William Jackson

Notes:

BIO:Marriage License # 19 11 November 1910 Blackfeet Indian Agency
Browning, Montana

TBL: WILLIAM JACKSON ANNIE LITTLE PLUME
Age 27 Age 18
1/2 Piegan Full Piegan F: William Jackson F: Irvin Little Plume M: Susan Houseman M: Small Woman

TBL:Return of Marriage on 11 November. Married by F.A. Riggin, Minister of Gospel at Browning, MT Witnesses: S. Riggin and Mr. Little Plume.

TBL:Annie died before 1936 when William is listed on the census as a widower. Annie was the sister of John, George and Thomas Little Plume.

BIO:1936 Blackfoot Indian Census Roll:

TBL:#1909 William Jackson Age 45 Widower 1/4 Blackfoot Lives Rocky Boy Res. #1910 Josephine Jackson Age 21 Daughter 3/8 Blkft-Cree " " "

Ref: Clan Munro files - Munro, Henry Dallas - GEDCOM file HMUNRO.GED dated 9
Oct 1996

William married Annie Little Plume on 11 Nov 1920 in Browning, Glacier Co., MT. Annie was born about 1892; died before 1936. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Living
2. Living

Notes:

Undated census on Blackfeet Reservation (probably after 1900) The following children of William Jackson are living together: Thomas Jackson #1 Head of house Thomas Jackson #2 1/2 Brother Mildred Jackson 1/2 sister Hugh (William) J. 1/2 Brother Maggie Jackson 1/2 sister Annie Jackson 1/2 sister

BIO:WILLIAM JACKSON - "SIKSIKA'IKOAN" BLACKFOOT MAN

BIO:In the spring of 1896 Walter McClintock went into northwestern Montana as a member of a Government expedition appointed by President Cleveland to advise the Secretary of the Interior on US Forest Reserve policy. McClintock went as photographer and to help in the forest surveys. They had two guides: an Indian scout of the Blackfeet tribe, William Jackson, and Jack Monroe, a white man who was married into the tribe. When the survey was completed McClintock went with William Jackson across the Glacier Park area to his home on the Blackfeet Reservation. In his book OLD INDIAN TRAILS (Houton Mifflin Co., 1923) he writes about his time with Jackson and the Blackfeet:

TBL:"My guide was near middle age. He had a swarthy complexion, black hair and high cheek bones of an Indian; but he did not look like a full blood. He was tall and slender, with an impressive manner; fluent of speach and polite and suave. His father was a white man named Jackson, an early pioneer, a Rocky Mountain Hunter and trapper, his mother an Indian woman. The son was called Billy Jackson by white men and Siksika'i-koan (Blackfoot Man) by the Indians.
He was an unusual Half-breed as he raised himself above the popular prejudice against half-breeds. He was liked and respected by both white men and Indians. Honest and industrious, generous and kind, he was always ready to help any who came to his ranch. He stood high in the councils of the Blackfoot tribe; and served honorably as scout for Generals Custer, Miles and Reno in the Indian wars.
The scout was a good guide in the wilderness; on him I could depend. He knew the trails of the plains and mountains and handled with skill the wild Indian horses. Self-reliant in time of danger, he had the quiet manliness and courage that knew no fear; a keen sense of humor and a wonderful knowledge of nature. On the trail he was cheerful; he never disputed, found fault or cursed. He was courteous and had the quiet manners of a gentleman. At night by the camp-fire Siksika'i-koan told about his life. Most of his youth was spent north of the Line (49th parallel) among the Cree Indians in Canada. In those early days on the plains he was daring and reckless, and suffered permanent injuries. In 1874 he was scout for General Custer on his expedition to the Black Hills of Dakota, and went with him against the Souix. He served under General Miles and General Terry, and the Government of the Northwest Territories in the Riel Rebellion.
On the day when General Custer and his battalion of the Seventh Cavalry were cut to pieces by the Souix, Siksika'i-koan was with Reno's command. With fifteen scouts he made a stand and tried to stop the Indians. In that charge all but two of those brave scouts were killed. Bloody Knife and Siksika'i-koan alone were left. Then Bloody Knife shook hands and said "This is the last day I shall ever fight." He rushed among the enemy, killed two and was slain himself. Jackson escaped and lay in the river close to the bank. After two days and nights of terrible exposure and without food, he made his way with two white soldiers to Reno's command on the bluffs above the river. In the night he led them past the Souix sentinels through his knowledge of the Sioux language. (This incident is referred to in the Report of General W.T. Sherman, Secy of War, 1876, p.33.)

BIO:HIS EARLY LIFE AT FORT BENTON

BIO:William Jackson narrated the story of his early life and the Custer campaign with the Souix to Shultz who told the story in his book: "William Jackson Indian Scout."

BIO:William Jackson was born at Fort Benton, the American Fur Company Post on the Missouri River on August 27, 1856, the second son of Amelia Munro and Thomas Jackson. There, in the time of Factor Andrew Dawson, Thomas Jackson, who had entered the employ of the American Fur Comapny in 1835, was the post tailor. He spent all of his time within the fort and had no interest in hunting, fishing or the rugged outdoor life. He was the son of an old Virginia family and was adament that his sons were taught to read and write proficiently.

BIO:William, when given the opportunity, was an avid shadow of his grandfather, Hugh Munro, or Rising Wolf as he was commonly known to everyone, who was the fort "hunter." He was responsible for providing meat for all the fort needs, a complement of about forty persons and their families.William's uncles and Aunts, John, Francois, and Lizzie, also were helpers in the hunting and lived in the spacious quarters provided for the family. Both William and his older brother, Robert, had aspirations to be great hunters like Rising Wolf.

BIO:Times were quiet in the Dakota Territory at this time. Buffalo and other game was plentiful on the plains. For the most part the Blackfeet and surrounding tribes were co-existing without conflict. The American Fur Company steamboats arrived regularly with supplies and trade goods, and left with loads of buffalo, beaver, wolf and other skins from the Indian trade.

BIO:However, with the winter of 1863-4 came indications of change, and when the first steamboat arrived in the Spring it brought orders of great concern. Accusing the men of the American Fur Company of being Confederate sympathizers, and against the Union, the Washington authorities refused to renew the trading license of the company, and Mr. Dawson was ordered to dispose of Fort Benton as best he could. Dawson turned over the post to his two clerks Matthew Carroll and George Steell, loaned them money to continue the business, and left on his long journey to Scotland.

BIO:Suddenly Thomas Jackson was unemployed. Rising Wolf was restless and unhappy with the new arrangements, and could only think how much he again yearned to be a "free trapper" and return to the mountains that he loved. Not only that, he wanted to take ALL of his family with him. For Christmas this year instead of the usual toys, games and story books sent out from the east, the boys each found in their packages a hunting outfit, complete with a brand-new cap-lock rifle!

BIO:Rising Wolf and his extended family gathered their belongings, bought traps and needed supplies from the sutler, and loaded the assembled bundles onto the backs of their expanded herd of riding and pack horses,and, much to the delight of William and Robert, were soon off to the mountains.

BIO;EARLY ADVENTURES WITH GRANDFATHER "RISING WOLF"

BIO:They camped first at Two Medicine Lodge Lake at the edge of the mountains. They pitched their three buffalo cow leather lodges by the lake. Uncle John and his wife occupied one lodge, the grandparents, Uncle Francois and Aunt Lizzie the second, and the four Jacksons the third. The next day time was spent in completing the campsite, making a corral and marking the perimeter of their area. While Rising Wolf was thus occupied Robert and William wandered away looking for game. With their new rifles they were sure they could shoot an elk or deer. Suddenly a noise in the bush attracted Robert and he was sure it was a buffalo. Without a clear view he shot into the exposed dark hide and a tremendous roar and snarl exposed the "Buffalo" as actually a huge Grizzly Bear!

BIO:Robert turned and ran as fast as he could for the camp. William, remembering the advice that it was better to stand and confront a bear, aimed and emptied his rifle into it. The shot only made the bear more irate and he angrily charged. William turned and ran, yelling every step of the way for his grandfather! Seeing that the bear was gaining fast, William sought refuge in a willow tree, too low and too late ! With one swipe of his big paw the grizzly ripped through his pant and raked the back of his leg, and was ready for a second assault when Rising Wolf killed the bear with his gun. Of course the boys were then subjected to long lectures on behavior, responsibility, and the finer points of hunting in general, and bear hunting in particular. Their independant activities were also drastically curtailed - after all, they were only 8 and 10 years old !

BIO:Around the cheerful fire of Rising Wolf's lodge that night plans were made for the beaver trapping lines. It was agreed that John and Francois would trap down the river and it's forks, and Rising Wolf would take his son-in-law Thomas and teach him to set traps along the river above the head of Two Medicine Lodge Lake. Amelia was satisfied with this arrangement as that would leave William and Robert to guard the camp, herd the horses and help with chores. But William joined Robert in protesting vigorously that this was a totally unfair arrangement. They both were adament in wanting to join their grandfather in learning to trap. As mothers and grandmothers universally do, Amelia and Fox Woman protested that the boys were too young and it was unsafe for them so far from the camp. The argument was soon settled, however, when Aunt Lizzie calmly announced that, of course, the boys were to go with their grandfather and learn to trap. It was their right and legacy, and SHE needed no help in guarding the camp or herding the horses; she could do it very well herself. This was no idle boast as there was no braver woman than Lizzie. She had a good small-bore rifle and loved to hunt, and with it she had killed numerous deer, elk, antelope and buffalo.

BIO:Not missing the opportunity to re-inforce his authority and the passing day's lesson in behavior, Rising Wolf agreed with that arrangement, but with the stipulation that the boys would take turns in going with him on the trap line. After all, he would have his hands full teaching two novices the finer points of beaver trapping and dressing hides; he did not need the added highjinks that too often occured when the two inventive boys got together with results similar to that of the morning past. William won the first turn by default as his grandfather announced that Robert would stay in the camp with the women the next day and take time to reflect further on the results of stinging the rear end of a real-bear !

BIO:Up at dawn to turn the horses out to graze and saddle the riding ponies, William bolted his breakfast, too excited to sit by the morning fire. By sunrise he was on the trail to the the north side of the lake, following his father and grandfather and their accumulated traps and gear. They soon came onto a large beaver dam with numerous lodges and beaver swimming in the pond. Before they could even decide where to begin laying the traps, a large bull moose with velvet antlers came sloshing along the lake browsing among the water-weeds. Still needing meat for the camp, Rising Wolf invited Thomas to come with him to head off the moose and try for a good shot. Both he and William were astounded when Thomas said he would wait for them at the beaver dam as he did not want to kill the moose ! Without questioning this wonderful opportunity William scrambled to follow his grandfather around the end to creep quickly up to the top of the beaver dam. There along the river, still sploshing along and coming toward them was the great moose, not fifty yards away.

