USA > Wyoming > The history of Wyoming from the earliest known discoveries > Part 3
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It has long been claimed and generally believed that during the latter part of the sixteenth and the beginning of the seventeenth century, one of the numerous Spanish expeditions which left Mexico penetrated as far north as the Missouri River and reached the Yellowstone country. I can find no positive evidence of this, but the wild scram- ble for wealth by Spanish adventurers about that time and the over-running of the country from Santa Fe north and northwest into Kansas and Colorado would leave the im- pression that it is not at all unlikely that some of these ex- peditions came into Wyoming and went even farther north. The Franciscan Friars never tired of talking about cities of fabulous wealth which were located, they said, near the great mountains. These, they claimed, contained store- houses, filled with precious metals, in such quantities as were never known before. I can readily understand that these Franciscan Friars were anxious to spread their re- ligious teachings among these strange people, who were reputed to be possessed of great wealth but destitute of religion. The sword of the Spanish conqueror and the Cross of Christ had for a century been carried into new provinces to the south of us and the people subjugated, duly robbed, often murdered and christianized, according to true Spanish civilization. These are the claims made by the nation which Columbus taught the art of discover- ing new worlds, and who rewarded his services by sending
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him home in chains when he was no longer needed. In support of the Spanish claims, of having sent expeditions into the northwest as far as the headwaters of the Missouri and having taken back rich furs and gold, I will group together a few of the evidences of Spanish occupation of the country. When the American trappers came to the Rocky Mountains and reached the Seeds-Ke-dee River, they were told that the Spaniards had lived on this stream It was therefore promptly called by the trappers Spanish River (Green River). There is evidence that the Indians had a knowledge of the Spanish people. Lewis and Clark, in passing through the country at the head of the Missouri, found Spanish saddles and bridles in use among the Indians .. It is a fact known to all writers who have made investi- gation among the Indians that they acquired the horse from the same source. Washington Irving, in his Astoria, in speaking of the Indians of the Northwest, says on page 164 "The Spaniards changed the whole character and habits of the Indians when they brought the horse among them."
I have sometimes thought that it was not impossible that the Indians may have learned from the Spaniards the art of horse stealing. The student of history will, upon reflection, discover quite a number of Spanish peculiarities among some of our Rocky Mountain Indians. In some in- stances it is possible that the Spaniards are in no way responsible for the evidences of civilization among our In- dian tribes and yet they lay claim to this distinction. Lewis and Clark describe the Mandans as the most civilized tribe they found in their travels. Their domestic habits were nearer those of white people, they lived in permanent vil- lages, slept on bedsteads with buffalo robes for mattresses,. pillows and blankets, and cultivated the corn, squashes and pumpkins upon which they lived. Many of them were re- markable for the whiteness of their skin and the light color of their hair. Vaughn says that they always received the whites with graceful and dignified hospitality, and that a stranger in a Mandan village is first struck with the dif- ferent shades of complexion, and various colors of hair,
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which he sees in the crowd about him, and is at once almost disposed to exclaim that "these are not Indians!" There are a great many people whose complexions appear as light as half breeds, and, among the women particularly, there are many whose skins are almost white, with the most pleas- ing symmetry and proportion of features, with hazel, gray, and blue eyes, mildness and sweetness of expression and remarkable modesty of demeanor, which render them ex- ceedingly pleasing and beautiful.
Mr. Catlin, who visited this tribe about the year 1831 says that they are acquainted with the Mosaic account of the deluge and that they have an annual religious ceremony which is fixed at a date when the willow is in full leaf and that this ceremony refers to their traditional history of the flood, which they in some way or other have received and endeavor to perpetuate by vividly impressing it on the minds of the whole nation. He adds, that this is not surprising, as in the vicinity of almost every Indian tribe there is some high mountain where they insist upon it the "big canoe" landed; but that these people should hold annual celebrations of the event, and the season should be decided by such circumstances as the full leaf of the willow, is truly remarkable. Their tradition is that the twig that the bird brought home was a willow bough and had full grown leaves upon it, and the bird to which they allude is the turtle dove, which is not to be destroyed or harmed by anyone, and even their dogs are trained not to do it injury.
