JOURNEY FROM THE CANTONMENT OF LEAVENWORTH TO THE PUNCA INDIANS, FROM
APRIL 22ND TO MAY 12TH
Dangerous place, Wassoba-Wakandaga--Independence
River--Blacksnake Hills, with Roubedoux Trading House--The
Joways and Saukies--Nadaway River--Wolf River--Grand Nemahaw
River--Country of the Half-breeds--Nishnebottoneh River--Little
Nemahaw River--Violent Storm--Weeping-water Creek--La Platte
River--Belle Vue, Dougherty's Agency--The Omaha Indians--Their
Dance--Council Bluffs--Boyer's Creek--Little Sioux
River--Blackbird Hills--Floyd's Grave--Big Sioux River--Joway
River--Vermilion Creek--Jacques River--The Punca
Indians--Meeting with the Assiniboin Steamer.
The Yellow Stone left the cantonment at five in the afternoon of the
22nd of April, and we soon reached the narrow part of the river called,
by the Osages and Konzas, Wassoba-Wakandaga (Bear-Medicine).[209]
There were so many trunks of trees in the river that it seemed very
problematical whether we should be able to pass between them. Our
people cut off some of the most dangerous branches below water, and
got our vessel gradually through; soon after which we lay to for the
night.
The next morning, 23rd of April brought us a storm, with thunder, but
without lightning. Early in the morning a large branch of a tree,
lying in the water, forced its way into the cabin, carried away part
of the door case, and then broke off, and was left on the floor. After
this accident, when one might have been crushed in bed, we came to Cow
Island, where, in 1818, some troops, on their way to Council Bluff,
were overtaken by the frost, and obliged to pass the winter.[210] At
half-past seven o'clock, the temperature was 67 deg. The heat of the
preceding day had greatly advanced vegetation; the forests were
beautifully verdant, and there were many flowers. The Indians now make
sugar from the maple. The Kikapoo Indians, whom we had seen at St.
Louis, were to have lands assigned them in these parts, and their
territory is said to extend to Independence River. There were no fixed
Indian villages at that time, but the [pg. 123] Joways, Saukies, and
Foxes hunt in these parts. We proceeded past Cow Island, which is six
miles in length, and covered with poplars, and shave grass. The sand
was marked by the footsteps of the stags which come here to drink, by
which they tread down deep paths to the water's edge, and lick holes
in the saline clay of the bank. Here began green hills without wood,
which are the transition to the entirely naked prairie, as they at
first alternate with woods, which grow in the ravines, and on the
banks of the river. At twelve o'clock the thermometer was at 77 deg. Our
navigation was attended with many difficulties to Independence River,
the mouth of which is on the right bank; here we reached, on the same
side of the river, naked grassy eminences, where a village of the
Konzas formerly stood, and which is still usually marked in the maps.
The Spaniards had a post of a few soldiers here.[211] The soil is said
to be very fertile and favourable to settlers. The forests were now in
their greatest beauty, and began to afford some shade.
On the 24th we saw the chain of the Blacksnake Hills, but we met with
so many obstacles in the river that we did not reach them till towards
the evening. They are moderate eminences, with many singular forms,
with an alternation of wooded and open green spots. Near to the steep
bank a trading house has been built, which was occupied by a man named
Roubedoux, an agent of the Fur Company.[212] This white house,
surrounded by the bright green prairies, had a very neat appearance,
and Mr. Bodmer sketched this pretty landscape, which had a beautiful
effect of light and shade. It is only this part of the chain that is
called Blacksnake Hills, for the chain itself is no other than that
which we had long observed on the banks, of which there are two, one
on each side, running parallel to each other, and forming the valley
of the Missouri, more or less approaching to or receding from it. The
river flows through the alluvial soil which it has thrown up, and
which is changed, every year, crossing from one chain to the other,
and, where it reaches the chain, produces high banks by the shock.
When the steam-boat lay to, between 500 or 600 paces from the trading
house, some of the _engages_ of the company came on board, and
reported that the Joway Indians, whose village was about five or six
miles distant, had made an incursion into the neighbouring territory
of the Omahas, and killed six of these Indians, and brought in a
woman and child as prisoners, whom they offered for sale. Major
Dougherty, to whose agency the Joways belong, immediately landed to
rescue the prisoners, accompanied by Major Bean and Mr. Bodmer, but
they returned, at eleven o'clock at night, without having accomplished
their object, because the Joways, fearing his reproaches, had
completely intoxicated both themselves and their prisoners.[213] Mr.
Bodmer brought some beautiful plants from the prairie, among which
were [pg. 124] the fine orange-coloured flowers of the _Batschia
canescens_, which we here saw for the first time.
On the forenoon of the following day, the 25th, we passed the mouth of
the Nadaway River,[214] and met with many difficulties, so that we
were even obliged to back for some distance, and landed our
wood-cutters in Nadaway Island. A Captain Martin wintered on this
island for two seasons, 1818 and 1819, with three companies of
riflemen.[215] At that time there was so much game that they entirely
subsisted on it. We were told that in one year they killed 1,600, in
the other 1,800 head of game (_Cervus Virginianus_), besides elks and
bears; and wounded, perhaps, as many more of those animals, which they
were unable to take. The woods were very picturesque. The numerous
horse-chestnuts were in full leaf; the white ash was in flower, as
well as many species of pear and plum, which looked as if covered with
snow, and formed a beautiful contrast with the red masses of the
flower of the _Cercis_. The canal between Nadaway Island and the
cantonment is called Nadaway Slew, at the end of which we saw the
remains of some Indian huts. In a dark glen in the forest, we observed
a long Indian hut, which occupied almost its whole breadth, and must
have served for a great number of persons. The bald eagle had built
its nest on many of the high trees on the bank. In some places we saw
smoke rising in the forest; in others, the trees and the ground were
burnt quite black. Such fires are sometimes caused by the Indians, in
order to escape the pursuit of their enemies, and sometimes, also, by
the agents of the fur traders. We were told that the forest was green,
this year, a fortnight earlier than usual. We saw everywhere pairs of
the beautiful _Anas sponsa_, which came out of the holes in the bank,
where they doubtless had their nests. Before dusk we reached the mouth
of Wolf River, where an eagle had built her nest. The Oto Indians,
mixed with some Missouris, live in these parts, on the west bank of
the Missouri.[216] They are allies of the Joways, and hunt as far as
the river La Platte.
On the following morning, April 26th, we saw great numbers of water
fowl, and many wild geese with their woolly young; the parents never
abandoned them, even when our people shot at them. The care and
anxiety which these birds shewed for their young interested us much.
We came to the mouth of the Grand Nemahaw river in a beautiful
romantic country, from which, to the Little Nemahaw, the territory of
the people called Half-breeds extends. Among the Omaha, Oto, Joway,
and Yankton (Sioux) Indians, there lived from 150 to 200 of their
descendants by white men, to whom they assigned this tract of land as
their property. They had taken this resolution two years before, but
had not yet carried it into execution. The land was given by the Otos
to whom it belonged, and the other tribes bore part of the expenses.
