VOYAGE FROM L'EAU QUI COURT TO FORT PIERRE, ON THE TETON RIVER (THE
LITTLE MISSOURI), AND STAY THERE, FROM MAY 13TH TO JUNE 4TH
Running-water River (l'eau qui court)--Punca Creek--Remarkable
Mountains--Cedar Island--Delay caused by the insufficient Depth
of the Water--First Sight of Buffaloes and Antelopes--Burning
Mountain--Black Strata of bituminous Coal--Bijoux Hills--Prairie
Dogs--Shannon, or Dry River--White River--Ruins of Cedar
Fort--Fort Look-out (Sioux Agency)--Visit to it--The Dacotas of
the Branch of the Yanktons--Wahktageli--Big Bend, or Grand
Detour--Medicine Hills--Teton River--Fort Pierre--Stay
there--The Tetons, a branch of the Dacotas or Sioux.
On the morning of the 13th of May, the Yellow Stone passed the mouth
of the Running-water River (l'eau qui court),[254] when the
thermometer was at 55 deg. The Assiniboin was before us. We reached the
mouth of Punca Creek, which runs along the chain of hills obliquely to
the Missouri. At the time when the Puncas separated from the Omahas,
they built a kind of fort of earth, some miles up this river, which,
however, they no longer occupy. There are said to be hot springs in
the neighbourhood, such as are known to exist in several places on the
banks of the Missouri.[255] Springs of any kind are, however, very
rare in these dry prairies. In this neighbourhood are many villages
of the prairie dogs (_Arctomys ludoviciana_, Ord.), in the abandoned
burrows of which, rattlesnakes abound. It has been affirmed that these
two species of animals live peaceably together in these burrows; but
observers of nature have proved that the snakes take possession of
abandoned burrows only, which is in the usual course of things. Deep
[pg. 142] gullies traverse the summits of the banks, above which the
turkey buzzards were hovering. On a sudden, three Punca Indians
appeared and hailed us; they were wrapped in their buffalo skins, and
carried their bows and arrows on their shoulders. One of them had a
very singular appearance, having bound up the hair of his head, so
that it stood quite upright. Though they made signs to us to take them
on board, we did not stop, but renounced the pleasure of more closely
observing these interesting people. The trees on the edge of the
prairie, by which we passed, were old, thick, and low, with their
summits depressed and cramped. They were the resort of the Carolina
pigeon, which is found all along the banks of the river. The red
cedars, in particular, were stunted and crippled, often thicker than a
man's body in the trunk, and very frequently wholly withered. The
swallows' nests--numbers of which were built against the steep
banks--were not yet inhabited. We were unable, on account of the
shallowness, to reach a fine grove of poplars on the right bank, and
proceeded along the hills of the left bank, which were seventy or
eighty feet in height, where the red cedar abounded, and we stopped to
fell a number of these trees. A wild lateral ravine here opened to the
Missouri, up the steep sides of which our wood-cutters climbed, and
cut down the cedars, which were loaded with their black berries. The
wood of this tree emits a very aromatic scent, and it is much used by
the steam-boats for fuel, because it supplies a great deal of steam,
and the berries, as we were told, are eaten by the Indians for
certain medicinal purposes. At the bottom of the narrow ravine, there
was a thicket of elm, cedar, bird-cherry, clematis, celtis, celastrus,
vine, and other shrubs; and the neighbouring lofty verdant hills of
the prairie produced many beautiful plants, among which was _Stanleya
pinnatifida_, with its splendid long bunches of yellow flowers.
Returning to our vessel, when the bell gave the signal for departure,
we found one of the three Punca Indians whom we had seen in the
morning. He had taken advantage of our slow progress to overtake us.
His hair hung down to his shoulders, and was tied together in a queue.
His countenance was good-natured and friendly; he wore a buffalo robe,
had a bow and arrows on his back, and, in his hand, a large hussar
sabre, which he had received as a present. Major Bean gave him some
tobacco, powder, lead, and ball; and after he had satisfied his
craving appetite he returned, well satisfied, to his comrades. In the
afternoon the country was by no means attractive, rather flat, and not
so verdant; our vessel sustained many violent shocks. The chain of
hills, in the distance, appeared in more and more singular forms,
partly resembling ramparts and batteries, and then again perfectly
flat, like table-land. An isolated, round, conical eminence, which is
called the Tower, stands on them.[256] On the bank were, again,
singularly stunted woods and thickets, probably kept down by the cold
winds of the prairie. The soil and the whole character of the country
was changed; on the Lower Missouri it was a black mould, and very
fertile. Cedars flourished here, growing to the height of forty or
fifty feet, yet they were often withered, or, at least, many had dry
branches on their summits.
[pg. 143] On the following morning, the 14th, we had a very difficult
navigation, and were even obliged to put back, so that the Assiniboin
overtook and passed us, and we followed it up the river on the north
bank, and afterwards landed forty men to lighten the vessel; ran
happily over a sand bank, and again passed the Assiniboin. In the
preceding year, the whole prairie was seen from the steamer to be
covered with herds of buffaloes, but now there were no living
creatures, except a few wild geese and ducks, which had likewise
become scarce, since the termination of the great forest below the La
Platte River. The monotony of this rude landscape was, however, soon
interrupted by the appearance of a canoe, in which were four white men
rowing down the river. A boat was speedily manned, into which Mr.
Mc Kenzie and Mr. Sandford went, well armed, in order to speak to them,
because they were supposed to be _engages_ of the Company who were
deserting. We were informed by them, that the Arikkaras, a dangerous
Indian tribe, had lately murdered three beaver hunters, one of whom
was a man named Glass, well known in the country, of whom I shall have
occasion to speak in the sequel.[257]
Upon an island, to which we came, was a real wilderness; the beavers
had formed a kind of abattis, by felling poplars; another island was
remarkable because there is a hot spring opposite to it, on the main
land, the water of which has no mineral taste. On the left bank, about
five or six miles below Cedar Island, we observed the remains of
Indian huts. Mr. Mc Kenzie had met here, in the preceding year, a camp
of the Punca Indians. On the steep banks were coloured stripes, or
regular strata; some black, doubtless bituminous coal, others reddish
brown, and, in several places, burnt black. Some parts had burnt very
lately, and, in many places, had fallen in. Unhappily we were not able
more closely to examine these remarkable strata. We fastened the
vessel for the night to the western coast; and the lightning was very
brilliant.
On the following day, the 15th of May, we saw in the thickets, behind
which the prairie extended, many traces of an Indian camp; heads of
elks, stags, and other animals, were scattered about; the marks of
horses' feet were everywhere visible; and a practicable trodden path
led through the thickets. At noon, when the thermometer was at 77 deg.,
the Assiniboin again passed us, and, with the keel-boat Maria,
vanished from our sight. At four in the afternoon, we reached the
place where we had stopped the preceding night, with the help of the
keel-boat, which had returned, and at length succeeded in getting
forward; but again had a storm of thunder and lightning. The whole
country, beyond the banks, consisted of hills, rising one above the
other; some covered with verdure, some of a yellowish colour, mostly
without life and variety. While the lightning flashed from the dense
black clouds, we again overtook the Assiniboin, which had landed its
wood-cutters to fell some cedars on the steep mountain. We, too,
landed 300 paces further up, to cut down cedars for fuel. At this
place there was the narrow deep ravine of a small stream, now dry, in
which we caught a pale yellow bat, and saw some snakes, and the
scattered bones of buffaloes. We climbed from the bottom of the ravine
up the singular [pg. 144] eminences of the prairie, and collected some
interesting plants, particularly the wild turnip. Two species of
cactus were not yet in blossom; they are, probably, not sufficiently
known to botanists. One of them has been taken for the _Cactus
opuntia_; and Captain Back,[258] too, says, that it is found on an
island in the Lake of the Woods; but this is certainly not the
above-named plant. On the highest elevation above the river, we
enjoyed a remarkably fine prospect, while the sky was darkened by
black thunder clouds. Around us was the amphitheatre of
singularly-formed mountain-tops; at our feet lay the fine broad river,
intersected by innumerable sand banks, which plainly showed us the
difficulties of our navigation. On the banks, at so great a distance
from the dwellings of civilized men, were two large vessels emitting
volumes of steam. We were lost in the contemplation of this vast
wilderness, when the bell summoned us on board. Our people had found a
channel with five feet water, but it was so dark and foggy, that we
were obliged to lie to early.