BIO:As Rising Wolf raised his rife William tugged at his sleeve, and begged for the opportunity of the first shot. With the excitement of the hunt still sparkling in his eyes, Rising Wolf, in a great act of self-denial, allowed William to cock his rife and take the first shot. He fired, saw the moose flinch and turn to run for the protection of the timber, only to flounder awkwardly, stumble, and fall on the bank of the pond. In his eagerness to examine the fallen animal his grandfather had to remind him that a good hunter never moves until he has reloaded his rife. With trembling fingers he reloaded to his grandfather's satisfaction and then scrambled to the site of the kill. Almost unable to contain his excitement and elation at the size of the immense animal, he was pleased and gratified at Rising Wolf's praise of his accurate shooting and promise as a "hunter." He was equally amazed when his father arrived where they were preparing the moose for the pack horses and showed no enthusiasm at all over the kill ! For the first time he realized that his father found no pleasure in hunting and trapping and only saw it as hard and unpleasant work ! William struggled to understand his father's viewpoint, but could find no real appreciation of his feelings.

BIO:Returning to the beaver pond and the main business of setting traps, William followed his grandfather in the intricate process of setting, baiting, scenting and staking traps at three sites. Then, hardly able to contain his excitement, with small corrections by Rising Wolf, he repeated the steps to set the remaining three traps on their side of the beaver pond. When they arrived back at the beginning of the line, there stood Thomas Jackson, out of sorts and wet to the knees, but still with his six beaver traps. Fretfully, he stated he really had no idea how to set the traps and asked Rising Wolf to show him.

BIO:They arrived at camp at sundown with the horses heavily laden with prime moose meat, and William full of talk about the wonderful day he had enjoyed. The moose ribs broiled for supper were long remembered by him as the best tasting he had ever eaten!

BIO:With his belly full of meat and his eyes too heavy to keep open, William was soon fast asleep under his own buffalo robe. Soon Robert was told to join him, and both boys missed the conference that involved the rest of the family around Rising Wolf's flickering fire. In the rising light of dawn they heard with astonishment their father's announcment at breakfast that he had decided to take on the responsibilities of camp guard and horse herder, and both boys were to go with their grandfather to trap. For once not questioning the reason behind this wonderful stroke of luck, both boys ran to assemble their rifles and supplies and raced to saddle the horses chosen for the day. They were also quite amazed to find Aunt Lizzie, clothed in blanket capote and leggings and complete with rife and gear, saddling her own mount in preparation to join them on the trap line ! Aunt Lizzie was full of surprises ! Was she really an experienced trapper? However, William had no doubt of her prowess with the beaver when she took him and rode up beside her father, declaring they as a team would catch more beaver pelts than the team comprised of the other three "men;" Robert and her two brothers, John and Francois. And, for William, all doubts about her experience and sincerity vanished when she even wagered her sorrel-pinto pony in a bet with John that her team would come out ahead ! BIO:They retraced their route to the beaver pond, passing the tracks of grown bears and cubs leading to the remains of the moose carcus where they had eaten during the night. Their horses danced and shied and were exceedingly nervous even after they passed to the beaver pond.

BIO:When they reached the trap site the first two traps yielded nothing, and William felt the disappointment acutely. Had he been mistaken in the traps he set under his grandfather's guidance ? Then on to the third trap that had disappeared entirely ! Only when Rising Wolf showed him how to reach down underwater to retrieve the stake did he realize that his trap had caught a large beaver with a prime pelt ! Then on to the remaining traps with rising excitement with each one that held a beaver. There was the hard work of carefully skinning out the animals before they were loaded onto the horses.

BIO:With the explanation that the beaver would be wary and the trapping poor at the pond until the bear had quit frequenting the moose kill, all the traps were gathered and they rode on up into the mountains to the second lake to find a new site to set the traps. It was dark before they returned to the camp, and Robert and the two men were even later coming in from their line as they had taken time to ride the lower area where they saw many buffalo, deer and elk. They had counted 13 bears seen during the ride; the most of them grizzly bears. They were all pleased with the multitude of game, and Rising Wolf was enthusiastic about the prospect of a great catch of fur for the season.

BIO:The following day they rode back into camp with a total of fourteen prime beaver pelts and one otter, a great take for the day. And so it went for the next five days; riding out of camp with the rising sun, and returning at dusk with horses loaded with game and beaver skins ready for the willow stretchers. Then, on the sixth day, when Robert and the uncles returned to camp they were accompanied by Back-coming-in-sight and other chiefs of the Kootenai Indians, followed closely by 200 lodges of their people. Although it meant the end of their trapping, they were old friends and Rising Wolf welcomed them, preparing a feast. The following day they packed up the camp, loaded the horses, retrieved their traps and took up the trail to the north, making camp two days later at St. Mary's Lakes.

BIO:The sun was setting when Rising Wolf led them through the timber to a large, weather-beaten cross set up on the shore of the lake, at the outlet. There he told them once again how, when he was guiding for Father LaComb, the first Jesuit priest who was appointed Missionary to the Saskatchewan country, the two had made camp at this point, set up the cross, the priest then kneeling beside it, and with prayer naming the two great bodies of water the St. Mary's Lakes. They all sat down to admire the peaceful surface of the lakes and the beautiful mountains and forest surrounding them. Trout breaking the surface to feed as dusk approached soon precipitated a discussion among the women about the dangers of the terrible "Underwater People" who inhabited the lakes, and who would seize those who ventured to swim in the waters and drag them down into the depths where they would never be seen again ! It was a fearsome tale, and doubly so when told with conviction by the grandmother, the aunts, and even re-inforced by the uncles, John and Francois, as the sky darkened and night fell. Their father had told them more than once that the tale was nonsence, and there were no such creatures, and there was nothing to fear as long as they knew how to swim. The boys were surprised that their grandfather had nothing to say on this occassion, made no contribution to the discussion, and seemed to sit quietly contemplating the beautiful surroundings with an extra twinkle in his bright blue eyes.

BIO:With little else to occupy their minds after the evening chores, the tale of the dread water gods again became a subject for discussion between the boys. The warnings and admonitions of the women were raised and examined. Surely there could not be any such monsters...and yet.... Finally, feeling immeasurably superior due to his being two years older, Robert dared William to prove his bravery by going with him to swim in the lake ! In the darkness they sneaked away from the camp and made their way to the water. William, determined to prove he was as brave as his brother, stripped to the skin and plunged into the cold water, and soon they were swimming far out in the lake. Regaining the shore they were exhilarated by the combination of the exercise, the cold water, and their new-found feeling of invincibility as the result of the challange of confronting and conquering their fear. Their father was right - the tale was nonsence ! For good measure they swam out into the lake and back again, wriggled into their damp clothes, slipped into camp and the warm Jackson teepee, and soon after were snug under the warm buffalo robes of their bed. They had agreed that they would keep their little adventure a secret, as they were well aware of the reaction in camp if the women found they had rashly challenged the long-held belief in the Underwater People - even if with impunity !
BIO:If they had not been so taken up with the excitement of their success, and with the need to seek the warmth of their bed and the lodge fire, perhaps they would have noticed their grandfather watching from the willows, or heard his chuckle after they passed by. There was not much that occurred in the camping area that eluded the sharp blue eyes of Rising Wolf ! And he obviously silently agreed with them that it was needless to worry the women with this successful little adventure.

BIO:New trap lines were soon established on the streams leading down into the lake and the catch was plentiful. They averaged at least ten pelts a day for several weeks, until the take dwindled off to only three or four beaver each day. At that point the men all agreed that they would have more success higher up on the upper lake. They spent a day packing, gathering their scattered belongings and preparing for an early morning start to move the camp.

BIO:They were gathered around the fire enjoying a side of freshly roasted moose when suddenly several of the horses in the corral began to snort, and the dogs to bark in alarm. The uncles grabbed their rifles and hurried out into the night, thinking perhaps it was a real-bear after the horses, or even a war party. William, Robert and their father all ran to their lodge to gather their guns, when out in the direction of the corral came the blast of a gun, followed by a shrill cry of pain, and someone shouting in a strange tongue. Assiniboins! An Assiniboin war party ! Finally finding both his powder horn and ball pouch in the darkness William grabbed his rife and raced back to the lodge where he could hear both the women and Rising Wolf calling them. His grandfather lost no time in urging the women out of the lodge with instructions to go together down to the ford in the river where they were to hide in the brush and wait until someone came for them. The guns were booming again out past the horse corral as the women hurried away in the darkness.

BIO:"We must help John and Francois, and save the horses if possible," Rising Wolf urgently informed them as he hurried to lead the way. William was last in line, and soon sensed there was someone behind him ! Thinking it was an enemy he turned suddenly to fire his gun, and bumped right into Aunt Lizzie ! Cautioning him not to reveal her presence, she joined him on the path and they followed the men into the dark and the battle.

BIO:The uncles had located the Indians at the horse corral where they were trying to untie the crossbars at the entry to drive the horses out. They fired and reloaded, locating the crowd of the enemy by the flash of guns. Two or more were hit or wounded and one of the horses lay dead of a stray shot. Hoping to drive them off before the Assiniboins were able to remove the cottonwood rails and scatter the horses into the care of their friends waiting beyond, they all fired again just as the horses and mounted riders stampeded out of the fence and into the night. Before they had finished reloading their rifles the whole herd had disappeared into the timber and they could hear the Assiniboin driving them toward Loud Roaring Creek.

BIO: With reloaded rifles they began to run after the running horses, again with some hope of recovering at least a few of the animals. Thomas soon became winded and was left behind as the others struggled to gain on the fast disappearing animals. Eventually William also stopped to struggle to catch his breath, and realized he was close beside his grandfather. Where the others were he had no idea as they had become separated in the dark. They listened but now could hear no sound of the horses as they left the timber and brush and raced silently across the prairie grass. Suddenly there were shots from the direction of the camp, and lights flickering around the lodges. The Assiniboin were in the camp and firing into the lodges ! By now they were at least a mile from camp when they turned and began the long run back. The women ! Kit Fox Woman, Amelia and John's wife, Isabelle ! Had they left the ford and returned to the lodges ? Suddenly the fire blossomed into three towers of flame as the lodges caught fire and flared out of control, with the smell of scorching hides drifting on the smokey air. Running blindly to keep up, William ran right into Rising Wolf as he suddenly stopped. Grabbing William by the arm, he quickly told him they must turn and run to the ford and make sure the women were there as that was the closer way. Off they ran again and had gone nearly half way when, against the glowing fire, they could see five figures, loaded with bundles, coming toward them.

BIO:Whispering together William and his grandfather agreed on a plan where they would lie quietly in the path and leap up and fire into the group when they were very close to them. Located in their hiding places they waited in stressed anticipation, when suddenly they again heard the thudding of hoofs as the horse herd seemed to be heading their way. The sound of hoofs grew as the herd approached until it was so close that they could hear the dew claws rattling and clicking, and suddenly recognized that this was no horse herd bearing down on them ! As the five enemy with their bundles turned and fled, William and Rising Wolf leaped up and ran to the opposite side of the path. Joining hands they ran and ran to escape to the fringes of the blindly stampeding buffalo herd, soon thinking they would never have the wind to outrun the charging beasts and they would surely be trampled to death. Then, suddenly, the buffalo were gone as quickly as they had appeared, and the two of them were left in the silence of the night with only the dust produced by the churning feet of the animals to mark their passing.

