History of Dakota Territory, volume I, Part 7

Author: Kingsbury, George Washington, 1837-; Smith, George Martin, 1847-1920
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : S.J. Clarke Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1198

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On Saturday, September 15th, we passed the creek near our last night's encampment ( Heart Creek ) and at two miles reached the mouth of White River coming from the south. We sent a sergeant and one man to examine it above its mouth. It has a bed of about three hundred yards; in the mouth is a sand island and several sandbars. It differs from the Platte and Quicourt in throwing out comparatively little sand. The sergeant went up about to twelve miles and found the general course west, the timber elm; they saw pine burrs and sticks of birch floating down stream. Met buffalo, wolves, elk deer and barking squirrels. At the confluence of White with the Missouri is an excellent position for a town, the land rising by three gradual ascents, and the neighborhood furnishing more timber than is usual in this country. After passing high dark bluffs on both sides we reached the lower point of an island toward the south at a distance of six miles. The island bears an abundance of grapes and is covered with red cedar. ( American Island at Chamberlain. ) Encamped at eight miles on the north, opposite a large creek on the south, and early the following morning, having reached a convenient spot on the south side at 114 miles distant, we encamped above a small creek which we called Corvus. Finding that we could not proceed on the sandbars as fast as we desired while the boat was so heavily loaded. we concluded not to send back, as we originally intended, our third periogue, but to detain the soldiers until spring, and in the meantime lighten the boat by loading the periogue, which detained

HISTORY OF DAKOTA TERRITORY

us all day. The cold season coming on, a flannel shirt was given ot each man and fresh powder.

The following day we remained in camp. Some of the party were employed in exam- ining the surrounding country. A quarter of a mile behind our camp a plain twenty fect high extends for three miles parallel to the river. About a mile back of this plain we found another rise, cut by ravines, in which we found an abundance of plums, finely tlavored. Antelope and buffalo are numerous. We do not exaggerate in saying that we saw 3,000 of the latter at a single glance. Made seven miles on the 18th, passed an island a mile in length covered with cedar. Eucamped on the south at seven miles. Game abundant.

September 19th we reached at three miles a bluff on the south and at four iniles farther the lower point of Prospect Island, about 21/2 miles in length; opposite are high bluffs eighty feet above the water ; beyond are beautiful plains rising as they recede from the river, and watered by three streams that empty near each other, and are called by the French Les Trois Riviere des Sioux, the Three Sioux Rivers, and as the Sioux generally cross the Missouri at this place, it is called the Sioux Pass of the Three Rivers. These streams have the same right of asylum as Pipestone Creek already mentioned. Two miles further we passed a creek fifteen yards wide; eight miles another twenty yards; three miles beyond a third eighteen yards wide, all on the south. The second we called Elm Creek and the third Night Creek, having reached it late at night. About a mile beyond this we reached a sinall island on the north side called Lower Island, as it is situated at the commencement of what is known by the name of Grand Detour or Great Bend of the Missouri. Opposite on the south is Prickly Pear Creek. We encamped on the south opposite the upper end of the island, having an excellent day's sailing of 2014 miles. Large herds of buffalo, elk and goats were seen today.

On Thursday, September 20th, finding we had reached the Big Bend, we dispatched two men with our only horse across the neck to hunt there and wait our arrival at the first creek beyond. We then set out to make the circuit on the bend.

At g !: miles is a sand island ; about ten miles beyond a small island with a creek on the north. This is called Solitary Island, being at the extremity of the bend. Eleven miles farther we encamped on a sandbar, having made 2712 miles. Great numbers of buffalo, elk and goats are wandering over these plains. The goats have no beard, are delicately formed and very beautiful. The next morning, between 1 and 2 o'clock, the sergeant on guard alarmed us by crying that the sandbar on which we lay was sinking. We jumped up and found that above and below our camp the sand was undermined and falling in very fast. We had scarcely got into the boats and pushed off when the bank under which they had been lying caved in and would certainly have sunk the two periogues had they remained there. By the time we had reached the opposite shore the ground of our encampment sunk also.

