The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1937-10-29
.Truppers, Traders i'm the Old West Rode Mules;
Bill Hamilton Made Famous Ride ON One I'm 858

dians maintained a constant guard at
their camp. On Oct. II the party moved
to the south fork of the Sun river
and camped and the next day the two
white men accompanied so F1athead
agency. Colonel Vaughn was agent. At
the Plegan agency Hamilton learned
for the first time that n of the doc
uments in his big envelope was a re-
quest to n Indian agent to help him
IN any way that he might request. The
next day Hamilton and Mckay left the
flathead camp on the south fork of
Sun river and turned north towards
the Teton river, where they camped.
They were now in Piegan country, and
IN the belief that they would soon
have callers they shucked their stained
ahd travel worn buckskins and donned
their best clothes, suits of caribou,
with double fringes on every seam.
First Trading of Trip
The first night they were there, a
group OF Piegans under Little Dog
called on them, and Hamilton made
o Fringe, by presenting them with
blankets. The next day the white men
vent to Little Dogs camp on the
Marias river. There were $50 lodges.
There Hamilton gave Little Dog so
pounds of flour, 20 pounds of crackers
~ 1ACC d11O Oy1up " d 1CdSU. 411C
Indians furnished the meat, and a
dozen squaws prepared the food. Here
Hamilton did his first trading of mo-
ment. In a short time that night he
traded for 100 buffalo robes and many
dried buffalo tongues. While the trad
ing was going on two River Crow In
dams called at the Piegan camp.
The next day Hamilton and Mckay
and a number of Piegans returned the
call, visiting the Crow camp. The Crows
told of fighting the Sioux, Cheyenne
and Arapahoe Indians, taking many
scalps and stealing many horses. They
displayed two fresh scalps. Hamilton
scalp, he would give them a blanket.
They didn't produce the scalp, but
they did give Hamilton many dirty
looks.
The Crows returned to the Piegan
village to trade with Hamilton and
Mckay, The Crows and Piegans en-
loaned the Piegans his saddle horse,
an exceptionally fast animal, to run
as their own against the Crows best
horse. The Piegans made a cleanup
on the race. 1t was while Hamilton
was at the Piegan village that Little
Dog gave him the white mule on which
he later made the famous ride from
Walla Walla to The Dalles.
11lC W111CCS 1C1U G1lC 14CSoA4 V44ld6C w.
Oct. "a to go into the Blackfeet coun-
try. They carried with them three
medicine arrows which Little Dog gave
Hamilton, telling him to show them
to the Blackfeet head men. Hamilton,
in recording the events of his trip, said
them much trouble among the Black.
later while on the trail, they were
not molested while in the Blackfeet
camp. From the Piegan camp they
were accompanied by Fringe, Little
Dogs son and five other Piegans.
Some of the Blackfeet recognized
not been on the Big Horn and Green
rivers. He evaded a direct answer to
their questions, for as a matter of fact
he had fought the tribe during their
excursions into those territories sew
eral years before. They traded with the
leave next day the Indians tried to
delay them. Hamilton and Mckay now
had 10 head of stock, II of them loaded
with packs.
Leaving the Blackfeet camp both of
the white men mounted their wal
horses and turned their saddle mules
with the other stock 50 as to be ready
the horse which the Piega1s had used
to defeat the Grows. Hamilton was
riding Hickory" an animal which
would come to his call az far as it
could hear him. Both of the horses
were gun broke. None of the Blackfeet
would shake hands with them when
they left and they knew from that that
trouble was ahead for them. They
started for st. Mary's lake where they
were Informed a band Of Kootenais
from west of the mountains were
camped. They were still accompanied
by the six Piegan Indians. Hamilton
and Mckay and n Piegan were in
rear. -Four miles out the Piegans left
them to return to their own camp.
After that Hamilton and Mckay killed
three Blackfeet Indians who charged
them on the trail, but aside from that
reached the Kootenai camp without
incident.