On the following morning, the 16th of May, having passed a village of
the prairie dogs, we reached, at nine o'clock, the Cedar Island, which
is said to be 1,075 miles from the mouth of the Missouri.[259] On the
steep banks of this long narrow island, which lies near the south-west
bank, there were thickets of poplars, willows, and buffalo berry; the
rest of the island is covered with a dark forest of red cedars, of
which we immediately felled a good number. Their beautiful
violet-coloured wood is traversed towards the edge by white veins, and
is found very fit for ship-building. We crossed, with great pleasure,
this wilderness of lofty cedars, the rough bark of which peels off of
itself, and hangs down in long slips; many of them were withered,
others broken and thrown down, or lying on the ground, covered with
moss and lichens. The notes of numerous birds were heard in the gloom
of this cedar forest, into which no ray of the sun could penetrate.
Here, too, we found everywhere traces of the elks and stags, and saw
where they had rubbed off the bark with their antlers. This may be
considered as the limit to which the wild turkey extends on the
Missouri. It is true that this bird is, now and then, found higher up,
even on the Yellow Stone River; but these are exceptions, for beyond
this place the woods are too open and exposed. The Indians, on the
Upper Missouri, very readily barter for the tails of these fine birds,
to use them as fans and ornaments, and Mr. Mc Kenzie, accordingly, took
a good supply with him.
On account of the high wind we were obliged to stop longer than we
intended at Cedar Island, and took advantage of the delay to send out
our hunters with their fowling-pieces. They brought back some birds,
and a quadruped which was new to me. The wood-cutters had found, in a
hollow tree, a nest of the large wood-rat, with four young ones. This
fine animal has a tuft of hair at the end of its tail, and sometimes
the whole tail is covered with hair. In colour and shape it resembles
our Norway rat, and has not yet been mentioned as found on the
Missouri, unless a couple of passages in Lewis and Clarke's Travels,
which say, "very large rats were found here," refer to it.
[pg. 145] On the morning of the 17th we saw the first antelopes, or
cabris, half a dozen of which fled over the hills, but at so great a
distance that we could not well distinguish them; we, however,
subsequently had the pleasure of seeing one of these animals stop so
long on the summit of the bank that we could very plainly observe it
nearer at hand. It gazed for a long time at the steamer, appeared to
be alarmed, trotted away, then stopped again, and disappeared behind
the hills. The antelope becomes more and more common in this part of
the country, and we saw several to-day, but the wishes of our hunters
were disappointed. The Indians use the skin of these animals for
clothing, but they are not very eager in the chase of the antelope,
except where the buffalo is scarce. As, on sounding the channel, only
four feet of water were found, the steamer was moored to the bank, and
we took our fowling-pieces. With difficulty we penetrated through the
thickets of poplar and willow on the bank, where the large tracks of
the elks and of the Virginian deer were everywhere deeply imprinted in
the soft soil. We then reached the prairie, which is perfectly level,
and extends for 300 or 400 paces to the hills. It was covered with
high grass, and clusters of many different plants. Our people
traversed the prairies in all directions, looking for the pomme
blanche, which was very common. Near the thickets we saw the pretty
Carolina pigeon, seeking its food on the ground, but, when we
approached, all the birds immediately flew out of the prairie, and
sought refuge in the recesses of the thickets. We had a fine,
starlight, cool evening.
On the 18th we saw the first buffaloes that we had met with on this
voyage. Several of our hunters were immediately landed to pursue them.
They ascended into a ravine, and disappeared behind the hills. We also
landed, at noon, when the thermometer was at 68 deg. Beyond the thickets
on the bank, there were some old isolated trees in the prairie, in
which, as well as in the tall plants, bushes, and grass, there were
numerous birds. During the day, the mosquitoes (_Tipula_) were so
troublesome in the wood, that we could scarcely load our pieces; it is
said that, in the height of summer, this nuisance is still more
intolerable. The buffalo hunters returned to the vessel at the same
time with us; they had, indeed, missed their object, but had killed a
large buck antelope, as well as a great many prairie dogs, the heads
of which were all mutilated by the rifle balls. As these little
animals retreat to their burrows, on the approach of any strange
object, and only put out their heads, the Americans, with their long
rifles, generally hit them in this part: they are a favourite food
among them. Our men brought back the skin and the head, as well as the
flesh of the antelope which they had killed: they likewise brought me
a fine grey eagle and a serpent (_Col. eximus_). The river being so
shallow, we were not able to proceed on the following day, and
continued our excursions on shore. I often passed my time in the lofty
and shady forest which extended beyond the willow thickets on the
banks, at the border of the open prairie. Sitting on an old trunk, in
the cool shade, I could observe at leisure the surrounding scene. I
saw the turkey buzzards, that hovered above the hills, contending
against the high wind, while a couple of falcons frequently made a
stoop at them, doubtless to defend [pg. 146] their nest. A couple of
ravens likewise flew about them. The red-eyed finch, the beautiful
_Sylvia aestiva_, the _Sylvia striata_, and the wren, flew around me,
the latter singing very prettily. If I passed beyond the prairie
hills, I found the ground, on the long-extended ridge, covered with
the blue flowers of the _Oxitropis Lamberti_ (Pursh.), which grew in
tufts about a foot high. There, too, I saw dens of the foxes and
wolves. I saw a fine bird which we had not before met with, namely,
the prairie hen (_Tetrao phasianellus_), a pair of which rose before
me, and of which I first shot the cock. These birds are found in
considerable numbers from this place up to the Rocky Mountains. In the
daytime we suffered great heat in these excursions, while there was
also a high wind, and the ground was hard and dry; the soles of our
shoes became so polished on this ground and the hard dry grass, that
it was difficult and fatiguing to walk on the slopes. We were forced
to remain here many days, because the water was very shallow, and,
during this time, we had several violent thunder-storms. It is a
peculiarity of this part of the country that, in spring, rain, storms,
and tempests prevail, while the summer and autumn are, in general,
very dry. All the small streams in the extensive prairies then dry up,
and there is a general want of water, except in the vicinity of the
large rivers.
