USA > Wyoming > The history of Wyoming from the earliest known discoveries > Part 15
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This ended the Captain's attempt to play the role of a peacemaker, but he was afterwards much vexed with these same Indians for allowing the Blackfeet to steal their horses with impunity, and he finally told them that unless they roused themselves from their apathy and properly resented the intrusion of the Blackfeet in their camp they would not be worthy to be considered warriors, and he further told them that his property was unsafe while he remained with them, for the reason that the Blackfeet having got away
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with the horses of his Indian associates, his turn would prob- ably come next. He assured them unless they should speed- ily do something to put an end to the continual plundering of their camp by the Blackfeet he would be obliged to leave them. Spurred up by this severe language, the Indians or- ganized a war party and went out in search of their enemies. The next day the warriors returned without having encoun- tered the Blackfeet marauders and then things went on as bad as before.
On the 19th of December Captain Bonneville changed his camp to a good hunting ground up the North Fork of the Solomon. He was accompanied by his Indian friends. The balance of the winter was spent in hunting the large game of the neighborhood. Becoming uneasy as to the fate of Matthieu, who, it will be remembered, had been placed in charge of the broken-down stock on the Captain's depart- ure from his fortified camp on Green River, he placed him- self at the head of thirteen resolute hunters and started out in search of the lost party, and after much suffering he at last succeeded in finding the men he was in search of. The Matthieu party had encountered deep snows and bands of hostile Indians, and three of his men, Leroy, Ross and Jen- nings, had been killed. The party had been so severely han- dled by coming in contact with the savages that they gave up hunting trips and remained in their camp, now and then killing an old or disabled horse for food. About the middle of March, Captain Bonneville, having been joined by all his detached parties, commenced making preparations to open the spring campaign, and selected Malade River as the neighborhood in which to begin operations. During the summer he penetrated the western country beyond what is now Wyoming, but had fixed a rendezvous in the upper part of the Green River Valley for the latter part of July; but when about to return to that country the free trappers de- clined to make the weary journey. They pointed out to Captain Bonneville that the distance was great and that danger lurked on every side, as the Blackfeet were known to be in great strength in the country through which it was
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proposed to go. Their business, they said, was hunting, and they did not propose to fight Indians unless they were obliged to . They preferred to trap on the headwaters of the Solomon. Captain Bonneville found it necessary to accede to their wishes, and he accordingly fitted them out for the season and placed Hodgkiss at their head with instructions where the party was to meet him the ensuing winter. The brigade consisted of twenty-one free trappers, Mr. Hodgkiss and five hired men who went along as camp keepers. Cap- tain Bonneville with the balance of his men started for the Green River rendezvous. Great precautions were taken to prevent a surprise. Scouting parties were thrown out in advance and encampments were selected with care, with a view to strength of position. The march was conducted in military style, everything being done to insure the safety of the party. On the 13th of July Captain Bonneville reached Green River and went up that stream, where he was met by the different parties he had detached the previous year. Each had a story of success or failure to tell. The party which had been sent into the Crow country and the tribu- tary streams of the Yellowstone had suffered total annihila- tion and the leader alone came into the rendezvous. His story was soon told. He had fallen in with a band of Crows. These had induced most of his men to desert. With the balance of his band, he sought the neighborhood of Tullock's Fort on the Yellowstone, under the protection of which he went into winter quarters. Here the temptation of whisky proved too much for the trappers and his stock of furs was purloined by the men and used for the purchase of alcoholic drinks. The leader finding that being near the fort was even worse than being in the vicinity of the Crows, resolved to make another move and induced a number of strange free trappers to join him. He, with these and the balance of his own men who had remained faithful, started in the spring for the Powder River country. On the way he had rugged hills and a steep mountain to cross. This so jaded his horses that they soon became unfit for service and he was induced
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to turn them out to graze at night. What happened we will let Captain Bonneville tell in his own way.
