USA > Wyoming > The history of Wyoming from the earliest known discoveries > Part 62
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Theophilus Simmons was an early trapper and trader in Wyoming. In 1842 he was at Fort Laramie and there met Fremont, and from this trapper the explorer gained much valuable information. He is regarded as reliable au- thority on all matters relating to the fur trade. He finally
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took up his residence in Colorado, where he still resides, having grown old in years as well as in experience.
James Chambers was a trapper in Wyoming in the early days and continued in the business up to the time of his death in August, 1867. He was killed by William Car- michel, but of the circumstances I know nothing. Robert Dixon, another old time trapper, came to Wyoming from Kentucky. He trapped for many years on the Big and Little Laramie and reached a great age. When the Union Pacific railroad became a certainty, he was in the habit of saying to his friends that he intended to live until he saw a railway train cross the Laramie Plains, but it was his fate to be killed by the Arapahoes the year before the road came.
Joseph Chatillon was a well known guide and hunter through the Rocky Mountains. He was with Sir George Gore's expedition for three years and acted as guide the first year, when Bridger took his place and Chatillon be- came the hunter and supplied the wild meat for the expe- dition. Henry Chatillon, who was with Francis Parkman in Wyoming in 1846, was a brother of Joseph.
With Bonneville's expedition were two brothers named Hedspeth. They were trappers and men of good repute. They remained in Wyoming many years after Captain Bon- neville left, making their headquarters most of the time at Fort Bridger.
Isaac Hitchcock was a trapper in Wyoming in the early times, and during the palmy days of the Overland was en- gaged in trading. I can find no mention of the death of this pioneer or of his leaving Wyoming.
No range in the Rocky Mountains is better known than the Big Horn. When it was first discovered by white men is beyond the knowledge of those who have written on the subject. Its name comes to us from Indian tribes, and they, it is said, called it after the mountain sheep, that were found in large numbers among the rocks and precipices of this locality. The Indian name for this sheep was ahsalita, which rendered into English means the big horn, and thus
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we have the big horn sheep, and from this the Big Horn Mountains. The first explorers called the whole range of mountains, from the British possessions on the north to California on the south, the Stony Mountains, and this was the general name by which they were known by both the Spanish and the French. Later the English speaking peo- ple, some time in the Eighteenth century,, called them the Rocky Mountains, but this did not become general until the time of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Even as late as 1793, Thomas Jefferson called them the Stony Mountains, in- timating that they were a solid mountain extending their awful barriers against civilization. At that time they were supposed to have an elevation of 25,000 feet. Lewis and Clark succeeded in finding a gateway through the moun- tains, but they evidently knew nothing of the explorations of the De la Verendryes or they would have attempted the South Pass route and saved themselves much hard climbing and given to the world a broad and easy path and a practical road to the Pacific Ocean.
The early trappers knew the Big Horn range well, but these were French Canadians, and their knowledge served little, in a general way, as they were not men who contrib- uted written reports of their explorations. Colter certainly visited this locality, but he does not mention the mountains. Edward Rose, who was the guide in that part of the coun- try, to the Astorian expedition, knew all about them. From the Astorians has come down to us about all that was known of this range up to that time. The Big Horn River takes its name from the mountains.
The Wind River Range is named from the river of that name which rises in the north end of these mountains. The Indians, who were always practical in the matter of names, discovered a strong current of wind coming down this river from the northwest, and there could be nothing more natu- ral than for them to call the river the Big Wind. The pre- vailing wind along this river comes through the notch be- tween the Shoshone Range and the Wind River Range and
TOM SUN.
C.K.BUCKNUM
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at nearly all seasons of the year it amounts to a gale. In the winter season, this is exceedingly disagreeable to those passing up the valley of this stream.