On the 21st of May it was so cool that we were obliged to have fires
in the cabins; the river had risen a little, and we endeavoured to
proceed. Captain Pratte, of the Assiniboin, came on board with a man
named May, a beaver hunter, who had left Fort Union, on the Yellow
Stone, in March. He confirmed the account of the murder of the three
men by the Arikkaras, and added the still more alarming intelligence,
that thirteen of the Company's _engages_ had been killed by the
Blackfoot Indians. He said that the herds of buffaloes had left the
Missouri, and had been followed by the Sioux Indians, so that we must
expect to see only a few of them on the river. The keel-boat of the
Assiniboin had taken part of our cargo on board on the 22nd, and, as
there was rather more depth of water, the Yellow Stone had been got
afloat, after a delay of five days in this shallow place. We happened
to be on the hills when the bell summoned us on board, and hastened as
quickly as possible to the bank, but came too late, and were compelled
to follow the vessel for a couple of hours, clambering over fragments
of stone, pieces of rock, to creep through thickets full of thorns and
burrs, or to wade through morasses; and not till eleven o'clock did
we get on board. The hills on both sides of the river were of singular
forms; some of them were crowned with rocks resembling ancient towers
and ruins. The eminences had some dark spots, caused by black shining
strata of coal. Many of these strata had been on fire, and one of them
was extinguished only last year, after having burnt more than three
years. Such a thick stratum of bituminous coal ran in a well-defined
stripe on both sides of the river, at an equal elevation, along all
the hills, as far as the eye could reach; and it is not difficult to
follow this stratum for many hundred miles; it is only interrupted, at
intervals, by ravines. Some lofty hills, hereabouts, are called Bijoux
Hills, after a person of that name, who resided here many years.[260]
[pg. 147] The next morning we found the Assiniboin at the foot of these
hills. Our steamer could not be moved till noon, and then did not
proceed far, but lay to near a sand bank. On the morning of the 24th,
Major Bean left us, accompanied by Mr. Bodmer, to go by land to Sioux
Agency, or Fort Lookout, where he intended to wait for us. He had
procured saddle-horses from that place. As we expected the keel-boat,
to lighten the ship, we had time to go ashore and make an excursion
inland. At eleven o'clock the bell summoned us to return. The vessel
was made to drop about 2,000 paces down the river, and then, with much
exertion, to proceed along the north-east bank, where we found the
Maria keel-boat, which had likewise run aground, but had been got
afloat by its crew, who laboured up to their waists in water, while
the people were lightening our steamer. Mr. Mc Kenzie and myself went
on shore to explore the neighbouring eminences, where we found many
rare plants. The geology and mineralogy of these hills are likewise
interesting. The surface consists of clay of various colours, partly
resembling lithomarge; plates and fragments of foliated gypsum were
scattered around, and seemed to stand out in the clay. When we reached
the bare sterile heights which belong to the black burnt
stratifications, I found the soil quite different from what it had
appeared to me when I looked at it from below. The whole consists of a
clay, which has undergone the effects of fire, and is partly burnt
black on the surface. We saw no living creatures on these bare
heights, except the finch (_Fringilla grammaca_), first described by
Say. Several caves or dens of wolves, foxes, and marmots, were
observed in the declivities of the hills. Between four and five
o'clock, the keel-boat having been sent on before, the Yellow Stone
proceeded along the northeast bank. Near the Shannon, or Dry River,
the sun sank behind the poplar wood on the bank, and we lay to for the
night. From the Shannon, the mouth of which is on the west side, the
territory of the Sioux nations is reckoned to extend up the Missouri.
On the east bank, as I have observed, it begins much sooner.
At five o'clock, on the following morning, the 25th of May, we had
already reached the White River,[261] and at noon came to a place
where the Cedar Fort, a trading post of the Missouri Fur Company, had
formerly stood. When the Company was dissolved, this and other
settlements were abandoned, and demolished by the Indians.[262]
Directly opposite, on the east bank, a stratum of earth burnt till
1823, in consequence of which a large portion of a hill fell, and now
stands isolated before the bank; it is seventy or eighty feet high,
and 150 feet long. In the course of the day we came to a place where
an Arikkara village had formerly stood, on the ridge of the hills,
which was destroyed by the Sioux, and the inhabitants expelled.
Opposite to this was Fort Lookout, where the French Fur Trading
Company had a post. A little further up the river we saw, on the
hills, some burying-places of the Sioux Indians; most of them were
formed of a high platform, on four stakes, on which the corpse, sewn
up in skins, lies at full length; others consisted of stakes and
brushwood, like a kind of hedge, in the middle of which the deceased
is buried in the ground. We were told that the son of a chief was
buried in one of the latter, in a [pg. 148] standing posture. On a point
of land, at the left hand, round which the Missouri turns to the west,
we saw the buildings of Sioux Agency; the Yellow Stone saluted the
post with several guns, and was welcomed to the fort by the hoisting
of a flag, while the whole population, about fifty in number, chiefly
consisting of Sioux Indians, were assembled on the beach. We greeted
our friends Major Bean and Mr. Bodmer, and proceeded a mile further,
to an extensive forest, where we took in wood, and stopped for the
night. In order to get acquainted with the Sioux, in whom I took so
much interest, I returned, in a heavy rain, through the bushes and
high grass, to the agency, where Major Bean received me very kindly,
though his dwelling, according to the fashion of the place, was rudely
constructed, and he was incommoded by too many visitors.
Sioux Agency, or, as it is now usually called, Fort Lookout, is a
square, of about sixty paces, surrounded by pickets, twenty or thirty
feet high, made of squared trunks of trees, placed close to each
other, within which the dwellings are built close to the palisades.
These dwellings consisted of only three block-houses, with several
apartments. Close to the fort, in a northern direction, the Fur
Company of Mr. Soublette had a dwelling-house, with a store; and, in
the opposite direction, was a similar post of the American Fur
Company.[263] The fort is agreeably situated on a green spot, near the
river, partly covered with bushes, and partly open, bounded by hills,
beyond which the prairie extends, first, with a few old trees, and
some wooded spots, but soon assuming its peculiar bare character.
About ten leather tents or huts of the Sioux, of the branch of the
Yanktons or Yanktoans, were set up near the fort.[264]
The Dacotas, as they call themselves, or the Sioux of the French,
called by the Ojibuas or Chippeways, Nandoesi (which has been
corrupted into Nadowassis), are still one of the most numerous Indian
tribes in North America. Pike stated their number at 21,575 souls, and
they are still reckoned at 20,000; nay, some even affirm, that they
are still able to furnish 15,000 warriors, which seems rather too high
an estimate. Major Long, who gives much information respecting this
people, calculates their number at 28,100, of which 7,055 are
warriors, the nation possessing 2,330 tents, which agrees pretty
nearly with the statements we received on the Missouri. If we add the
Assiniboins, who are of the same origin, and who are estimated at
28,000, we shall have for all the Dacotas, 56,100 souls, of whom
14,055 are warriors, and the number of their tents 5,330. Major Long
is of opinion that they cannot be calculated at less than 25,000
souls, and 6,000 warriors; 20,000 is, therefore, not too high an
estimate.
The territory which they inhabit extends from Big Sioux River, between
the Missouri and the Mississippi, down the latter to Rock River, and
northwards to Elk River; then westwards, in a line which includes the
sources of St. Peter's River, and reaches the Missouri below the
Mandan villages, stretches down it, crosses it near Heart River, and
includes the whole country on the western bank, to the Black Hills
about Teton River, as far as Shannon River. The Sioux are divided into
several branches, which all speak the same language, with some
deviations. [pg. 149] Three principal branches live on the Missouri,
viz., the Yanktons, or Yanktoans, the Tetons, or Titoans, and the
Yanktonans, or Yanktoanons. The Mende-Wakan-Toann, or the people of
the Spirit Lake, and some others, live on the Mississippi. All these
branches together are, as Major Long says, divided by the traders into
two great classes--the Gens du Lac and the Gens du Large; _i.e._,
those who live near the Spirit Lake, and are now chiefly found on the
banks of the Mississippi, and those who roam about in the prairies.
