USA > Wyoming > The history of Wyoming from the earliest known discoveries > Part 16
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We left Captain Bonneville at the rendezvous on Green River, it being his second season at that point. He had collected a considerable number of furs which he determined to send to St. Louis in charge of Mr. Cerre. He concluded that the trip should be made by water down the Big Horn, Yellowstone, and thence by the way of the Missouri River. Before leaving his camp he detached Mr. Walker on a tour of exploration to Great Salt Lake, which was then little known and not at all understood. He determined to have the lake properly explored, and he instructed Mr. Walker to keep along the shores of it until he had traversed the whole distance to the place of beginning. He was to have his men trap in all the streams on his route, keep a journal and mi- nutely record the events of his journey and note everything curious or interesting. He was also to make maps of the country through which he passed and on these he was to lay down the trail of his party from the time of leaving until his return. Forty men were to accompany Mr. Walker, and the party was outfitted with provisions for a year. Mr. Walker was instructed to meet Captain Bonneville on Bear River twelve months from that time. After the departure of the
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Walker party, the Captain with sixty men took up the line of march and started for the Crow country. He followed round the southern end of the Wind River Range, then turned north until he reached the Popo Agie, down which stream he made his way. On reaching this point he was reminded by some of his trappers that he was in the vicinity. of the "great tar spring." This spring was known among trappers and the tar was supposed to contain great medici- nal properties. This is the well known Murphy oil wells of today, and Irving's account was undoubtedly the first ever published. This reads:
"After a toilsome search, he found it at the foot of a sand bluff, a little to the east of the Wind River Mountains, where it exuded in a small stream of the color and consist- ency of tar. The men immediately hastened to collect a quantity of it, to use as an ointment for the galled backs of their horses and as a balsam for their own pains and aches. From the description given of it, it is evidently the bitu- minous oil, called petroleum or naphtha, which forms a principal ingredient in the potent medicine called British Oil. It is found in various parts of Europe and Asia, in seve- ral of the West India Islands and in some places of the United States. In the state of New York it is called Seneca Oil, from being found near the Seneca lake."
It will be discovered that Captain Bonneville made the mistake of supposing he was on the Popo Agie, whereas he had only reached the south branch of that stream, known at this day as the Little Popo Agie. The name Popo Agie, he says, like most Indian names, is characteristic, Popo, in the Crow language, signifying head, and Agie, river.
After leaving the tar springs, he proceeded down the left bank of the Little Popo Agie and finally reached Big Wind River, where he encamped on account of the river being swollen by recent rains. During the course of the afternoon he beheld a long line of horsemen descending the slope of the hills on the opposite side of the Popo Agie. They were first thought to be Indians, but after a time Captain Bonneville became satisfied that they were white men. They proved to be the convoy of Robert Campbell, who was on his way to St. Louis with a large stock of furs.