BIO:After recovering from this narrow escape William and Rising Wolf continued on to the ford where they soon located the women, frightened and unhappy, but safe and sound. William soon assured his mother that he really was unharmed, but sadly had to admit that he had no idea what had happened to Robert after they became separated. Guns boomed again down near the mouth of Loud Roaring Creek to prove that some of the men were still out there fighting with the Assiniboin. William was eager to set out again with his grandfather, but was firmly detained by the worried women who, once having found him, were not willing to let him out of their sight again. Within a few minutes Thomas also found the group and was happily reunited with his wife. He also had no knowledge of Robert's whereabouts. He unhappily admitted that he had been wandering about in the dark for most of the night just trying to find some member of the family, and avoiding the hostile Indians. He fretfully complained that they had no business running about out there in the night shooting recklessly at sounds and moving shadows !

BIO:At last, at about two in the morning, they heard the owl call nearby that signaled the arrival of more of the family, and John and Francois joined the group hiding in the bushes. They were both joyfully greeted, with relief that they had escaped harm through the long and eventful night. Unhappily, however, neither of them had seen either Robert or Lizzie since they began the run down toward Loud Roaring Creek.

BIO:Not long after they were again settled to wait out the remainder of the night, they heard the splashing of large animals fording the creek. Thinking perhaps some of the enemy had overheard them in their hiding place, the men made ready their rifles to fire at the first indication of danger. They could see the faint outline of two riders when out of the darkness came the owl call that identified them as Lizzie and Robert. The family was safe and together at last !

BIO:As the long night faded into dawn they all trecked slowly back to view the ravaged campsite. Where the lodges had stood were three piles of charred leather and lodge-pole ends, and scattered blackened remnants of cups and camping gear. The Assiniboin had stolen all the beaver traps, their cans of powder and sacks of balls, the bundled beaver pelts, and even the saddles and gear for the horses. They had then piled the marrow grease and fat dried meat on top of the pulled down lodges and set fire to it all.

BIO:Rising Wolf reminded them that the family was fortunate to have escaped without even one casualty, mounted Fox Woman and Isabelle on the two horses, and led the way on the trail to the south. By sundown of the following day they arrived at their previous camp on the Two Medicine Lodges Lake where they had left the band of Kootenai. The Kootenai had broken camp, however, and gone down the river. By late afternoon of the following day the Kootenai were discovered camping at Little Badger Creek where they had obtained permission from the Peigans to hunt buffalo. The Munros were warmly welcomed, fed to excess, and made comfortable with gifts of lodges, clothing, camp gear, food and supplies and many horses. Three days later the family accompanied the Kootnai band to Bear River where they were safe, at last, with their own Piegan bands.

BIO:After much discussion (in which Thomas refused to take part !) Hugh and his sons decided to go on to Fort Benton where they would obtain traps and supplies on credit, and then cross the Missouri and trap beaver along the streams of the Belt Mountains until the end of the season. Three days later they turned into the Fort Benton river bottom and found there surprising changes! A large log building was being put up just above the fort. There Carroll and Steell were planning to move their store so they could lease or sell the fort to the government.

BIO:Rising Wolf was furious! "This is the beginning of the end for us," he stormed. "The whites will invade the country! They will build a town here, swarm all over the plains and our mountains! They will kill off our meat animals and trap out our fur animals! They will take the land and make beggers of all of us!!"

BIO:Carroll, however was glad to see Hugh and his family. He offered to re-emply all of them, and urged them to move back into their old quarters at the fort. Upon hearing of their losses to the Assiniboin, he even offered to outfit them for another trapping expedition if they were set on returning to the mountains.

BIO:"I've had all the trapping I want !" Thomas exclaimed. "Never again! Never again!"
So Thomas lost no time in accepting Carroll's offer of his old position, and soon had all the Jackson family belongings back in place in his old rooms.

BIO:Rising Wolf and the rest of the family agreed that they were not ready to give up their freedom, and soon had made arrangements for the necessary supplies to continue trapping. And William and Robert were bitterly disappointed at the prospect of being left behind at the fort to study their books, herd the horses, and do the never-ending chores for the women! As the day wore on the boys went first to grandparents, and then to uncles and aunts in their quest for support in convincing their father that they should be allowed to go with the family to trap. They were encouraged when they found even their mother was sympathetic in this request, but were warned to let the adults settle the matter at the proper time.

BIO:Night came. The family had enjoyed the supper that Amelia had prepared with extra care, and Thomas was settled before the fire in his old favorite buffalo-hide-covered chair blissfully smoking his pipe. There could be no better time for the boys to make their request - and it was greeted with the explosion that they had feared! Finally, after many promises and much arbitration, Thomas gave his consent, and the boys joyfully ran to pack their rifles and gear.

BIO:In the latter part of November Hugh and the family were back with six packs of beaver skins that they had trapped on the upper reaches of Deep Creek, the Judith, and the Mussellshell Rivers. They wintered in their old rooms at the fort, and in the spring were off again to trap. Late in the autumn they returned with all the beaver packs that the horses could carry. And so they passed the years, trapping in the mountains from early spring until late fall, and wintering at Fort Benton.

BIO:Meanwhile great changes were occuring at Fort Benton. Soldiers were stationed at the old adobe fort, and one by one a line of new log buildings were erected above the big Carroll and Steell store. Soon there were other stores, a hotel, and several saloons, and small fur trader cabins along the waterfront. Just as Rising Wolf had predicted the area was being spoiled, settled, over-run with a horde of "newcomers," from poor traders to whiskey sellers, and even gold miners and prospectors.

BIO:Hugh bitterly resented this "invasion," and began to talk about going north again to the Saskatchewan country where they would be free of all this wandering band of "pollution." Finally, in the spring of 1870, he decided he could take no more and began making plans for the trek north, and all the family were agreed to go with him. Thomas, however, stated he would never agree to go north into the "wilds," and was determined to go down the river to Fort Buford where his old trader friend, Charles Larpenteur, was sure to give him employment. Furthermore, Thomas was determined to keep his family together, and that his sons would NOT accompany Rising Wolf and the rest of the Munros to Canada ! This time no amount of pleading or bargaining could change his mind, and on a sunny day in early April the boys sadly watched as the grandparents and their aunts and uncles started on the long journey north.

BIO:JOURNEY TO FORT BUFORD

BIO:Thomas sold all his horses and loaded his family and their few remaining belongings on a bateau and set off down the Missouri River for Fort Buford.This excursion was not guaranteed to be a safe trip, as even at this time the war with the Souix, Cheyenne and Nez Perce was brewing, and there were many small war parties out and about the country and along the river. The journey proved to be an exciting time for William and Robert as they floated along, new sights and experiences appearing beyond nearly every bend in the river. They hunted for game to suppliment their provisions, stood watch at their hidden campsites on various small islands, and narrowly escaped a chase by hostile Souix. Eventually, just a few miles below the mouth of the Yellowstone River, they arrived at Fort Buford with the nearby buildings of the Northwest Company post and Larpenteur's trading post. There Thomas was warmly welcomed and offered immediate employment as Larpenteur had become crippled from a broken leg and was in desperate need of an experienced clerk.

BIO:The days settled into the old routine of "book lessons" in the mornings but time in the afternoon to explore the surrounding area. By now Robert was 16 and William 14 years old and tired of "schooling" and ready for more adventure. They were soon well acqauinted with the soldiers at the fort as well as the Indian Scouts hired by the army, and spent many happy hours riding out with them to hunt and survey the surrounding area.

BIO:WILLIAM AS AN INDIAN SCOUT

BIO:When the annual steamboats enroute to Fort Benton arrived in the spring of 1873 they brought the news that the railroad then at Bismark whould be extending to the west, and would be hiring scouts to help in surveying the area. Army troops at Fort Buford, and the new Fort Abraham Lincoln near Bismark, were to act as escort for the railroad builders. Knowing that this was their great opportunity to get on with the army as Indian Scouts, William and Robert at last persuaded their father to sign his permission, and at the age of 17 and 19 they began their first enlistment. They were both to continue with the army for several years, scouting through the earlier skirmishes with war parties, surviving Custer's campaign against the Souix culminating in the Little Big Horn Massacre, and the final battles of the Indian wars.

BIO:WILLIAM ON THE BLACKFOOT RESERVATION

BIO:When the Piegan Indians were restricted to the designated reservation lands in Montana William eventually settled on a farm on the fringes of the future Glacier National Park with his wife, Susan, and two sons, William and Thomas. By 1886 William is married to Mary - also called "White Antelope" - a half-blood piegan woman, and by 1899 they have six children. William is last listed with his family on the 1900 Blackfoot Agency Census at age 40 (#1136). On the 1901 census Mary is listed as a widow (#946).

BIO:Blackfoot Indian Census, National Archives Microfilms, MF#573849 & 573850, Salt Lake City LDS, 1995

TBL: Name 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 # 99 William Jackson Husb 38 39 39 39 40 40 -
Mary Wife 20 22 25 28 29 26 Widow 27
Thomas Son 8 10 11 12 13 14 15
Amelia "Millie" Dau 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Hugh William Son 3 5 5 6 7 9 At school
Margrata "Maggie" Dau 3 3 5 6 6 6
Annie-Mary Dau 1 2 3 4 4
Julia Dau 1 2 3

TBL:After being a widow for about five years Mary married Sam Yellow Wolf.
William had two sons who were commonly called Thomas Jackson. The mother of Thomas #1 was Susan (later m. James Houseman), William's first wife. He then married Mary (last name unknown) and had a son THOMAS JAMES JACKSON, who was commonly called Thomas #2.

BIO:ARMY ENLISTMENT RECORDS FOR WILLIAM & ROBERT JACKSON

BIO: United States Archive Records; U.S. Army Indian Scouts MF#1004661

TBL:#182 Robert Jackson Age 19, Born Dakota Territory
Eyes: Gray Hair: Black
Comp: Dark Height: 5 ft 6 in.
Enlisted June 24, 1874 @ Ft. A. Lincoln Disch: Dec 24, 1874 Ft Lincoln
Dec 24, 1874 @ Ft. A. Lincoln June 24, 1875 Ft Lincoln
Dec 24, 1875 @ Ft. A. Lincoln June 25, 1876 Ft Lincoln
Mar 30, 1877 @ Tongue River June 30, 1877 Tongue R.
On this enlistment he is listed as 21 years old; 5ft 8in Tall.

TBL:#197 William Jackson Age 18, Born Montana Territory
Eyes: Brown Hair: Black
Comp: Dark Height: 5 ft 6 in.
Enlisted: Dec 10, 1874 @ Ft.A. Lincoln Disch: June 10, 1875 @ Ft. Lincoln
June 24, 1875 @ Ft.A. Lincoln Dec. 24, 1875 @ Ft. Lincoln
Dec 25, 1875 @ Ft.A. Lincoln June 25, 1876 Camp L. Horn
June 25, 1876 @ Camp Little Horn Dec. 25, 1876 @ Ft. Lincoln
Mar 30, 1877 @ Camp Tongue River June 30, 1877 Camp T. River
On this enlistment he is listed as 20 years old; 5ft 8 1/2 in Tall.

Ref: Clan Munro files - Munro, Henry Dallas - GEDCOM file HMUNRO.GED dated 9
Oct 1996

William married Susan about 1880. Susan was born about 1860; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

BIO:Susan is listed as 1/2 Blackfoot ancestry on the Agency rolls. Her parentage is unlisted. After leaving William Jackson Susan is living with a white man called James Houseman.