The Yanktoanons are said to constitute one-fifth of all the Dacotas,
and the Tetons the half of the whole nation.[265]
The Dacotas roam as far as the territory of the Puncas, over the Black
Hills, to the Arkansa, and westwards to the Rocky Mountains, into the
territory of the Crows, on the Yellow Stone River, &c. Pike makes
them, as well as the Pawnees, descend from the Tartars; but many
objections may be made to this notion, as the affinity of the North
Americans and the people of Asia is not proved, and the resemblance
between them appears to be very limited. In general, these Indians
have more strongly-marked countenances and higher cheek-bones than
many other tribes on the Missouri, nor are their features so regular
or pleasing, yet there is no considerable difference in their
physiognomy. Bradbury says they are much inferior in stature to the
Osages, Mandans, and Puncas, and by no means so robust; but this
assertion must be very much restricted, because there are many tall
men among the Dacotas. The Yanktons live in Sioux Agency, or the
furthest down the Missouri, among which tribe we now were. All these
Dacotas of the Missouri, as well as most of those of the Mississippi,
are only hunters, and, in their excursions, always live in portable
leather tents. Only two branches of them are exceptions to this rule,
especially the Wahch-Pe-Kutch, on the Mississippi, who cultivate maize
and other plants, and therefore live in fixed villages. All these
Indians have great numbers of horses and dogs, the latter of which
often serve them as food. The Dacotas, on the Missouri, were formerly
dangerous enemies to the Whites. Bradbury calls them blood-thirsty
savages; whereas now, with the exception of the Yanktonans, they bear
a very good character, and constantly keep peace with the Whites. Pike
seems to have too high an idea of their valour; at least, this is the
opinion now entertained on the Missouri. Such of these Indians as
reside near the Whites, are frequently connected with them by
marriages, and depend on them for support. They then become negligent
hunters, indolent, and, consequently, poor. This was partly the case
at Sioux Agency, where they rarely possessed more than two horses. One
of the most considerable men among them, wholly devoted to the Whites,
was Wahktageli, called the Big Soldier, a tall, good-looking man,
about sixty years of age, with a high aquiline nose, and large
animated eyes. Besides him, there were several elderly, and some
slender young men of this nation, here. They had, in general, a rather
narrow, oval countenance, narrow, long eyes, and aquiline, or
straight, well-formed noses; their colour was a dark brown. They wore
their hair hanging down long over the shoulders, and often plaited _en
queue_; the older men, however, let it hang loosely, cut off a little
below the [pg. 150] neck, and turned back from the forehead. Younger
people generally wore it parted, a large lock hanging down on the
nose; young men had the upper part of the body only wrapped in their
large white or painted buffalo hides. They had long strings of blue
and white wampum shells in their ears; some of them wore one, two, or
three feathers, which were partly stripped till towards the
point.[266]
[Illustration: Method of wearing hair]
Mr. Bodmer having expressed a wish, immediately on the arrival of the
Big Soldier, to paint his portrait at full length, he appeared in his
complete state dress. His face was painted red with vermilion, and
with short, black, parallel, transverse stripes on the cheeks. On his
head he wore long feathers of birds of prey, which were tokens of his
warlike exploits, particularly of the enemies he had slain. They were
fastened in a horizontal position with strips of red cloth. In his
ears he wore long strings of blue glass beads, and, on his breast,
suspended from his neck, the great silver medal of the United States.
His leather leggins, painted with dark crosses and stripes, were very
neatly ornamented with a broad embroidered stripe of yellow, red, and
sky-blue figures, consisting of dyed porcupine quills, and his shoes
were adorned in the same manner. His buffalo robe was tanned white,
and he had his tomahawk or battle-axe in his hand.[267] He appeared to
stand very willingly as a [pg. 151] model for Mr. Bodmer, and remained
the whole day in the position required, which, in general, the Indians
find it difficult to do. The remainder of these people were now
entirely without ornaments, naked, and the upper parts of their
bodies not at all painted, but only wrapped in their buffalo robes. On
their backs they carried their quivers, which were made of leather, in
which their arrows are kept; they carry their bows in their
hands.[268]
[Illustration: Bows, arrows, and quiver]
The features of the women resembled, on the whole, those we have
already described, yet their faces, for the most part, were not so
broad and flat as those of the Saukies, or Musquake women, and some
were even pretty. The tents of the Sioux are high pointed cones, made
of strong poles, covered with buffalo skins, closely sewed together.
These skins are scraped on both sides, so that they become as
transparent as parchment, and give free admission to the light. At the
top, where the poles meet, or cross each other, there is an opening,
to let out the smoke, which they endeavour to close by a piece of the
skin covering of the tent, fixed to a separate pole standing upright,
and fastened to the upper part of the covering on the side from which
the wind blows. The door is a slit, in the front of the tent, which is
generally closed by another piece of buffalo hide, stretched upon a
frame.[269] A small fire is kept up in the centre of the tent. Poles
are stuck in the ground, near the tent, and utensils of various kinds
are suspended from them. There are, likewise, stages, on which to hang
the newly-tanned hides; others, with gaily-painted parchment pouches
and bags,[270] on some of which they hang their bows, arrows, quivers,
leather shields, spears, and war clubs.
[Illustration: Tents of the Sioux]
We paid a visit to Wahktageli in his tent, and had some difficulty in
creeping into the narrow, low entrance, after pulling aside the skin
that covered it. The inside of this tent was [pg. 152] light, and it was
about ten paces in diameter. Buffalo skins were spread on the ground,
upon which we sat down. Between us and the side of the tent were a
variety of articles, such as pouches, boxes, saddles, arms, &c. A
relation of the chief was employed in making arrows, which were
finished very neatly, and with great care. Wahktageli immediately,
with much gravity, handed the tobacco-pipe round, and seemed to inhale
the precious smoke with great delight. His wife was present; their
children were married. The conversation was carried on by Cephier, the
interpreter kept by the Agency, who accompanied us on this visit. It
is the custom with all the North American Indians, on paying a visit,
to enter in perfect silence, to shake hands with the host, and
unceremoniously sit down beside him. Refreshments are then presented,
which the Big Soldier could not do, as he himself stood in need of
food. After this the pipe circulates. The owner of a neighbouring tent
had killed a large elk, the skin of which the women were then busily
employed in dressing. They had stretched it out, by means of leather
straps, on the ground near the tent, and the women were scraping off
the particles of flesh and fat with a very well-contrived instrument.
It is made of bone, sharpened at one end, and furnished with little
teeth like a saw, and, at the other end, a strap, which is fastened
round the wrist. The skin is scraped with the sharp side of this
instrument till it is perfectly clean.[271] Several Indians have iron
teeth fixed to this bone. Besides this operation, we took particular
notice of the harness of the dogs and horses, hanging up near the
tent, both these animals being indispensable to the Indians to
transport their baggage on their journeys. Even the great tent, with
many long, heavy poles, is carried by horses, as well as the
semi-globular, transparent wicker panniers, under which the little
children are protected against sun and rain, by spreading blankets and
skins over them. Smaller articles are conveyed by the dogs, as we
shall relate in the sequel. Many of the Sioux are rich, and have
twenty or more horses, which they obtained originally from the
Spaniards on the Mississippi, and the frontier of New Mexico on the
Oregon, but which are now found in great numbers among the several
Indian nations. One of their most important employments is to steal
horses, and the theft of one of these animals, from another nation, is
considered as an exploit, and as much, nay more honoured than the
killing of an enemy. The dogs, whose flesh is eaten by the Sioux, are
equally valuable to the Indians. In shape they differ very little from
the wolf, and are equally large and strong. Some are of the real wolf
colour; others black, white, or spotted with black and white, and
differing only by the tail being rather more turned up. Their voice is
not a proper barking, but a howl, like that of the wolf, and they
partly descend from wolves, which approach the Indian huts, even in
the daytime, and mix with the dogs.
Among the peculiar customs of the Sioux is their treatment of the
dead. Those who die [pg. 153] at home are sewed up, as I have before
stated, in blankets and skins, in their complete dress, painted, and
laid with their arms and other effects on a high stage, supported by
four poles, till they are decomposed, when they are sometimes buried.
Those who have been killed in battle are immediately interred on the
spot. Sometimes, too, in times of peace, they bury their dead in the
ground, and protect them against the wolves by a fence of wood and
thorns. There were many such graves in the vicinity of the Sioux
Agency, among which was that of the celebrated chief, Tschpunka, who
was buried with his full dress and arms, and his face painted red.
Very often, however, they lay their dead in trees; and we saw, in the
neighbourhood of this place, an oak, in which there were three bodies
wrapped in skins. At the foot of the tree there was a small arbour, or
shed, made of branches of poplar, which the relations had built for
the purpose of coming to lament and weep over the dead, which they
frequently do for several days successively. As a sign of mourning,
they cut off their hair with the first knife that comes to hand, daub
themselves with white clay, and give away all their best clothes and
valuable effects, as well as those of the deceased, to the persons who
happen to be present. The corpse of a young woman had been enveloped
in skins about a week before, and placed between the branches of the
oak, with six pieces of wood under it; and a little higher in the tree
there was a child. Guided by the obliging interpreter, we viewed
everything remarkable in the Sioux agency, which, indeed, is confined
to the Indians and their mode of life. Major Bean had the kindness to
accommodate us for the night.
We passed the 26th of May here, when Mr. Bodmer finished his very
capital likeness of Wahktageli. The elk, killed by the Indians,
furnished us with fresh meat, and we considered ourselves very well
off. In the afternoon, Messrs. Mc Kenzie and Sandford came from the
Yellow Stone to visit us, and we returned on board in the evening.