"The place was lonely; the path was rugged; there was not a sign of an Indian in the neighborhood; not a blade of grass that had been turned by a footstep. But who can cal- culate on security in the midst of an Indian country, where the foe lurks in silence and secrecy, and seems to come and go on the wings of the wind? The horses had scarce been turned loose when a couple of Arickara (or Rickaree) war- riors entered the camp. They affected a frank and friendly demeanor; but their movements and appearance awakened the suspicions of some of the veteran trappers, well versed in Indian wiles. Convinced that they were spies sent on some sinister errand, they took them in custody and took to work to drive in the horses. It was too late-the horses were already gone. In fact, a war party of Arickaras had been hovering on their trail for several days, watching with the patience and perseverance of Indians for some moment of negligence and fancied security to make a successful swoop. The two spies had evidently been sent into camp to create a diversion, while their confederates carried off the spoil.
"The unlucky partisan thus robbed of his horses, turned furiously on his prisoners, ordered them to be bound hand and foot, and swore to put them to death unless his property was restored. The robbers, who soon found that their spies were in captivity, now made their appearance on horseback and held a parley. The sight of them mounted on the very horses they had stolen set the blood of the mountaineers in a ferment; but it was useless to attack them, as they would have but to turn their steeds and scamper out of the reach of pedestrians. A negotiation was now attempted. The Aric- karas offered what they considered fair terms: to barter one horse or even two horses for a prisoner. The mountaineers spurned at their offer and declared that, unless all the horses were relinquished the prisoners should be burned to death. To give force to their threat, a pyre of logs and fagots was heaped up and kindled into a blaze.
"The parley continued. The Arickaras released one horse and then another in earnest of their proposition; find- ing, however, that nothing short of the relinquishment of all their spoils would purchase the lives of the captives, they abandoned them to their fate, moving off with many parting words and lametable howlings. The prisoners seeing them depart and knowing the horrible fate that awaited them,
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made a desperate effort to escape. They partially succeeded but were severely wounded and retaken; then dragged to the blazing pyre and burnt to death in the sight of their retreating comrades.
"The loss of his horses completed the ruin of the un- lucky partisan. It was out of his power to prosecute his hunting or to maintain his party; the only thought now was how to get back to civilized life. At the first water-course his men built canoes and committed themselves to the stream. Some engaged themselves at various trading es- tablishments at which they touched, others got back to the settlements. As to the partisan, he found an opportunity to make his way to the rendezvous at Green River Valley."
The Green River Valley that year was the rendezvous of the American Fur Company, and also the Rocky Moun- tain Fur Company, as well as that of Captain Bonneville. Competition had been carried on to the very utmost limits during the season and Captain Bonneville expected that men who had for a whole season been trying to outdo each other would certainly hold aloof when they reached the rendezvous; but imagine his surprise when he saw these men mingle in each other's camps on the most friendly terms. The past was buried and everybody seemed bent upon having a good time. It was the trappers' holiday and they were determined to make the most of it, and seeing the leaders of the other companies disposed to enjoy good fel- lowship the Captain joined in the interchange of visits. There was feasting and carousals all around from the lead- ers down to the humblest employes of the camp. Here the free trapper outshines all rivals and is ready at all times to sing, drink or dance. Such stories of adventures and achievements as were told would make the most marvelous tales of fiction stale in comparison. The rough trappers would amuse themselves making violent love to Shoshone beauties, whose tribe was encamped hard by. Strings of gay beads, papers of vermilion and bright red blankets were at a premium, as these articles were found to be just what was needed to win the smiles of the fair ones. It would take many pages to tell the scenes and incidents which happened at the rendezvous that season; but I must confine my story
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to the history of Captain Bonneville's adventures during his three years' residence in the west, most of the time in the territory which is now embraced in our state.
