Montana oil and mining journal., 1938-04-02
MINERS SLEW REDS
TOHALT WAR PLAN
MURDERS COMMITTED
CLIFF WAS BLASTED To
COVER BODIES
But One Leg Was Ever Found Of Party
of 80 Sheepeater Indians, Which
Was Claimed by Every Squaw In the
Camp as Part Of "Her Man"


Camp as Part Of 'Her Man"
One leg was the only trace that
ever was found of 30 Sheepeater
Indians who disappeared myster-
iOusly in the Yankee fork country
of Idaho, in 1876, while on their
way to Join the BannOck Indians
in an attempt to drive all white
! men from that section Of the
| country. 1t was many years later
before IL became known that the
entire band were slain in a battle
with miners from the boom camp
of Bonanza and had then buried
/ the bodies by placing them in the
lee of a mountain cliff and blowing
the side Of the mountain down on
/ them with dynamite-au but one
leg.
! The Bannock Indians of Idaho were
on the warpath at the time, and had
made several trips into Montana on
horse stealing expeditions. The 30
Sheepeater Indians were camped on
/ the outskirts of Bonanza, where they
had been barely tolerated by the citi-
zenS, for the Sheepeaters, it may be
said, were regarded in that section as
on the level of the garter snake in
intellect and the coyote in sneaking
habits.
When the Bannocks went on the
Warpath they killed several freighters
on the Salmon road, one of them be-
ing the father Of Hugh McCaleb, later
and for many years a merchant OF
Dillon. For a time 1t was feared the
uprising would extend to all of the
Indian tribes. IN Idaho. The Bannocks
sent runners to the 80 Sheepeaters tell
ing them to make their hearts brave
for the whites soon were to be driven
from their land and the redmen must
dig up the tomahawk.
The Sheepeaters began to make
medicine. They scalp-danced them
selves to exhaustion and the squaWs
gathered all the food they could get
their hands on and preserved 1t for
future use. Finally the Great Spirit
whispered to the Sheepeaters at Bo-
nanza that the time for action had
come. The warriors departed, leaving
only the sQuawS and papooseS In their
camp.
Miners Became Suspicious
The miners, most of them old-timers,
knew some devilment was afoot and a
number of them who possessed rifles
and saddle horses decided that 1t would
be a good idea to follow the Indians
and see what they were up TO.
The Indians had left early in the
morning and about noon of that day
so mounted miners took the trail TO
Yankee fork, the direction in which
the 80 Sheepeater bucks had gone. The
miners were gone "a hours. When they
returned they reported that the In
dams could not be found that they
had evidently gone clear out OF the
country. The Indian women ana cnli-
dren stayed on In Bonanza and no
one paid any attention to them.
Squaws Caused Disturbance
One night the town was aroused by
the weeping and wailing of the squaws,
but no investigation as to the cause
of the uproar was made until the 1ol-
lowing morning. Then some OF the
Bonanza miners went to the camp TO
find out what was the matter.
They learned from the women, tnat
the Indian braves, when they lett
camp, had intended going. to Camas
Prairie to join the Bannocks and XIII
all the whites in Idaho. Two days be-
fore a runner had arrived from the |
Bannocks asking why the Sheepeaters
hadn't kept their promise. Some OF the
sQuaws then took the trail OF their
yankee fork divide where they had
lost It, While hunting for 1t, one OF the
suuaws had found the partly decom-
posed leg of an Indian and had brought
It to camp.
Every squaw in camp claimed 1t as
being a part of her man and the wall
ing Of the night before had been the
death songs the women were singing
over the remains. That one leg was
the only trace ever discovered OF that
band of Indians. The men who formed
the posse were cloSemouthed, but even
tually, years later, one Of them let the
cat out of the bag.
He said that before the Indians had
the top Of the Yankee fork
divide, they had turned off towards
Camas meadows. When dark overlook
the pursuing party Of miners, the In
dians were but a few hours ahead OF
them. The miners, fearing an ambush,
camped and put out scouts for the
night. But the Indians camp was
closer than they thought, and the In
dians also had put out scouts.
Both Indian and white scouts coveted
a common ridge for sentry post, and
met on its top. The Indian Sentries
we're driven back, but before they
could reach their camp the white
scouts were reinforced by their entire
'orce and the Indian camp was rushed.
Not an Indian escaped. Not white
nan was killed or wounded. Many Of
he Indians were killed before they
could secure their arms or attempt q
iefense. Their ponies were stampeded
nto the mountains and perished there
when showed in the next winter.
One Of the miners had his saddle
pockets filled with dynamite. The
)odies Of the Indians were dragged
inder an oVerhanging cliff with ropes
ma saddle horses. The crevices and
roles IN the cliff were loaded with
iynamite and thousands OF tons Of
ock were blasted on ton az tnq bodies