The following morning (27th) was cool, windy, and cloudy, and, at
half-past seven, the thermometer at only 54 deg. It was so cold that we
had fires in our cabins the whole day. Major Bean had the courtesy to
present me with the complete dress of the Big Soldier, an interesting
_souvenir_ of the friendly reception we had met with in his house. The
Assiniboin passed us rapidly in the afternoon, and we followed. A
well-known Sioux chief, called Tukan Haton, and, by the Americans, the
Little Soldier, was on board with his family, intending to accompany
us to Fort Pierre, on the Teton River. These Indians were in mourning
for some of their relations lately deceased; their dress was,
therefore, as bad as possible, and their faces daubed with white clay.
The Big Soldier also paid us a visit previous to our departure. He had
no feathers on his head, but only a piece of red cloth. After
receiving some food he took leave, and we saw the grotesque, tall
figure stand for a long time motionless on the beach. As the vessel
proceeded very quickly, our Indians laid down their heads as a sign
that they were giddy, but they were soon relieved, as the water became
shallow. We lay to not far above the stream which [pg. 154] Lewis and
Clarke call the Three Rivers.[272] Here we again had leisure to make
an excursion in the wood, where the ground was covered with pea vine
(_Apios tuberosa_),[273] and a plant resembling convallaria. The
Carolina pigeon was frequent here, and was sought after by our people
for their dinner, to which the river contributed some cat-fish, of the
usual olive-brown kind. Our Indians kindled their fire in the
neighbouring wood, and lay around it, but soon returned to the vessel.
Early on the 28th, part of the goods had been put into the keel-boat,
to lighten the steamer, which was accomplished by eight o'clock. From
this place to the Big Bend of the Missouri is fifteen miles, before
reaching which we came to an island, which has been formed since Lewis
and Clarke were there. The same stratum of coal, which I have before
mentioned, ran along the hills, and was visible at a great distance.
We soon overtook the Assiniboin, and reached the Big Bend which the
Missouri takes round a flat point of land; following the course of
the river, it is twenty-five miles round, while the isthmus is only
one mile and a half across.[274] The large peninsula, round which the
Missouri turns, is flat, and bordered with poplars and willows; the
opposite bank is higher, steep, and bare. A couple of antelopes were,
in this place, frightened by the noise of our steamer; these animals
are said to be very numerous here in the winter time. The Little
Soldier sat by the fireside, smoking his pipe, in doing which, like
all the Indians, he inhaled the smoke, a custom which is, doubtless,
the cause of many pectoral diseases. The tobacco, which the Indians of
this part of the country smoke, is called kini-kenick, and consists of
the inner green bark of the red willow, dried, and powdered, and mixed
with the tobacco of the American traders. According to Say, they also
smoke the leaves of the arrow-wood (_Viburnum_), when they have none
of the bark.
On the 29th, we were nearly at the end of the Big Bend, and stopped,
at seven o'clock in the morning, to cut down cedars. Here we ascended
the lofty, steep hills, which were partly bare, and burnt black, and
from which we had a view of the whole bend of the river. To the south,
we saw the tops of the Medicine Hills, which are about eight miles
from the Medicine Creek, on the west bank.[275] Towards noon there
appeared, on the western bank, steep, rocky walls, and, behind them,
singularly-formed hills, some resembling pyramids, others, round
towers, &c. At this place we suddenly espied a canoe, with four men
in it, which touched at a sand bank; a boat was put out, and brought
back two of the strangers, who proved to be Mr. Lamont, a member of
the Fur Company, and Major Mitchell, one of their officers, and
Director of Fort Mc Kenzie, which is situated near the falls of the
Missouri.[276] They came last from Fort Pierre, and were on their way
to St. Louis, but we persuaded them to return with us. Having taken in
[pg. 155] wood on the morning of the 30th, we came to a leather tent on
the bank, in which three of the Company's _engages_ and some Indians
lived, to take care of 100 horses, belonging to Fort Pierre. They had
lately killed three antelopes, and gave us some of the fresh meat. At
seven o'clock we had, on the right hand, Simoneau's Island, which, in
Lewis and Clarke's map, is called Elk Island; it was covered with
lofty, green poplars.[277] Soon after twelve o'clock we came to a
plantation, made by the inhabitants of Fort Pierre, where we found
about ten men, who had got ready a great quantity of fine stack wood
for our vessel. At this place, which is only three miles from the
fort, we observed hills, of a singular form, often cleft
perpendicularly, and, in the river, several islands, all of which have
now different names from those given to them by Lewis and Clarke.
Before six, in the evening, we reached the mouth of the Teton River,
or the Little Missouri, which the Sioux call the Bad River. It rises
in the Black Hills, and has a long course, with many windings; but is
said, however, to be straight for 150 miles from the mouth. In this
part of the Missouri are vast sand banks, on which we saw a numerous
flock of pelicans. These birds, however, only stop here on their
passage, and do not build their nests. The river is very wide at the
mouth of the Teton, and has extensive low prairies, with a border of
poplars and willows. The French Fur Company had formerly a fort just
above the mouth of the Teton, which was abandoned when the Companies
joined, and another built further up, which was called Fort Teton;
this, too, was abandoned;[278] and Fort Pierre (so called after Mr.
Pierre Chouteau) was erected higher up, on the west bank, opposite an
island.[279]
The steamer had proceeded a little further, when we came in sight of
the Fort, to the great joy of all on board: the colours were hoisted,
both on the steamer and on the fort, which produced a very good effect
between the trees on the bank; a small village, consisting of thirteen
Sioux tents, lay on the left hand. Our steamer first began to salute
with its cannon, which was returned from the shore by a running fire
of musketry, and this was answered from our deck by a similar very
brisk fire. Before we reached the landing-place, we perceived an
isolated, decayed old house, the only remains of Fort Tecumseh,[280]
and, ten minutes afterwards, landed at Fort Pierre, on the fifty-first
day of our voyage from St. Louis. A great crowd came to welcome us; we
were received by the whole population, consisting of some hundred
persons, with the white inhabitants at their head, the chief of whom
was Mr. Laidlow, a proprietor of the Fur Company, who has the
management at this place.[281] There were many Indians among them, who
had done their part to welcome us by firing their muskets, which they
carried in their hands. There seemed to be no end of shaking hands; a
thousand questions were asked, and the latest news, on both sides, was
eagerly sought for. Mr. Fontenelle, who was to undertake a journey to
the Rocky Mountains, was already here, having performed the journey,
on horseback, in eleven days. As soon as we set foot on land, we
proceeded, accompanied by numbers of persons, to the Fort, to which
there is a straight road of about a quarter of a mile. We put up at
Mr. Laidlow's house, where we rested beside a good fire.
[Illustration: Plan of Fort Pierre]
[pg. 156] Fort Pierre is one of the most considerable settlements of the
Fur Company on the Missouri, and forms a large quadrangle, surrounded
by high pickets,[282] round which the buildings stand in the manner
already described. At the north-east and south-west corners there are
block-houses, with embrasures, _f_, _f_, the fire of which commands
the curtain; the upper story is adapted for small arms, and the lower
for some cannon; each side of the quadrangle is 108 paces in length;
the front and back, _g_, _g_, each 114 paces; the inner space
eighty-seven paces in diameter. From the roof of the block-houses,
which is surrounded with a gallery, there is a fine prospect over the
prairie; and there is a flag-staff on the roof, on which the colours
are hoisted. The timber for this fort was felled from forty to sixty
miles up the river, and floated down, because none fit for the purpose
was to be had in the neighbourhood. Mr. Laidlow's dwelling-house, _d_,
_d_, consisted of one story only, but was very conveniently arranged,
with large rooms, fire-places, and glass windows. Next this house was
a smaller building, _e_, for the office and the residence of a clerk.
