Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-04-06

ana every MOUNTAIN Top, anu HlySCerl~
GUS sixth sense seemed to tell him when
"Injun trouble" was brewing.
Without book larnin'" he was pos.
sessed of an imagination which found
an outlet in numerous tall stories
which are current today in the West.
When passing SCOTS Bluffs, nearly 400
feet in height, Bridger would invariably
inform his travelling companions that
when fust come to this country them
thar bluffs was a deep valley" And in
the Rockies 1t was his habit to tell of
travelling 80 miles one stormy night by
the light OF huge diamond In a noun
tain top.
Bridger's Personality Depicted.
A trail traveller who was in a party
guided by Bridger wrote of him:
He cannot read, but enjoys reading.
He was charged by Shakespeare and
would hear the plays read until mid
night with unfeigned pleasure. The
murder of the two princes in the tower
startled him to indignation. He desired
IL to be read second and third time.
Upon positive conviction that the text
had been properly read to him he
burned the whole set, commented that
shakespeare must have had q bad heart
and been as devilish mean as a Sioux to
have wrote such scoundrelism as that.
But Brfdger's prize literary test came
when some wag brought forth a volume
OF MunchauSen's stories from one of
the travelling libraries carried in many
an emigrant wagon. Bridger listened
attentively to the tales and then gave it
as his opinion that the author was con-
siderable of a liar which he followed
up with the statement that some of his
own adventures among the Blackfeet
would sound no less wonderful II wrote
down."
Bridger was more than trapper and
guide. He ranks with the great ex-
plorers OF the West. He was part
owner OF Fort Laramie before that most
was finally sold to the Government as
a military protection on the great trail
and he built Fort Bridger, where MANY
an emigrant outfit found supplies, shell
ter and wagon repairs.
Indians Prey on Travellers.
Indian depredations along the trail
were numerous. Not only did the In
dams, particularly the Sioux and Chey-
ennes, run of thousands of head Of
live stock belonging to emigrants, but
when opportunity offered they killed
and scalped individuals who had
strayed short distance from their out
fits. Many direct attacks were made
on wagon trains which were surprised
at some lonely point on the trail And
always the emigrants were subject to
visits from warriors whose bearing was
ostenSlbly friendly, but whose demands
for sugar and tobacco frequently grew
threatening. Rather than provoke
trouble, the emigrants paid heavy toll
to these unWelcome visitors.
If wagon train was destroyed by
Indians, the men in the party were
killed and the women and children
carried into captivity. But the Indians
were not always to blame for the up
rlslngS that occurred along the trail.
THE War of the Lame Cow" which
resulted in the loss of many lives
among emigrants and settlers, remains
as a glaring example of stupidity in
handling Indian affairs. This war took
its name from the fact that it was
precipitated by lame COW, which had
been left in the Platte Valley by emf
grants and was to be brought along
by friends who were coming In a later
detachment. When the friends arrived
at Fort Laramie they reported that
the COW had been killed by an Indian.
Soldiers ALI Perish.
The commandant at the fort sent
Lieut.. Grattan and % soldiers to bring
in the Indian. The Sioux Chief Mat
tioway. refused to comply with the or
der, whereupon the soldiers opened fire
The Indians surrounded the soldiers
and killed every one. At the time there
were fewer than 100 soldiers at the
! fort, and a general attack was expect
ed. but the Sioux .contented themselves
with making reprisals upon emigrants
and settlers and 1t is estimated that
this one episode eventually cost the
lives of several hundred travellers.
site of the Grattan massacre-one OF
the many spots along the way where
history was written in blood.
One of the best known spots was In
dependence Rock, Wyo. This huge rock,
rising hundreds of feet out Of the plain,
was given its name by emigrants who
held Fourth of July celebration there,
emigrants carved their names in the
rock, as others had done before them.
giving it the additional title Of 1.-The
register of the desert"
The first wagon trains to 60 through
were organized in parties of from 200
to 300. Sometimes there were several
sections" of a train, and it was only
in the high tide of emigration that
single wagons went through "on their
own" Outfits of from IS to go wagons
were common, and many ran even
larger. The average number Of emf
grants was five to wagon.
| iran Full OF hafdSh1pS.
The trail from South Pass to Oregon
was full of hardship. Its difficulties
caused Fort Hall to become a graveyard
of wagons for years, the emigrants
going on from there to the Columbia on
foot and horseback.
An Oregon pioneer who, as a boy of
10, participated in the great trek. tells
of reaching the summit of the Cascades
only to be confronted with precjpice
1000 feet high. Their only. hope was
to take the wagons to pieces and lower
them down the cliff. But all the hopes
and chains put together were not long
enough. The leader directed that one
of the oxen be killed and his hide cut
into strips Even this was not sufficient.
Kill two more oxen," came the COM
mand. The rope was heightened and
the 90 wagons were lowered. The goods,
carried on the backs of men, women
and children down the craggy trail,
were reloaded in the reassembled wag-
ons and the journey was successfully
continued.
Mormon emigration, starting in 1847,
and the California gold rush of 1349
along the Platte. The first California
bound parties usually went through
whooping." with fine outfits, drawn by
strong, splendid horses. They were adj
venturers, out for excitement-a differ
ent crowd from the homeseekers who
were headed for oregon. But the
Oregon travellers were not to be turned
aside by the lure of California gold.
They plodded on, strewing the roadside
with their graves. the survivors eating
the dust of encouragement and priva-
ton. The homeseeker had staked his
all on getting through to receive that
promised landed estate Of great value, .
and he kept doggedly on until he had
settled Oregon.
Urges Trail Be Marked.