By the terms of his leave of absence, the Captain was required to investigate the condition of the Indian tribes of the mountains and make a full report to the war depart- ment .* This he did. Lewis and Clark had received the same instructions, but as these gentlemen had passed rapidly through the country, on their way to and from the mouth of the Columbia, it was not to be expected that they should be able to supply the government with a carefully prepared report of the condition of the various wild tribes occupying the interior. The Captain undertook to secure this informa. tion. He made a careful study of all the tribes with whom he came in contact, and his report made on his return is entitled to be considered not only reliable, but valuable. This report of the condition of the Indians of this part of the Rocky Mountains, their methods of warfare, their nu- merical strength, the alliances of the tribes, was the first reliable information the government had received regarding
*INSTRUCTIONS TO CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE FROM THE MAJOR-GENERAL COMMANDING THE ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES.
HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY,
WASHINGTON, August 3, 1831. ยง
SIR: The leave of absence which you have asked, for the purpose of enabling you to carry into execution your design of exploring the country to the Rocky Mountains and beyond, with a view of ascertaining the nature and character of the several tribes of Indians inhabiting those regions ; the trade which might be profitably carried on with them; the quality of the soil, the productions, the minerals, the natural history, the climate, the geography and topography, as well as geology, of the various parts of the country within the limits of the territories belonging to the United States, between our frontier and the Pacific-has been duly considered and submitted to the War Department for approval, and has been sanctioned. You are, therefore, authorized to be absent from the army until October, 1833. It is understood that the government is to be at no expense in reference to your proposed expedition, it having originated with yourself; and all that you required was the permission from the proper authority to undertake the enterprise. You will, naturally, in preparing yourself for the expedition, provide suitable instruments, and espe- cially the best maps of the interior to be found.
It is desirable, besides what is enumerated as the object of your enterprise, that you note particularly the number of warriors that may be in each tribe or nation that you may meet with ; their alliances with other tribes, and their relative position as to a state of peace or war, and whether their friendly or warlike dispositions toward each other are recent or of long standing. You will gratify us by describing their manner of making war; of the mode of subsisting them- selves during a state of war, and a state of peace; their arms, and the effect of them ; whether they act on foot or on horseback ; detailing the discipline and maneuvers of the war parties; the power of their horses, size, and general description; in short, every information which you may conceive would be useful to the government.
You will avail yourself of every opportunity of informing us of your position and progress, and, at the expiration ot your leave of absence, will join your proper station.
I have the honor to be sir,
Your ob't servant, ALEXANDER MACOMB, Major General, commanding the Army.
Capt. B. L. E. BONNEVILLE,
7th Reg't of Infantry, New York.
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these Indians. Considering that Captain Bonneville was doing this work without pay and performing other im. portant services, such as mapping the country and showing the location of different tribes, and searching for desirable passes through the mountains, where wagon roads might be built, the War Department certainly took advantage of his good nature by imposing upon him a task which was richly worth many thousands of dollars to the government.
Captain Bonneville's place in history is that of an ex- plorer as well as fur trader. While in this country he bore credentials signed by the commander of the army proving his high and honorable position. His education and natural qualifications enabled him to discharge faithfully the duties to which he had been assigned. Well might President Jack- son say to him that he had performed a great service for his country and deserved promotion. It is to be regretted that a considerable portion of his report, especially that con- taining scientific and geological information and valuable maps was not published by the government. We are not obliged to search far to find a reason why this valuable in- formation was not given to the public. This soldier, it is generally understood, was on leave of absence and had overstayed his time, and for this reason he was dropped from the rolls. The facts are, he was on detached service, performing arduous and responsible duties in the wilder- ness. Under such circumstances, the haste with which he was dropped from the rolls of the army reflects but little credit on those concerned, when it is understood that he was displaced to make room for other officers anxious for promotion. His reinstatement by the President regardless of the protest of Major General Macomb and other officers, resulted in his services being under-rated in official quarters.