Towards noon, when the thermometer was at 27 deg., we again, several
times touched the bottom, near Tarkio [pg. 125] River, but without
receiving any injury. Picturesque forests alternate with the verdant
alluvial banks of the river, and Indian hunting huts were everywhere
seen, but no inhabitants. One may travel thousands of miles along this
river without seeing a human being. From the mouth of the Nishnebottoneh
to Council Bluffs, there is a narrow green prairie before the chain of
hills; the mouth itself is between lofty trees on the east bank. In
the wood below, Major Dougherty once killed twenty elks, all belonging
to one troop. They had divided, and part broke into the ice in the
river, where they fell a prey to the Otos who pursued them. Beavers
formerly abounded in this river, but they are now extirpated. When the
evening sun, gradually sinking behind the tall forest, illumined the
whole country, we had a lovely view of the chain of hills, variously
tinged with brilliant hues of violet, pink, and purple, while the
broad mirror of the river and adjacent forest shone as if on fire.
Silence reigned in these solitudes, the wind was hushed, and only the
dashing and foaming of our steamboat interrupted the awful repose. We
were disagreeably roused from our reverie by our vessel striking
against the snags in the river. We passed the night near Morgan's
Island, not far from which there was formerly a trading house for the
Oto Indians, but it no longer existed.[217] The note of the
whip-poor-will, which we had not before met with, was heard in all the
adjacent forests.
The next morning, proceeding on our voyage, we plainly observed in
the steep banks of the river, the alternate strata of clay and sand,
with a thick layer of fertile black mould at the top, and, about eight
feet below the surface, a black stratum of bituminous coal, or coal
slate, which we were, however, unable to examine closely. On the bank
we saw what are called pumice stones, which are pieces of the rock of
the Upper Missouri, changed by fire, and brought down by the river;
the Indians use this pumice stone to smooth their tanned and hardened
skins. At the mouth of the Little Nemahaw River, the Missouri was very
shallow. Our vessel having received several violent shocks by
striking, and a storm, accompanied by heavy rain, arising, we ran
aground, about noon, on a sand bank, and were obliged to put out a
boat to take soundings, but the wind, which blew with increasing
violence from the open prairie on the south-west, drove us further
into the sand bank. Every moment it became more furious; our vessel
lay almost on her side, which the people endeavoured to counteract by
fastening her with strong cables to the trees lying in the water.
After dinner several of our hunters went on shore, but the boat had
scarcely returned, when the storm suddenly increased to such a degree
that the vessel appeared to be in imminent peril. One of our chimneys
was thrown down, and the foredeck was considered in danger; the large
coops, which contained a number of fowls, were blown overboard, and
nearly all of them drowned. As they got upon the sand banks they were
afterwards taken up, with other things which we had been obliged to
throw overboard; our cables had, happily, held fast, and, as the wind
abated a little, Captain Bennett hoped to lay the vessel close to the
bank, which was twenty feet high, where it would be safe [pg. 126] but
the storm again arose, and we got deeper and deeper into the sands.
Some of our hunters and Mr. Bodmer appeared on the bank, and wanted to
be taken on board, but the boat could not be sent, and they were
obliged to seek shelter from the storm in the neighbouring forests.
Mr. Mc Kenzie, and other persons acquainted with the Missouri, assured
us they had never encountered so violent a storm in these parts. After
four o'clock, however, the wind abated, and the boat was dispatched to
pick up the articles we had lost.
On the following day we were obliged to lighten the ship before we
could proceed, by landing the wood which we had taken in the previous
day, and many other articles. Our vessel, however, soon ran aground
again, and as we could not proceed, we made the vessel go backwards to
the right bank, where we passed the night. In the preceding year the
Yellow Stone had been detained five days at this place. Towards
evening a flock of above 100 pelicans, flying northwards, passed over
us. Their flight was in the form of a wedge, and sometimes of a
semicircle. On the 29th, we found sufficient water, and proceeded; a
still larger flock of pelicans induced our _engages_ to make use of
their rifles, and they winged one of the birds, which strutted about
on the shore, but we could not venture to take it. At half-past seven,
A.M., we were at a place called the Narrows of Nishnebottoneh; here,
about thirty miles from its mouth, this river comes so near to the
Missouri, that between both there is an interval of only 200 paces.
The appearance of the chain of hills beyond the Nishnebottoneh is very
remarkable.[218] The calcareous rock is in very strange forms,
sometimes like entrenchments and bastions, partly clothed with
verdure, partly with dry yellow grass, and spotted with yellowish red
clay. The soil is extremely fertile, and well adapted for agriculture;
formerly there were hundreds of elks and stags in these parts, but
they are now rarely met with. By a general agreement the Otos, Joway,
Fox, and Saukie Indians hunt this country in common. Having been on
shore for some time, I was returning to the vessel when the pilot
called out that there was a rattlesnake very near me, the rattle of
which he heard; I looked, and immediately found the animal, and having
stunned it with some slight blows, I put it into a vessel in which
there were already a live heterodon and a black snake, where it soon
recovered. The three agreed very well together, but were afterwards
put into a cask of brandy to go to Europe. This rattlesnake was of the
species _Crotalus tergeminus_, first described by Say, which is very
common on the Missouri. The water being too shallow, it was necessary
partly to unload the vessel on a sand bank, and to stop for the night.
On the morning of the 30th, many attempts were made to move from this
spot; we sounded, put out thirty men, but were at last obliged to
return to the place where we had passed the night. Messengers were
then sent up the river to endeavour to procure a keelboat; meanwhile
all our hunters went ashore. I found in the vicinity traces of the
Indians, and large traces of wolves in the sand. A storm drove us back
to the vessel, and soon drenched us with a torrent of rain. Our
hunters killed a wild goose, a wood duck, and an owl, and brought a
[pg. 127] black snake with them; one of them had broken off a piece of
poison vine, by which his hands and face were much swollen; but the
people here do not much mind such accidents, though the swelling
frequently lasts many days.
The 1st of May set in with rain and a clouded sky; the forests were
dripping wet; during the night we had observed some fireflies.
Numerous flocks of two kinds of swallows passed us, flying to the
north. About noon a white cat-fish was caught by one of the lines
which we had thrown out; a second broke the strong line as we were
drawing it up. The first we had caught weighed sixty pounds, and we
soon took another weighing sixty-five pounds, and a third weighing 100
lbs, in the jaws of which was the hook of the line that had been
broken. In the stomach of this and the other cat-fish were found large
pieces of pork, the bones of fowls, &c., feet of geese, all refuse
from the vessels; and likewise the entire gills of another large fish.
A great number of leeches were attached to the gills of these fish. It
is only on the Upper Missouri that this fish attains so large a size.
On the following morning the Missouri had risen a little. In the
neighbouring thickets some birds were singing, or rather twittering,
and there was nothing like the loud concert which, at this season of
the year, animates the European forests. The Yellow Stone did not set
out till near eleven o'clock. In the afternoon we came to some almost
perpendicular hills on the bank, the base of which consisted of
violet, the middle of bluish grey, the upper part of yellow red clay.
In some places a whole colony of swallows had built against them.
About the place where Weeping-water Creek opens, among beautiful
thickets, before the green hills of the prairies, we met with great
obstructions, and were several times obliged to put the vessel back.