Edward Everett Hale, in a work published in 1854, called Kansas and Nebraska, in commenting on the annual religious ceremony of the Mandans, says :
"It would seem from these traditions that these people must have had some proximity to some part of the civilized world; or that missionaries or others have been formerly among them inculcating the Christian religion and the Mosaic account of the flood, which is, in this and some other respects, decidedly different from the theory which most of the aborigines have regarding that event. This vague re- semblance, however, to the Mosaic account of the deluge,
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History of Wyoming.
seems to be the only token that has been observed of any knowledge of any of the Christian Scriptures. Now, Modoc and his colony were men trained in the Christianity of their day and took with them, doubtless, Christian ministers, and the symbols of the Christian faith."
I think that Lewis and Clark, Vaughn and Catlin have produced sufficient evidence to prove there was white blood in the Mandan tribe. If it did not come from the Spaniards, where did it come from? I admit that so far, I have been unable to show Spanish occupation of the upper Missouri and yet the evidence adduced bears on the subject. I know that it has been claimed that the Mandans were of Welsh origin, but that is a tradition more than a thousand years old. The story goes that Modoc sailed away with his Welsh colony from his native country with ten ships loaded with his people more than six hundred years before Columbus discovered America, and that they probably came to this country. When Lewis and Clark told their story of the Mandans Southey wrote his poem "Modoc," and in a note claimed that there was strong evidence that the Wales adventurers reached America and that their posterity dwelt on the Missouri. In another edition of his work, pub- lished in 1815, he adds another note in which he says:
"That country has now been fully explored, and, where- ever Modoc may have settled, it is now certain that no Welsh Indians are to be found upon any branches of the Missouri."
The Spaniards in the south were the first to attempt expeditions from the east to the west. The French followed closely after them. It is said that La Hontan made a trip up the Long River, meaning of course the Missouri, in 1688 and made a deer skin map of the country, showing the moun- tains and a river beyond which flowed into a great salt lake. La Hontan certainly told a good story and some of it was true. The mountains and the great salt lake remain today as proof of the correctness of the deer skin map. He did not take with him friars or missionaries and, for that reason, church people discredited his discoveries. He speaks of having found a people near the mountains who resembled
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Spanish Occupation.
the Spaniards. They were clothed, and he said, had thick, bushy beards. Among the clergy who denounced La Hontan was a learned priest named Babe. La Hontan may have imagined all these things he told but in the light of what followed after, the world must say that he spoke the truth and that this over-zealous priest was ignorant beyond meas- ure. If the mountains and lake were pointed out, and he spoke correctly about these, why may it not be true that he met these people whom he thought were Spaniards?
In Strayhorn's Handbook of Wyoming, published in 1877, are the following items of interest which bear upon the subject of Spanish occupation of the Northwest:
"Although the Genoese navigator had no idea of enrich- ing himself by his perilous launch, in 1492, he at least hoped that the coffers of Ferdinand and his queen would be re- plenished by the wealth of new possessions. But most of his companions were adventurers in quest of gold and glory, reckless and oftentimes cruel to brutality. The missionaries who accompanied him were Franciscan friars, whose zeal for the conversion of the savages was only surpassed by the thirst of their companions in bucklers for gold. Thus a relig- ious zeal, which teaches its votaries to despise riches on earth and lay up treasures elsewhere, and a most avaricious desire for wealth on the part of these adventurers, went hand in hand exploring the southern part of North Amer- ica more than three centuries ago.'
Four survivors of the ill-fated Spanish expedition to Florida, in 1528, bravely made their way westward across the Mississippi, traversed those sections now known as the commonwealths of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, and finally reached the Gulf of California. Reappearing to former friends after several years of absence, they occa- sioned no little astonishment. Their glowing accounts of the kingdoms, cities and towns they had passed through, and the barbaric wealth and splendor they had witnessed, excited and fascinated their listeners to such a degree that an Italian friar named Mark determined to visit the country. He induced one of these four men, a negro named Stephen,
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to return, and boldly penetrated the wilderness until he came within sight of the city of Cibola, a location not made plain by early chroniclers. Here the venturesome friar and his companion were attacked by natives, and in the fight, the negro was killed, leaving the isolated explorer only the al- ternative of swiftly retracing his steps.