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Fitzpatrick and a hardy band of trappers were the convoy; also Nathaniel J. Wyeth on his way to Boston. The two parties came together some days afterward on the Big Horn River and camped and traveled in company until they reached a point below the Grand Canon of the Big Horn, at which place they arrived about the middle of August, where they constructed bull boats of buffalo hides stretched over wooden frames. It took three of these boats to convey the peltries, and they were manned by Mr. Cerre and thirty- six men. On the way to the place of embarkation on the Big Horn, Captain Bonneville had detached two parties to trap in the Crow country, and after the departure of Mr. Cerre and the boats, this brave leader found himself with only four men and forty-six horses. With these he retraced his steps across the Big Horn Mountains, intending to join his two bands which he had left on the road going north. On the mountain the Captain discovered traces of the ter- rible Blackfeet and he felt no little solicitude about the two small parties of trappers which he had detached, lest the Indians should have come upon them. He felt still more keenly the situation of his own little band. He re- solved to use the greatest caution and thus elude the sav- ages. No guns were discharged or fires lighted for some days, and it was not until the last day of their march to the rendezvous, where they expected to meet the two bands, that they discharged a gun. Hunger overcame their cau- tion, so they fired at a buffalo bull and brought him down. The best pieces of meat were cut from the carcass, but they now hesitated to build a fire and cook it, as all along their route there had been indications of the presence of savages. They therefore conveyed the meat to their place of rendez- vous, at which they arrived that evening, celebrating their arrival by a hearty supper. The two detachments had not yet come up, therefore the next morning they constructed a log fortress for their own defense and a strong pen in which to confine the horses. On the 29th the two detachments so anxiously looked for arrived. They had experienced many adventures with Indians, and in consequence had been un-
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able to secure any great amount of furs. They had been attacked by both Blackfeet and Crows, and while they had lost some horses and camp equipage, none of the men had been killed. The combined party after this moved south. This was on the 1st of September. The men were given an opportunity to trap as they passed slowly through the country. After reaching Wind River they turned westward up that stream. Many traps had been lost on the journey and Captain Bonneville discovered that it would be neces- sary to visit the caches on Green River for a fresh supply; also to procure a few other much needed articles. He deter- mined to take three men with him and make the journey, giving instructions to the main body to proceed up the Wind River, trapping on the way in the small tributaries of the stream. It was understood he would join the party on the headwaters of this stream as soon as he could make the trip to Green River and return over one of the low passes in the mountains which have an outlet at the head of Wind River. Captain Bonneville and his party of three crossed Wind River and followed up the Little Wind River. On the way he discovered smoke arising, which on closer investiga- tion proved to be steam, from an hot spring that was about twenty-five yards in diameter and so deep that the water was of a bright green color. My readers will recognize this as the great hot spring located near Fort Washakie. They were now advancing in the direction of the Wind River Mountain, but the Captain saw that to reach the goods he had cached on Green River by a detour around the south end of the mountain made a distance nearly three times as great as it would be if there were some practical route through the Wind River Range. He therefore determined to try and find such an opening. The party first went up the North Fork Canon, but after several hours spent in climbing precipices they reached a point where they seemed surrounded by stupendous crags which barred further pro- gress. There was nothing to do but again return to the plains. Following south, they soon came to the main Popo Agie and here again they attempted to force their way
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through the mountain. During the first day they had little difficulty. They passed up the slope half a mile north of the Popo Agie, thinking to find an elevated plain a few miles farther up, but instead they found deep ravines and a sec- ond slope similar to the one they had just ascended, and so they kept on, toiling forward and upward, until night over- took them as they had just reached a wild dell, where they made their camp for the night. The next morning they pushed on again, and the difficulties increased as they pro- ceeded. They at last reached a point where they had to climb down into a rocky ravine in order to ascend the next mountain. In attempting to get their horses down this place, some of them lost their footing and rolled to the bot- tom. They crossed many bright streams that went tumbling down to the valley below. On the third day they came upon two lakes of dazzling beauty surrounded by green meadows. Here they left their horses in charge of one man and Cap- tain Bonneville with the other two climbed the neighboring height, expecting to find a way out of the labyrinth of moun- tains. He gained the summit after much toil, only to find himself at the foot of another lofty peak. To the right and left were other tall mountains, the summits of which were covered with snow. Selecting the loftiest peak, they turned their footsteps in that direction and finally reached its base and commenced the ascent, and found it the most difficult task of their lives; but onward they pushed and, climbing at times on their hands and knees, and frequently they be- came so exhausted with their exertions that they gladly dropped down in the snow and rested from their laborious efforts and slaked their thirst with handfuls of snow. At times it seemed impossible to go any farther, but the Cap- tain's pride would not permit him to turn back, so he still led the way onward and upward. At last the three men threw off their coats and hung them on some stunted bushes in a position in which they could be easily seen on the return journey. Thus lightly clad, they nerved themselves for another effort, and on they went again, climbing as it seemed to them to the very clouds, and at last reached the
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highest point of this stupendous mountain peak. The scene that here burst on the Captain's view fairly over- whelmed him with its grandeur. No matter which way he turned his eyes he was confounded by the vastness and va- riety of its objects. Beneath him, the Rocky Mountains seemed to open all their secret recesses; deep solemn val- leys; treasured lakes; dreary passes; rugged defiles and foaming torrents; while beyond their savage precincts the eye was lost in an almost immeasurable landscape, stretch- ing on every side into dim and hazy distance, like the ex- panse of a summer's sea. Whichever way he looked, he be- held vast plains glimmering with reflected sunshine; mighty streams wandering on their shining course toward either ocean, and snowy mountains, chain beyond chain, and peak beyond peak, until they melted like clouds into the horizon. The peak on which Captain Bonneville had climbed is thir- ty-six miles on a direct line west from Lander, and will be found on a map of the state marked Mt. Bonneville. The Captain earned the distinction of having his name given to one of the grandest peaks of the Wind River range, not only by ascending it, but by being the pioneer mountain climber in Wyoming. He was nine years ahead of Fremont and underwent this hardship as a volunteer in the ranks of explorers.