Ref: Clan Munro files - Munro, Henry Dallas - GEDCOM file HMUNRO.GED dated 9
Oct 1996

Notes:

BIO:THOMAS JACKSON

BIO:Thomas Jackson was a white man, a son of an old Virginia family. He came to Fort Benton in 1835 as a tailor in the employment of the American Fur Company. He was known for his education and "genteel" manners which he wisely passed on to his sons. Not at all interested in the "great wild west" he disliked killing of any kind, and refused to become a hunter and trapper.

TBL:Amelia Fox, inher affidavit to the BIA in 1908 states her first husband was "Andrew Jackson, white, deceased. He had a brother William Jackson who died, leaving 2 children; thinks they are both dead."

Ref: Clan Munro files - Munro, Henry Dallas - GEDCOM file HMUNRO.GED dated 9
Oct 1996

Thomas married Amelia Munro about 1855. Amelia (daughter of Hugh Munro, Jr. and Sinopah Kit Fox Woman) was born about 1830-1840; died after 1920. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Amelia is listed frequently as "Minnie" by her siblings. She married first a white man by the name of Thomas Jackson. Two sons are listed as surviving: (1) William Jackson, well documented Indian Scout with General Custer, and (2) Robert Jackson, also Indian Scout.

Amelia married second: Harvey Alexander Fox, a white man, and had a son ALEXANDER FOX.

BIO:AMELIA AND HER EARLY YEARS WITH HER FAMILY

BIO:Amelia is said to be the eldest child of Hugh and Sinopah and so would have to be born before John who is convincingly documented with a birth date of 1822-23. However, her first documented marriage, to Thomas Jackson, probably did not occur before 1850 as her oldest recorded son, Robert, was born in 1854. She is also documented as still living by Schultz in 1922, and it is improbable that she would be over 100 years old. It IS likely that she was the oldest of the Munro daughters. Ages stated on Indian and Agency census rolls vary widely in the early records, as age was a relative rather than a definitive matter to all Indians who commonly "told time" by seasons or salient events rather than the "white man calendar."

BIO:On a 1908 affidavit to the BIA Amelia states she is 69 years old (born 1839 ?). She lists her first husband as "Andrew Jackson, white, deceased." She states she married Harvey Alexander Fox in 1877 at Mandan (or Bismark), North Dakota, by Methodist minister. BIO:"Millie," as she was known to the family, lived the usual life of Piegan Indian girls of her time. She learned all the skills so necessary to the women, as well as the modesty and quiet demeanor expected of all Piegan Indian maidens. As the eldest daughter she would have helped with the household work and the care of her younger brothers and sisters. However, she would also have had more than the usual Indian exposure to the white people living in the area, and would have accompanied her family to Fort Benton where Hugh acted as an interpreter for the Piegans in their fur trading. She would have been one of the most desirable of the comely Indian maidens after Thomas Jackson arrived with the annual boat brigade delivering the annual trading supplies for Fort Benton in 1835.

BIO:AMELIA MEETS AND MARRIES THOMAS JACKSON AT FORT BENTON

BIO:Thomas, the son of an old Virginia family, was educated and quiet spoken and would have had little insight into the rugged and dangerous life which was natural for Amelia. As Thomas spent his days cutting, sewing, tailoring and assembling a variety of necessary uniforms and modified wearing apparel for the fort employees and as trade goods, he would, by choice, experience little of the rugged outdoor life of the Northwest frontier. Although, like most men in the early 1800's, he was a passable shot with a rifle, he disliked killing animals and declined to hunt. He enjoyed the long evenings before the fire just smoking, talking, or reading the latest selection of books sent out from the East.

BIO:Amelia's father, Hugh, the "White Blackfoot," by his own admission, cared nothing for reading, and he had felt no need to make "scholars" out of his sons ! But Hugh DID enjoy the opportunity of conversation whenever the occasion permitted - even with Thomas Jackson ! Proficient in English, French and Pikuni, his interests ranged from swapping tall tales to catching up on the "news from the East" - even the latest "foolishness" of the U.S.Government !

BIO:In the early years Fort Benton was the focus of trade for the entire area. Not only Indians, but Mountain Men, free trappers and, eventually, prospectors and miners, depended on this lone facility at the end of the Missouri River navigation for necessary supplies. The contract suttler at Fort Benton employed a number of men at the fort as clerks and workers. Hugh was usually employed as the Fort hunter, responsible for providing the game needed to feed all the employees as well as their families, and as his sons matured they were also hired to help. In return he was provided with living quarters within the fort buildings for his extended family, provisions, and forage for his horses in the adjoining fields and corrals. Although they missed the freedom of the wilderness and the migrant life-style of the usual Pikuni life, the women found living within the fort buildings was much easier and less demanding of their time and energy. Without the usual primitive foraging for supplimentary food, fire-wood and water, they had more time for socializing, creating baskets and carrying containers, and decorating clothing with fine beadwork and dyed porkupine quills - a luxury activity in the wilderness.

BIO:In the close proximity of the Fort Benton activities and living arrangements, the employees became as integrated as a large disparate family. As the seasons rolled by they depended upon each other as the anchor in the changing world of commerce, supplies, weather, Indian policies and disasters, and the vagaries of "The Government." By 1850 Thomas Jackson must have decided that he would probably NOT return to the genteel world in Virginia. And, like many white men before and after him, he yearned for his own family unit - a wife and family to complete his circle of continuity. What an attractive picture Amelia depicted as a suitable wife !

BIO:Thomas and Amelia saw the seasons roll by as they resided in their comfortable quarters at Fort Benton until the "disaster" of 1864 when the "government" declined to renew the contract of James Dawson, Thomas's employer. With two sons, they tried a season of hunting and trapping with Rising Wolf and the extended family, but Thomas was totally unsuited to this activity, and had no reservations is saying so. He returned with Amelia to Fort Benton and found employment with the new sutler, and there he remained until 1870 when the fort again was in an upheavel over management.

BIO:FROM FORT BENTON TO FORT BUFORD

BIO:He then took Amelia and his sons, Robert and William and journeyed down to the mouth of the Yellowstone River to Fort Buford, where he found employment at the Larpenteur Trading Post. William Jackson relates that the family was still at Larpenteur's until at least 1874 when he and Robert joined the Army at Fort Buford as Indian Scouts. Beyond this point no records have been found of Thomas. It is probable that he died around 1875, as before 1877 Amelia is married to a white man named Harvey Alexander Fox.* Their son, Alexander, was born at Mandan, Dakota about 1877.

TBL:*Undated Blackfoot census (probably 1905) states Amelia FOX was married in 1876 by a clergyman to Harvey Alexander Fox.

BIO:AMELIA MARRIES HARVEY A. FOX - RETURNS TO BLACKFOOT RESERVATION

BIO:Amelia's son, Alexander Fox, states that he came on the reservation in 1892. He would then have been about 15 years old. In the 1907-8 depositions Amelia is fequently referred to as "wife of A. Fox" or "wife of old man Fox" so it is likely they came to the Blackfoot reservation as a family unit. In 1908 Alex lists his father as still living.

BIO:Amelia is next listed in records as the wife of Harvey Alexander Fox, a white man in the Fort Benton area. In 1896 she is listed with a son also named Alexander Fox. It is suggested by family records in 1898 that Amelia is a widow.In the census of 1898 she Lists her son Alexander Fox, age 21, and his daughter, Mable Fox, plus her Jackson grandchildren Andrew (19), John (17), Eliza (15), Milly (13), and Lizzie (11) - probably children of her son Robert Jackson.

BIO:In 1898 her son William Jackson, 39 years old, is living with his wife, Mary and children Thomas (age 12), Millie (8), Hugh (6), Maggie (5) and Annie (2).

BIO: Amelia survives the many changes in the Indian culture between 1875 and 1900 when all the Pekuni are expected to be enrolled on the Blackfoot Reservation in Montana. In 1922 she is reported as still living (in an Indian Agency hospital facility) by her brother Frank Munro. No verification has been documented for her death.

Ref: Clan Munro files - Munro, Henry Dallas - GEDCOM file HMUNRO.GED dated 9
Oct 1996

Notes:

!An interesting addition to the preceding family group is the documentation of the life of Hugh Munro or "Rising Wolf" of the Blackfeet indians in the Centennial Canadian Issue (No. 10. 1967) of the Clan Munro Magazine from Scotland. J. W. Schultz wrote two books* on the life experiences of Rising Wolf (Hugh Munro) from direct acqauintace with him in his later years. Hugh states he spent his early years roaming the outdoors near his Quebec home, spending only enough time at his studies to learn to read and write. At 15 years of age he joined the Hudson Bay Company as an engage' and journeyed west. He never returned to eastern Canada or saw his family again.
There are a number of his descendants among the Blackfeet Indians; a grandson, William Jackson, was a scout for Custer, later becoming a partner of the author Schultz.

Schultz states in his narrative of Hugh Munro's second year with the Blackfeet (RED CROW'S BROTHER, James Willard Schultz, Houton Mifflin Co, 1927) the following about the Glacier Park area: ...We came to a beautiful lake, the second one of the lakes of Two Medicine Lodges River. At its head was a pine-clad, steep mountain which Red Crow said was named Rising Bull. It did have the appearance of the sharp back of a buffalo getting up onto its feet. (1) And just to the north of us was another and still higher mountain, of reddish rock, which was I-kot-ei Is-tuki (Red Mountain), one of the great peaks of the range. (2)

(1) Later named Sin-o-pah-ki Is-tuk-i (Fox Woman Mountain). Fox Woman was the faithful wife of Rising Wolf (Hugh Munro) (2) In 1896, after our old friend died, and we buried him in the Two Medicine Valley and in sight of this mountain that he loved so well, we named it for him: Rising Wolf Mountain.

George Bird Grinnell, who wrote many articles and books about his experiences with the Indians, also was also a friend of Hugh Munro. In his book PAWNEE,

BLACKFOOT AND CHEYENNE (Scribner's 1913) he related the following about lakes in the Montana mountains (Glacier Park):
This region is known throughout northern Montana as the St. Mary's Lake country. In a narrow valley running back into the mountains lie two great lakes, the upper about 12 miles long, and the lower seven. These are enlargements of the St Mary's River, a branch of the Saskatchewan. Here, forty-eight years ago (about 1837), Hugh Monroe [sic], a devout Catholic, assisted by a party of Kootenai Indians, set up on the shores of the lower lake a great cross made of two pine trees, and called the lakes St. Mary's.