Friar Mark did not abandon his project, however, and in 1540, he induced the chieftain Coronado to head an ex- pedition to Cibola, stimulating the new adventurers by richly colored tales of the vast riches and entrancing beauty of the place. Other Franciscans accompanied the expedi- tion. Finally Cibola was reached, but not so the reputed wealth, for the place proved a barren prize. The friar was overwhelmed with reproaches, and returning to the coast soon died.
But enchanting tradition whispered that there were other cities of untold wealth farther in the interior, and Coronado pushed on. He crossed the Rio Grande near the present town of Santa Fe and pushed northward to the Arkansas, but still failed to find the golden cities. True, he encountered numbers of small Indian villages, but for- tune was no nearer than when he started from the sunny shores of the southwestern gulf. Growing thoroughly dis- couraged, after a two years' search, Coronado returned, leaving two zealous friars, however, at Indian villages along the Rio Grande.
The fame of the supposed rich cities had now reached the City of Mexico and Tampico, and an expedition in quest of them started from the latter place in 1542. During the march northward an Indian village on the east side of the Rio Grande was named Sante Fe (holy faith), and became the base of future explorations. The two missionaries left behind in this vicinity by Coronado had already suffered death at the hands of the Indians. From this time forward there were alternate successes upon the part of the Span- iards in establishing missions in New Mexico and of the savages destroying them. The rich cities to the northward
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were yet undiscovered, although little doubt prevailed as to their existence.
During the progress of the Mexican war, in 1846, a highly educated Mexican padre, named Ortiz, was captured near El Paso in the act of bearing dispatches to his country- men south of the Rio Grande. While a prisoner in the hands of General Stephen W. Kearney's followers, he volunteered the statement to different American army officers that the Spaniards had early in the seventeenth century obtained a footing in the mountainous region some seven or eight hun- dred miles north of Santa Fe, but still south of the great muddy river (the Missouri); that they had built stone houses and arastras, and for nearly a quarter of a century had sent trains to the south laden with gold and rich furs. About 1650, however, the savages of the region commenced a whole- sale massacre of these pioneers, and all were swept away as far south as Santa Fe. Ortiz had in his possession an old Spanish book, written late in the seventeenth century, describing all of the country between the Rio Grande and the Missouri, and also containing statements verifying those volunteered by himself, to the effect that the ruins of these settlements existed in the northwest, and that great canals and other auxiliaries to mining had been there constructed.
At intervals of many years following, reckless adven- turers risked their lives to reach the northern land of prom- ise, but these never returned after crossing the Arkansas. As late as 1781, a small expedition, accompanied by Jesuit missionaries, left Santa Fe and penetrated the great north- western plains, but there is no account of the return of any of the party.
These facts become especially interesting in connec- tion with the developments of American explorers in our own time. Members of General Connor's Big Horn expe- dition of 1865, now residing in Cheyenne, vouch for the statement then made that ruins of stone houses, evidently more than a century old, were found near the shores of the beautiful Lake de Smet, at the eastern base of the Big Horn Mountains. In 1866, the remains of an old Spanish arastra
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History of Wyoming.
-a quartz crushing implement-were found in the same region, at a point about fifty miles southwest of Fort Phil Kearney. Ruins of stone houses and fortifications were also discovered by Colonel Mills' expedition in the Big Horn country as late as the fall of 1874. Montana miners who were driven by the Indians from the Rosebud Mountains, east of Fort C. F. Smith, where they were prospecting in 1866, reported that there was evidence that mining had been extensively carried on, on some of the bars there, a long time previous to their visit. They found traces of iron tools which had been devoured by rust, the line of a former ditch to convey water upon the bars and some other indications which lead to the conclusion that the Spanish adventurers alluded to had not only obtained a footing in the region, but had perished there while in the realization of their wild- est dreams.
It is stated as a fact, capable of verification, that there is now a map in the archives of Paris, prepared by Jesuits as early as 1792, which contains a correct topographical sketch of the Black Hills and Big Horn Mountains, and that both are marked as auriferous regions; but from whence the information was derived is more than can be definitely ascertained. Certain it is, however, that missionaries and gold seekers visited portions of the present States of Wyo- ming and Montana, in search of souls and the royal metals, during the last century."
