Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1941-05-30

service berries and many other varieties
of luscious fruit attain perfection.
There are also nutritious roots like the
camas, pomme blanche and Oregon
grape, which in early days were used
alike by Indians and white pioneers.
The lord of these mountains, who
extended his domain along the rivers
for some distance from the foothills,
was the great silvertip or grizzly bear,
huge and ferocious. His tribe has about
disappeared, except from the remotest
Businesses, but there are remaining
many of his smaller cousins. the brown
and little black bear, who both lived
in the utmost fear of their warlike
relative. The mountain lion. wildcat.
lynx, wolf, coyote, mountain sheep and
goat and the moose were all noun
deer antelope and elk were also found
in the mountain ranges and on the
plains. The streams were thick with
colonies of beaver, with offers, mink
marten and other small animals. The
little furry folk of the trees-squirrels
and chipmunkS-were chattering
crew, while the marmot whistled from
the rocks. where dwelt also the coney
and weasel.
The Lewis and Clark journals refer
to vast herds of buffalo. elk. deer
and antelope" near the confluence of
the Yellowstone and Missouri. In writ
ing of these animals they say 1.-The
deer alone are shy and retire to the
woods, but the elk, antelope and buff
falo suffer us to approach them with
out alarm and often follow us for
some distance.
But Of all animals of the wilds-
plains and mountains-the buffalo was
monarch. These, in unreckoned hosts,
roamed the plains and the foothills OF
the mountains, but from the first
coming of the white man they became
victims of an inceSSant and increasing
warfare made against them until the
last had disappeared
Defend Right to Hunt
Twice every year the Indians sailed
forth on their spring and autumn
Of the buffalo were held in possession
as hunting grounds through many
years by one tribe, and the right to
hunt there was defended to the death.
In those days the chase not infre-
quently ended in warfare. Not only did
the buffalo cause hostilities among
tribes, but it Is said that they also
were the cause of internal strife. 1t
Is handed down that the Assinniboines,
or Sioux of the mountains, Separated
from the plains Sioux, which formed
the main body of the tribe, because
of dispute between the wives of two
rival chiefs. each of whom insisted in
having for her portion the entire heart
Of fine COW slain in the chase. Thus
began a feud which split the Sioux
nation into independent, antagoniStic
tribes.
Although the buffalo were hunted
by the Indians and supplied them with
almost every article of utilitarian ma
ture, the great herds were never ap-
probably depleted by the red men Of
the plains. The utmost economy was
used and practiced by them in their
use of the buffalo and virtually every
portion of the animals body was
turned to some account.
One writer. describing a trip across
the plains in early days, says:
Killed for Fun"
Several hunting parties of white
men crossed our trail at different times
recently, going from the hunting
grounds in the bad lands at the north
to Colorado and on into New Mexico.
There were usually from 10 to IL men
IN each party. mostly Englishmen, all
well armed and mounted, and having q
dozen or more mules packed with
stores and camp equipage. The number
OF men and the good firearms no
doubt had much to do with preventing
Indian attacks. They boaSted OF hav-
ing had good sport in killing buffalo,