The Shoshone Range derives its name from the Sho- shone tribe of Indians. These were an off-shoot of the Snakes, and tradition says that the Shoshones were the fol- lowers of an ancient chief who nearly 200 years ago led his people into these mountains and they subsisted on the big horn sheep and became known among other tribes as sheep eaters. They did not possess horses and consequently re- mained in their mountain homes. Not cultivating the arts of war, they became a timid and inoffensive tribe, marrying among themselves and at last became dwarfed and were despised by war-like nations. In the early part of the pres- ent century, the tribe nearly reached the point of extinction. The young men commenced to take wives from the ancient Snakes and affiliated with this tribe, and thus it was that the sheep eaters passed out of existence and only the name Shoshone was retained by a branch of the Snakes. It must be understood that the reference to this ancient tribe is purely Indian tradition. Captain Bonneville, it is evident, heard something of this story, for in his report of the climb- ing of Mount Bonneville he mentions that one of his men, while out hunting one day, came upon the track of a man in a lonely valley in the Wind River Range, and following it up he reached the brow of a cliff, whence he beheld three savages running across the valley below him. He fired his gun to call their attention, hoping to induce them to turn back. They only fled the faster, and disappeared among the rocks. The hunter returned and reported what he had seen. Captain Bonneville at once concluded that these belonged to a kind of hermit race, scanty in number, that inhabited the highest and most inaccessible fastnesses. Captain Bonne- ville says: "They speak the Shoshone language, and are probably off-sets from that tribe, though they have peculi- arities of their own which distinguish them from all other Indians. They are miserably poor and are destitute of every
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convenience to be derived from an intercourse with the whites. Their weapons are bows and stone-pointed arrows, with which they hunt the deer, the elk and the mountain sheep. They are to be found scattered about the countries of the Shoshone, Flathead, Crow and Blackfeet tribes; but their residences are always in lonely places and the clefts of the rocks. Their footsteps are often seen by the trappers in the high and solitary valleys among the mountains, and the smoke of their fires seen among the precipices, but they themselves are rarely met with, and still more rarely brought to a parley, so great is their shyness and their dread of strangers. As their poverty offers no temptation to the marauder, and as they are inoffensive in their habits, they are never the object of warfare; should one of them, how- ever, fall into the hands of a war party, he is sure to be made a sacrifice, for the sake of that savage trophy, a scalp, and that barbarous ceremony, a scalp dance. These forlorn beings, forming a mere link between human nature and the brute, have been looked down upon with pity and contempt by the creole trappers, who have given them the appellation of 'les dignes de pitie,' or 'the objects of pity.' They appear more worthy to be called the wild men of the mountains."
When white men first came into the country, they found the three Popo Agie Rivers already named-the Popo Agie, which is the main stream, the North branch of that river, and the Little Popo Agie, which is the south branch. Popo Agie is a Crow name, and like all Indian names has a direct and practical meaning. Popo signifies head, and Agie water; therefore, these streams are so named because they get their waters direct from the fountain head, the mountains. They are very beautiful mountain torrents and were highly prized by the Crows in their day in that coun- try. The present settlers of the Wind River Valley, or what is now known as the Lander Valley, have utilized these streams for irrigation and many valuable farms are now lo- cated on all three of these rivers. The present is quite in contrast with the time when Arapooish led his Crow war-
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riors through the rich valley. (See description of Crow country, page 406 to 409).
The name of the Medicine Bow Mountain is derived from the Indians. Tradition says that the northern tribes repaired annually to the foot of this mountain for the pur- pose of procuring a variety of ash timber from which they made their bows. With the Indians, anything that is ex- cellent for the purpose for which it is intended is called Good Medicine, hence the locality was known as the place where they could procure good medicine bows. Medicine Bow Mountain and Medicine Bow River naturally followed.
The origin of the name Laramie as applied to the river is fully explained in the opening chapter of the history of Fort Laramie, page 296. The origin of the name Sweetwater is discussed on page 122. The discovery of the Yellowstone River and the origin of the name will be found on page 39.
The Snake River gets its name from the Snake tribe of Indians. These lived on its banks and their villages traveled down the river to secure salmon, upon which they lived half of the year, and up to the headwaters of this stream to cap- ture buffalo and elk, which supplied the balance of their sustenance, that is, the staple portion of it. Large quanti- ties of roots which the Indians used as food grew in abund- anre on the Snake River. The origin of the name of that branch of Green River known as Horse Creek is given on page 124. Captain W. F. Reynolds named Union Pass in 1859. (See pages 293-4.)