The other clerks, the interpreters for the different Indian nations,
the _engages_ and their families, altogether above 100 persons, lived
in the other buildings, _a_, _a_, _a_, _a_. Opposite, in _c_, _c_,
were the stores, at that time of the value of 80,000 dollars; and in
other rooms, the furs obtained from the Indians by barter. The fort
has two large doors, _g_, _g_, opposite each other, which are shut in
the evening; in _b_ there was an enclosed piece of garden ground. The
situation of the settlement is agreeable; the verdant prairie is very
extensive, animated by herds of cattle and horses; of the latter, Fort
Pierre possessed 150, and of the former, thirty-six, which afforded a
sufficient supply of milk and fresh butter. Indians, on foot and on
horseback, were scattered all over the plain, and their singular
stages for the dead were in great numbers near the Fort; immediately
behind which, the leather tents of the Sioux Indians, of the branches
of the Tetons and the Yanktons, stood, like a little village; among
them the most distinguished was the tent of the old interpreter,
Dorion, a half Sioux, who is mentioned by many travellers, and resides
here with his Indian family.[283] This tent was large, and painted
red; at the top of the poles composing [pg. 157] it some scalps
fluttered in the wind. A great number of Indian dogs surrounded this
village, which did not differ from those we have already described.
Many of them were perfectly similar to the wolf in form, size, and
colour; they did not bark, but showed their teeth when any one
approached them.
Near the fort we roused, in the thickets, a Virginian deer, and saw
wolves, in the middle of the day, prowling about in the prairies; but
we could not get near them, and fired at them in vain with our rifles.
Round an isolated tree in the prairie I observed a circle of holes in
the ground, in which thick poles had stood. A number of buffalo skulls
were piled up there; and we were told that this was a medicine, or
charm, contrived by the Indians in order to entice the herds of
buffaloes. Everywhere in the plain we saw circles of clods of earth,
with a small circular ditch, where the tents of many Indians had
stood. This time we visited the Indian tents uninvited; in that which
we first entered there were several tall, good-looking men assembled;
the owner of the tent was a man of middle-size; his complexion very
light, and his features agreeable. His wives were dressed very neatly,
and were remarkably clean, especially the one who appeared to be the
principal; she wore a very elegant leather dress, with stripes and
borders of azure and white beads, and polished metal buttons, and
trimmed as usual at the bottom with fringes, round the ends of which
lead is twisted, so that they tinkle at every motion. Her summer robe,
which was dressed smooth on both sides, was painted red and black, on
a yellowish white ground.[284] She estimated all these articles of
dress very highly. Among the effects piled up inside the tent, there
were several interesting things, such as cradles for the infants,
viz., ornamented boards, to which they are fastened with broad
leathern straps, one passing over the head, and the other over the
middle of the body. The workmanship of these leathern straps was
remarkably neat and curious; for instance, they were entirely covered
with a ground of milk-white porcupine quills, on which figures of men,
of a vermilion colour, and black figures of dogs, and other similar
patterns, were most tastefully embroidered, and all of the most lively
and well-chosen colours. After we had conversed with the men, the pipe
circulated. The pipes of [pg. 158] the Dacotas are very beautiful,[285]
in truth the most beautiful of all the North American Indians, which
they make, in various forms, of the red indurated clay, or stone.[286]
[Illustration: Dakota pipes]
The pipe has a long, flat, broad wooden tube, which is ornamented with
tufts of horse-hair, dyed red, yellow, or green, and wound round with
strings of porcupine quills of divers colours. We looked at the women
as they were at work. For the shoes which they made they had softened
the leather in a tub of water, and stretched it in the breadth and
length with their teeth. In the middle of the hut was a fire, over
which the kettle was suspended by a wooden hook; they now all use iron
kettles, which they obtain from the traders. Before most of the tents
poles were placed, leaning against each other, to which gaily-painted
parchment pouches were hung, and likewise the medicine-bags, as they
are called, in which the medicine, or charms, are preserved, and which
they open and consult only on solemn or important occasions, such as
campaigns and the like. Here, too, were suspended the bow and quiver
of arrows, spears, and a round shield of thick leather, with a thin
cover, also of the same material. In another tent the women were
dressing the skins, either with a pumice-stone, or with the
before-described toothed instrument, which was here entirely of iron.
They then pulled the skin over a line, in all directions, backwards
and forwards, to make it pliable.
The Sioux at Fort Pierre were in general slender, sometimes
muscular-men, of middling stature, though some of them were tall.
They had oval faces, with prominent cheek-bones, slightly-curved and
well-formed noses; the inner angle of the eye often drawn down. Their
faces were painted red, some with white rings round the eyes, and
others with a black point on the forehead, or a white circle with a
black point on each cheek. Some had strings of wampum in their ears,
but the greater part of them strings of white or blue glass beads, and
round their necks an elegant, and frequently broad necklace,
embroidered with white beads. The neck and breast of several were
marked with dark blue tattooed stripes, or only with some small
figures. These Indians let their hair grow as long as possible, and
plait it behind in a long tail, which is ornamented with round pieces
of brass, and often hangs down to a great length, as among the
Chinese. Many of the Dacotas have three such tails, one behind, and
one at each side, for the Indians on the Upper Missouri take much
pride in long hair, whereas those in the country lower [pg. 159] down
the river, cut it short. Some wore feathers in their hair, which are
tokens of their exploits, and are determined with great precision,
according to the merit of the wearer. The annexed figure of a Dacota
shows the manner in which the hair is divided into plaits.[287]
[Illustration: A Dakota, with plaited hair]
The women wore their hair hanging down, naturally parted on the middle
of the head, and the parting painted red. Their robes were coloured
red and black. Their shoes are neatly ornamented with various figures
made of dyed porcupine quills. I purchased several Dacota shoes; and,
among them, a pair, on the upper part of which the figure of a bear's
footstep was very neatly embroidered in bright colours.[288] The old
women are generally very ugly and dirty, as they are obliged to do
very hard work.
The Sioux, who live on Teton River, near Fort Pierre, are mostly of
the branch of the Tetons; though there are some Yanktons here. The
former are divided into five branches, and the latter into three.[289]
Like all the North American Indians, they highly prize personal
bravery, and, therefore, constantly wear the marks of distinction
which they have received for their exploits; among these are,
especially, tufts of human hair attached to their arms and legs, and
feathers on their heads. He who, in the sight of the adversaries,
touches a slain or a living enemy, places a feather horizontally in
his hair for this exploit. They look upon this as a very distinguished
act, for many are often killed in the attempt, before the object is
attained. He who kills an enemy by a blow with his fist, sticks a
feather upright in his hair. If the enemy is killed with a musket, a
small piece of wood is put in the hair, which is intended to represent
a ramrod. If a warrior is distinguished by many deeds, he has a right
to wear the great feather-cap, with ox-horns, [pg. 160] which will be
described in the sequel. This cap, composed of eagle's feathers, which
are fastened to a long strip of red cloth, hanging down the back, is
highly valued by all the tribes on the Missouri, and they never part
with it except for a good horse. In a battle with the Pawnees, a Sioux
chief was killed, who wore such a cap; the conqueror wore it as a
trophy, and the Sioux recognized him by it in the next battle; they
made great efforts to kill him, and succeeded in wounding him; but his
horse was too fleet for them, and he always escaped. Whoever first
discovers the enemy, and gives notice to his comrades of their
approach, is allowed to wear a small feather, which is stripped,
except towards the top.[290] The scalps taken in battle are drawn
over small hoops, and hung on the top of the tent-poles. He who takes
a prisoner wears a particular bracelet. These Indians frequently
possess from thirty to forty horses, and are then reckoned to be rich.
The tents are generally composed of fourteen skins, each worth two
dollars. We were told, that wealthy people sometimes have eight or
nine wives, because they are able to support them. The Sioux do not
understand the treatment of diseases, but generally cure wounds very
well. Before their death, they usually determine whether they will be
buried, or be placed on a stage, or in a tree.