Captain Bonneville felt these slights put upon him and resolved to set himself right with the people, and there- foreenlarged his report and had it nearly ready for the print- er when he met Washington Irving for the second time and turned over to him his manuscript for publication. It has been stated by some newspaper writer within the last
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few years that Mr. Irving on receiving this manuscript made a trip to the west for the purpose of going over the ground of Bonneville's exploits, and thus it was that he was enabled to produce a work containing so much reliable in- formation concerning the Indians and the country. This story is not only not true, but it is silly in the extreme. The incidents, the descriptions and in fact all the details are from the pen of Captain Bonneville. By reference to Ir- ving's introductory notice in his volume, "Captain Bonne- ville," this will be conclusively proven .* Mr. Irving did visit the west, but it was three years previous to his meeting with Captain Bonneville. He had been made a member of a commission, connected with government service, and this took him to a number of posts on the border, but it must
*It was in the autumn of 1835, at the country seat of Mr. John Jacob Astor, at Hell- gate, that I first met with Captain Bonneville. He was then just returned from a residence of upward of three years among the mountains, and was on his way to report himself at headquarters, in the hopes of being reinstated in the service. From all that I could learn, his wanderings in the wilderness, though they had gratified his curiosity and his love of adventure, had not much benefited his fortunes. Like Corporal Trim in his campaigns, he had "satisfied the sentiment," and that was all. In fact, he was too much of the frank, free- hearted soldier, and had inherited too much of his father's temperament, to make a schem- ing trapper or a thrifty bargainer. There was something in the whole appearance of the Captain that prepossessed me in his favor. He was of the middle size, well made and well set; and a military frock of foreign cut, that had seen service, gave him a look of compact- ness. His countenance was frank, open and engaging ; well browned by the sun, and had something of a French expression. He had a pleasant black eye, a high forehead, and. while he kept his hat on, the look of a man in the jocund prime of his days; but the mo- ment his head was uncovered, a bald crown gained him credit for a few more years than he was really entitled to.
Being extremely curious, at the time, about everything connected with the Far West, I addressed numerous questions to him. They drew from him a number of extremely strik- ing details, which were given with mingled modesty and frankness ; and in a gentleness of manner, and a soft tone of voice, contrasting singularly with the wild and often startling na- ture of his themes. It was difficult to conceive the mild, quiet-looking personage before you, the actual hero of the stirring scenes related.
In the course of three or four months, happening to be at the city of Washington, I again came upon the captain, who was attending the slow adjustment of his affairs with the War Department. I found him quartered with a worthy brother in arms, a major in the army. Here he was writing at a table, covered with maps and papers, in the center of a large barrack room, fancifully decorated with Indian arms, and trophies, and war dresses. and the skins of various wild animals, and hung round with pictures of Indian games and ceremonies, and scenes of war and hunting. In a word, the captain was beguiling the tedi- ousness of attendance at court by an attempt at authorship, and was rewriting and extend- ing his traveling notes, and making maps of the regions he had explored. As he sat at the table, in this curious apartment, with his high bald head of somewhat foreign cast, he re- minded me of some of those antique pictures of authors that I have seen in old Spanish volumes.
The result of his labors was a mass of manuscript, which he subsequently put at my disposal, to fit it for publication and bring it before the world. I found it full of many inter- esting details of life among the mountains, and of the singular castes and races, both white and red men, among whom he had sojourned. It hore, too, throughout, the impress of his character, his bonhomie, his kindliness of spirit, and his susceptibility to the grand and beautiful.
That manuscript has formed the staple of the following work. I have occasionally interwoven facts and details, gathered from various sources, especially from the conversa- tions and journals of some of the captain's contemporaries, who were actors in the scenes he describes. I have also given it a tone and coloring drawn from my own observation during an excursion into the Indian country beyond the bounds of civilization ; as I before observed, however, the work is substantially the narrative of the worthy captain, and many of its most graphic passages are but little varied from his own language.