We reached Five Barrel Islands, in a broad part of the river, just
when the evening sun gave a peculiar charm to the verdant
landscape.[219] The forest was picturesque but not very lofty; the
bird cherry was in flower, but the blossoms of the red bud had lost
their bright colour. Vines twined round the trunks of the trees, and
the numerous blossoms of the phlox formed blue spots amongst the
rocks. Towards night we met a canoe, with two persons on board, one of
whom was M. Fontenelle, clerk to the Fur Company, who resided near at
hand at Belle Vue. He was a man who had much experience in the trade
with the Indians, and had often visited the Rocky Mountains. As he was
shortly to undertake an expedition to the mountains, with a body of
armed men, he turned back with us.[220]
Early on the morning of the 3rd of May, we came to the hill called by
the Otos and Omahas--Ischta Maso, or Ischta Manso (the iron eye). It
is rather higher than the neighbouring hills, and a small stream of
the same name runs from its side into the Missouri.[221] We were now
near the month of La Platte River. Four or five miles before you come
to the conflux, you distinguish the water of the two rivers by their
colour, that of the La Platte being clear and green, and keeping
unmixed on the western bank. A mile further up, the water was covered
with foam, in [pg. 128] consequence of the heavy rains. In half an hour
we came to the first mouth of the river, which is divided from the
second by a low island, with gently rounded verdant hills in the back
ground. The second mouth is the largest. There were large piles of
drift wood on the sand bank, next the island. The river, which was
much swollen, brought down wood and foam, and its waters, though, at
present, not quite clear, yet still of a bluish tint, were plainly
distinguished as they ran in a semicircular bend, from the yellowish,
dirty water of the Missouri. After passing the sand bank at its mouth,
we reached, in twenty minutes, Papilion Creek, and saw before us the
green-wooded chain of hills with the buildings of Belle Vue, the
agency of Major Dougherty. There were many sand banks in the river, on
which there were numbers of wild geese, and some quite white birds,
with black quill feathers--perhaps cranes or pelicans. At two in the
afternoon we reached M. Fontenelle's dwelling, consisting of some
buildings, with fine plantations of maize, and verdant wooded hills
behind it. A part of the plantations belongs to the government. The
prairie extends beyond the hills. The land is extremely fertile; even
when negligently cultivated, it yields 100 bushels of maize per acre,
but is said to produce much more when proper care is bestowed on it.
The cattle thrive very well, and the cows give much milk, but some
salt must now and then be given them. M. Fontenelle expected to
possess, in a few years, 5,000 swine, if the Indians did not steal too
many of them. The government of the United States bought of the
Indians a great tract of land to the east of the Missouri, extending
to Big Sioux River, but have hitherto left them in possession of this
land.[222]
Belle Vue, Mr. Dougherty's post, is agreeably situated. The direction
of the river is north-west. Below, on the bank, there are some huts,
and on the top the buildings of the agents, where a sub-agent, Major
Beauchamp, a blacksmith, and some servants of the company, all lived
with their families, who attend to the plantations and affairs of the
company. These men were mostly married to women of the tribes of the
Otos and Omahas; all, on our landing, immediately came on board. Their
dress was of red or blue cloth, with a white border, and cut in the
Indian fashion. Their faces were broad and coarse, their heads large
and round, their breasts pendent, their teeth beautiful and white,
their hands and feet small and delicate. Their children had dark brown
hair, and agreeable features. Belle Vue was formerly a trading post of
the Missouri Fur Company, on the dissolution of which it was bought by
M. Fontenelle, who parted with it to the government, and was
appointed to the agency of the Otos, Omahas, Pawnees, and
Joways.[223] M. Fontenelle settled, as I have said, 600 or 800 paces
further down the river. Here the Yellow Stone lay to, and we inspected
the buildings of the agency, from which there is a very fine view of
the river, especially from the summit of the hill, where the cemetery
is situated. The rock here is limestone, with a great number of
shells, of which, however, I could see only bivalves; but our time was
too short to decide on this point.
[pg. 129] It was near this place that a marauding party of twelve Joways
lately crossed the river, and pursued a defenceless company of Omahas,
who had just left Belle Vue; and, having overtaken them three miles
off, killed and plundered all of them, except some who were
desperately wounded, and whom they believed to be dead. The victors
returned by another way. A woman and a child recovered. Major
Dougherty took leave of us at Belle Vue, intending to go to the
Omahas, and appease the vengeance of that tribe. About five in the
afternoon we also left, and were proceeding along the west bank, when
we met two Mackinaw[224] boats, which had been obtained for our
vessel by a boat which we had sent before. On the same bank we
suddenly saw three Omaha Indians, who crept slowly along. They were
clothed in buffalo robes, and had bows, with quivers made of skin, on
their backs. About the nose and eyes they were painted white.[225]
[Illustration: Omaha Indians]
Among these Indians there was a woman who had been severely wounded;
namely, the well-known Mitain, who is spoken of in Major Long's
"Travels to the Rocky Mountains," as an interesting instance of
maternal affection, but without mentioning her name. She and her child
had received many severe wounds, but were so fortunate as not to be
scalped.[226] The nearest village of the Omahas is twenty-five miles
from Belle Vue.[227] This country is the proper territory of this
tribe, which lives on both sides of the Missouri, from Boyer River to
Big Sioux River, and hunts further up to Jacques River, as well as
between Running Water River (l'eau qui court) and the La Platte.
On the morning of the 4th of May, at half-past seven o'clock, the
thermometer was at 69-3/4 deg. We had all round us beautiful low prairie
hills, before which was alluvial land, thrown up by the [pg. 130] river,
covered with fine grass. The river had risen an inch during the night.
The noise and smoke of our steamer frightened all living creatures;
geese and ducks flew off in all directions. There was formerly a
village of the Joway Indians at this place, the inhabitants of which,
on the death of their chief, returned to their countrymen further
down. On the left bank there were whole tracts covered with dead
poplars, which had been killed by the fires caused by the Indians
in the forest and prairie. We soon saw the white buildings of Mr.
Cabanne's trading post, which we saluted with some guns, and then
landed.
We were very glad to see, at the landing-place, a number of Omaha and
Oto Indians, and some few Joways, who, in different groups, looked at
us with much curiosity; all these people were wrapped in buffalo
skins, with the hairy side outwards; some of them wore blankets, which
they sometimes paint with coloured stripes. In their features they did
not materially differ from those Indians we had already seen, but they
were not so well formed as the Saukies. Many of them were much marked
with the small pox. Several had only one eye; their faces were marked
with red stripes: some had painted their foreheads and chins red;
others, only stripes down the cheeks. Few only had aquiline noses, and
their eyes were seldom drawn down at the corners; generally speaking,
their eyes are small, though there are exceptions. They wore their
hair loosely hanging down their backs; none had shaved their heads;
and, on the whole, they looked very dirty and miserable. The
countenances of the women were ugly, but not quite so broad and flat
as those of the Foxes and Saukies; their noses, in general, rather
longer. Their dress did not differ much from that of those Indians,
and they wore the same strings of wampum in their ears. The men
carried in their hands their tobacco pipes, made of red or black stone
(a hardened clay), adorned with rings of lead or tin, which they
generally obtain from the Sioux, at a high price.
This trading post consists of a row of buildings of various sizes,
stores, and the houses of the _engages_, married to Indian women,
among which was that of Mr. Cabanne, which is two stories high. He is
a proprietor of the American Fur Company, and director of this
station.[228] He received us very kindly, and conducted us over his
premises. From the balcony of his house was a fine view over the
river, but the prospect is still more interesting from the hills which
rise at the back of the settlement. Between the buildings runs a small
stream, with high banks, which rises from a pleasant valley, in which
there are plantations of maize for the support of the inhabitants. Mr.
