Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1931-11-12

An eany-day Deer Lodge street scene.
vicinity was the Lodge OF the Spirit {
Warm ST
quet of Sandy. He was tall and
broad of shoulder. Straight as ar ar
row shaft and he knew the mountains
as no other mar Of the party did. He
had previously been employed by the
! Hudson Bay Fur company in the far
North. He had a string of pack horses
and camp equipment. 1t was Sandy's
duty to reconnoiter in advance of the
construction crew to look out for the
most feasible locations for crossing
streams, ascending hills and to locate
favorable camping grounds. His skill
at packing utensils on the pack horses
and general knowledge OF overcoming
mountainous country made him a valu-
able assistant to Captain Mullan.
Among the many bands of Indians
wandering the mountains along the
route was a group Of Piegan Indians,
who inhabited the Milk river country.
They we're wont to go in the fall of
each year down to the lower country
in search of Bitter Root and camas,
which, in their simplicity, they sup
posed contained medicinal qualities.
Accompanying n of these wander
ing bands of Piegans was a young
maiden Of about Is years. She was
tall, slender and willowy Of form and
action, and had not the high cheek
bones and coarse features so common
among the North American tribes. She
rode a beautiful horse of the Indian
pony breed. He had q variety of gaits
ranging from q RUNNING walk to q
fox trot, or a pace and gallop, chang
ing from one to another with ease.
This Indian maiden handled him with
all the skill of a finished equestrienne.
She called him MlnnetOnka. which in
Piegan language means fire water, on
account of his hot, nervous disposition.
This interesting maiden was the
daughter of a Piegan chief, and her
name was Wannatuga, which in In
dian vernacular means beautiful one.
Many a young brave had looked upon
her with love-lorn eyes and fond an
ticipations. But the willy old chief
knowing the value of his beautiful
daughter, had scorned all offers OF pur-
chase.
Sandy was smitten at first sight. He
sought the chief with offers of pur-
chase, but he had not enough horses,
wampum, and tobacco to consummatc
the deal.
The Mullan party went into winter
quarters in He'll Gate canyon, Just
above where the city of Missoula now
stands. Sandy disappeared. The win
ter was a severe one and the party, as
we'll as the native Indians, lost many
of their horses.
During the following summer, Sandy
returned well equipped with ponies,
wampum. and other bric-a-brac, sought
out the Piegan chief, and consummated
the deal for W%annatuga.
Together with his Indian wife, he
repaired to the region of st. Mary's
river where game and fur-bearing ami
mails were plentiful. Frequently during
the years that followed while the Cap
tain Mullan party was completing the
military road, Sandy and Wannatuga
would appear with pack ponies laden
with skins and furs enroute to the
mouth of the Little Blackfoot river,
where Garrison now is, and, where Joe
LaBarge kept a trading post, and ex-
change their hides and furs for beans,
bacon, tobacco and other commodities
which were freighted or packed in
from Fort Benton. Sandy was devoted
to his Indian wife and his affection
was ~reciprocated.
Large numbers of Indians from var
ious tribes were accustomed to camp
during the winter season in the upper
Deer Lodge valley in the vicinity Of
Warm Springs, it being a locality where
very little snow lies and abundant
bunch grass grew on the foothills upon
which their ponies subsisted.
The marshes and willows Of the up
per Deer Lodge and Warm Springs
creek abounded with thousands of
whitehall deer, making it altogether an
attractive place for winter quarters for
those children of Nature. Also the
mound formed by the deposit of the
waters of the warm spring as it over
llOWS from lCS OOIle lOOkS IlOt uIllkc Ill
Indian lodge. The steam arising in
cold weather is like smoke rising from
a teepee. The Indians held in legend
airy lore, the superstition that it was
the Lodge of the Spirit Of the White
tailed Deer",-hence the name Deer
Lodge.
During the winter of 1863, large num-
bers of Indians occupied the upper
valley and Sandy and his squaw not
caring for the intimacy of the Indians,
pitched their camp on Tin-Cup-Joe
creek, which rises at the base of Mount
Powell and empties inJo the Deer
Lodge river near the present site Of
Deer Lodge City. Numerous beavers
and muskrats abounded On the upper