Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1942-07-18
HOW SOME STATE
HISTORIC RIVERS
DERIVED NAMES
Continued from Historical PaQe)
dinand CFredl Peterson, and A1n..

Continued from Historical Pa0e)
dinand Fred Peterson and Ale,
Metzel
The river is stir known as thu
Passamari on the United States gen.
eral land office map.
But 1t seems that some Of the In
dams also called the stream the
shrinking Water" and clriousIy
enough that malodorous name was
generally adopted by the whites rather
than that which suggested the pleas
ant odors of the cottonwoods. There
are three stories as to why the river
was called the Sinking Water.
The first and least likely is that
there was great Indian battle on
the plain Just northerly Of the lower
canyon-say somewhere between Cas-
wells, Cahill's and the mouth of Will
liams creek, and the slaughter was so
great that before burial could be eff
fected the stencil of the slain filled
the country
The second is that a hard winter
killed all the buffalo, which before
had been plentiful, especially in the
upper Ruby and when spring broke
finally the air was laden with the
effluvium from the dead animals.
This is possible. Once large numbers
of buffalo ranged in the Ruby valley
and seemingly they disappeared sud-
denly. In the sixties old Indians told
the pioneers that there had not been
any buffalo in the Ruby valley coun-
try since these Indians were boys.
A variation Of the buffalo legend.
and possibly this should be called a
story by itself, is that a large num-
Der Of buffalo were stampeded over a
cliff at the foot of which they per-
ished and rotted.
The third and more probable story
is that the name Sinking Water came |
from the hot springs which lie ON the |
west side Of the river about a mile |
northerly from the mouth Of the
Sweetwater.. These springs certainly |
have an odor all their own. Long be-
fore the settlers came the Indians
Knew that these waters alleviated the
bangs OF rheumatism and were DOS
ieSSed of many medicinal qualities. A
main Indian trail preceded by gener-
atoms the old Salt Lake road across
he Blacktail, the Big Hill, down the
and the Passamari. or
Water, or Ruby, into the
over valley.
Sinking Water" Didn't Stay
What watering place was Fuller
prings in the palny days of Virginia
lily, the ancient capital-but that is
art of another story.
Anyhow the Sinking Water elimin-
ted Pessamari completely. AS the
eople began to realize the beauties
t the valley and to appreciate what
desirable place it is in which to live.
hey got mighty sick of the ugly name. ,
nd moreover, some made it worse:
ON Donegan, a smart Irishman with ,
sharp tongue, was not alone in !
alltng the handsome river "Stink
reek" So in 1877 the legislature was !
ppealed to and by an act approved
eb. IA Of that year it was enacted I
hat the name of the stream hereto
IRE known as the Sinking Water
yer, situated in and traversing the
.rritory Of Montana, is hereby !
hanged, and the same shall forever !
sreafter be known as Ruby river"
The new name, Of course, was de- {
we'd from the beautiful Ruby noun
ins along whose base it runs for =
many miles. While approving of :
e change there are still many who !
greet that the legislature did not see r
to reinstate the fine old Indian 4
sme Passamari, THE Water of the ?
1ttonwood Groves" as the perpetual !
lme Of the handsome little river 5