Cabanne had planted fifteen acres of land with this invaluable grain,
which yield, annually, 2,000 bushels of that corn, the land here being
extremely fertile. The banks of the stream are covered with fine high
trees, and many of the plants were in flower, especially the beautiful
blue lychnis, the white oak, &c. A high wind prevailed throughout the
day, but, within doors, the weather was warm, 78 deg. at four o'clock.
Our vessel remained here the whole day, and we were besieged all the
time by Indians, who caused a very disagreeable heat in our cabins.
Among [pg. 131] them was a Joway, called Nih-Yu-Mah-Ni (_la pluie qui
marche_), who sold us several articles of his dress. Mr. Bodmer made a
sketch of the boy of an Omaha, whom the father first daubed with red
paint. He took vermilion in the palm of the hand, spat upon it, and
then rubbed it in the boy's face. The head of this boy was shaved
quite smooth, excepting a tuft of hair in front, and another at the
back.[229] A number of men and women stood round, looking on with
eager curiosity. I showed the Indians a rattlesnake in brandy, and
they gave me to understand that a child had lately been bitten by one
of these animals, and died in consequence. The little child, lately
wounded by the Joways, was brought to us; the wounds, though they had
not been dressed and covered, were almost healed.
[Illustration: An Omaha boy]
We spent a very pleasant evening with Mr. Cabanne; sitting in the
balcony of his house, we enjoyed the delightful temperature and the
fine scene around us. The splendid sky was illumined by the full moon;
silence reigned around, interrupted only by the noise of the frogs,
and the incessant cry of the whip-poor-will, in the neighbouring
woods, till the Indians assembled round the house, and, at the request
of Mr. Cabanne, performed a dance. About twenty Omahas joined in it;
the principal dancer, a tall man, wore on his head an immense feather
cap, like those of the Camacans in Brazil, but larger and of less
elaborate workmanship, composed of long tail and wing feathers of owls
and birds of prey;[230] in his hand he held his bow and arrows. The
upper part of his body was covered only with a whitish skin, which
fell over the right shoulder and breast, and was adorned with bunches
of feathers; his arms, face, and the uncovered parts of his body, were
painted with white stripes and spots. His trousers were marked with
dark cross stripes, and trimmed at the ankles with a great quantity of
fringe. He also wore an apron. He had a savage and martial appearance,
to which his athletic figure greatly contributed. Another man, [pg. 132]
who was younger, of a very muscular frame--the upper part of whose
body was naked, but painted white--had in his hand a war club, striped
with white, ornamented at the handle with the skin of a polecat.[231]
He wore on his head a feather cap, like that already described. These
two men, and several youths and boys, formed a line, opposite to which
other Indians sat down in a row; in the middle of which row the drum
was beat in quick time. Several men beat time with war clubs hung with
bells; and the whole company (most of whom were painted white) sung,
"Hi! hi! hi!" or "Hey! hey! hey!" &c., sometimes shouting aloud. The
manner of the dance was thus: bending their bodies forward, they
leaped up with both feet at once, not rising high from the ground, and
stamped loudly, while the drum beat in quick time, and their arms were
rattled and occasionally lifted up into the air. Thus they leaped
opposite to each other, with great exertion, for about an hour; they
perspired violently, till the usual presents, a quantity of tobacco
stalks, were thrown on the ground before them. This dance was very
interesting to me, especially in connection with the beautiful evening
scene on the Missouri. The bright light of the moon illumined the
extensive and silent wilderness; before us, the grotesque band of
Indians, uttering their wild cry, together with the loud call of the
night raven, vividly recalled to my mind scenes which I had witnessed
in Brazil. We did not return to our vessel till late at night, after
taking leave of our kind host, and of Major Pilcher; the former was on
the point of returning to St. Louis, leaving the superintendence of
the trading post to Major Pilcher.
[Illustration: Omaha war club]
The Omahas, or, as some erroneously call them, Mahas, were formerly a
numerous tribe, but have been much reduced by frequent wars with their
neighbours; the smallpox, too, has committed dreadful ravages, and
there are now but few vigorous young men among them. Their language
differs from that of the Otos, Missouris, and Joways; there is,
however, an affinity between them. The best and most complete accounts
of the Omahas are given by Mr. Say in his Narrative of Major Long's
"Expedition to the Rocky Mountains," to which I would refer my
readers.[232]
On the 5th of May, the Yellow Stone left Cabanne's trading house; the
weather was warm [pg. 133] and serene; we passed the mouth of Boyer's
Creek on the east bank, where the Missouri makes a bend, and saw the
ruins of the former cantonment, or fort, at Council Bluffs.[233] This
military post was established, in the year 1819, for 1,000 men, but,
in fact, there were now only 500 men of the regiment in garrison at
Jefferson barracks. In the year 1827, these troops were withdrawn and
stationed at Leavenworth; the fort, or, rather, the barracks, formed a
quadrangle, with a bastion or blockhouse, in two of the angles. At
present there were only the stone chimneys, and, in the centre, a
brick storehouse under roof. Everything of value had been carried away
by the Indians. We were told that numerous rattlesnakes are found
among the ruins. The situation of Council Bluffs is said to have been
much more favourable for observing the Indians than that at
Leavenworth; and it was even conjectured that this post will be again
occupied. The military station was at first placed a little further
inland, but the scurvy carried off 300 of the garrison in one winter.
Mr. Sandford, who had rejoined us, once found here the large grinders
of a mastodon, which are now in the possession of General Clarke, at
St. Louis.
At twelve at noon, we ran aground, but happily sustained no damage, at
a dangerous place, where the left bank was blocked up with many snags,
and which is called the Devil's Race-ground. The country was low and
uniform till we again reached the hills, which were rather bare of
wood, but of grotesque form, and covered with a fine verdant carpet.
Near the mouth of the Soldier River, an _engage_ met us, who brought
letters from the Assiniboin steamer. We went on pretty well till the
evening, when we got upon a sand bank, and then made the vessel fast
for the night; after which our people exerted themselves to get off
the bank, in the midst of a storm of thunder and lightning.
The steamer was got afloat by daybreak on the 6th. On both sides there
was alluvial soil, thickly covered with willows and poplars, mixed, in
some places, with other trees. Here we saw, on a sand bank, two large
wolves, which seemed to look at us with surprise. The Omaha Indians
hunt on both banks of this part of the river; they are said to be the
most indolent, dull, unintellectual, and cowardly of the Missouri
Indians. At two in the afternoon we landed on the prairie, which was
covered with tall trees, and forty or fifty of our men immediately
began to hew down wood for fuel; there was abundance of grass, but not
a single flower, which was caused by the prairie having been set on
fire; black burnt wood was scattered about, and the ground itself was
discoloured in places by the effects of the fire.