In commenting on Mr. Strayhorn's last paragraph, Hubert Howe Bancroft, in Volume XXV of his history, says that there is nothing true in this statement; that the Spaniards had all they could do to hold their own in New Mexico, during the seventeenth century, without ventur- ing 800 miles into the wilderness among the Indians. There were no such expeditions as represented, although in order to secure grants of land or patents of nobility Spanish ad- venturers related such stories to the king. Further on, he says: "Some coloring has been given to the story by the dis- covery, 1865, of what appeared to be the stone foundations of houses, and what might pass for an ancient arastra on the
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Spanish Occupation.
head waters of Powder River and about Smet Lake. But if we explore the past critically we shall find that at some period anterior to the history of the country, and perhaps contemporaneous with the Cliff-dwellers of Colo- rado, a people to whom the present tribes of redmen were as little known as the Caucasian was at a later period to these, had their habitations here. Of their presence the traces are distinct, their relics being found chiefly in the country about the head of the Yellowstone, and in the Big Horn and Wind River valleys. They consist of steatite vessels, bowl-shaped, and neatly finished, stone lance heads, knives and scrapers, and sinkers for fishing lines made of volcanic sandstone, or of green-veined marble. The workmanship of these ar- ticles is different from any found on the Pacific or Atlantic coasts, and unlike any in use among the present native tribes inhabiting Montana and Wyoming. Other remains point to a scarcity of timber in the past in that part of the mountains where timber is now plentiful, the driveways for game being constructed of stone instead of wood, and the occurrence of small, circular enclosures of stone seeming to indicate that, if not the foundations of houses, they were used for covers from which to shoot game. Heaps of bones, tools, ornaments, weapons, burial cairns, and mining shafts are among the proofs of their presence. At what period they disappeared and recent tribes took their place is among the silent secrets which the past refuses to disclose. The debris of ages covers the silent witnesses of their exist- ence, which patient research is only now bringing to light, and to them I should refer the stone ruins accredited to Spanish occupation."
It will be noticed that Bancroft does not explain the traces of iron tools which had been devoured by rust. Many people in Wyoming even at this day have seen such ancient relics and no one can claim that a race contempora- neous with the Cliff-dwellers possessed iron implements. These belonged to white men and their presence must be accounted for, as they are too numerous to be brushed aside. The whole Wind River, Big Horn and Yellowstone districts
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are full of these relics, and a close examination of them will convince any ordinary man that they have been in the ground two or three hundred years. White men brought them into the country, without a doubt, but unfortunately for those who hold to former Spanish occupation there is no proof that these people were the owners of these iron implements. The most that can be said on this subject, from the evidence before us, is that the country of which we have spoken was inhabited by white men a long time ago; prob- ably in the seventeenth century. They mined, they tilled the soil, and it necessarily follows that they built domiciles, which undoubtedly were of stone or had stone foundations.
I regret that I am obliged to leave this subject in an unsettled condition, but some future historian will un- doubtedly solve the vexed question. I trust that enough has been shown in this chapter to induce further research. I must of necessity leave my readers to draw their own con- clusions from the evidence which has been presented.
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French Canadian Explorations.
CHAPTER III.
FRENCH CANADIAN EXPLORATIONS.
THE DE LA VERENDRYES LEAD AN EXPEDITION FROM CANADA TO THE HEADWATERS OF THE MISSISSIPPI ACROSS TO THE MISSOURI INTO THE YELLOWSTONE AND WIND RIVER COUNTRIES-TURNED BACK BY THE SHOSHONES WHO PERSUADE THE EXPLORERS THAT THEY WILL BE KILLED BY THE SIOUX AT SOUTH PASS-ELEVEN YEARS SPENT IN THE WILDERNESS-RETURN TO MONTREAL-SECOND EXPEDITION IS PREVENTED BY THE DEATH OF DE LA VERENDRYE-UNPRINCIPLED POLITICIANS ROB THE DE LA VERENDRYE FAMILY AND GET THEIR HANDS IN THE COFFERS OF THE KING-FUR TRADE UNDER ENGLISH OWNERSHIP OF CANADA-AMERICAN REVOLUTION LEADS TO GREAT CHANGES IN THE FUR TRADE.
