Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-02-12

TT CAN HARDLY be said that the
eariy-day trappers and hunters Of
the northwest killed Indians Just
- for sport, but Il Is fact that n10ss
of them looked upon il as a part
Of the days work when they were In
hostile country, and essential TO their
own safety. Also, when established In
dams they could prevent the news Of
their presence spreading among the
tribesmen generally, and thus assure
themselves of an uninterrupted sea-
son Of trapping or hunting or resting,
they considered that the proper thing
TO do.
1t was as a result Of that viewpoint
that two New York sportsmen who
landed at Green River, Wyo., few
days before Christmas In 1848. desir-
Gus of spending the remainder Of the
winter with mountain men whose life
and habits they wanted to study, par
ticipated in the killing Of IL Indians
and took among their trophies Of the
hunt upon their return east, q couple
Of Blackfeet Indians scalps as wen as
several bear skins, elk heads ana va |
rious mementoeS of the chase. The |
names of the two fasteners have been /
lost to history, but they came west 1
armed with a letter to Francis Bovey, |
who ran a trading post as Green River
at the time, and who sent them TO
winter at a rendezvous of trappers and
hunters in the Pryor mountains OF /
southern Montana Among the trappers
was William T. uncle Billy" Hamil-
ton, one of this states most noted pio-
neerS, who a few years before his
death wrote an account Of the win
ter's activities for the Montana His
torical society.
Trappers Established Camp
There were Is men at the Pryor
mountain rendezvous, who had spent
the previous fall trapping on various
streams from Wind river in Wyoming
Ireezup came, they had gotten to-
gether and established camp IN q
small basin where grass, water, fuel
and game were abundant and where
their numbers made them compare
lively safe from Indians. In December,
five of them went to Green River for
ammunition, salt and other suppneS:
With them came the two New Workers,
placed in their care at Green river by
3ovey.
Three-Day Snow
It started to snow Christmas night
nd kept it up for three days, about 10 {
inches falling. When the storm was [
'ver the trappers organized a hunt J
or their guests, for they looked upon /
he New York men as such. Elk, deer, {
uffalo and bear tracks had been dis
overed only short distance from the ]
amp and five of the trappers and the T
wo dudes saddled UP for the hunt. t
mile and a half from camp small Il
and of buffalo was encountered and
he two visitors and one trapper fol- b
WED draw to flank them and killed Il
no. When the herd stampeded four a
Their trappers rode among the ami 81
lals and killed four cows. Two Of the OIL
-appers remained to skin the buffalo o
nd cut out the choice meat and take ec
to camp and the remainder OF the hi
arty went on. 0
They followed bear tracks to cot re
nwood grove. There one man was left kl
it'll the horses, the two visitors were
ven choice positions from which to tr
loot, and two trappers circled the til
owe to see If the bears had left it. it
here being no trail out, they entered di
e woods. They found three bears, vi
He'd one and stampeded the other Gu
70 in the direction of the tenderfeet. Of
hey heard shots, and when they tr