From this place the country becomes more and more level, and bare of
wood, and the eye roves over the boundless prairie. Behind a
willow-tree I saw some remains of Indian huts, in front of one of
which a pole was set up, with a piece of red cloth attached to the
top. The forest, which had been inundated, was likewise destitute of
flowers; numerous traces of stags were everywhere seen. During the
night a man deserted, whom Mr. Mc Kenzie had some time before put under
arrest for having uttered vehement threats. The 7th day of May, the
anniversary of our [pg. 134] departure from Germany, was very fine. We
soon reached the chain of hills on the left bank, at a place where the
yellow limestone rock was nearly perpendicular, and in which
innumerable swallows had built their nests; these are called Wood's
Hills, and do not extend very far. On one of them we saw a small,
conical mound, which is the grave of the celebrated Omaha chief,
Washinga-Sahba (the blackbird). In James's Narrative of Major Long's
Expedition, is a circumstantial account of this remarkable and
powerful chief, who was a friend to the white man: he contrived, by
means of arsenic, to make himself feared and dreaded, and passed for a
magician, because he put his enemies and rivals out of the way when it
suited him. An epidemical smallpox carried him off, with a great part
of his nation, in the year 1800, and he was buried, sitting upright
upon a live mule, at the top of a green hill on Wakonda Creek. When
dying, he gave orders that they should bury him on that hill, with his
face turned to the country of the white men.[234] The Omahas have been
since so reduced by their enemies, the Sioux, Saukies, and Foxes, that
they are now quite powerless and insignificant, not being able to
muster above 300 or 400 warriors. Washinga-Sahba was so feared by his
own people, that nobody ventured to wake him when he slept: it is said
that they used then to tickle his nose with a blade of grass. The
present chief of the Omahas is Ongpa-Tanga (the great elk), of whom
Godman, in his Natural History, has given a good portrait. He lives on
the Horn River, which falls into the La Platte, about twenty miles
above its mouth.[235]
On the following day (the 8th of May) we came to Floyd's Grave, where
the sergeant of that name was buried by Lewis and Clarke. The bank on
either side is low. The left is covered with poplars; on the right,
behind the wood, rises a hill like the roof of a building, at the top
of which Floyd is buried. A short stick marks the place where he is
laid, and has often been renewed by travellers when the fires in the
prairie have destroyed it. A little further up is Floyd's River, and
on Floyd's Hills there were a few fir trees, over which the kite
hovered in the air.[236] About half a league beyond Floyd's River is
the mouth of the Big Sioux River, interesting from the circumstance of
its being the boundary of the territory of the Dacota, or Sioux
nation. Its breadth, at the mouth, is about sixty paces, and it is
said to be navigable by Mackinaw boats for 100 miles. About 120 miles
up this river, a tribe of the Sioux reside, which is known by the name
of Wahch-Pekute; this, and another tribe of this people on the
Mississippi, and near Lake Pepin, are the only ones of their nation
who plant maize; all the other hordes of the Sioux are hunters. The
territory of these people formerly extended further to the south, till
the before-mentioned treaty for the purchase of land was concluded
with the Indians.[237]
At noon, with a temperature of 75 deg., there was such a violent wind,
that the fine sand from the banks penetrated into the innermost parts
of our vessel; the broad river was so agitated by the wind, that the
pilot could not distinguish the sand banks, and we were obliged to lie
to. In a small meadow in the woods we saw the giant footsteps of the
elks, and likewise of the common [pg. 135] stag, which we would
willingly have followed had not a rising tempest compelled us to
return on board. Vivid lightning flashed in the horizon, the rain soon
poured down in torrents, and at night a storm arose which, at
midnight, raged with such fury, that we might have felt some alarm,
had not our vessel been so well protected by the bank. The storm
frequently forced open the doors of the upper cabin, and the rain beat
into the room. Towards daybreak the tempest returned with increased
violence; the flashes of lightning and the claps of thunder were
incessant during the twilight, and everybody thought that the vessel
must be struck.
The 9th of May set in with rain, a cloudy sky, and high wind; the
thermometer, before so high, fell, at half-past seven o'clock, to 56 deg.
When the storm had passed over, our vessel quitted the place where it
had taken shelter. We passed along wild, desolate banks, then a green
prairie, by a chain of steep hills, partly bare, partly covered with
forests, or with isolated fir trees and picturesque ravines, with dark
shadows, into which the close thicket scarcely allowed the eye to
penetrate. We here saw, for the first time, a plant which now became
more and more common; namely, the buffalo-berry-bush (_Sheperdia
argentea_, Nutt.), with pale, bluish-green, narrow leaves. At the
mouth of the Joway River, which runs into the Missouri, on the south
bank, at a very acute angle, clay-slate appeared to stand out on the
bluffs, divided into narrow, horizontal strata, the lower of which
were blackish-blue, and those above of yellowish-red colour.[238] Our
hunters and wood-cutters landed, on which occasion we lost a hound,
which had strayed too far into the forest. Five or six hundred paces
further up, we saw, among the thickets of willow and poplar, an old
Indian wigwam,[239] near which the red willow, mixed with the common
willow, was in blossom. The thermometer, which had been at 56 deg. in
the morning, rose at ten o'clock, when the sun broke through the clouds.
We frequently observed the wild geese, which endeavoured to take their
young, of which they never had more than four or six, to some place on
shore, where they would be safe from us. When we came very near, the
mother fluttered anxiously to a little distance, and called them to
her.
We continued our voyage, but soon lay to at the prairie, on the right
bank, because Mr. Mc Kenzie wished to form a plantation at this place.
The whole plain was covered with high, dry grass. On the bank of the
river there was a fine border of tall timber trees, in which the
turtle-dove cooed, and flocks of blackbirds were flying about. The
hills of the prairie were covered with the finest verdure, and the
singular forms of the hills afforded us an interesting subject of
observation on the otherwise uniform appearance of the country. We
halted for the night near the high trees that bordered the prairie,
where there were numbers of ducks and plovers. As soon as it was dark,
the young men set fire to the dry grass of the prairie, to give us the
pleasure of seeing how the fire spread, but the attempt did not fully
succeed, because there was [pg. 136] no wind. Mr. Mc Kenzie left some men
here, with agricultural implements, to make a plantation; among them
was one Francois Roi, of Rheims, whose name gave occasion to many
innocent jokes, and we deliberated what name should be given to the
kingdom he was going to found.
On the following day, the 10th, we had been exactly four weeks since
we left St. Louis. At the spot where we now were, it is said that
large herds of buffaloes are seen in the winter, but we had not yet
met with one of these animals. The character of the country was much
changed; it is, for the most part, naked, and without woods. The trees
which are found here are no longer lofty and vigorous, as on the Lower
Missouri; yet the wild vines are still seen climbing on the bushes,
though this, too, entirely ceases further up the river. Near the mouth
of Vermilion Creek, the green hills of the prairie approach very near
the water; and here we saw, on the back of one of the hills, a grave
surrounded with poles, which was that of some Sioux Indians, who had
been killed by lightning in a violent thunder-storm. At the mouth of
the stream we saw wild ducks and geese, of which a pair of the latter,
with six young ones, anxiously endeavoured to escape us. The female
remained faithfully with her young ones, while the male flew away.
The morning of the following day (the 11th of May) brought us to the
mouth of Jacques River, which was concealed from our view by a sand
bank. The steep banks, which in Lewis and Clarke's map are called
Calumet Bluffs, have deep ravines, and are of an ash-grey colour at
the base, and yellow above. We reached the island called by those
travellers Sego Island, where we found very little water, and then
came to Lewis and Clarke's White Bear Bluffs, of which Mr. Bodmer made
a drawing.[240] At noon the thermometer was at 63 deg. After dinner we
saw, at a distance, the Assiniboin steamer, with which we came up in
half an hour. It had not been able to proceed any further for want of
a sufficient depth of water. After we had saluted the master of the
vessel, Mr. Pratte, son of the General of that name at St. Louis, and
a member of the American Fur Company, we went on board his
vessel.[241] In this steamer there were two cabins, much lighter and
more pleasant than those in the Yellow Stone; the stern cabin had ten
berths, and the fore cabin twenty-four, and between decks was the
large apartment distinct for the _engages_. The crew had lately killed
a she-bear--the young ones were alive on board. While we were visiting
the Assiniboin, we suddenly perceived, on the left or southern bank,
a number of Indians, between fifteen and twenty of whom rolled down
the hills. As our people did not seem very desirous of having anything
to do with them, and contented themselves with looking at them through
a telescope, we took advantage of the fine weather to make an
excursion into the prairie.