There was, among the Dacotas at this place, a young Punca Indian,
whose name was Ho-Ta-Ma, a handsome, friendly man, who often amused
himself with different games; frequently he was seen with his comrades
playing at what was called the hoop game, at which sticks, covered
with leather, are thrown through a hoop in motion. In the daytime the
Indians were often seen galloping their horses, mostly riding on their
bare backs: sometimes they ran races, as Mr. Bodmer has
represented.[291] In the evening they drive their horses into the
fort, as they are more safe from a hostile attack, and horse-stealing
is universally practised by the Indians. The Indian families residing
here are mostly related to the white inhabitants of the fort, and,
therefore, constantly abide near them. The men lead a very indolent
life; for, besides the chase and war, their only occupations are
eating, smoking, sleeping, and making their weapons.
During our stay here, on board the vessel, we were continually
besieged by Indians, who did not move from the spot. Our time was,
therefore, divided between these visitors and our excursions into the
prairie. On the 2nd of June, 7,000 buffalo skins and other furs were
put on board the Yellow Stone, with which it was to return to St.
Louis. We took this opportunity of sending letters to Europe: the
Assiniboin was assigned us for the continuation of the voyage. The
weather, at this time, was very unfavourable; it rained at a
temperature of 57 deg., and we were obliged to have a fire in our cabin
throughout the day. The Assiniboin had already taken our baggage on
board, but still lay on the east bank, for an attempt to bring it over
to our side had failed, because the water was too low. In the
afternoon, when we visited Mr. Laidlow in the fort, six Sioux, from
the prairie, arrived on horseback, whose horde, of 200 tents, was at
the distance of a [pg. 161] day's journey. They brought word that, two
days' march from the fort, there were numerous herds of buffaloes.
Among these new comers there were some elderly men; the plaits of
their hair were wound about with strips of skin, and their faces were
painted red; their bodies were fleshy, which was a proof that they had
suffered less from hunger than those in the fort. They paid a visit
first to the Assiniboin, and then to Mr. Laidlow, who gave them food
and tobacco. Mr. Lamont, who had taken leave of us to-day, to go by
the steam-boat to St. Louis, embarked with some of the Company's
clerks: he was saluted with several cannon shot, and before evening
the Yellow Stone rapidly descended the river. While Messrs. Mc Kenzie,
Sandford, and Mitchell took up their abode in the fort, we went on
board the Assiniboin, from which I made, on the 4th of June, an
interesting excursion into the prairie, in order to make myself
acquainted with the eastern bank.
I left the vessel at half-past seven o'clock, the thermometer being at
59 deg., and immediately ascended the steep eminences, of which the lower
were covered partly with bright green, partly with dry, yellow grass,
and the higher ones bare, with the surface frequently blackened by
fire. A path, trodden by the elks to the river, led me to the highest
summit, from which I had a pleasing prospect of the opposite bank and
the fort. It lay, clearly delineated, in the extensive verdant plain,
bounded by a singular chain of hills; and I again distinguished, half
way up the mountains, the black stripe of the extensive stratum of
coal. At noon it was warm and I returned much heated, the thermometer
being at 72 deg. We received a visit from six or seven newly arrived
Tetons, whom the interpreter, Dorion, introduced to us. They were
particularly interested by the steam-boat, and, after they had very
minutely examined it, they were served with dinner and pipes. The
dinner chiefly consisted of bacon, which the Indians do not like;
[pg. 162] they, however, swallowed it, in order that they might not
appear uncourteous. Among them was a Teton, named Wah-Menitu (the
spirit, or god, in the water), and who had such a voracious appetite,
that he devoured everything which the others had left; his face was
painted red; he had a remarkably projecting upper lip, and an aquiline
nose much bent. In his hair, which hung in disorder about his head,
with a plait coming over one of his eyes or nose, the feather of a
bird of prey was placed horizontally; but observe that he had a right
to wear three. Mr. Bodmer, who desired to draw this man's portrait,
gave him some vermilion, on which he spat, and rubbed his face with
it, drawing parallel lines, in the red colour, with a wooden
stick.[292] Wah-Menitu stayed on board for the night; sung, talked,
laughed, and joked without ceasing; and seemed quite to enjoy
himself.
[Illustration: A Teton]
FOOTNOTES:
[254] This river rises in the Black Hills, near the sources of Tongue
River, and discharges itself into the Missouri, about 1,000 miles from
its mouth. The mouth of this river is said to be 150 paces broad, and
its current very rapid. In the American descriptions of travels, the
French name of this river is generally written incorrectly; for
instance, "Qui-courre River," &c. It likewise bears the name of the
Rapid River. Bradbury gives the names of some plants which he gathered
on its banks.--MAXIMILIAN.
[255] Ponca Creek, a small prairie stream, rises in the eastern part
of Tripp County, South Dakota, and flows east and southeast about
parallel to the Niobrara. Lewis and Clark speak of mineral springs on
the northern bank, but do not mention them as warm.--ED.
[256] A conspicuous landmark in Wheeler County, South Dakota, just
below Fort Randall, at the 969 mile mark from the mouth of the
Missouri. Lewis and Clark speak of it as the Dome.--ED.
[257] Hugh Glass's adventures with wild beasts and Indians formed a
kind of frontier epic, and were told around many a camp-fire. All that
is known of his early life is that he came from Pennsylvania, and was
spoken of as "old man Glass." He was in the Ankara campaign of 1823,
and seriously wounded. Nevertheless he set out with Andrew Henry for
the Yellowstone, but was nearly killed by a grizzly bear, and left to
die. He survived, made his way to Fort Kiowa, and later joined Henry
on the Yellowstone. See Chittenden, _Fur-Trade_, ii, pp. 698-705. For
his death, see _post_, volume xxiv.--ED.
[258] Sir George Back (1796-1878), a well-known explorer of arctic
North America. He entered the navy in 1808, and in 1817 made his first
northern journey in company with Sir John Franklin. Later he
accompanied Franklin on several expeditions, being one of his most
trusted lieutenants. In 1833 Back organized an expedition to search
for Sir John Ross; his account of this latter enterprise was published
as _Narrative of the Arctic Land Expedition, 1833, 1834, and 1835_
(London, 1836). In 1836 Back made a final voyage in the "Terror,"
whose narrative was published in 1838. Upon his return he received
many honors, being knighted, made rear-admiral (1857), and admiral
(1867). Maximilian quotes either from his earlier book, or from some
of his narratives published with those of Franklin's expeditions.--ED.
[259] Little Cedar Island, still so-called, is just above Wheeler,
South Dakota, about 1010 miles up the river. Maximilian has confused
the distance with that of an island beyond, upon which Fort Recovery
stood, given by Bradbury as 1075 miles up. See note 261, _post_, p.
304, and Bradbury's _Travels_, our volume v, p. 99, note 66.--ED.
[260] Bijoux Hills are on the east bank of the river, not far below
Chamberlain, South Dakota. Bijoux was an engage with Long. See our
volume xvi, pp. 58-59. Catlin, _North American Indians_, ii, p. 432,
says Bijoux was ultimately killed by the Sioux.--ED.
[261] The name Shannon was given to the first creek by Lewis and
Clark, for one of their men, George Shannon, who here rejoined them
after an absence of sixteen days, when he had been lost on the
prairies. It is now called Dry (or Rosebud) Creek, with Rosebud
Landing at its mouth.
White, a South Dakota river, entering the Missouri in Lyman County,
from the west.--ED.
[262] This is the post usually known as Fort Recovery; see Bradbury's
_Travels_, our volume v, p. 99, note 67.--ED.
[263] Fort Lookout had originally been built (about 1822) by the
Columbia Fur Company, and from them passed into the hands of the
American Fur Company. Later, the Indian agency was established here,
as Maximilian notes. It later became a military post where troops were
quartered until the building of Fort Randall in 1857. The site was
some ten miles above Chamberlain, on the west bank--ED.
[264] For the Yankton, see our volume v, p. 90, note 55.--ED.
[265] Maximilian's classification of the Dakota (or Sioux) is in
accord with modern philological conclusions. J. W. Powell, "Indian
Linguistic Families," in United States Bureau of Ethnology _Report_,
1885-86, gives six subdivisions of this great tribe--Santee, Wahpeton,
Sisseton, Yankton, Yanktonnai, and Teton; the last three, or Missouri,
tribes corresponding with those given by Maximilian.--ED.