It is to be hoped that the Wyoming Legislature will provide a State Board of Geographic Names, so as to change the names, authoritatively, of a large number of streams in the State. There are half a dozen "Horse Creeks" to be found on the map, and twice that number of "Muddy Creeks." and there are "Sand Creeks" and "Dry Creeks" and "Forks" without number. The repetition of names is confusing and a board such as I have mentioned will have the authority to select one creek for the original name and supply new ones for the others. It needs no argument to
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show the wisdom of this, and I trust that the next Legis- lature which assembles will give the subject attention. A new map of the state is a necessity, and these changes. should be made before it is issued.
The Chouteau trading post near Fort Laramie was only one of many belonging to the Chouteau family. The elder Chouteaus, Auguste and Pierre, two brothers, made a voy- age from New Orleans up the Mississippi during the winter of 1763-4 and established a trading post on the ground now occupied by the City of St. Louis. They bought furs from the Indians, sent out trappers and built up an immense fur business which soon amounted to $300,000 per annum. The sons of these men were their successors in the trade, and by them posts were established on the Missouri, Kansas and Platte Rivers. This remarkable family were the fathers of the fur trade in the United States. They had in their em- ploy a large number of Indians and half breeds, as well as Spaniards, Frenchmen and Americans. Their operations in Wyoming covered a period of about thirty years. They were conservative business men, lacked the dash of Ashley and the Sublettes, but they understood the methods neces- sary to be employed in trading successfully with the Indi- ans, and seldom experienced losses at their hands. They left Wyoming when the fur bearing animals disappeared.
In July, 1851, Newsom's train from Illinois passed up the North Platte and Sweetwater on the way to Oregon. With this train was Luther C. Morrison, who is now a prom- inent stockgrower of Natrona County. He is located on South Caspar Creek, twenty miles from the City of Caspar. Few men now living in Wyoming saw the country as early as did Mr. Morrison. He had many experiences in Oregon, then came back to make a permanent location along the Overland Trail. He has been successful in the sheep busi- ness and has taken a deep interest in the development of irrigation.
Among the men to enter Wyoming, as a trapper and hunter, in pioneer days, and who is still a resident of the
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State, was C. K. Bucknum. He trapped on the Yellowstone,. in Jackson's Hole, on the head of Snake and Green Rivers, as well as other streams farther north. In the early seven- ties, he became a guide and scout in the service of the army and participated in a number of Indian campaigns. At one time he served under General Miles and during this pe- riod was an actor in many exciting events. Bucknum is now a prominent business man of Caspar and is also a sheep and wool grower. His experiences will be related in con- nection with the Indian wars which occurred during the Territorial days. These will be found in the second volume of this series.
Brown Springs, thirty miles northwest of Douglass, gets its name from an incident which happened there in the early part of July, 1864. Captain Marshall of Company E, Elev- enth Ohio Cavalry, left Fort Laramie in pursuit of a band of Indians who had run off some stock belonging to emi- grants. The hostiles were chased north of the Platte and they were encountered near the spring spoken of. A fight ensued and Lieutenant Brown was wounded with an arrow and fell from his horse. This was in the evening and Brown was supposed to have been killed. The next morning, the troops being camped at the spring, a party was sent out to bring in Lieutenant Brown's body, and much to their astonishment they found him alive but dangerously wounded. They brought him into camp, but he died during the day and was buried at the spring. From that time until the present the place has been known as Brown's Spring.
John Campbell, a nephew of Robert Campbell, was a large freighter between the Missouri River and the moun- tains from 1850 to 1863. With the assistance of his uncle he was successful in getting contracts both from the govern- ment and the traders in the Rocky Mountain country. He was well known all along the Overland route and was popu- lar as long as he remained in the country, which was from 1850 to 1863.
In connection with the Overland Trail and the history
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of army operations appears the name of J. K. Moore, the present post trader at Fort Washakie. His business career goes back to the days of the Overland stage and the troubles with the Indians on the plains. He has been an active and successful trader and has passed through many and varied experiences. A personal sketch of this pioneer will be found in the second volume of this series in connection with the history of Fort Washakie and the Indian wars of the sev- enties.
Harvey Premo & Co., fur dealers in St. Louis, did a large business on the North Platte in early days. They bought furs both from the Indians and trappers and shipped into the country a large amount of goods annually. They went out of business in 1850, after following the trade for more than forty years. These pioneer traders did business with the Indians on Powder River, in the Lander Valley and even as far west as Green River.
