Read Spying on the Blackfoot: A Mountain Man's Secret Mission Across the Rockies Into Blackfoot Country (1900)

Spying on the Blackfoot: A Mountain Man's Secret Mission Across the Rockies Into Blackfoot Country (1900)

William Thomas Hamilton

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Description:In 1900, famous mountain man William Thomas Hamilton published an article in the journal, Contributions to the Historical Society of Montana, No 3, about his 1858 expedition among the Indians, which proceeded from Fort Walla Walla to the Blackfoot Country of Montana and return. This article has been reprinted here for the convenience of the reader who may not have time to acquire and read the entire journal volume. As Hamilton introduces the article, "I received an appointment as secret Indian detective with pay as scout, and was ordered to proceed through the different tribes of Indians to the Blackfoot Nation, east of the Rocky Mountains and report on the condition and disposition of the different tribes visited..." William Thomas Hamilton (1822—1908) had spent nearly all his life on the plains and mountains as mountain man, Indian fighter, trapper, and trader, having originally gone west at age 20 with legendary mountain man Bill Williams. In 1858 he joined the US Army forces against the Indians in the Yakima and Spokane War, rendering special services as a scout. At the conclusion of the war, the commander of the United States forces at Fort Walla Walla was desirous of learning the attitude of the tribes to the east of Walla Walla and beyond the Rocky Mountains to the famous buffalo ranges of the Missouri, and engaged Hamilton as a scout to make a trip among them and report any information on this point which could be ascertained. The following pages deal almost exclusively with the experiences of this expedition. On this journey it was often necessary to travel incognito, as Hamilton relates: “In order to save our pack outfits I had McKay fix up like an Indian which pleased the Kootenai warriors. A young buck assisted me in transforming myself into a Kootenai warrior. McKay swore I was the best looking warrior in the village and many of the leading warriors were taken back at my appearance.” When Hamilton first suggested the expedition Sheridan and others thought it would be a fool-hardy undertaking under the present state of affairs. Hamilton replied "Yes for any person not acquainted with the Indians and who could not converse with them." Hamilton was then credited with being the most expert sign talker among the Indians. The knowledge of the sign language is necessary to mountaineers and scouts. It assists them in extricating themselves from many difficult dilemmas. These skills would indeed turn out to be very necessary in the councils, negotiation, skirmishes, and horrors he would encounter on this harrowing and epic journey through territories inhabited by numerous hostile tribes. Friendly Indians had tried to warn Hamilton against continuing the journey, stating that "we must be very careful from now on, as Blackfeet, Piegans and Snake Indians were liable to steal our stock, if they did not take our scalps." Hamilton had replied in typical mountain man bravado telling them that "taking scalps was a two handed game."We have made it easy for you to find a PDF Ebooks without any digging. And by having access to our ebooks online or by storing it on your computer, you have convenient answers with Spying on the Blackfoot: A Mountain Man's Secret Mission Across the Rockies Into Blackfoot Country (1900). To get started finding Spying on the Blackfoot: A Mountain Man's Secret Mission Across the Rockies Into Blackfoot Country (1900), you are right to find our website which has a comprehensive collection of manuals listed.
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Description: In 1900, famous mountain man William Thomas Hamilton published an article in the journal, Contributions to the Historical Society of Montana, No 3, about his 1858 expedition among the Indians, which proceeded from Fort Walla Walla to the Blackfoot Country of Montana and return. This article has been reprinted here for the convenience of the reader who may not have time to acquire and read the entire journal volume. As Hamilton introduces the article, "I received an appointment as secret Indian detective with pay as scout, and was ordered to proceed through the different tribes of Indians to the Blackfoot Nation, east of the Rocky Mountains and report on the condition and disposition of the different tribes visited..." William Thomas Hamilton (1822—1908) had spent nearly all his life on the plains and mountains as mountain man, Indian fighter, trapper, and trader, having originally gone west at age 20 with legendary mountain man Bill Williams. In 1858 he joined the US Army forces against the Indians in the Yakima and Spokane War, rendering special services as a scout. At the conclusion of the war, the commander of the United States forces at Fort Walla Walla was desirous of learning the attitude of the tribes to the east of Walla Walla and beyond the Rocky Mountains to the famous buffalo ranges of the Missouri, and engaged Hamilton as a scout to make a trip among them and report any information on this point which could be ascertained. The following pages deal almost exclusively with the experiences of this expedition. On this journey it was often necessary to travel incognito, as Hamilton relates: “In order to save our pack outfits I had McKay fix up like an Indian which pleased the Kootenai warriors. A young buck assisted me in transforming myself into a Kootenai warrior. McKay swore I was the best looking warrior in the village and many of the leading warriors were taken back at my appearance.” When Hamilton first suggested the expedition Sheridan and others thought it would be a fool-hardy undertaking under the present state of affairs. Hamilton replied "Yes for any person not acquainted with the Indians and who could not converse with them." Hamilton was then credited with being the most expert sign talker among the Indians. The knowledge of the sign language is necessary to mountaineers and scouts. It assists them in extricating themselves from many difficult dilemmas. These skills would indeed turn out to be very necessary in the councils, negotiation, skirmishes, and horrors he would encounter on this harrowing and epic journey through territories inhabited by numerous hostile tribes. Friendly Indians had tried to warn Hamilton against continuing the journey, stating that "we must be very careful from now on, as Blackfeet, Piegans and Snake Indians were liable to steal our stock, if they did not take our scalps." Hamilton had replied in typical mountain man bravado telling them that "taking scalps was a two handed game."We have made it easy for you to find a PDF Ebooks without any digging. And by having access to our ebooks online or by storing it on your computer, you have convenient answers with Spying on the Blackfoot: A Mountain Man's Secret Mission Across the Rockies Into Blackfoot Country (1900). To get started finding Spying on the Blackfoot: A Mountain Man's Secret Mission Across the Rockies Into Blackfoot Country (1900), you are right to find our website which has a comprehensive collection of manuals listed.
Our library is the biggest of these that have literally hundreds of thousands of different products represented.

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Spying on the Blackfoot: A Mountain Man's Secret Mission Across the Rockies Into Blackfoot Country (1900)

Spying on the Blackfoot: A Mountain Man's Secret Mission Across the Rockies Into Blackfoot Country (1900)

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