BIO:HUGH MUNRO, JR - HIS EARLY YEARS IN L'ASSUMPTION

BIO:LA PAROISE DE L'ASSUMPTION - REPERTOIRE DES BAPTISMES 1724-1800 Publication # 17 (1981) LaCentre de Genealogie S.C. Ottawa, Canada Children of Hugh and Angelique Munro:

TBL:#6318 MUNRO, HUGH Born: 25 Aug 1799 Baptised: 26 Aug 1799

BIO:BAPTISMS, MARRIAGES AND SEPULCURES of PAROISE St. Surplise, L'Assumption de la Vierge Marie, de Montcalm, Quebec; diocese of Montreal, Quebec. (1724-1876) Mf # 1018241, SLC, UT 1994 VBM

TBL:BAPTISM: de Hugues Munro: Le vingt Six Aout mil Sept Cent quatre vingt dix neuf par moi Fretere Soussigne a ete Baptiste hughes ne' hier de legitime Mariage de Monsieur hughes Munro, Merchand et da Dame Angelique Leroux les fere et Mere de cette Paroisse. Le Larein a ete' Monsieur Charles Dorion et la Mareine Marguerite Dorion. Les quels out Signe avec vour ainvique le Fere present. deap mot interlique's et deux ralure valable. [Signed] Hugh Munro Charles Dorion Marguerite Dorion

*James Willard Schultz, "Rising Wolf, The White Blackfoot: Hugh Munroe's Story of His First Year On The Plains", "Red Crow's Brother: Hugh Munroe's Story of His Second Year On The Plains", Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, N.Y., 1919 & 1927. In 1951 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer released part of his story adapted as the Western "Across The Wide Missouri" with John Hodiak as Hugh Munro.

BIO:Biographical information of Hugh Munro is mainly contained in the volumes on the Blackfeet Indians written by James Willard Schultz who was a contemporary of Hugh in the last two decades of his life. Schultz describes Hugh as: "slender, but not tall with brown hair and blue eyes." (The blue eyes are a legacy still seen in various present descendants!) He records the following from his conversations with Hugh "Rising Wolf":

TBL:NOTE:Biographical data provided by J.W.Schultz has proved grossly inacurate in some areas. It must be kept in mind that Schultz was a "story-teller" and consigned his recollections to paper long after Hugh Munro had died. Some of his narrations are "composites" of experiences written in a manner to provide a a free flowing story.

TBL:Hugh was born in the Three Rivers area of Quebec where his father, Capt. Hugh Munro of the British Army was associated with his mother's family in business.
His mother was of a noted family of French emegres' and her father owned a fine mansion in Montreal as well as a large estate in the Three Rivers area where they lived. His childhood days were quiet enough as he played with the peasant children. A Jesuit Father, residing with the Leroux household, taught Hugh a smattering of reading and writing in both French and English. The gift of a light smooth-bore gun was a turning point in his young life. From that time on he spent most of his time hunting in the forest surrounding the settlement. At age 12 he killed his first deer; at 13 he shot two black bears. An old pensioner of his mother, a half-breed Montagnais Indian, too old and feeble to do much for himself, taught him to trap beaver, otter, fox, fisher, martin and mink. Every spring his grandfather sold the pelts for him in Montreal for a good price.
In the autumn of 1812, during the months of the War, his grandfather sent for them to live with him in Montreal. Hugh disliked city life as he could neither hunt nor trap, and he did not understand the "town boys" whose interests were so unlike his own. Mornings he had to attend the parish school, but afternoons he escaped to row on the river or visit in the warehouses of the Hudson Bay Company with which his grandfather was affiliated. There he met voyageurs and trappers from far places. They presented a exotic picture with their buckskin clothes, fur caps and colorful beaded moccasins. He became fast friends of both the French and English factions and spent many happy hours listening to their tales of wild adventures, of fights with Indians, encounters with fierce bears of the Far West, and of the perils of canoe trips on madly running rivers. He began to beg his family to let him join "The Company" and go West.

BIO:Young Hugh would have been living in a "family of women" at L'Assumption. He was preceeded in birth by five sisters [two surviving] and followed by another two sisters and only one brother - five years his junior. He would have had every opportunity to taste the excitement of the voyageurs, fur trappers and traders from even his own front doorstep. L'Assumption lies in a noted horeshoe bend of the l'Assumption River and the canoes were all beached at one end of l'Assumption's main street - Rue la portage'-, carried up the street and launched again at the other end. Fronting on the upper portage landing were all the commercial establishments of this important trading town: the Custom House, the North West Fur Offices, and all the merchant establishments serving the area. Little wonder that this first son of Hugh and Angelique, who was a notorious "truant" from the classroon - by his own admission "not a scholar" - begged early and long until he finally convinced his parents to let him join the furtrading adventure !

BIO:His father finally agreed saying: "He is obviously born for the adventurous life, and nothing else, so we may as well let him begin now and grow up to a responsible position with the company." His mother shed many tears but finally agreed to let him go after securing a promise from him that he would return for a visit at the end of his 5 year indenture. Angelique spent many tearful hours sewing and packing his clothing, and assembling a kit that included a razor for a lad too young yet to need to shave ! She slipped a Missal between his shirts and prayed for his safe return. Hugh, ever the practical Scot, handed his son a pair of dependable flint-lock pistols, and followed them up with a few basic rules from the " Army rank and file" to help keep him out of the worst troubles and temptations. "Just remember your heritage and depend on it," he admonished. "You are a Scot and a MUNRO. For centuries Munros have been courageous adventurers and Highland warriors. You have that courage - you will do well."

BIO:FROM MONTREAL TO ROCKY MOUNTAIN FORT WITH THE HUDSON BAY COMPANY
BIO:Very early on the morning of May 3rd, 1814, almost four months short of his sixteenth birthday, he signed his Articles of Appreticeship to the Hudson Bay Company for five years at 20 pounds per year. As the heavily loaded canoes bobbed beside the quay Hugh endured the tearful kisses of his mother and her admonitions to remember his prayers. The proud Scottish father could only gaze into the bright blue eyes so like his own, grip the hand of his young son and mutter, "Keep your nose clean and your hair on !" before Hugh scrambled aboard the wallowing canoe. As they turned out into the river and the voyageurs sang and dug in their paddles Hugh waved and watched until the little knot of figures on the quay faded from view, little knowing that he would never see Montreal or his family again.

BIO:There were five boats in the flotilla, each one loaded with 4 to 5 tons of goods for the Indian trade. Everything was done up in waterproof packages of 100 pounds each. The heavy goods were mostly guns, powder and balls, and flints, tobacco, beads, beaver traps, brass and copper wire, axes, copper and brass kettles of various sizes, and small hand mirrors. The lighter goods were blankets, woolen cloth, needles, awls, thread, and trinkets to strike the Red Man's fancy. It was not a very valuable cargo in Montreal but at Mountain Fort in the Rocky Mountains it was of enormous value. There a gun was worth sixty beaver pelts, and even a twist of tobacco sold for two beaver skins !

BIO:The voyageurs paddled up the St. Lawrence River and turned into the Ottawa River which they ascended as far as it was navigable. They then portaged the boats from lake to lake until, early in September, they arrived at York Factory on the Saskatchewan River close to Hudson Bay. There they wintered and set out again as soon as the ice went out in the spring. At last, on the 10th of July, 1815, after many weary days of rowing and cordelling up the swift Saskatchewan River, they arrived at Mountain Fort. The fort biuldings, built of logs and roofed with poles and earth, were in a heavily timbered bottom above the high-water mark of the river. It was enclosed in a high, log stockade with a bastion on one corner in which there were two small cannon. It was later to be known as BOW FORT as the stream it was on was a main tributary of the Saskatchewan River known as the Bow River. [This location is now near Calgary, Alberta, Canada.]

BIO:Camped in the vicinity and milling about the grounds of the Fort were thousands of Indians awaiting the annual arrival of the company's flotilla of boats loaded with trade goods. There were three tribes of the Blackfoot Confederacy as well as Gros-Ventures and Saksikas making over 30,000 Indians at the fort. Hugh saw the smoke curling from countless numbers of tall tan tipis through the roiling dust created by the mounted Indian riders yiping around the camp area, and the children racing about in play. He was speachless with excitement and fascination as he viewed the exotic scene - even more wonderful than any of his wildest imaginations !

BIO:Hugh was acknowledged by James Hardesty and immediately put to work inside the Trading Post. First the cargo had to be unloaded and inventoried into the proper books, bundles, barrels and bins. Then the long days of trading began. From dawn to dark Hugh fetched, weighed, counted and carried. The factor and clerks took the furs, examined them for condition and grade and tallied them. Then the bargaining and trade began with the Indian through the interpreter. As items were chosen they were piled upon the counter after many comments and examination and fingering of the available goods. With silent wives and eager children looking on, the transaction is finally completed and the brave packs up and leaves as another takes his place.

BIO:To Hugh the days seem endless. He toils away in the dimly lit back rooms preparing stock and delivering items to the counter. Hardesty and the clerks leave little opportunity for him to watch the bargaining and trade, or interact with the Indians waiting in the store. After dark there are still furs to stack and bundle for the long voyage to Montreal. He thinks about the thousands of tipis camped along the river and wonders if he will ever get out into the day light again ! This was not what he had bargained for ! He thought he would be outdoors among the trappers and Indians, and able to live and hunt in the wild. How could he possibly spend the next five long years of his life doing this ?

BIO:In desperation he finally manages to find time between duties to escape outside occasionally and talk with the post interpreters and employees. In hunting and trapping they soon found he was not the "greenhorn" they had expected, and recognized his keen interest in the Indians. Hugh had a good ear for languages and was quick to pick up the universally used sign language of the Indians and traders. They quickly began to take him on their evening "visiting rounds" among the Indians at the camp. Soon Hugh was able to go alone and found several Indian youths near his age that he could "talk" to. He began to spend most of his free time with Red Crow, a member of the Small Robes band. Hugh envied Red Crow's freedom to hunt and trap and his nomadic life, as well as his large hospitable family.

The Hudson's Bay Company was eager to expand fur trading with these tribes, but suffered by a lack of interpreters of the Blackfoot tongue. The Blackfoot Confederation did not allow encroachment on their traditional hunting and trapping areas by white trappers or other tribes. They "discouraged" tresspassing by hunting down and killing any outsiders found in their territory.

BIO:Factor James Hardesty was quick to note Hugh's interest in the Indians as well as his eagerness to be out doors. He also watched the growing friendship with Red Crow and saw an opportunity that would be of benefit to both "The Company" and the Blackfoot. Hardesty had often thought that the ideal way to stabilize his fur trading relationship with the elusive Blackfeet would be to send a white trapper or agent to live and travel with them and learn their language. So far he had not been able to suggest this possibility to any of his agents or employees for two reasons. First, he had noone who would be willing to embark on what they would consider a virtual death sentance as a tresspasser into Blackfoot country ! And second, the Blackfoot were so aloof that a suggestion of this kind could be mistaken in it's intent, and he would break his tenous trading hold on them and lose them to the North West Company.

BIO:Despite his proclivity to join the Indians Hugh was bound by his contract with the Hudson Bay Company, and soon settled into the annual acivities and routines of the forts. He thrived on the expeditions and trips into the wilds and endured his time within the company forts. The following summarizes his experiences during his sojourn with Hudson's Bay.