The chain of hills, bounding the valley of the Missouri on the north,
crossed the verdant prairie, in a straight line, at a distance of
about 1,000 paces from the river. The appearance of this chain was
singular, with perpendicular, yellow, calcareous walls, which
indicated that the [pg. 137] river must, formerly, have flowed in that
direction; and the cylindrical hollow marked the ancient bed of the
river. In the prairie itself there were many pools of water, and we
found several interesting plants, among which were some with long
roots like carrots, especially the yellow flowering _Batschia
longiflora_ (Pursh.), and the _Oxitropis Lamberti B._ The great
yellow-breasted lark (_Sturnella_, Vieill.), was everywhere seen in
pairs, and its short, coy call, and its pleasing, whistling note, were
heard from every side. Besides these, we saw the prairie hen, and the
great long-billed curlews (_Numenius longirostris_), of which we shall
speak hereafter. Skeletons of buffaloes were scattered in the plain,
especially many skulls, but very few of which were entire.
When I returned to the vessel, I found there three Punca Indians, the
chief of the tribe Shudegacheh,[242] his brother Passitopa,[243] and
Ha-cha-ga. They were all robust, good-looking men, tall, and
well-proportioned, with strongly-marked features, high cheek-bones,
aquiline noses, and animated dark hazel eyes. Their hair hung down as
far as the shoulders, and part of it lower; that of the chief was
shorter, and fastened together in a plait. The upper part of the body
of these Indians was naked, only they wore round the neck an
ornamented band, and had a large slit in their ears: from those of the
chief an ornament of shell work was suspended. His beard below the
chin consisted of scanty hairs, which had been suffered to grow very
long.[244] They wore a narrow bracelet of white metal round the wrist,
very plain, leather pantaloons, and large buffalo robes; the chief,
however, was wrapped in a white blanket.
The Puncas, as they are now universally called, or as some travellers
formerly called them, Poncaras, or Poncars, the Pons of the French,
were originally a branch of the Omahas, and speak nearly the same
language. They have, however, been long separated from them, and dwell
on both sides of Running-water River, and on Punca Creek, which Lewis
and Clarke call Poncara. They formerly lived, like the Omahas, in clay
huts, at the mouth of the river, but their powerful enemies, the Sioux
and the Pawnees, destroyed their villages, and they have since adopted
the mode of life of the former, living more generally in tents made of
skins, and changing their place from time to time. Their external
appearance and dress do not much differ from those of the Omahas. They
are said to have been brave warriors, but have been greatly reduced by
war and the smallpox. According to Dr. Morse's report, they numbered,
in 1822, 1,750 in all; at present the total amount of their warriors
is estimated at about 300.[245] The band of them, which [pg. 138] we
met with here, has set up eight or nine leather tents, at the mouth
of Basil Creek,[246] on a fine forest.[247] They plant maize, which
they sell to the Sioux, but they had neglected to cultivate this grain
for about three years, and obtained it from the Omahas; they, however,
intended to grow it again themselves.
As Major Bean was agent of the Puncas, they came to speak to him. The
chief had formerly received, through the agent, a large silver medal
of President Madison, which he wore suspended round his neck. On the
face of all these medals, which are given as a distinction to the
Indian chiefs, there is the bust of the President, and, on the
reverse, two clasped hands, with a suitable inscription.[248]
Shudegacheh had a remarkably intelligent countenance, and fine manly
deportment. He sat down by us, and smoked, with his comrades, the only
pipe that they had with them; but, according to Indian custom, several
pipes soon circulated in the company. The evening was very cool, and,
as some of the Indians had no leggins, we took them into our cabin,
where their portraits were drawn, after they had been regaled with
pork, bread, and tea, which Mr. Mc Kenzie gave them. One of the Indians
made me a present of his wooden war-club, which was painted
reddish-brown;[249] another, with a pair of shoes, made of elk
leather, which were dyed black with the juice of white walnut. These
people were not armed, as they had come merely on a visit, and had
left their best effects behind. Among them was a French Canadian,
named Primeau, who has long lived among them. He acted as
interpreter, and communicated to me some words of the Punca
language.[250]
[Illustration: Punca war club]
The morning of the 12th of May was cold, there having been a hoar
frost during the night. The Indians sat upon the bank, wrapped in
their buffalo skins, as represented in the subjoined woodcut.[251]
[Illustration: Punca Indians in buffalo robes]
[pg. 139] While the Yellow Stone remained stationary, the Assiniboin
attempted to pass the shallow place on the river, during which time
the hunters went into the prairie. The Indians had a conference with
their agent, in which the chief expressed a wish that their great
father (the President) would send them several articles, particularly
agricultural implements. The attitude and gestures of the speaker were
graceful; his right arm and shoulder were bare, while he gesticulated
with his hand; and his fine, manly countenance was very expressive. As
he had not put on his leggins, we observed, on his muscular calves,
two tattooed stripes crossing each other, X; otherwise, he was neither
tattooed nor painted. Some of these Indians had been inoculated with
the smallpox by a surgeon, whom Major Bean had taken to them the year
before, and who had inoculated 2,600 Indians of different tribes. Many
of them had manifested distrust on this occasion; and, when he offered
to perform the operation, said, "Now we are well; if we should become
sick it will be time enough to submit to the operation." Shudegacheh
had on the upper part of his arm a large, round scar, which he is said
to have burnt into his flesh with his tobacco-pipe, on the death of a
relation. Major Bean presented to the Indians, in the name of the
Government, tobacco, powder, and ball, and the chief received a fine
blanket. Mr. Mc Kenzie observed to him, that "the Puncas furnished
too few skins, and did not plant maize enough; it was not possible
to purchase anything of them;" to which he replied, that "there was no
unity among his people; that they lived too scattered, and, therefore,
he could not superintend them, and keep them to work." At noon, the
thermometer being at 67 deg., our hunters returned, without having seen
anything of consequence, except a couple of large curlews. The boats,
which had been sent out to take soundings, likewise came back, and
great exertions were made to lighten the steamer, by transferring part
of the cargo to the Maria keel-boat. At length, at two o'clock, we
were able to weigh anchor, and run awhile down the river, which was
done with such rapidity that the Indians became giddy, and sat down on
the floor. In this manner we turned round a sand bank, and proceeded
upwards, along the south coast of the river, and in twenty minutes
were opposite the huts of the Punca Indians. They lay in the shade of
a forest, like white cones, and, in front of them, a sand bank
extended into the river, which was separated from the land by a narrow
channel. The whole troop was assembled on the edge of the bank, and it
was amusing to see how the motley group crowded together, wrapped in
brown buffalo skins, white and red blankets--some naked, of a deep
brown colour. The little children, with their protuberant
bellies,[252] and their legs, of a dark brown colour, carrying bows
and arrows in their hands, were running along the beach, or cowering
like little monkeys, while the men walked about, very gravely, with
their weapons in their hands. We landed our Indian visitors on the
sand bank; the boat brought back some skins, and we afterwards saw
Primeau, with the Indians, wade through [pg. 140] the channel. A little
further up we witnessed a great prairie fire, on the left bank. The
flames rose from the forest to the height of 100 feet--fiery smoke
filled the air: it was a splendid sight! A whirlwind had formed a
remarkable towering column of smoke, which rose, in a most singular
manner, in graceful undulations, to the zenith. Afterwards we came to
steep hills, behind which is Manoel's Creek, so called from Manoel
Lisa, a Spaniard, who formerly carried on the fur trade in these
parts.[253] Towards evening we were near the Assiniboin steamer, which
lay before us, and halted in the vicinity of Basil Creek, where the
Puncas formerly dwelt, numbers of whose graves are seen upon the
hills. The trunks of trees in the river had much injured our paddles.