We formed a second camp and at daylight proceeded on to the gorge or throat of the Great Bend and breakfasted. A man whom we had dispatched to step off the distance across the bend found it 200 yards; the distance around is thirty miles. After breakfast we passed through a high prairie on the north and rich cedar lowland and bluff on the south till we reached a willow island below the mouth of a small creek. This creek is called Tyler's River, comes in from the south, and is six miles from the Great Bend. At 111/2 miles we encamped on the north at the lower point of an ancient island that is now covered with cottonwood. We here saw some tracks of Indians, but three or four weeks old. This day was warm. The next day our course was through inclined prairies crowded with buffalo. We halted near a high bluff on the south and took a meridian altitude which gave us the latitude of 44º 11' 33". We then reached a small island on the south at 41/5 miles: imme- diately above is another island opposite a small creek fifteen vards wide. The creek and two islands are called the Three Sisters. Next is an island on the north called Cedar Island, about 11/2 miles long and the same distance broad, and derives its name from its timber. On the south side of Cedar Island is a fort built by a Mr. Loisel, who wintered here last year to trade with the Sioux, the remains of whose camps are in great numbers about this place. At sixteen miles we came to on the north at the mouth of a small creek. Large stones made navigation dangerous, and the mosquitoes are numerous. We passed Goat Island. the twenty-third, above which is Smoke Creek, as we observed a great smoke to the southwest in approaching it. At ten miles we pased what we called Elk Island, 212 miles long and 34 of a mile covered with cottonwood, red currant and grapes. A small creek on the north we called Reuben's Creek, as Reuben Fields, one of our men, was the first who reached it. Above this we encamped for the night at twenty miles distance. In the evening three Sioux boys swam across the river and informed us that two parties of Sioux were eneamped on the next river, one consisting of eighty and the other sixty lodges, some dis- tance above. After treating them kindly we sent them back with two carrots of tobacco to their chiefs, whom we invited to a conference in the morning.

On Monday, September 24th, we passed Ilighwater Creek a little above our encampment. At five miles we reached an island 212 miles long. Here we were joined by one of our' hunters, who, while in pursuit of game, the Indians had stolen his horse, our only one. We soon overtook five Indians on shore. We anchored and told them we were friends and wished to continue so, but were not afraid of any Indians. That some of their young men had stolen the horse which the Great Father had sent for a present to their great chief and that we could not treat with them until it was restored. They said they knew nothing about

HISTORY OF DAKOTA TERRITORY

it, but if the horse had been taken it should be given up. At 111/2 miles we passed what we called Goodhumored Island, about 12 miles long, abounding in elk. At 1322 miles we anchered too yards off the mouth of a river on the south and encamped, being joined by the portogues. Two-thirds of the party remained on board, the rest took one periogue and went ashore to cook. The five Indians followed us and stayed with the shore guard. One of them being a chief we smoked with him and gave him a present of tobacco. As the tribe of Indians wluch inhabit this river are called Teton we gave it the name of Teton River ( Bad River ).

September 25th was a fine morning. We raised a flag staff and an awning, under which we assembled at 12 o'clock with all the party parading under arms. The chiefs and warriors from their camp two miles above met us, about fifty or sixty in number, and after smoking we delivered them a speech, but as our Sioux interpreter, Mr. Durion, had been left with the Yanktons, we were obliged to make use of a Frenchman as an interpreter, who could not speak fluently, and we, therefore, curtailed our harangue. We then acknowledged the chiefs by giving to the grand chief a medal, a flag of the United States, a laced uniform coat, a cocked hat and feather; to two other chiefs, a medal and some small presents, and to two warriors of consideration, certificates. The name of the great chief is Untorgasatan, or Black Buffalo; the second. Fortahonga, the Partisan; the third, Fartongawaka, or Buffalo Medicine ; the name of his warriors, Wanginggo, the other Matocoquepa or Second Bear. We then took them on board, showed them the boat, the air gun and other curiosities, in which we succeeded too well, for after giving them a quarter of a glass of whiskey, which they seemed to like very much and sucked the bottle, it was with much difficulty we could get rid of them. They at last accompanied Captain Clark on shore in a pirogue with five men ; but it seems they had formed a design to stop us, for no sooner had the party landed than three of the Indians seized the cable of the pirogue and one of the soldiers of the chief put his arms around the mast ; the second chief, who feigned intoxication, then said we should not go on, that they had not reecived presents enough. Captain Clark told him we would not be prevented from going on; that we were not squaws but warriors; that we were sent by our Great Father who could in a moment exterminate them.