John Sublette, now living in Carbon County, is one of the few living pioneers who came to Wyoming as early as 1860. He was born in Missouri in 1840 and at the age of 20 went to Fort Laramie and up to the time of the building of the Union Pacific Railroad was with the army in a civil capacity. He spent four years along the Platte west of Fort Laramie, during the time being employed as a govern- ment scout in connection with the Eleventh Ohio Cavalry. In 1864 he went to Fort Halleck. When the Union Pacific was building, he took employment under Mark Coad, a wood and tie contractor, and in later years became a contractor who furnished coal mine timbers, and still follows the busi- mess. Sublette was a son of Captain Andrew W. Sublette, in the Missouri Mounted Volunteers, known as the Oregon battalion, which organization afterwards came to Wyo- ming.
The Teton Range derived its name from three lofty peaks rising from it. These peaks are known to have been named some time in the eighteenth century by French trap- pers. In 1811, in the passage of Mr. Hunt and his party
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across the country, one of his guides pointed out these lofty peaks and informed Mr. Hunt that they were on the head- waters of the Columbia. The guide evidently did not know or did not remember the name, and so Mr. Hunt christened the three peaks Pilot Knobs. (See page 82-3 of this volume.) Hon. N. P. Langford says that the French explorers named these peaks Tetons because of their similarity in form, to the female breast. I have made some investigation of the origin of the name and have asked a number of savants, in- cluding Mr. Langford, if the Teton tribe of Indians were in any way resposible for the naming of these mountain peaks, but of course it is useless to pursue such investigations, as no one at the present day is likely to know anything about it. The Grand Tetons in their awful sublimity, have in the past centuries stood silent sentinels watching the headwaters of the "River of the West." They have cheered and encour- aged the explorer as well as the trapper. While they have watched and waited, numerous Indian tribes grew up about them, flourished for a few centuries and passed away to make room for the white race, which has chased the dark- ness out of these mountain solitudes, and yet they still stand guard, watching the development of civilization in the mountains and valleys around them. See illustration, page 88.
The traditions among the Indian tribes are to the effect that the bold warriors of many tribes have during the past two centuries made attempts to ascend the Grand Teton, but the feat was never accomplished by them. Michaud, the French explorer, was the first white man to attempt to reach the summit of this grand mountain peak. During the summer of 1843 he, with a well-organized party and with a complete climbing outfit ascended to a point directly beneath the summit, but here he encountered perpendicular rocks and was unable to proceed further. This was a great disappoint- ment to the explorer and he never ceased to regret his fail- ure. Captain James Stevenson, a member of the United States Geological survey, under Dr. F. V. Hayden, accom-
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panied by N. P. Langford, climbed the peak in the summer of 1872. It has been claimed that these explorers did not reach the top, but Dr. Hayden, in his report for that year, gives them the credit of having accomplished the feat, thus establishing the official record of the event. Mr. Langford wrote an interesting description of the ascent, which was published in Scribner's Monthly for June, 1873. The article was handsomely illustrated and the report of the climb was a fine literary production. Thomas Cooper, now of Chey- enne, was connected with Hayden's Geological Survey in the seventies. In 1877 he was with Bechler's division and by direction of Dr. Hayden made the attempt to climb this peak. He was accompanied by Louis McKeene and Peter Pollock, all three being good climbers. They went up to the head of Fox Creek and reached the ampitheater and crossed the snow a distance of five miles. From this point they .elimbed to the saddle and from there went around to the north side of the peak and, after an hour's steady climbing, reached the shoulder on which is located a stone enclosure (mentioned in the narrative of Stevenson and Langford). Just about this place they came to a solid, perpendicular wall of granite, which barred their further progress, and they were obliged to return without having accomplished their object.
In 1891, W O. Owen made the attempt to climb this peak, but was unsuccessful. In 1897 he made another at- tempt and again failed. The present season, 1898, this in- ยท trepid explorer made his third attempt and succeeded in reaching the summit. On the way up to the peak and also on the summit he procured a number of valuable photo- graphs, and these will be used to illustrate an account of this successful climb to be given in a future volume of this work. Extracts from Langford's article will be given; also some of his illustrations. Owen gives the altitude of this famous peak as 13,800 feet. Stevenson and Langford give the height as 13,762 feet.
END OF VOLUME I.
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