The French Canadians discovered and developed the fur trade of North America. They trapped along the great rivers of Canada almost from the first occupation of the country by the French. They taught the Indians the com- mercial value of the skins of all fur-bearing animals, and they also instructed them as to the seasons when these animals were to be caught to insure the quality of the furs in the markets. These French Canadians were an easy- going, jovial set of fellows; were more inclined to trapping and trading than they were to other occupations. They made friends of the Indians, treating the children of the forest with great fairness and kindness, and the result was the French were allowed free navigation of the rivers as far to the north as they chose to go. The business of trap- ping and trading grew to be extensive and highly profitable, and thus encouraged a peculiar civilization spread itself along the great water-ways of the wilderness, around the Great Lakes, Erie, Huron, Ontario, Michigan, and as far north as the Great Slave Lake. Expeditions were sent out with canoes loaded with merchandise designed for the In- dian trade. These on their return were laden with peltries which found a ready market in Montreal. After a time -(3)
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large capital was employed in the business, which was managed by men of ability. These sent out expeditions and gave employment to an army of voyageurs, trappers, hunters and men-of-all-work. Establishments were founded in the interior, where Indians were invited to come and trade. The men who managed these trading posts were, we are told, "hail fellows well met" on all occasions,and the profits of the business enabled them to pursue a liberal policy and befriend the Indians. These establishments not only employed trappers on contract for a term of years, but bought furs of independent trappers as well as the Indians. The founding of these trading posts in the far-off wilderness weaned the trappers of the desire to return to their homes and many of them became permanent residents and founded families by marrying the daughters of Indian tribes.
Following the traders who organized the great expe- ditions about the Lakes and beyond, and established posts, was the Catholic missionary, who labored among the In- dians. These religious enthusiasts endeavored to persuade the trappers to legally marry their Indian wives, but the good fathers were not always successful in inducing the reckless hunters to consider marriage a sacrament. They preferred to have the bonds of matrimony as little binding as possible, so they might, if occasion required, throw off the matrimonial yoke and marry into another tribe. The Canadian voyageurs, as well as most of the trappers, were devout Catholics and were willing to confess themselves to the priest at stated intervals, but they gave the good fathers to understand that they did not consider marriage with a squaw a legal or binding obligation. The Indians were much more interested in religious matters than were the white men. An Indian believes in what he calls the Great Spirit, and a hereafter, which he designates as the Happy Hunting Grounds. The good fathers thought they saw an opportunity to greatly benefit the redmen and for a time made some headway, but the introduction of spirit- ous liquors among the natives, to a large extent destroyed
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the influence of the priests, but it can be said for them that they made an honest effort to benefit the savages.
A quarter of a century more peopled the wilderness with a half-breed population, and these in turn became trappers and voyageurs. A singular result is related regard- ing the offspring of these marriages. For the most part the children were inferior in character to both the white and the red race. It seemed that they partook of all the vices of both the French and the Indians and retained none of the virtues. They were for the most part indolent, ignor- ant and superstitious, and yet they trapped and hunted and added to the business of the fur trader. The conditions I have related gave the French great influence over the savage tribes and resulted later in Indian depredations on the English settlements along the Canadian borders. The sav- ages were easily persuaded to hostility and later became allies of the French in their wars against the English.
The French merchants of Montreal grew rich out of the trade in peltries. The successful methods adopted by the trappers and traders resulted after a time in the de- struction of fur-bearing animals throughout Canada and the tributary streams of the Great Lakes to the west and soon everything pointed to the early collapse of the great industry. The demand for furs was at its highest point. London, Paris and all the great cities of Europe sent in large orders and the question of supply to meet this demand became an important one to the French merchants of Mon- treal. Far-seeing business men began to discuss measures which should ward off the evil threatened. These condi- tions stimulated a desire to penetrate the interior of the great West for the purpose of securing new fields for the trapper. Public attention, once turned in this direction, was followed after a time by practical action on the part of men who possessed a turn of mind for exploration, and these proposed an expedition into the interior of the conti- nent. Finally a bolder class of merchants came to the front and offered capital to explore the unknown wilderness which lay between Canada and the Pacific Ocean and thus meet the
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