FOOTNOTES:
[209] Lewis and Clark apply this term with different orthography
(Waucarba, wacandda) to the island above Fort Leavenworth now known as
Kickapoo. The river is here compressed into a narrow space, above
which it widens considerably. See Thwaites, _Original Journals of the
Lewis and Clark Expedition_, i, p. 64.--ED.
[210] For this detachment under Captain Martin, see our volume xiv, p.
175.--ED.
[211] The creek was so named by Lewis and Clark because its mouth was
passed by them on July 4, 1804. It is a small stream entering the
Missouri near the boundaries of Doniphan and Atchison counties,
Kansas. According to Lewis and Clark this was the second old Kansa
village, the first being just above Kickapoo Island. If the Spanish
ever had a post in this vicinity, it must have been in the capacity of
succeeding (after 1764) to the possession of the old French post among
the Kansa Indians. See on this subject, _Original Journals of the
Lewis and Clark Expedition_, i, pp. 64-68, and notes.--ED.
[212] Joseph Robidoux, whose trading post was on the site of the
future city of St. Joseph, which took its name from its founder. The
Robidoux were a family of fur-traders. The father, Joseph, came from
Montreal to Kaskaskia, and having won a competence removed to St.
Louis, where at his house the first territorial legislature of
Missouri met in 1812. Joseph, jr., was born in 1783, and early entered
the fur-trade. Lewis and Clark met "young Mr. Robidoux" on their
return journey (1806), and scrutinized his license with some
suspicion. Lewis also complained of the loyalty of the elder trader,
saying that he enticed the Indians from their allegiance to the United
States. The younger Robidoux lived for many years at the post where
Maximilian met him--in 1868 dying at this place, where the city had
already sprung up around him. See sketch in Joseph Tasse, _Canadiens
du Nord-Ouest_ (Montreal, 1878), ii, p. 131.--ED.
[213] The Joways had exchanged their blankets and other effects for
brandy. White settlers have already established themselves fifteen or
sixteen miles within the Indian territory, who make whisky, and sell
it excessively cheap to the Indians, by which these people are ruined.
The distance is only eight miles from Roubedoux trading house to the
Little Platte River; and between these two rivers and the high land,
is the village of the Joways.--MAXIMILIAN.
[214] This is, doubtless, the same river which Bradbury, in his
_Travels_, calls Naduet River.--MAXIMILIAN.
[215] For Captain Martin see James's _Long's Expedition_, in our
volume xiv, p. 175, note 142. Maximilian would here appear to be
confused. Martin passed the winter of 1818 to 1819 on Cow Island (see
note 208, _ante_, p. 256). He had, however, a hunting camp in this
vicinity.--ED.
[216] For the Oto, see Bradbury's _Travels_, our volume v, p. 74, note
42.--ED.
[217] Morgan's Island is just below Nemaha City, in the Nebraska
county of the same name. Probably it took its title from Colonel
Willoughby Morgan, for whom see our volume xiv, p. 178, note 146. The
trading post has not been identified, unless it were that of Crooks
and McClellan, who once (1810-11) wintered in this region. See
Brackenridge's _Journal_, volume vi of our series, p. 71.--ED.
[218] Lewis and Clark found the passage across the narrows at this
point but 300 yards. Changes have since occurred in the beds of both
rivers. See our volume xiv, p. 217, note 166. The range of hills was
aptly designated by the explorers as Bald Pated Prairie.--ED.
[219] Weeping Water Creek is a small stream paralleling the Platte in
Cass County, Nebraska. The French form was "l'eau qui pleure."
Five Barrel Islands are laid down on early maps; with changes in the
river's bed, they are now swept away.--ED.
[220] For a brief sketch of Fontenelle, see our volume xiv, p. 275,
note 196.--ED.
[221] See Brackenridge's _Journal_, in our volume vi, p. 76, for the
origin of this name. The Indian name of the chief--an Oto--is given by
Lewis and Clark as "Sarnanona."--ED.
[222] In the Appendix there is an account of this
purchase.--MAXIMILIAN. _Comment by Ed._ See our volume xxiv.
[223] The first trading post in this locality (with possible
exceptions for the Spanish regime) was that of Crooks and McClellan,
who in 1810 built a "wintering establishment" here, which was
abandoned the following spring--see Bradbury and Brackenridge (1811).
Shortly after, Manuel Lisa built his well-known Fort Lisa, some
sixteen miles above Bellevue, which continued to be the prominent post
of the vicinity (see James's _Long's Expedition_, our volume xiv, p.
221), near which the Yellowstone Expedition built Engineer Cantonment
for the winter of 1819-20. The Missouri Fur Company, under Joshua
Pilcher, who succeeded Lisa as president, removed from Fort Lisa to
the site of Bellevue about 1823. It was this post that Fontenelle
bought out, and turned over to the American Fur Company when he became
their agent. The post was for many years in command of Peter Sarpy.
The Indian agency was officially entitled "Council Bluffs at
Bellevue." In 1849 a postoffice was established here, and the village
incorporated in 1854; some of the post buildings remained until 1870.
Bellevue is now a village in Sarpy County, of which it was the capital
until 1875.--ED.
[224] Mackinaw boats are strong, open vessels, made of a light wood,
in which goods are conveyed on the rivers of the Northern and Western
States.--MAXIMILIAN.
[225] See opposite page for illustration of Omaha Indians.--ED.
[226] See our volume xv, pp. 27-33. This woman was the Indian wife of
Manuel Lisa. See Chittenden, _Fur-Trade_, i, pp. 133-135. Judge Walter
B. Douglas, of St. Louis, furnishes the following facts concerning
Lisa's daughter, who was educated among the whites. She married a
Baptist minister named Ely, and reared a considerable family, dying
recently at Trenton, Illinois, a small town not far from St.
Louis.--ED.
[227] For the Omaha Indians see our volume v, p. 86, note 49.--ED.
[228] Jean Pierre Cabanne was born in Pau, France, in 1773. After
receiving good education he came to America--first to New Orleans,
later to St. Louis, where he married (1797) Julie Gratiot, whose
sister was the wife of Pierre Chouteau. For many years he was member
of the firm of Chouteau and Pratte, thus acquiring an interest in the
American Fur Company. The family home at St. Louis was the seat of a
pleasant hospitality; but like many of the chief fur-traders, Cabanne
spent part of each year in the Indian country, where he was head of
the department centering near Council Bluffs. He left this post about
the time of Maximilian's visit, owing to difficulty with a rival
trader, Le Clerc, who had appealed to the courts. Cabanne died in St.