TBL:Hugh Munro entered the service of the Hudson's Bay company and was appointed apprentice in the Edmonton District. His "parish" was entered in the company books as "Canada."
During the summer of 1816 he was at Carlton House under John Peter Pruden. In the fall of 1818 he traveled with Francis Heron from Carlton House to Edmonton House and apparently spent the winter of 1818-19 there. In May 1819 Heron left William Flett in charge of Edmonton House with Munroe as one of his assistants. At the end of outfit 1818-19 Heron reported Munro as being "not of much use at present, but may be of some service hereafter." Munro remained at Edmonton except for short excursions to the Beaver River and Acton House (the post in opposition to Rocky Mountain House of the North West Company), until January 19, 1820 when he was sent to Summer Berry (Pembina) River to remain there until spring. On May 4, 1820 he arrived at Edmonton House having been directed to abandon the post at Pembina River since the Indians were leaving that quarter. From the middle of May until nearly the end of November Munro was stationed at Acton House; on his return he remained at Edmonton House until February 19, 1821 when he was sent to Carlton House for supplies, returning March 30.
Later in the spring he was at Moose Lake where he remained until June 4. He spent the summer in various short expeditions from Edmonton House to Pembina River and Moose Lake. On September 8 he started from Edmonton for Moose Lake, but this post was abandoned shortly afterwards in favor of Dog Rump Creek House, situated about three miles above old Buckingham House. Munro apparently served at Dog Rump Creek House under Patrick Small, returning to Edmonton House on April 28, 1822 with letters "from several parts of the country."
On June 5, 1822 Munro arrived at Carlton House from Edmonton. From there he was sent to Cumberland House on July 28 in order to join the Bow River expedition. He was recorded in Bow River accounts 1822-23 as a clerk with a family of one. In the spring of 1823 he was sent with the Piegans to learn thei language and began his long sojourn with the Piegans.

BIO:Between the Saskatchewan and the Missouri Rivers Hugh camped and hunted over a great stretch of country that no white man had ever seen. At the Falls of the Missouri River he crossed the trail of Lewis and Clark; between the Missouri an Yellowstone River traveled country not yet seen by whites. Through his efforts
the Piegans made peace with the Crows and persuaded them to go north to Mountain Fort to trade their winter furs. Hugh and the Piegans returned to the fort in the New Grass Moon - April, 1824. During Hugh's second year with the Piegans they hunted and trapped in the area now included in Glacier National Park. There he saw the "Lakes Inside" and mountains held sacred to the Blackfeet. And so Hugh fulfilled his contract with Hudson Bay and then became a "free trapper," returning to the post during the trading season as interpreter and occasional employee.

BIO: George Bird Grinnell relates the following story told by Hugh:

TBL:"I was often detailed by the Hudson's Bay Company to go out in charge of a number of men, to kill meat for the fort. When the ground was full of holes and wash-outs, so that running was dangerous, I used to put on a big timber wolf"s skin, which I carried for the purpose, tying it at my neck and waist, and then to sneak up on the buffalo. I used a bow and arrows, and generally shot a number without alarming them. If one looked suspiciously at me, I would howel like a wolf. Sometimes the smell of the blood from the wounded and dying would set the bulls crazy. They would run up and lick the blood, and sometimes toss the dead ones clear from the ground. Then they would bellow and fight each other, sometimes goring one another so badly that they died. The great bulls, their tongues covered with blood, their eyes flashing, and tails sticking out straight, roaring and fighting, were terrible to see; and it was a little dangerous for me, because the commotion would attract buffalo from all directions to see what was going on. At such times I would signal to my men, and they would ride up and scare the buffalo away."

Bio:No record has been found of the origin of Hugh's Pikuni name "Rising Wolf." Among the animals especially respected among the Blackfeet and supposed to have great power, are the buffalo, the bear, the raven, the wolf, the beaver and the kit-fox. The wolves were the people's great friends; they traveled with the people.If a person was hungry and sang a wolf song, he was likely to find food. Men going on a hunting trip sang these songs, which would bring them good luck. The Blackfeet had great belief in visions and dreams, and an animal coming to a man in his dream with a message important to his life, was then regarded as his special protector.

BIO:In 1922 Schultz recorded this narrative by Frank Munroe, son of Rising Wolf:

TBL:My father was "iksatosim." ("Of the sun." Or, "great medicine.") Soon after he took my mother for his woman, before any of us children were born, he one night had a powerful vision. A wolf came to him and said, "I am chief of these great plains, and I have taken a liking to you; therefore I am going to tell you how to make something that will preserve you in times of danger. Go and get the tail feathers of an owl, skins of weasels and minks, and make a war bonnet." In his dream he collected the feathers and skins and made the bonnet, but it did not please the wolf; he took it apart, rearranged the materials, singing all the time as he put it together. When he was satisfied with his work, he put the bonnet on my father and walked around and around him, looking at it, still singing, and at last said, "There, it is as I wanted it. This will preserve you from the enemy; you and any relative or friend to whom you may lend it. And do not forget this, my song that goes with it, and which you are to sing when you put the bonnet on and face danger. However, your possession of the bonnet, just your having it near you, in your lodge, on your person or your horse when travelling, will itself protect you from the enemy." My father's shadow came back into his body. He awoke and thought about his wonderful vision and then woke Fox Woman and told her about it and she was glad. "Sun is kind! He has pitied you; he has caused his child, Chief Wolf, to give you the one thing you need to become a warrior of our tribe ! Make the bonnet at once, so that I may no longer fear for your safety when you go out to hunt and trap."
My father made the bonnet, just as his vision had directed, and kept singing the song over and over until he knew he would not forget it. He carried that bonnet in a painted and fringed rawhide cylinder that he made, and as Chief Wolf had predicted, it helped him safely through many a place where his life was in danger. Time and again he lent it to my grandfather, Lone Walker, and Three Suns, my uncle, and they wore it on raids against the enemy, and with great success. In his old age he gave it to Three Suns; it is now in Three Suns' grave, down below here on the Two Medicine River.

BIO:Frank also related how the sign of Rising Wolf protected them from attack by friendly Indians in many campsites during their trapping and traveling days. Once when Frank was only eight or nine years old Rising Wolf left the Pikuni camp on the Bear River and came north to the Two Medicine Lodge country to trap beaver. They had set up camp in a grove of cottonwoods and his brother, Little Wolf (John), was driving the horses to the ridge to graze for the night. Suddenly, a gun boomed, and a bullet struck a tree in front of him. As soon as he called for help the shooter called out in good Pikuni that he was a friend. They embraced his brother and came down to the lodge where they were welcomed by his father. The friendly Kooteni Indians apologized for mistaking their camp for that of some Cree Indians. After eating and smoking they suggested that Rising Wolf mark the trail to his camp and surrounding trees with his sign to prevent friendly indians from mistaking him for an enemy. The following morning his father blazed trees along the trail and around the camp, and on the white surface painted in black the sign for his name: a man and a wolf rising. And thereafter he did that at every camp that they made, and so more than once saved them from attack from war parties of tribes that were friendly to them.

BIO:"When we had grown a little older, my brother and I made the name signs for him. My brother was angry because I could make the best signs. They were like this":

PICTURE:20F*Drawing by Heavy Eyes of Rising Wolf's Name Painting

BIO:Although documentation is scarce and scattered, various records for Hugh and his family show that for the next fifty years he roamed the western wilderness with the Piegans, ranging from below the Yellowstone to the far north of present Edmonton, Canada. Sometime in the 1820's he married - according to Indian custom - Sinopah (Kit Fox Woman) daughter of Lone Walker, Chief of the Piegans and Small Robes Band. Together they raised at least seven children in the Indian community and were successful in living through the epidemics of smallpox, scarlet fever, "coughing fever," starvation winters and intertribal warfare that decimated the tribes. The lack of documentation of Hugh's life depended a great deal on the seclusion of the Blackfeet from white intervention until the 1855 "Lame Bull Treaty" which first opened their living area and hunting grounds to white men and the Army.

BIO:Early records of the Blackfeet Nation did not include a census or name list until 1888 when all United States Blackfeet were confined to the designated reservation in Montana, and the Northern Piegans were required to live north of "The Line" (49th parallel) in Canada. Even those early records of the Indian Agency are sketchy and incomplete with no birth and death documentation. The Jesuits kept records for the Missions and schools but most early records of the Jesuits were destroyed in at least two disasters: once when lost in the sinking of a boat, and secondly when the Mission Church at St. Mary's Mission in the Okanogan valley burned. Other records were inadvertantly destroyed with some obsolete notes and papers. While some of his children were eventually listed on the Blackfoot Rolls, Hugh (as a white man) was not enrolled or named on the Indian census.

BIO:Occassional glimpses of Hugh occur in writings of western adventurers and U.S. Government records. He meets Sacajawea, guide to Lewis & Clark, in the late 1820's. He befriends and trades with James Kipp in the 1830's and knew George Catlin, Prince Maxmilian and the artist, Karl Bodmer. Among others his friends among the Mountain Men were Jin Bridger, Kit Carson, Johnson, and Peter Ogden. He guided the Jesuits, Father Lacombe and Father DeSmet, in their travels among the Blackfeet in the 1840's and 1850's.

BIO:At one time or another he is associated with the Hudson's Bay Company, the North West Company, the Missouri Fur Company and the American Fur Company as well as trapping as a "free trapper." He is a friend of Alexander Culbertson, James Dawson, Kenneth Mackenzie and other Factors, as well as a succession of Indian Agents. He was known and respected at Forts Rocky Mountain House, Bow, Union, Lewis, Benton, Belnap, Shaw, MacKenzie, McLeod and Carson. He also eventually made and maintained a friendship with tribesmen of the Blood, Gros Venture, Siksika, Crow, Cree, Sarsi, Kootenai, Pen d'Orille, and Flathead Indians, and shared their hunting and trapping grounds.

BIO:As a Christian and devout Catholic he erected a cross at St. Mary's Lakes with Father Lacombe, and yet is known for his respect of the Blackfoot religion. His children and descendants were known as "some of the more Christian of the mixed-blood families of the Reservation." He acknowledges that he believes in "dreams" that are warnings of events, and carried a "war bonnet" that he was convinced had protected him on several occassions.

BIO:In 1865 he is the "Post Hunter" at Fort Benton, and in 1887 is reported as living in Canada and at Fort McLeod. Late in his life he relates his life experiences to George Bird Grinnell and James Willard Schultz.

BIO:By 1880 the buffalo had virtually disappeared from the Great Plains, and the Blackfeet became dependant on beef rations and U.S. Government supplies. Hugh makes the difficult transition to reservation living, spending time with his children and grandchildren in areas on the Two Medicine River, the Marias and areas included in the present Glacier National Park.

BIO:Hugh always intended to keep his promise to return to Montreal to visit his parents, but somehow it was just never a good time to be gone so far away. He procrastinated from year to year. Then word arrived that his father had died, and his brothers said he should come East to help settle the estate and his inheritance. Once again Hugh just could not leave - now it was because of his wife and new baby. Across the long miles finally came the papers for him to sign to provide directions in administrating the land he had inherited.

BIO:After living with the Pikuni Hugh had his own ideas about the land, who owned it - or even IF it should be owned ! He signed the papers to accommodate his brothers, Horatio Munro and Francois LaRocque, and told them to do as they liked with the land as he had no use for it. After all, he freely roamed over hundreds of square miles, he had no need to "own" a few square feet in Ontario!

BIO:Again Hugh felt guilty about his promise to his now widowed mother. Still he procrastinated - it was the wrong time of year - Fox Woman needed him - there was another new baby to look after - they had to have the income from this season of trapping - he couldn't leave the Fort without an interpreter.... Then, long months after the actual occurance, word arrived at Fort Benton that his mother was already gone - at rest these many months in her d'Esneval tomb. He sighed, and yet was relieved. Now he had no reason to go East, and he need never again have to consider taking that long trip back to Montreal.