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be remembered that the border at that time was the Mis- souri River. While performing this service he went with a distinguished party on a grand hunting trip to the Red Fork of the Canadian River, then went westerly to the great forest known as "Cross Timbers," and from there took a southerly route home. He mentions meeting Captain Will- iam Sublette and Robert Campbell in the western part of Missouri in the fall of 1832 on their return trip from Pierre's Hole. Washington Irving never saw the Rocky Mountains. It is true it would have been possible for him to have visited this country, but such a trip was not easy to make until he was too old to undertake the journey. He was born in 1783 and died in 1859. It was my good fortune to have known Mr. Irving in my childhood days. I remember him very distinctly and pleasantly. His polished manners and kind- ly greetings would and did captivate every one with whom he came in contact. In the year 1859 it had been decided that I should make a trip to California overland. Mr. Ir- ving hearing of it, took occasion to give me some sound ad- vice and instructions regarding the journey. Such a trip he thought was a great opportunity for a young man to see the world. I remember he expressed the idea that no man should go abroad until he had become acquainted with every part of his own country. He said that he hoped to see and talk with me of my travels and adventures, on my return. This was in the early spring of 1859. On my arrival home in 1860, from California, I was shocked to learn that he had been dead for more than six months.
Washington Irving has been unkindly criticised by some western writers because he could not foresee that the Rocky Mountain country was to become peopled with a race of men and women of the highest type of civilization. Here is the offending paragraph:
"An immense belt of rocky mountains and volcanic plains, several hundred miles in width, must ever remain an irreclaimable wilderness, intervening between the abodes of civilization, and affording a last refuge to the Indian. Here roving tribes of hunters, living in tents or lodges, and following the migrations of the game, may lead a life of sav-
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age independence, while there is nothing to tempt the cu- pidity of the white man. The amalgamation of various tribes and of white men of every nation will in time produce hybrid races like the mountain Tartars of the Caucasus. Possessed as they are of immense droves of horses, should they continue their present predatory and warlike habits, they may in time become a scourge to the civilized frontiers on either side of the mountains, as they are at present a terror to the traveler and trader."
That paragraph was written more than sixty-five years ago and from what was known of the Rocky Mountains at that time, it was a fair conclusion to be arrived at. The wonders in the way of civilization which have taken place in this part of the country in the last forty years have as- tonished us, but it was the magic influence of gold which did it all. Had it not been for this, Washington Irving's pro- phecy would have been fulfilled. At the time Mr. Irving wrote Bonneville it had never even been whispered that gold existed in these mountains. That was yet to be dis- covered, and when it was all things were changed. Mr. Ir- ving only saw value in the fur trade, and the well-watered lands on either side of the great mountains. The develop- ment which came with the opening of the gold mines and the digging of our irrigation canals has been the wonder of the Nineteenth century, and no peoples have been more sur- prised than we who have participated in and have been a part of the great transformation scene. Irving, by the magic of his pen attracted attention to the west. One of the purposes he had in view when he brought out his "Astoria" was to build up this country, and he did more than any other man of his time to educate the people of the east in the great values that were contained in the western half of the continent. I am glad that he lived long enough to see the wild western country, of which he wrote so charmingly, become the great center of enterprise. He saw the rush to California in forty-nine and through the early fifties, and again in 1859 the reports from Pike's Peak reached him as if to cheer the closing year of his life.
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CHAPTER XV.
BONNEVILLE LEAVES WYOMING.
FURS COLLECTED, CONVOYED TO THE BIG HORN AND SHIPPED BY BULL BOATS-INTERESTING INCIDENTS OF THE JOURNEY NORTH-DISCOVERY OF THE GREAT TAR SPRING-DANGERS AND DIFFICULTIES OF THE RETURN TRIP-DISCOVERY OF BIG HOT SPRING NEAR PRESENT SITE OF FORT WASHAKIE-CAPTAIN BONNEVILLE ATTEMPTS TO WORK HIS WAY THROUGH THE WIND RIVER RANGE-ASCENT OF MOUNT BON- NEVILLE-TOILSOME JOURNEY-DISCOVERS A COMMUNITY OF BEAVERS- RETURNS TO HIS CACHES ON GREEN RIVER BY WAY OF SOUTH PASS -CROSSES THE WIND RIVER RANGE AT THE HEAD OF GREEN RIVER -MANY INCIDENTS OF HIS SECOND JOURNEY TO THE COLUMBIA- LAST WINTER IN THE MOUNTAINS-RENDEZVOUS IN THE WIND RIVER VALLEY-RETURNS TO CIVILIZATION.
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