[266] See p. 287, for illustration of method of wearing hair.--ED.
[267] See his portrait, which Maximilian calls "a striking likeness,"
Plate 41, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.
[268] See p. 287, for illustration of bows, arrows, and quiver.--ED.
[269] See p. 319, for illustration of Sioux tents.--ED.
[270] See Plate 81, figure 8, in the accompanying atlas, our volume
xxv.--ED.
[271] Schoolcraft (Expedition of Gov. Cass, p. 323) says, that the
Dacotas, on the Mississippi, tanned their skins with oak bark, which I
did not observe on the Missouri: they probably learned it from the
Whites. The Aucas, in South America, seem to use such an
instrument.--D'Orbigny Voyage, t. ii. p. 234.--MAXIMILIAN.
[272] Apparently the creeks took somewhat different courses in the
time of Clark's visit--at least Crow, Wolf, and Campbell are now some
distance apart in the Crow Creek Indian reservation of Buffalo County,
South Dakota.--ED.
[273] This is a climbing plant, and the leaves are a very nourishing
food for horses and oxen, which are said to thrive upon it. The root
has a bulb, about the size of a walnut, with a violet outer skin, and
white inside, which is said to be a wholesome food for man.--MAXIMILIAN.
[274] Clark describes the Big Bend as being from a mile to a mile and
a quarter at its neck, with a low range of hills running across, from
ninety to a hundred and eighty feet high. He himself walked across the
"gouge;" but the boats were a day and a half in passing around.--ED.
[275] Medicine Creek was called by Lewis and Clark Tyler's River. It
is a western affluent of the Missouri, and the hills mentioned are
known as Medicine Butte, in Lyman County. The mouth of the creek is
the site of the Red Cloud or Lower Brule Indian agency. This creek and
hills should be distinguished from Medicine Knoll and a creek of that
name, eastern affluents a few miles higher up.--ED.
[276] Daniel Lamont, supposed to be of a Scotch family, was one of the
original members of the Columbia Fur Company, and became one of the
three partners of the "Upper Missouri Outfit." He was for many years
in the fur-trade, but little is known of his personal history.
Colonel David D. Mitchell was a Virginian by birth (1806), who early
entered the fur-trade--first as a clerk, later as a partner in the
American Fur Company. In 1832 he built the first fort for that company
among the Blackfeet (see our volume xxiii), and was for some time in
charge at Fort Clark, where Larpenteur speaks of him as "very much of
a gentleman." In 1841, Mitchell was chosen superintendent of Indian
affairs for the Western Department, with headquarters at St. Louis--a
position which he filled until 1852. Joining the volunteer service for
the Mexican War, he was chosen lieutenant-colonel of Colonel Sterling
Price's regiment, and advanced first to New Mexico and later to
Chihuahua with Colonel Alexander Doniphan. Mitchell died in St. Louis
in 1861.--ED.
[277] This island is now known as Fort George (or Airhart's)
Island.--ED.
[278] The second Fort Teton was built about 1828; it has been
contended by several authorities that its site was south of or below
Teton River; but in the light of Maximilian's testimony, this appears
improbable. The first Fort Teton was probably that built by Joseph La
Framboise in 1817. Maximilian does not state that Fort Tecumseh was
the successor of Fort Teton, and the predecessor of Fort Pierre,
although alluding to the former--see note 278, _post_. On the entire
subject see "Fort Pierre and its Neighbors," in _South Dakota
Historical Collections_ (Aberdeen, 1902), i, pp. 263-379.--ED.
[279] Fort Pierre was built by the American Fur Company in 1831-32 to
replace Fort Tecumseh, which had begun to be undermined by the river.
The site chosen was three miles above the mouth of the Teton, about
one thousand yards back from the river. The post was christened in
June, 1832, upon the visit of Pierre Chouteau, jr., in whose honor it
was named. Fort Pierre continued to be the entrepot of the upper
Missouri until 1855, when the company sold the post to the United
States, then engaged in a campaign against the hostile Sioux. General
Harney wintered here (1855-56) with one thousand two hundred men. The
following year (1857), Fort Pierre was abandoned for Fort Randall, a
hundred miles farther down the river; the old post was demolished, the
best of its fittings transferred to the new post, and the rest allowed
to fall into the hands of the Indians. The same year a trader built a
new post, also popularly called Fort Pierre, three miles above the old
one. New Fort Pierre, a company trading post, was built in 1859 about
two miles above the original stockade. This was abandoned in the Sioux
outbreak of 1863, and the goods removed to the neighborhood of Fort
Sully, a government post established on an island below the city of
Pierre, South Dakota.--ED.
[280] Fort Tecumseh was the principal establishment on this part of
the river for the Columbia Fur Company, being built about 1822. When
this concern was consolidated with the American Fur Company, the
latter made headquarters at Fort Tecumseh until the building of the
original Fort Pierre (1831-32). Its site has been thought, by a
misreading of authorities, to have been on the east bank; but it was
probably only a short distance below old Fort Pierre, on the western
bank.--ED.
[281] William Laidlaw was a Scotchman who had been trained in the
British fur companies, and came to the Missouri with the Columbia Fur
Company. He was for several years the factor of Forts Tecumseh and
Pierre, and was then promoted to the charge of Fort Union, where he
was as late as 1845--probably for some time after. When he finally
retired, it was to settle near Liberty, Missouri, where he died a poor
man. He was an able trader, but of quick, irascible temper, and
unpopular with his subordinates.--ED.
[282] See p. 319, for plan of Fort Pierre.--ED.
[283] For Pierre Dorion, see our volume v, p. 38, note 7. Although
Maximilian speaks of him as "old Dorion," it is probable that this was
another son of Pierre, sr.; for Pierre, jr., was a grown man at the
time of the Lewis and Clark expedition, and his father was a
Frenchman, not a half-breed.--ED.
[284] See the portrait of the Dakota woman, Plate 42, in the
accompanying atlas, our volume xxv.--ED.
[285] The red pipe-clay is found chiefly on a lateral stream of the
Big Sioux River, but also in other places, for instance, on St.
Peter's River; and it is said, that the several Indian tribes behave
peaceably towards each other while they are digging up the stone in
that place, but again treat each other as enemies as soon as they have
left it. Persons who have visited the quarries on the Big Sioux River
have given me the following description of them: the red stone occurs
in large beds or strata, where the perpendicular sides of the stream
show divers alternating layers. The strata of red stone, which are at
the most a foot thick, alternate with yellow, blue, white, and other
kinds of clay. The green turf on the surface, and the upper stratum,
are removed, and the red-brown colour of the stone is generally more
lively and beautiful the deeper you go down. It is possible to obtain
large pieces, and to make beautiful slabs of them. The Indians make
not only pipe-heads of this stone, but likewise war-clubs, which,
however, are only carried in their hands for show.--MAXIMILIAN.
_Comment by Ed._ The first white person to visit the Pipestone
quarries in southwest Minnesota was the artist George Catlin, who in
1836 obtained permission from the Indians to inspect this sacred spot.
The mineral has since been called "catlinite," from his name. There
are, however, other quarries in Dakota, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
[286] See Plate 81, figure 12, in the accompanying atlas, our volume
xxv, for a figure of a Dakota pipe; also illustration on opposite page
of Dakota pipes.--ED.
[287] See p. 323, for illustration of a Dakota with plaited hair.--ED.
[288] See Plate 81, figure 9, in the accompanying atlas, our volume
xxv.--ED.
[289] For the Teton, see our volume v, p. 104, note 71. The Teton
bands (as at present classified) are the Brule, Sans Arcs, Blackfeet
(not to be confused with the Blackfoot tribe of Algonquian origin),
Miniconjou, Two Kettle, Oglala, and Hunkpapa. The Yankton bands are
not classified by Powell.--ED.
[290] See p. 287, for illustration of method of wearing hair.--ED.
[291] See Plate 30, in the accompanying atlas, our volume xxv, for an
Indian horse-race.--ED.
[292] See p. 323, for illustration of this Teton.--ED.