Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1939-01-07

we're quietly resting themselves whel
! the alarm was given by their sentine
Of signs Of large party of horsemeI
/ coming from the direction whence the
/ (the Crows had come. They decided
/ it was a band Of Sioux following them
/ About quarter of a mile from whert
4 the Crows were camped, standing alone
on the flat, is a huge sandstone. No
/ where else on the creek Is another like
/ It, 1t is about 40 feet in height anc
/ fully half an acre wide at the top A
sort of trail winding around it, washed
out by water and wind, would allow
one person to climb it at a time. or
top of this rock was where their SEN
tinel was posted when he discovered
the approach Of the Sioux.
The Crows, after satisfying them
selves that the approaching party were
Sioux, made for the rock and gained
the top safely and prepared to fight
feeling safe in the knowledge that only
one of the enemy could come up the
trail at a time. The Sioux came up
and soon sized up the situation and
after a short council went to the creek
and made camp in plain sight of the
Crows.
Instead of attacking the Crows, the
Sioux simply stayed close enough to
the rock to be safe from the Crow
weapons, and held the Crows on top
of the rock till they were nearly all
dead of hunger and thirst.
When they thought the Crows were
dead they gained the top and what
Grows they found still alive they killed
They then returned to their own camp
with their own ponies as well as those
of the Inflated Crows. It has been said
there were 16 Crows in the party. I
have talked with men who have made
the ascent of the rock and was told by
one that he had counted IA skeletons
on top. The rock was given the name
of THE Crows Death Rock" which
later was shortened to Crow Rock, the
creek being called by the same name.
I was told the history of the naming
of the rock and of the starving of the
Crows when 1 lived at Fort Keogh in
1879, by two Indians, one a Cheyenne
High Walking, and one a Gros
Ventres known as Wolf Voice, both of
whom I am sure Col. H. G. Thompson,
trail up the rock has been washed out
for years so that it is impossible to
reach the top by it any more.
Tributary to Crow Rock creek and
south Of the rock is a creek known as
Whites creek. In the spring of 1884 the
general roundup was camped along the
creek and were to drive this creek on
D particular morning When the crew
was about to start, one of the horses |
ridden by one of the Nm hands who
was known as Dominick White, took
The notion to object to going and began /
TO buck and unlOaded it's rider into |
The waterhole. The cowboys laughingly /
referred to this creek after that as
Whites creek and the name stuck.
The creek running into North Sun
lay creek, few miles north Of Miles
City, known as Deadman, got its name
IS follows: 1t was originally known as
sheep creek. In the winter of 1867
sheepman known as DOC" Byal who
had a ranch near the head of this
,reek, was wintering a bunch of his
heep at the ranch. They were being
lerded by man named John Rock.
About the middle of March, Rock. who
lad been with the bunch several
months, took a notion to 20 to Miles
City for the st. Patrick's day celebra-
ion. His camp tender took charge of
rated. DOC" Byal finally got him
obered up enough to go back to the
heep and the camp tender came to
own. Three or four days afterwards the
amp tender went to Rocks camp with
upplies. Before he came in sight Of !
he ranch he noticed a couple of dead
heep near the road and presumed
nat ROCK had left out couple of
'eak ones and the coyotes had killed
aem. When he reached the house he
aW that sheep had bedded all around
ne house instead of in their corral.
e opened the door and found Rock
ing on. the floor dead He lay with {
is head under the cook stove. The
amp tender found the sheep on the
ange. Rocks dog was with them and
was evident that it had followed the
inch out in the morning and had
anaged to herd them back to the
Ouse at night all the time that Rock
Y dead in the cabin. The coroner. DR. q
edd said Rock had been dead at least l
70 days when the camp tender found a
i'm. {
When the roundup was working down v
orth Sunday creek the following t
ring the Nm and the LII Bar t
agons camped close to the mouth of
leep creek, which they were going 3
drive the next morning. At supper Il
e LII Bar foreman, whose name was
Vaddy" Peacock, said, Fellows, the n
me Of this creek don't sound good. r.
It's change it," 81
The cowboys agreed and someone Q
ggested the name of "Deadman," k
lich seemed to meet with the ap- Il
oval of all, and that was the name a.
ven. oil
into main Sunday creek, T
out five miles below the forks, is al
w creek When the roundup drove is
is creek in the spring of 1885, about It
D head of cattle we're gathered there. is
was noticed that every grown ami II
II of the bunch was a COW, not a IL
,er or bull among them. The cowboys 1t