The chief replied that he, too, had warriors, and was proceeding to offer personal vio- lence to Captain Clark, who imediately drew his sword and made a signal to the boat to prepare for action. The Indians, who surrounded him, drew the arrows from their quivers and bent their bows when the swivel in the boat was pointed towards them, and twelve of our most determined men jumped into the pirogue and joined Captain Clark. This move- ment made an impression on them, for the grand chief ordered the young men away from the pirogue and they withdrew and held a short council with the warriors. Being unwilling to irritate them, Captain Clark then went forward and offered his hand to the first and second chiefs, who refused to take it. lle then turned from them and got into the pirogue, but had not gone more than ten paces when both chiefs and two of the warriors waded in after him and he brought them on board. We then went on for a mile and anchored off a willow island, which, from the circumstances just related, we call Badhumored Island, where we spent the night. Our conduct seemed to have inspired the Indians with fear of us and as we were desirous of cultivating their acquaintance we complied with their wish that we should give them an opportunity of treating us well, and also suffer their squaws and chil- dren to see us and our boat, which would be perfectly new to them. Accordingly, after a run of cleven miles, we came to on the south side, where a crowd of men, women and children were waiting to receive us. Captain Lewis went on shore and remained several hours, and observing that their disposition was friendly we resolved to remain during the night for a dance they were preparing for us. Captains Lewis and Clark, who went on shore one after the other, were met on landing by ten well dressed young men, who took them up in a robe highly decorated and carried them to a large council house, where they were placed on a dressed buffalo skin by the side of the grand chief. The hall or council room was in the shape of three-quarters of a circle, covered at the top and sides with skins well dressed and sewed together. Under this shelter sat about seventy men forming a circle round the chief, before whom were placed a Spanish flag and the one we had given them yesterday. This left a vacant circle of about six feet in diameter in which the pije of peace was raised en two forked sticks about six or eight inches from the ground. and under it the down of the swan was scattered; a large fire in which there were cooking provisions stand near, and in the center about four hundred pounds of excellent buffalo meat as a present for us.

As soon as We were seated, an old man got up, and after approving what we had done. begged us to take pity on their unfortunate situation. To this we replied with assurance of protection After he had ecased the great chief arose and delivered a harangue to the same effect ; then, with great solemnity, he took some of the most delicate parts of the dog which was er ked for the festival and held it to the flag by way of sacrifice: this done, he held up the pipe of peace, and first pointed it toward the heavens, then to the four quarters of the globe and then to the earth, made a short speech, lighted the pipe and presented it to us. We sme ked and then the repast was served up to us. It consisted of the dog which they had just been cooking, this being a great dish among the Sioux and used on all festivals. To this were added pemitigon, a dish made of buffalo meat dried or jerked and then pounded and mived raw with grease, and a kind of ground potato which we found good; but we could as set partake but sparingly of the dog. We ate and smoked for an hour. when it became

HISTORY OF DAKOTA TERRITORY

dark ; everything was then cleared away for the dance, a large fire being made in the center of the house, giving light and warmth to the ballroom. The orchestra was composed of about ten men who played upon a sort of tambourine formed of skin stretched across a hoop and made a jungling noise with a long stick to which the hoofs of deer and goats were hung ; the third instrument was a small skin bag with pebbles in it; these, with hve or six young men for the vocal part, made up the band. The women then came forward highly decorated, some with poles in their hands in which were hung the scalps of their enemies ; others with guns, spears or ditterent trophies taken in war by their husband, brothers or connections.

