The Coolidge examiner., 1932-09-09

BY ELMO SCOTT WATSON
pgA ECENTLY the announcement was
81 a made that the United States geo
~ 81 graphic board had approved of the
#EE the names which had been selected
REAW for three hitherto unnamed peaks
SNH 80 in the Absaroka range on the
M MI boundary between Yellowstone Ma
W nv tional park and the Shoshone Ma
M M tional forest in Wyoming. So Ar
MHHyD thur peak, Cody peak and Plenty
7/SNS Coos peak, perpetuatng the names
IN1lU of a President of the United States,
,OM a famous scout, Indian fighter and
y ~ Snowman and a noted chief of the
Grow Indians, join the list of mountains that
serve as everlasting monuments 10 individuals.
These names were suggested by the Cody
club of Cody, Wyo., the national park service
and the national forest service, in response TO
a request made by William r. Bandy of Helena
cadastral engineer of the United States pub
lie survey Office, that these peaks be named
Mr. Bandy has had charge of the boundary
survey between the park and the forest which
has been in progress during the past year and
he discovered three prominent unnamed peaks
Cody peak, with an elevation of 10,500 feet
was named in honor of Col William F. Cody
('Buffalo Bill'). 1t is located near Pahaska
Tepee which was the hunting lodge built by
Colonel Cody at the junction Of Middle creek
and the North Fork of the Shoshone river, many
years ago. Here Buffalo Bill" entertained many
distinguished visitors whom he took on hunting
trips through this region. The peak can be seen
from the Cody road leading through the Sho-
shone national forest into the Yellowstone ma
tional park.
Arthur peak, having an elevation of 1042G
feet was named in honor of President Chester
A. Arthur who was the first President TO enter
the Yellowstone park in 1888. The peak is To-
Gated south of Reservation peak on the divide
between Middle and Garfield creeks.
The highest peak of these three named
in honor of Chief Plenty Coos, for many years
chief Of the Crow Indians. 1t has elevation
of 1O,935 feet, and is located between Arthur and
Atkins peaks. Plenty Coos died on March f.
this year. at his home at Pryor, not knowing
that this honor had been conferred on him by
the United States government
Plenty Coos is the Angcized version of the
Crow Indian name Aleek-chea-ahoosh, meaning
many achievements or plenty coups" (coup
being the French word for stroke" or "blow')
Though he was the son of a chief Plenty Coos
did not inherit his title but won it on the field
of battle. for during his career as a warrior
against the tribal enemies of the Crows he
counted coup" no less than so times. During
the Sioux war of 1S76-77, he led the Crow al
Gus service at the Battle of the Rosebud on
June II, 1876 when Chief Crazy Horse of the
Sioux fought Crook to a stanGstin and then
retreated TO the big Indian camp the Little
Big Horn river where the Sioux Chief was the
leading figure in overwhelming Clusters Sew
enth cavalry.
After the Indian wars were over Plenty Coos
led his people in following "the white mans
road" He was the first of the Crows to take
up farming and he became successful cattle
raiser The outstanding leader of the Crows he
represented his people at many councils in
Washington and on November II, 1921 he was
the leading representative of the red race at
the burial of the Unknown Soldier in Airing
ton At the time of his death Plenty Coos was
the last of the really great chiefs so that it
is singularly appropriate that mountain peak
in the range which bears the name of his peo-
pie (the Absarokas Absarokes. the Sparrow
Hawk people" or Crows) should perpetuate his
fame for future Americans both white and red
But Plenty Coos is not the only Indian chief
whose fame is preserved in the name of a
mountain. In the White mountains of New
Hampshire there are peaks named for Osceola
the Seminole who gave the United States gov
ernment so much trouble about a century ago.
and for Tecumseh, the great Shawnee leader
whose resistance to the white ended only
with his death at the Battle of the Thames dur
ing the War of 1872. Colorado has a mountain
named Red Cloud to recall the name of the
great Sioux chief and the Washakie Needles
in Wyoming is a perpetual monument to noble
old Chief Washakie of the Shoshones who like
Plenty Coos, fought the side of the white
man in General Crooks army against the Sioux
and Cheyennes in 1S76-77. And down in the
Great Smoky mountains of North Carolina they
are talking of naming 6,OOO-foot peak Sequoy-