BIO:RETIREMENT ON THE BLACKFOOT RESERVATION

BIO:Glimpses of Hugh's life were recorded in the Hudson Bay records. After several years as a free trapper Hugh again enlisted as an "interpreter" at Bow Fort and Rocky Mountain House in 1832-34; his family now consisting of 1 woman, 3 boys and 1 girl. From 1837-1844 he is again engaged at Edmonton House, and later it is reported he was again in Edmonton but left in 1870 and returned to Montana. In 1888 he was at Fort McLeod where he was the subject of letters from Father Lacomb to HBC discussing his "infermity and destitution." Family recods show that Hugh spent most oif his last years in Montana, often living with his grandson, William Jackson. With his advancing rhumatism the last years are quiet ones for Hugh as he spends the long summers in the sun within sight of his beloved mountains, and the winters before the cabin fire. Finally, in 1896, in his 97th year, Hugh is also delivered of his earthly cares and laid to rest in the fields beside the Holy Family Mission Church and overlooking the Two Medicine River, only a short distance from the great "buffalo jump" where he and the Pikuni so often drove the buffalo. Although no stome marks his grave, no visitor to this lonely spot would deny that his spirit lingers on in the soft moaning of the prairie wind.

BIO:The best marker and memorial of his long life among his beloved Piegans in the western wilderness is the tall, red wedge of mountain towering over Two Medicine Lodges Lake and valley bearing the name "Rising Wolf." Nearby to the south lies the mountain named "Sinopahki Istuki" - Kit Fox Woman Mountain - for his faithful Piegan wife.

TBL:[NOTE: In the forward to Warren Hanna's JAMES WILLARD SHULTZ, RECENTLY DISCOVERED TALES OF LIFE AMONG THE INDIANS (Mountain Press Pub, Missoula MT, 1988) Hanna relates that most of Schultz's works were written and published AFTER 1904 (when he fled from Montana to avoid a poaching charge)and eventually relocated in Southern California. Of MY LIFE AS AN INDIAN, Shultz's most popular work, Hanna states: "The title suggests an autobiography, but it was in fact a romatic novel centered upon his wife and their life together." Shultz was nearly 50 when his first book was published in 1907 and did not take up "full-time" writing until about 1912 - long after the death of Rising Wolf and his grandson William Jackson. Research in legal records has proved that dates and other details in Shultz's biographical narratives may be in error, although the general substance of these works is truthfully protrayed. VBM]

BIO: TIME LINE HISTORY OF THE BLACKFOOT INDIAN CONFEDERACY

TBL:1730 First horses seen by Blackfeet, being ridden by Shoshoni warriors.
First guns also seen, used by Crees and Assiniboines. Arrival of first
trade goods such as glass beads and metal arrowheads. 1780 HUDSON BAY COMPANY builds Buckingham House along the Saskatchewan River;
first trading post close to Blackfoot country. 1781 Smallpox epidemic strikes Blackfoot camps for first time; over half the
population dies. The disease was picked up when Blackfoot warriors raided
a very sick Shoshoni camp in the Bow River country. 1784 The NORTH WEST COMPANY of independant fur traders and trappers moves into
Blackfoot country to compete with Hudson Bay Company. Guns, knives, axes
and arrowheads began replacing primitive weapons. Blankets, materials,
pots and awls helped to make Blackfoot tribal household life easier.
Tobacco, beads and paints became first luxury items. 1787 David Thompson, of the Hudson Bay Company, becomes the first trader to
winter with the Blackfoot (Piegans) along the Bow River. All these early
trade encounters took place in Canada. 1794 Economy: 14 Beaver pelts = 1 trade gun
1 Beaver pelt = 20 rounds of shot with powder
30 Beaver pelts = 1 large keg of "Blackfoot Rum," made by
mixing 4 or 5 quarts of pure alcohol with
about 7 gallons of water. 1799 Rocky Mountain House built by North West Company, west of Edmonton,
Alberta, becoming main Blackfoot trading center for some years. 1806 Piegans meet part of Lewis & Clark expedition in their territory, now in
Montana. Fight breaks out and one Piegan is killed, starting bad
relationship between Blackfeet and American white men. 1809 Economy: 1 common horse = 1 gal. "Blackfoot Rum," 2 fathoms of twist
tobacco, 20 balls with powder, 1 awl, 1 scalper, 1
fleshing knife, 1 gun worm, 1 P.C. glass, 1 fire
steel, and 1 flint.
Richest Piegan in that year said to own 300 horses.
Population estimate: Lodges Warriors Persons
Piegan ......... 350 700 2,800
Siksika ........ 200 520 1,600
Kainah ......... 100 200 800 1815 A 17 year old boy from Montreal named Hugh Munro becomes the first "white
Blackfoot" marrying SINOPAH, the daughter of Piegan Chief LONE WALKER, of
the Small Robes Band and learning the life
of her people. He remained with the Blackfeet near Browning, Montana,
until his death in 1896, being survived by many descendants. 1819 "Coughing" epidemic - one third die. 1821 Missouri Fur Company sends American trappers into Blackfoot country for
furs. Piegans resent their intrusion, saying they stole the furs and
traded guns to enemies, besides. A large war party annihilates most of
the trappers in an ambush before the first year is through. 1823 Population estimate: Siksika...500 lodges Blood...300 lodges
Piegans...550 lodges Total...10,800 persons 1831 James Kipp, of the American Fur Company, befriends the Blackfeet and
offers to trade for their furs, rather than sending trappers out after
it. They agree to let him build Fort Piegan on the Missouri River in
their territory. The first few days of trade brought in 6,450 pounds of
beaver, which his company sold for $46,000. The Bloods did not like
this, so they burned the post down after the trading season was finished. 1832 Blood head Chief Bull's-Back-Fat brings the first delegation of his
people to Fort Union in Assiniboin country, where they make peace with
that tribe. George Catlin becomes the first white man to paint Blackfeet,
calling them "perhaps the most powerful tribe of Indians on the
continent." Catlin estimated 500 lodges of Piegans, with the Small Robes
Band as the largest with 250 lodges. 1833 German Prince Maxmilian spends late summer with the Blackfeet. Estimates
Confederacy population at 18,000 to 20,000. The Prince and artist, Karl
Bodmer , witness an immense battle between Piegans and Cree and
Assiniboin warriors, ending peace. Piegans eventually win fight although
with heavy losses. 1835 Blackfeet bring 9,000 Buffalo robes to trade at new Fort McKenzie, 32
days travel by boat, upriver, from Fort Union, at the junction of the
Missouri and Marias River. 1837 Smallpox again strikes the Blackfeet, arriving with infected people and
clothing aboard a steamboat. Two thirds of the Confederacy is said to
have died. Over 10,000 buffalo robes were brought in for trade the next
winter. A frontier journal from that year notes that 40 to 50
independant trappers were being killed in Blackfoot country each year. 1841 Blackfeet brought in 21,000 robes for trade. Some Indian hunters became
eager for trade goods start killing buffalo for hides. Professional
white hunters kill even greater numbers of buffalo, mainly for tongues and
hides. Father DeSmet baptized first Blackfeet to Christianity. 1844 Good relations between Blackfeet and traders break off after troubles lead
one trader to fire a cannon into an innocent group of Piegans, killing 10
and wounding others. 1845 Another smallpox epidemic strikes the Blackfeet. 1846 Fifty families of Small Robes band of Piegans wiped out by Crow attack,
ending this group's often independant journeys, sometimes in company of
the Flathead tribe. Blackfeet bring another 21,000 buffalo robes to trade
to the new Fort Lewis, near the later Fort Benton. Head trader is
Alexander Culbertson who is married to Medicine Snake Woman, daughter of
Blood head chief. 1847 Culbertson moves Fort Lewis 3 miles down and across the Missouri River,
renaming it Fort Benton. This becomes the most important trading center
in Montana. Supplies travel 2,415 miles upriver by steamboat from St.
Louis. Economy: 1 Buffalo robe = 25 loads ammunition, a gallon kettle,
three knives, or 1 1/2 yds. of calico.
3 Buffalo robes = 2 1/2 point wool blanket
10 Buffalo robes = 1 trade gun (cost $4. back East) 1853 Observers wrote that the "quantity of buffalo is almost unbelievable,"
and that "the entire country of the Blackfeet perhaps the best Buffalo
Country in the N.W." Gov. I.I. Stevens meets head men of the Blackfoot
Confederacy on behalf of the U.S. Government and proposes a great peace
council to end war between the tribes, and to guarantee peace between the
Blackfeet and the whites. Chiefs agree to council.
Population estimates: Lodges Persons Warriors
Blood.............. 270 2,430 810
Siksika ........... 290 2,600 870
South Piegan ...... 200 1,800 600
North Piegan ...... 90 800 270 1855 "Lame Bull Treaty" signed by 26 principle chiefs of the Blackfoot
Confederacy defines tribal territories and proclaims peace between the
tribes and the U.S. Government. "Major" Edwin Hatch becomes first
Blackfoot Indian agent, with an office at Fort Benton. 1856 Major Hatch writes first annual report; reports he gave out treaty
annuities to about 8,000 Indians. 1857 "Major" Vaughn becomes second Blackfoot agent - the only one for many
years with good relationship with people. 1858 Agent Vaughn recommends government prohibition of trade in Buffalo robes
to prevent senseless slaughter of the animals. The suggestion is ignored
by everyone. 1859 Jesuits build first mission in American Blackfoot country, St. Peter's,
near Choteau, Montana. Indians show some interest in these unuaual
spiritual ways, but are still 100 percent devoted to their own faith.
Missionaries plan to wipe out old Indian ways, while Indians only want
Christian prayers as added blessings to what they already have. Father
Lacombe is first missionary among Canadian Blackfeet, having arrived in
1855. Agent Vaughn supervises first Blackfoot "farm," with limited
success. 1861 Long-time alliance between Blackfeet and Gros Ventures ends when an enemy
group steals horses from Gros Ventures and leaves some at Piegan camp,
leading Gros Ventures to believe the Piegans stole them. 1862 Montana Gold Rush brings illegal miners to foothills of Rockies, well
within hunting grounds reserved for Blackfeet by 1855 Treaty. Small,
bloody encounters become frequent. 1863 Blackfeet see neither Agent nor annuities promised by 1855 Treaty. New
Agent arrives at very end of year, describes Blackfeet as "degraded
savages." Things get worse and liquor flows more freely. 1864 Scarlet Fever kills an estimated 1,000 Blackfeet. 1865 U.S. Government persuades a small group of leaders from Blackfoot
Confederacy to sign a later unratified Treaty reducing official Blackfoot
country by well over 2,000 square miles, in return for about one million
dollars. Blackfeet and whites murder each other, even within Fort Benton.
Governor of Montana fears war is imminent and helps plan military action
against the Blackfeet, who avoid conflict by moving North into Canada. 1866 American whiskey traders driven out of Montana into lawlwss Alberta area,
where they build Fort Stand Off and other liquor posts, increasing
problems. North Piegan war party burns down Blackfoot agency farm on Sun
River. Nearby Jesuit mission is abandoned. Head Chief Little Dog, and
son, murdered by drunken Piegans near Fort Benton for being too friendly
with whites. Economy: 1 buffalo robe = 2 tin cups whiskey
1 fast horse = 4 gallons of whiskey 1867 Fort Shaw on Sun River becomes first U.S. Army post in Blackfoot country,
near new Blackfoot agency. 1869 Smallpox epidemic kills 2,000 Blackfeet. Popular Montana rancher Matcolm
Clarke is killed by relatives of his Blackfoot wife, leading to cries for
revenge. 1870 Major Baker leads large cavalry force from Fort Shaw to arrest killers of
Clarke. In the depths of winter they attack the wrong Piegan camp and
kill 173 people, mostly women and children. This only armed conflict
between Blackfeet and U.S. troops becomes known as the "Baker Massacre."
The last large intertribal battle takes place near Lethbridge, Alberta,
when Cree and Assiniboin forces attack a Blood camp on the Belly River,
not realizing that angry and well-armed Piegan "reugees" from the Montana
troubles are camped nearby. Attackers lose between 200 and 300 men. 1871 U.S. Congress declares end of treaty-making with Indian tribes and
nations. Ranchers begin raising cattle along the Sun River, claiming the
Blackfeet have too much land. 1873 U.S. Government arbitrarily moves southern boundary of Blackfoot country
north by 200 miles, thowing open a huge piece of territory for
settlement. Blackfeet are neither consulted nor paid. 1874 Mounted Police detachment brings law and order to Canadian Blackfoot
country and builds Fort Macleod. Northern buffalo herd estimated at four
million head, roaming Blackfoot country and centering around Sweet Grass
Hills. 1876 New Blackfoot agency built on Badger Creek, within new reduced
reservation in Montana. Blackfeet reject tobacco sent by Souix, asking
them to join in battle against whites, after Custer's defeat. I.G.Baker of
Fort Benton ships 75,000 buffalo robes to the East. Ranchers and settlers
begin to arrive in Canadian Blackfoot territory. 1877 Treaty Seven is signed at Blackfoot Crossing in Canada. Siksika, Bloods
and North Piegans separate from South Piegans and the U.S.Government,
although members from all divisions continue to go back and forth across
the border for some years, to collect treaty goods and payments. 1879 Buffalo virtually disappear from Canadian prairies, forcing government to
issue beef rations to Canadian Blackfeet for first time. South Piegans
make last great buffalo hunt in Judith Basin country of Montana. 1881 Mange epidemic said to have killed about half of Piegan horses, making
younger warriors eager to raid enemy camps, in spite of peace treaties
signed by older chiefs. Winter buffalo hunt in Montana not very
successful. 1882 Large buffalo herd discovered on reservation, south of Sweet Grass Hills.
Blackfeet make final tribal hunt. Each year more Indians depend on
government agency for food as buffalo disappear. 1883 Only a few buffalo killed. About 3,000 Indians living by agency when
rations start to run out in late winter. Government red tape holds up
additional food; people start starving. Agency gardens a complete failure 1884 Last wild buffalo killed by Blackfeet; four lone animals near Sweet Grass
Hills. "Starvation Winter" kills several hundred South Piegans
(one-fourth to one-sixth of tribe) before sufficient rations arrive. About
2,000 surviving South Piegans settle within 15 miles of their agency. 1889 Last Blackfoot war party to take enemy scalps - combined group of Bloods
and Piegans. So-called "old days" are now over.