Having arranged themselves in two columns, one on each side of the fire, as soon as the music began they danced toward each other till they met in the center, where the rattles were shaken and they all shouted and returned back to their places. They have no step, but shuffle along the ground; nor does the music appear to be anything more than a con- fusion of noises, distinguished only by hard or gentle blows on the buffalo skins. The song is perfectly extemporaneous. In the pauses of the dance any man of the company comes forward and recites, in a sort of a low, guttural tone, some story or incident, which is either martial or ludicrous, or, as was the case this evening, voluptuous and indecent. This is taken up by the orchestra and dancers in a higher strain, who dance to it. The dances of the men are conducted very nearly the same way and are always separate from the dances of the women. The harmony of this entertainment had nearly been disturbed by one of the musicians, who, thinking he had not received a due share of the tobacco we had distributed. put himself in a passion, broke one of the drums, threw two of them into the fire and left the band. They were taken out of the fire, and a buffalo robe held in one hand and beaten with the other by several of the company supplied the place of the lost tambourine, and no notice was taken of the offensive conduct of the man. We stayed until 12 o'clock at night, then told the chiefs they would be fatigued with their efforts to amuse us and retired accom- panied by four chiefs, two of whom spent the night with us aboard.

This tribe is a part of the great Sioux nation called Teton Kandandas and number about two hundred men. They inhabit both sides of the Missouri between the Teton ( Bad ) River and the Cheyenne. Their persons are ugly, ill made, their legs and arms being too small, cheek bone high, eyes projecting. The females, with the same character of form, are more handsome, and both sexes appear cheerful and sprightly, but we found them cunning and vicious. The men shave the hair off their heads, except a small tuft on the top which they suffer to grow and wear in plaits over their shoulder ; to this they are much attached, as the loss of it is the usual sacrifice at the death of near relations.

In full dress the men wear a hawk's feather or calumet feather worked with porcupine quills and fastened to the top of the head. The face and body are generally painted with a mixture of grease and coal. Over the shoulders is a loose robe of buffalo skins dressed white, adorned with porcupine quills loosely fixed so as to make a jungling noise when in motion and painted in uncouth figures not intelligible to us but to them emblematical of military exploits or any other incident. The hair of the robe is worn next the skin in fair weather, but when it rains the hair is put outside. Under this in winter they wear a kind of shirt resembling ours made of skin or cloth and covering the arms and body. Round the middle is fixed a girdle of cloth or procured dressed elk skin about an inch in width and closely tied to the body. To this is attached a piece of cloth, a blanket or skin, about a foot wide which passes between the legs and is tucked under the girdle both before and behind. From the hip to the ankle he is covered with leggings of dressed antelope skins with seams at the sides two inches in width and ornamented by little tufts of hair, the produce of the scalps they have made in war. which are scattered down the legs. The winter moccasins are of dressed buffalo skin, the hair being worn inwards and soled with thick elk parchment. Summer moccasins are of elk skin without the hair. On great occasions the young men drag after them the entire skin of a pole cat fixed to the heel of the moccasins. Another skin of the same animal is tucked in the girdle and serves as a pouch for their tobacco or what the French traders call the bois roule ( killikanick ) ; this is the inner bark of a species of red willow which, being dried in the sun or over the fire, is rubbed between the hands and broken into small pieces, and is used alone or mixed with tobacco. The pipe is of red carth, the stem made of ash, about three feet long, and decorated with feathers, hair and porcu- pine quills. The hair of the women is suffered to grow long and is parted from the forchead across the head, at the back of which it is either collected into a kind of bag or hangs down over the shoulders. Their moccasins and leggings are like those of the men, except the latter reach only to the knee, where it is met by a long, loose shift of skin which reaches to the ankles and is fastened over the shoulders by a string, and has no sleeves, but a few pieces of the skin hang a short distance down the arm. The women are fond of dress. Their lodges are in the same form as those of the Yanktons. They consist of about one hundred cabins made of white buffalo hide dressed. with a large area in the center for holding council and dances. They are built round with poles about fifteen or twenty feet high covered with white skins. These lodges may be taken to pieces, packed up and carried with the nation from place to place by dogs, who bear great burdens

The women are chiefly employed in dressing buffalo skins: they seem perfectly well disposed, but are addicted to stealing anything which they can take without being observed. While on shore we witnessed a quarrel between two squaws which appeared to be growing more boisterous when a man came forward, at whose appearance everyone seemed terrified

HISTORY OF DAKOTA TERRITORY

and ran, He took the squaws and without any ceremony whipped them severely. On inquir- ing into the nature of such summary justice we learned that this man was an officer well known to this and many other tribes. His duty is to keep the peace and the whole interior police of the village is confided to two or three of these otticers, who are named by the chief and remam in power some days, at least until the chief appoints a successor. They seem to be a sort of constable or sentinel, and they are always on the watch to keep tran- quility during the day and guarding the camp at night. The short duration of their office is compensated by its authority ; his power is supreme and in the suppression of any riot or disturbance no resistance to him is suffered; his person is sacred, and if in the execution ot hus duty he strikes a chief of the second class he cannot be punished. In general, they accompany the person of the chici, and when ordered to do any duty, however dangerous, it is a point of honor rather to die than to refuse obedience.

