
journey at Christmas time, undeterre
by the weather which was eXtremel
cold, or fear of hostile Indians
through whose country their route Ia.
Plenty of Risks
Picture it if you can-that tri
through the wilderness. In SUNSHINE
when the vast fileds of snow blinded tn
. eyes with their unrelieved Whiteness, {
b-Iizzard-swep menace the lives Of tn
travellers. Where Indians might roam
fires could not be made either Il
warmth or cooking. AT night the
laid down in their blankets and robe
the sky their tent. Grizzlies they kne
wOul not modest them, for they wei
alternating. There was also less dang'
of being attacked by Indians during tn
season. But there we've plenty OF dii
comforts to be endured and risks to rul
yet Sublette n his companion reache
st. Louis.
Shortly after the trappers fought tt
Crows on the bench Of the Bigho1
river, and recovered their stolen horse
Fitzpatrick and one man set out for S
Louis to purchase supplies. b tv
men must have gone on horseback,
they were bOth of a party that was in I'll
battle. They did not have to cross hie
mountains, nor endure excessive col
il being March when they started. The
were rivers to ford, and Indians
avoid, added to other manifold DANCE
they encountered. There ware no sc
Elements until the neighborhood of S
Louis was reached. Theirs could hard
be called a pleasure jaunt.
Joe Meek and Legards were sent duril
the winter Of 1881, three hundred mil
to the Bitter Root, where they bougI
furs from a company of free trappel
They were gone two and a half month
and managed to elude the Blackfet
although they passed one OF the VI
lagos. These men Travelled on snc
shoes.
While the Yellowstone and it's trib
taries was the favOrite trapping groul
of the Rocky Mountain Fur company,
also did considerable trapping on t
headwaters Of the Missouri, where al
there was an abundance of beaver, De
haps more than anywhere else in Mo
tana. But there was great danger fro
Indians anywhere in the Gallatin vallt
which the trappers did not care to e
counter often.
Make Trip North
There was very little Of the terrific
now included in Montana the traps
did not visit at one time or another.
1880 Fitzpatrick, Sublette and Birds
set out from the Yellowstone with
large company Of over 200 men to
vestigate the northern country. TIL
crossed Smith river, then went mol
to the Great Falls of the Missouri. FRI
there they followed up the Missouri
Three Forks, and passed over onto [