Ref: Clan Munro files - Munro, Henry Dallas - GEDCOM file HMUNRO.GED dated 9

Hugh married Sinopah Kit Fox Woman about 1820 in Northwest Terr. Sinopah was born in 1796-1798 in Dakota Territory; died about 1880 in , , , Canada. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

BIO:"SINOPAH" KIT FOX WOMAN - WIFE OF HUGH, THE WHITE BLACKFOOT

BIO:George Bird Grinnell in one of his books about the Indians - PAWNEE, BLACKFOOT AND CHEYENNE (Scribner's, NY, 1913) documents Indian accounts of the coming of the white men and the acquisition of horses by the Blackfeet.

TBL:"..I presume that their first horses may have come into the hands of the Blackfeet in about 1804-6 or in the very earliest years of the present century (1800). This would agree fairly well with the statement of Mr. Hugh Munroe, who says that in 1813, when he first came among this people, they has possessed horses for a short time only, and had recently begun to make war excursions to the south on a large scale for the purpose of securing more horses from their enemies. Hugh Munroe's wife, who was born about 1796-98, used to say when she was a small girl the Piegans had no horses, dogs being their only beasts of burden.."

BIO:Sinopah, the daughter of Pikuni Chief Lone Walker by one of his nine wives, was only about seventeen years old when Hugh began his travels with the Small Robes band. As a constant companion of her brother, Red Crow, Hugh would be in intimate contact with Sinopah for several years before their marriage by "Indian Custom" in about 1820. Although women may have married young, it was the custom among the Pikuni in these early years that the young men had to achieve a certain maturity in life experience as well as age before they married. At twenty-one years of age, Hugh was marrying at an early age - perhaps allowances were made for his unique status in Lone Walker's family. In a culture where most young women were the victims of "arranged marriages," one wonders if perhaps this marriage was an exception? Perhaps Hugh was repeating the action of his father in becoming enamored of a young woman he could not forget ! The union of Rising Wolf and Sinopah seemed to be one of genuine love and affection and lasted well over fifty years. Together they raised a happy, close-knit family - surely a reflection of their own love for each other.

BIO:In the sketchy records that survive among the Blackfoot accounts, seven children are documented for Sinopah and Hugh. It is most likely that there were also other children born besides those documented as there are long periods between some of the birth dates. Many infants and children were lost among the Blackfoot families during the years of harsh winters and disease epidemics.

BIO:Sinopah and Hugh spent many years of their life trapping above the 49th Parallel in Canada, although Hugh also later anchored his life around Fort Benton, the American Fur Company post on the Missouri River, in the present state of Montana. After the Civil War, when the area became over-run with traders, soldiers, miners and other "riff-raff" of impending civilization, Rising Wolf and Sinopah left Fort Benton to go north to the "Saskatchewan Country" to trap for beaver in the spring of 1873. (See William Jackson account) Their grandson stated that he never saw his grandmother again - she died before Hugh returned to the Blackfoot reservation in the late 1880's. No record has been found of her death.

BIO:BLACKFOOT INDIAN CULTURE

BIO:The Blackfoot were a confederacy of three tribes with an Alongquian background also known as the Siksika: the Blackfoot proper, the Blood or "Kainah" and the Piegan, or Pikuni, meaning "Small Robes," located along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, south of the Marias River.

BIO:Each of the three tribes was divided into autonomous bands, with the Piegan having at least 23. In the winter the bands lived separately, usually in sheltered river valleys. In summer the bands would gather by tribe to hunt buffalo and celebrate the Sun Dance. Each band was led by a head man; the head men together formed the tribal council, and selected the tribal chief. The Blackfoot were famous horsemen, hunters and warriors who were greatly feared by their enemies.

BIO:The Blackfoot religion was very rich in both group ceremony and personal expression. Medicine bundles, consisting of a collections of sacred objects, were owned by individuals as well as bands and societies. Group ceremonies, such as the annual Sun Dance, were occasions for personal sacrifice and offerings.

BIO:The buffalo skin tipi was the usual house style of the Blackfoot as well as other nomadic Plains Indians. The women constructed and put up the tipi. Other duties of the women included dressing hides, making clothing, gathering, cooking, storing food, carrying food and water, and all work connected with packing and moving camp. Women owned the tipis, travois, household implements and the horses they rode.

BIO:The Blackfoot were primarily buffalo hunters, but supplemented their diet by gathering wild foods such as turnips, potatoes, onions, cherries, plumbs and berries. Meat and plant foods were usually dried and stored. Pemmican was made of dried, pounded meat mixed with dried berries or chokecherries and stored in skin bags. They also hunted or trapped deer, elk or antelope, but buffalo was the preferred game, providing them also with food, shelter, clothing, tools and utensils.

BIO:Decorative art included quill work and beadwork, usually applied to clothing. Women wore a long one-piece skin dress belted at the waist. Men wore skin shirts, leggings and moccasins.

Ref: Clan Munro files - Munro, Henry Dallas - GEDCOM file HMUNRO.GED dated 9
Oct 1996

The following account is extracted from "Montana Its Story and Biography" Vol. III; Tom Stout, editor; copyright 1921; p. 1438. Since this narrative says Sinopah was 92 years old, it must have been written about 1880-1890.

The romance in the life of the aged lady, known to her tribe as the Fox woman, but to her white neighbors as Mrs. Mary Monroe, reads like a novel, but it is true, and the fact that she and her husband lived very happily together after consummating their love affair, is also authentic.

Coming to the tribe of Blackfoot Indians a youth of eighteen years as a representative of the great Hudson Bay Company, Hugh Monroe, a Frenchman, was hampered in his dealings on account of his fear of them which grew out of his not understanding them or their methods of doing business.

While trying to negotiate with them for the purchase of their furs, he happened to see the daughter of the chief, known to her people as the Fox woman, and a love which never died was kindled in his breast, but he was not permitted to speak with her, nor could he tell if he had made a favorable impression upon her, for the little Indian maiden modestly dropped her eyes and ran away.

Rendered almost desperate through learning of the presence of another suitor who was a member of her tribe, Hugh Monroe sought some other means to recommend him to her father and in vain, until one day he saw the chief trying to light his pipe. Holding out his hand he motioned to the chief to let him have it, and the surrounding Indians thought that had sealed his fate, as the pipe was not for the hands of strangers.

Probably, however, the chief knew more of this young man's character than he had hitherto admitted, for to the surprise of all, he gave it to young Monroe and stolidly watched him. This was long before the days of matches, and travelers like young Monroe carried what was called a sun glass with them. By directing the sun's rays on the glass he was able to light the pipe, and after taking a puff of it to see that it was properly lighted, he handed it back to the chief. The latter uttered a cry which made the young man feel that his last hour had come, but which was merely a summons for his warriors with whom he held a conference, all of them smoking the pipe young Monroe had lighted.

As a result of this conference he was made a member of the tribe and the husband of the Indian princess. They were married according to Indian custom, the man raising his right hand in the presence of the chief and promising to remain with and care for the woman the rest of her life. He was furnished with a wigwam, richly supplied with furs, and the chief taking him to his band of horses told him to take what he wanted of them.

The confidence displayed in him was never regretted. He took his wife's name of Fox among the Indians as was their custom, and lived with the tribe the remainder of his life, learning their language and wearing their dress. He and his wife had ten children.

She survives him and is now ninety-two years old. Mrs. Monroe is cared for by her niece, Mrs. Maggie Fox, a daughter of Edward and Maggie (Monroe) Houseman. Mrs. Maggie Fox has two daughters and one son, namely: Edith D., Olive C., and Cecil. These children have been well educated and attended both the Government and public schools of Montana. The daughters have magnificent heads of hair reaching to their knees.

Mrs. Fox's mother was a very handsome French half-breed, who was also noted for the luxuriance of her hair. When sitting in a chair she could throw her hair over the back of the chair and it would reach to the floor in great waves.

Leonard Fox, husband of Mrs. Maggie Fox, was a veteran of the war between the North and South.

The Fox residence is at Glacier Park, where the family is engaged in ranching. Their neighborly kindness has made them a large circle of friends.