Thus when they attempted to stop us yesterday the chief ordered one of these men to take possession of the boat ; he immediately put his arms around the mast and no force except the command of his chief could induce him to release his hold.

On Thursday morning we rose early. The two chieis took off, as a matter of course, and according to their custom, the blanket on which they slept. Captain Lewis went on shore to see a part of the nation that was expected but did not come. He returned with four chiefs, who remained half an hour and left with reluctance. Captain Clark accompanying them to the lodge of the grand chief, where a dance was given. He returned to the boat at 12 o'clock, taking the second chief and leading a warrior aboard. As we came near the boat the man who steered the pirogue brought her broadside against the boat's cable and broke it. We called up all hands to the oars, but our voice alarmed the two Indians; they called out to their companions, who immediately crowded to the shore, but soon returned leaving sixty men near us. The alarm given by the chiefs was said to be that the Mahas had attacked us and they were desirous of assisting us to repel it; but we suspected that they were afraid we meant to set sail and they intended to prevent us from doing so, for in the night the Maha prisoner had told one of our men that we were to be stopped. We, therefore, without giving any intimation of our suspicion, prepared everything for an attack. We were not mistaken in these opinions, for the next morning, September 28th, after failing to find our anchor. it was with great difficulty that we could make the chiefs leave the boat. At length we got rid of all except the great chief, when, just as we were setting out, several of the great chief's soldiers sat on the rope which held the boat to the shore. Irritated at this we got everything ready to fire on them if they persisted, but the great chief said that these were his soldiers and only wanted some tobacco. We threw him a carrot of tobacco and said to him, "You have told us you were a great man and have influence, now show your influence by taking the rope from these men, and we will then go without any further trouble."

This had the desired effect, as it appealed to his pride; he went out and gave the soldiers the tobacco, and, pulling the rope from their hands, delivered it on board, and we then sailed. A short distance up stream we observed the third chief beckoning to ns; we stopped, took him aboard and he told us the rope was held by order of the second chief, who was a double faced man. On his return to the nation we sent a speech to the great chief, telling him to make peace with his enemies, and if he persisted in attempting to stop us we were able to defend ourselves. We encamped on a sandbar at six miles above our starting point and early on the 20th set out with fair weather. The Indians followed us and the second chief asked us to take two women to the next station above, which we refused, but gave him a present of tobacco. They followed us along the shore. At 71/2 miles we passed a small ereek on the south which we called Notimber Creek on account of its bare appearance. We made eleven miles and encamped on the lower part of a willow island, using large stones for an anchor. The next morning the wind was strong and it rained. The country on the north was low prairie covered with timber; on the south, first high, barren hills, then similar to the prairie on the north. We had not gone far when an Indian ran after us and begged to be taken aboard and carried as far as the Ricaras, which we refused. Soon after we discovered on the hills at a distance great numbers of Indians, who came to the river and encamped ahead of us. We anchored a hundred yards from the shore, and, discovering they were Tetons belonging to the band we had just left, we took them by the hand and would make each chief a present of tobacco; that we had been badly treated by some of their band and that having waited for them two days below we could not stop here, but referred them to Mr. Durion for our talk and an explanation of our views. They apologized for what had passed, assured us they were friendly and asked us to eat with them, which we refused. but sent the pirogue ashore with the tobacco, which was delivered to one of the soldiers of the chief whom we had aboard.

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History of Dakota Territory, volume I, Part 7

Author: Kingsbury, George Washington, 1837-; Smith, George Martin, 1847-1920 Publication date: 1915 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : S.J. Clarke Publishing Company Number of Pages: 1198

Author: Kingsbury, George Washington, 1837-; Smith, George Martin, 1847-1920
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : S.J. Clarke Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1198