I am well.aware that it has been claimed that the Mt. Bonneville marked on the map is not the mountain peak climbed by Captain Bonneville. Later explorations by the United States government resulted in the selection of this peak as the one Bonneville ascended, and as this is official it serves my purpose. It is easy to split hairs, but it is use- less, when there is no proof, to get into an argument.
The party, after satisfying their curiosity by glancing at the headwaters of the Columbia, Green River, the Big Horn and numerous other streams that circle away in all directions, and looking across at the Grand Tetons, finally left the mountain peak and retraced their footsteps to the valley below, regaining their coats in their downward pass- age. They at length reached the camp where the horses
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were pasturing and on the second day came to the narrow valley of the Popo Agie, some distance above the place now occupied by the farm of J. S. Meyer. They soon came upon numerous communities of beaver. Captain Bonneville gives an interesting description of the beaver at work, which he chanced to discover during a noonday halt. He came to a beaver pond and caught a glimpse of one of the painstaking inhabitants busily at work upon the dam. The curiosity of the Captain was aroused to behold the mode of operating of this far-famed architect; he moved forward, therefore, with the utmost caution, parting the branches of the water-wil- lows without making any noise, until having attained a position commanding a view of the whole pond, he stretched himself flat on the ground and watched the solitary work- man. In a little while three others appeared at the head of the dam, bringing sticks and bushes. With these they pro- ceeded directly to the barrier, which Captain Bonneville perceived was in need of repair. Having deposited their loads upon the broken part, they dived into the water and shortly reappeared at the surface. Each now brought a quantity of mud, with which he would plaster the sticks and bushes just deposited. This kind of masonry was continued for some time, repeated supplies of wood and mud being brought and treated in the same manner. This done, the industrious animals indulged in a little recreation, chasing each other about the pond, dodging and whisking about on the surface or diving to the bottom, and in their frolic often slapping their tails on the water with a loud clacking sound. While they were thus amusing themselves another of the fraternity made his appearance and looked gravely on these sports for some time without offering to join them. He then climbed the banks close to where the Captain was concealed, and, rearing himself on his hind quarters, in a sitting position, put his fore paws against a pine tree, and began to cut the bark with his teeth. At times he would tear off a small piece and holding it between his paws, and retaining his sedentary position, would feed himself with it after the fashion of a monkey. The object of the beaver,
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however, was evidently to cut down the tree, and he was proceeding with his work when he was alarmed by the ap- proach of Captain Bonneville's men, who, feeling anxious at the protracted absence of their leader, were coming in search of him. At the sound of their voices, all the beavers, busy as well as idle, dived beneath the surface and were no more to be seen.