Louis in 1841. His post was nine or ten miles by land above the
present site of Omaha.--ED.
[229] See p. 269, for illustration of an Omaha boy.--ED.
[230] Not only these feather caps are pretty similar to those in
Brazil, but also the chief instrument of the conjurors, or physicians
(medicine men)--schischikue, as it is called--a calabash with a
handle, in which there are small stones to rattle. The Omahas, and all
the other North American tribes, use it exactly in the same manner as
the Brazilians.--MAXIMILIAN.
[231] See p. 269, for illustration of an Omaha war-club.--ED.
[232] See our volume xiv, pp. 288-321; and xv, pp. 11-136.--ED.
[233] For Boyer River, see our volume xiv, p. 221, note 174.
This fort at Council Bluffs was not on the site of the Iowa town of
that name, but some miles higher up the river, on the Nebraska bank,
near the village now known as Fort Calhoun, in Washington County. The
name was first applied to the bluffs by Lewis and Clark, who held here
(1804) an important council with chiefs of neighboring tribes. The
United States post was built by a detachment under Colonel Henry
Atkinson, when embarked on the famous Yellowstone expedition of 1819.
The means of transportation proving inadequate, the troops never
reached the Yellowstone, but formed at this point Camp Missouri, where
during the winter of 1819-20 much sickness prevailed. The fort was
finally christened Atkinson, for its founder, and was so known to the
government. The local name was Fort Calhoun--whether in honor of the
then secretary of war, or for a soldier who was the first to be here
buried, is disputed. On the building of Fort Leavenworth, the troops
were removed thither. See note 204, _ante_, p. 253.--ED.
[234] For Blackbird, see Bradbury's _Travels_, in our volume v, p. 86;
Brackenridge's _Journal_, in our volume vi, pp. 81, 82; and James's
_Long's Expedition_, in our volume xiv, pp. 315-320.--ED.
[235] For Big Elk, see our volume v, p. 90, note 52; also xv, p. 320.
Dr. John D. Godman (1794-1830) was a Marylander who in 1814
participated in the defense of Fort McHenry. Later studying medicine,
he was a professor of anatomy at several colleges, retiring finally to
Germantown, Pennsylvania, where he devoted himself to scientific
pursuits. His best known work was _American Natural History_
(Philadelphia, 1828).
By Horn River our author intends Elkhorn, for which see our volume
xiv, p. 240, note 182.--ED.
[236] For Floyd, see our volume v, p. 91, note 56; also _Original
Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition_, i, p. 114.--ED.
[237] For the Big Sioux River, see our volume vi, p. 85, note 30. This
branch of the Dakota (or Sioux), mentioned by Maximilian, is known as
the Wahpekute, one of the two components of the Santee band of the
Sioux. Together with the Mdewakantonwan or Spirit Lake band, they were
the Sioux first known to Europeans, being designated by Hennepin as
Issati. Their habitat was the upper waters of the Mississippi, and the
St. Peter's (Minnesota) River. They wandered toward the Big Sioux
River, which was made the boundary by the treaty of 1825 at Prairie du
Chien--William Clark and Lewis Cass, commissioners. In this treaty the
Big Sioux River is designated as the Calumet, probably because of the
proximity of its source to the red pipestone quarries of southwestern
Minnesota.--ED.
[238] Iowa Creek, a small stream running nearly parallel to the
Missouri in Dixon County, Nebraska. Lewis and Clark speak of the
peculiar appearance of the bluff at this place, calling the creek
"Rologe."--ED.
[239] Wigwam is the name given to the Indian huts. The word comes from
the Ojibua language, in which uikiuam signifies hut. This word has
been corrupted, and applied by the whites to the habitations of all
the Indian tribes.--MAXIMILIAN.
[240] The James (or Dakota) River rises just south of Devil's Lake in
Wells and Fargo counties, North Dakota, and flows nearly south into
the Missouri. Its French name was Riviere a Jacques. Calumet Bluff is
just above its mouth, nearly opposite Yankton, South Dakota. The term
"Sego Island" does not occur in the Lewis and Clark text, nor has the
name been preserved to the present day. They named White Bear Cliff
for an animal of that kind killed in one of its holes. It was on the
north bank, three or four miles above Yankton.--ED.
[241] For Bernard Pratte, sr., see our volume xv, p. 193, note 71. In
addition, these facts of his life may be stated. Born at Ste.
Genevieve in 1772, he went to St. Louis when twenty-one years of age,
and entered the fur-trade, marrying (1794) Emilie Labbadie, niece of
Pierre Chouteau, sr. During the War of 1812-15, he was in command of
an expedition which proceeded against Fort Madison; later was
appointed territorial judge, and in Monroe's administration receiver
of public moneys at St. Louis. He died April 1, 1836, respected by the
entire community.
Bernard Pratte, jr., was born in upper Louisiana, December 17, 1803.
He was sent to Kentucky to be educated, and upon his return embarked
in the fur-trade with his father. Being particularly interested in
navigation, he went on the "Yellowstone's" early voyages, in this
instance taking command of the "Assiniboine;" see his recollections in
J. T. Scharf, _History of St. Louis_ (Philadelphia, 1883), i, p. 675.
He was a member of the Missouri assembly in 1838, and mayor of St.
Louis for two terms (1844-46). In 1850 he retired to a farm near
Jonesboro', Montgomery County, where he died in 1887.--ED.
[242] This name signifies "the smoker." The French Canadians generally
call this chief Le Boucan, because smoke has that name among
them.--MAXIMILIAN.
_Comment by Ed._ This Indian was also painted by Catlin. See
Smithsonian Institution _Report_, 1885, ii, p. 64.
[243] The word Passitopa signifies the number "four." This brother of
the chief is known from the circumstance of his having shot an Indian,
who sought the life of a white man, who was his friend. Mr. Bodmer
drew the portraits of the two brothers, which are very like. He has
succeeded particularly in that of Shudegacheh.--MAXIMILIAN.
[244] For this portrait which Maximilian calls "a good resemblance"
see Plate 40, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.
[245] For the Ponca, and their present numbers, see our volume v, p.
96, note 63.--ED.
[246] Now known as Bazile Creek, in Knox County, Nebraska. It flows
into the Missouri just east of Niobrara. Lewis and Clark called it
White Paint Creek.--ED.
[247] See Plate 11, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.
[248] In the portrait referred to in note 242, _ante_, the chief wears
this medal on his breast. Similar medals were carried by Lewis and
Clark; see Townsend's _Narrative_, in our volume xxi, p. 363, note
133.--ED.
[249] See p. 269 for illustration of Ponca war-club.--ED.
[250] Probably Charles Primeau, a fur-trader in the employ of the
American Fur Company--later (1845), setting up in opposition to the
company. Consult _Larpenteur's Journal_, i, p. 227.--ED.
[251] See opposite page for illustration of Ponca Indians in buffalo
robes.--ED.
[252] The children of the North Americans resemble, in all respects,
those of the Brazilians; I have mentioned the same circumstance of the
Tapuyas of eastern Brazil, in the account of my travels in that
country.--MAXIMILIAN.
[253] For Manuel Lisa, see our volume v, p. 97, note 64. This creek,
now called Emanuel, is in Bonhomme County, South Dakota, just above
Springfield.--ED.