The day following the beaver incident, Captain Bonne- ville shaped his course to the south, going round the end of Wind River Range, and soon arrived at the place on Green River, where his goods were cached. Taking the arti- cles and supplies he needed, he set out on the 18th of Sep- tember to join his party at the head of Wind River. This time he followed up a branch of the Green River and finally. reached what is now known as Sheridan Pass, by which he crossed the mountain after various escapes from a band of Indians who had dogged his footsteps through the valley. Arriving on Wind River, he, after much searching, came upon a trail made by his party, and in two days more suc- ceeded in finding them. They now remained in camp for three days to rest their horses, but some of the trappers, however, pursued their vocations about the neighboring streams. While one of them was setting his traps he heard the tramp of horses and looking up beheld a party of Crow braves moving along at no great distance with a consider- able cavalcade. The trapper hastened to conceal himself but was discerned by the quick eye of the savages. With whoops and yells they dragged him from his hiding place, flourished over his head their tomahawks and scalping knives, and for a time the poor trapper gave himself up for lost. Fortunately the Crows were in a jocose rather than a sanguinary mood. They amused themselves heartily for a while at the expense of his terrors, and after having played off divers Crow pranks and pleasantries suffered him to de- part unharmed. It is true they stripped him completely, one taking his horse, another his gun, a third his traps, a fourth his blanket, and so on through all his accoutrements, and even his clothing, until he was stark naked; but then
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they generously made him a present of an old battered buf- falo robe, and dismissed him with many complimentary speeches and much laughter. When the trapper returned to camp in such a sorry plight he was greeted with peals of laughter from his comrades, and seemed more mortified by the style in which he had been dismissed than rejoiced at escaping with his life. A circumstance which he related to Captain Bonneville gave some insight into the cause of the extreme jocularity on the part of the Crows. They had evidently had a run of luck, and, like winning gamblers, were in high good humor. Among twenty-six fine horses and some mules which composed their cavalcade, the trap- per recognized a number which had belonged to Fitzpat- rick's brigade, when they parted company on the Big Horn. It was supposed, therefore, that these vagabonds had been on his trail, and robbed him of part of his cavalry.
The Crows were decidedly troublesome that season and Captain Bonneville felt fortunate to escape from the country without suffering further loss. He went south to the Sweetwater and fortunately a heavy fall of snow oblit- erated his track. From the Sweetwater he turned west to Green River and arrived once more at his caches on the 14th of October. From that point he went down the Green River, barely escaping a war party of three hundred Crows. Continuing on, he reached Ham's Fork on the 26th of Oc. tober. A day of two after he fell in with Fitzpatrick's party and learned of that leader's experience on the banks of the Big Horn with the thieving Crows, the incident I relate in the sketch of Jim Beckwourth.
Bonneville now proceeded toward Bear River and going down this stream encamped on the 6th of November at the outlet of what is now known as Utah Lake. On the 11th he with three men set out in search of Mr. Hodgkiss, who had been sent with a party to trap on the headwaters of the Solo- mon, but before starting appointed a rendezvous on Snake River. On the way he met with a number of Bannocks and was invited by them to participate in a buffalo hunt, which invitation the Captain accepted. The hunt was a success
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and was of course followed by a feast, which was enjoyed to the full by all hands. Of this feast the Captain gives an amusing account. Loads of meat were brought in and choice pieces roasted before large fires. Everybody, in- cluding the Bonneville party, fell to and performed their parts with a relish. The warriors in proportion to the ex- tent they had crammed themselves with buffalo meat, grew brave, and after supper they began to chant war songs, set- ting forth their mighty deeds done in battle, and the vic- tories they had gained over the Blackfeet. Warming with the theme, and inflating themselves with their own eulo- gies, these magnanimous heroes of the trencher would start up, advance a short distance beyond the light of the fires, and apostrophize most vehemently their Blackfeet enemies, as though they had been within hearing. Ruffling and swelling and snorting, and slapping their breasts, and bran- dishing their arms, they would vociferate all their exploits; reminding the Blackfeet how they drenched their towns in tears and blood; enumerate the blows they had inflicted, the warriors they had slain, the scalps they had brought off in triumph. Then, having said everything that could stir a man's spleen or pique his valor, they would dare their imaginary hearers, now that the Bannocks were few in num- ber, to come and take their revenge. Receiving no reply to this valorous bravado, they would conclude by all kinds of sneers and insults, deriding the Blackfeet for dastards and poltroons that dared not accept their challenge. "Such is the kind of swaggering," says Bonneville, "in which the red men are prone to indulge in their vainglorious moments; for with all their vaunted taciturnity, they are vehemently prone at all times to become eloquent about their exploits and to sound their own trumpet."
Captain Bonneville now shaped his course towards Snake River and on the 19th of November fell upon traces of the party of which he was in search and on the follow- ing day reached the encampment of Hodgkiss and his free trappers. This was the band that refused to accompany the Captain to Green River, preferring to trap on the upper
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waters of the Solomon, but fate had been against them. They had become entangled in the mountains and had lost much time in extricating themselves, and they had also been so unfortunate as to encounter unfriendly Indians and were obliged to again take shelter in the mountains, so altogether their season's work amounted to little. Captain Bonneville, at the head of the united party, set out to join the band he had recently left, and succeeded in finding them on December 4th and proceeded at once to establish a win- ter camp on the Portneuf. . After the camp had been put in order for the winter, the Captain organized an expedition to penetrate as far west as the Columbia, with a view to estab- lishing a fort on its lower waters. Taking with him three men and five horses, he set out on his journey on Christmas morning, promising to return to the Portneuf camp during the early part of March. They journeyed down Snake River, following the identical path over which Mr. Hunt and his party had traveled twenty-two years before. It was a wild winter's journey and they suffered much with cold and hunger. They encountered many Indian villages, but they were so poverty stricken that they had nothing in the way of provisions to sell, and the party found themselves re- duced to the necessity of living on small rations of dried flesh secured by killing a mule which was about to give out, and when that was gone they subsisted on roots. At last they came to a camp of the Nez Perces, and were thus saved from perishing from fatigue, hunger and cold. Purchasing fresh horses of these friendly Indians, they pushed on and on March 4, 1834, reached Fort Walla Walla, on the Colum. bia, a trading post of the Hudson Bay Company. The Cap- tain and his men received every kindness at the hands of the company's agent at that point, but when he made applica- tion to purchase provisions for his return journey, he was politely but firmly refused, as it was against the policy of the Hudson Bay Company to assist those who proposed to become rivals in trade. Two days later Captain Bonneville and his three companions started on their return, and after many adventures reached Portneuf River on May 12, near
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the place he had left his people encamped on the Christmas previous. The party left at the winter camp had suffered much during the absence of its leader and he did not find them until the 1st of June. After this, the course of the party was up Bear River and on the 13th of June they reached Utah Lake, and after spending four days in exam- ining the shores and outlets, pushed on and soon came upon the detachment sent out the year before to explore the shores of the Great Salt Lake. It will be remembered that this party left Green River Valley July 24, 1833, charged with an important mission. They had entirely lost sight of the instructions and had wandered over sandy des- erts and mountains, trapping on various streams, and final- ly encountered a band of Root-Digger Indians. These were seemingly an inoffensive people, but the trappers com- plained that some one was stealing their traps. It was be- lieved that these Indians were the guilty parties. A trapper with an ungovernable temper discovering the loss of his traps one morning, vowed he would kill the first Indian he met, whether he be innocent or guilty. Soon after this man came upon two Indians who were seated upon the bank of a river fishing. One of these he shot and threw the body into the stream. The other escaped and it was presumed gave the alarm to his tribe. Shortly after this the trappers con- cluded it was best to leave the neighborhood, as they saw signs which induced them to believe the Indians contem- . plated vengeance. Proceeding west, they arrived at a cross- ing of Ogden's River, where they noticed a large party of Indians gathered upon the opposite side of the stream, in- tending, as they supposed, to oppose their passage. The trappers fired upon the natives and killed twenty-five. The balance fled in terror for a short distance, when they stopped and set up fearful cries of distress. The trappers now pur- sued the remainder of the tribe and drove them far from their path. The victors proceeded down Ogden's River and crossed the mountain, when they turned south and entered the Spanish village Monterey. Here they spent a season in gay life, attending bull and bear fights, used up the sup-
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