South Dakota State Archives Manuscript Collections

A Narrative History of Crow Creek Reservation and Fort Thompson Community with Special Emphasis Upon the History of the Fort Thompson Vocational Boarding School, 1863-1941.

(H98-055) The collection consists of a manuscript prepared by principal Adolph G. Johnson of the Fort Thompson Community School, Crow Creek Indian Agency, Fort Thompson (S.D.) dated April 1, 1941. As mentioned in the introduction, the manuscript was written, “for the purpose of providing the people of Crow Creek and Fort Thompson with a record of their past history.” And that the write-up will present, “a portrait of the people of Crow Creek Reservation history, folklore, scenery, cultural backgrounds, social and economic life and their growth and development.” The collection consists of a thirty page typewritten manuscript and fifty-six pages of accompanying black and white snapshot photographs. Photographs of students in 1887 and 1935 through 1941 are included along with buildings, and staff members. The bulk of the photographs date from the 1930s through the 1940s.

H98-055 South Dakota State Historical Society

A NARRATIVE HISTORY OF CROW CREEK RESERVATION AND FORT THOMPSON COMMUNITY WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS UPON THE HISTORY OF THE FORT THOMPSON VOCATIONAL BOARDING AND DAY SCHOOL, 1863-1941.

Fort Thompson Community School Crow Creek Indian Agency Fort Thompson, South Dakota Adolph G. Johnson, Principal April 1, 1941

Foreword

This “History of the Fort Thompson Community” was undertaken for the purpose of providing the people of Crow Creek and Fort Thompson with a record of their past history. To understand the community and ourselves we must know our inheritance—the qualities and creations from the past which condition the present. The childhood experiences of an individual explain to a degree the adult behavior of that individual. Similarly, the past experiences of a race of people are a key to an understanding of the present. A history must, therefore, be a life-story of the people about whom it is written. It is hoped that this little record presents a portrait of the people of Crow Creek Reservation history, folklore, scenery, cultural backgrounds, social and economic life and their growth and development.

One does not realize the rich historical background of the people of this reservation until one undertakes a task such as writing this history. The history of Crow Creek and Fort

Thompson are closely related to the history of our nation. The Missouri River was the main highway for travelers going to the Pacific Northwest. Fort Thompson was fortunate in being located on this highway. Past our doors have traveled the host of personages and settlers who were largely responsible for the settlement and development of our state, Montana, North Dakota and the Pacific Coast region. Many of these hardy frontiersmen and explorers are practically unknown to many of the people today. It is hoped that this history will help to create an appreciation for the efforts, courage and sacrifices made by these people.

The writing of this history had its beginning in 1936 when I began to look for information and materials to use in our social science classes. Information readily available was extremely difficult to find. There was quite a store of information and material but it was bound up in old agency records, state historical records, and many records now found only in the Historical

Records of our neighboring state of North Dakota and Minnesota. Valuable information is found in writings of famous explorers and frontiersman such as Luther Kelly, known as Yellowstone

Kelly, who knew this country almost as well as the Indians who lived here. Lewis and Clark’s

Journal is also an excellent source of information. One source of records that has hardly been touched are the records left by military men who served on the frontier in the early years.

Anthropology records would yield much more information on the cultural backgrounds of the people of Crow Creek Reservation than is given in this short story. To really do justice to this job would require months of full time research into past records. Much valuable information has been obtained from conversations with ‘old timers’ who are still living among us. A few more years and this fruitful source of information will be lost as there only a few real ‘old timers’ left.

Mr. Joe Irving is possibly the only person living here at present who attended the early Mission

Schools before Government took over the responsibility for the education of the Indian children.

A request was received from Mr. George Wells, Superintendent of Indian Education for the Dakota area, that we write up the history of the Fort Thompson Community School. Since the larger project, the history of the Crow Creek Reservation, was already half completed, except for the typing, the history of the school has been included as part pf the history of the whole community.

I wish to express my appreciation to all who have helped in supplying information and assistance in this undertaking. No doubt there are some errors in this history, but I have tried to get as accurate as possible from available existing sources of information. Errors are the result of mission rather commission.

Adolph G. Johnson Principal

A NARRATIVE HISTORY OF FORT THOMPSON COMMUNITY

The first inhabitants who lived in the Fort Thompson Community were, so far as can be known at this time, the Arickara or Ree Indians. How long the Arickara Indians lived in the central part of South Dakota near the Missouri River is largely a matter of speculation; but apparently it was for many generations. In examining the artifacts found buried in the bottom and near the top of their refuse piles near their former camps, one can notice a distinct growth in culture and artistic ability. From this evidence one would judge that they lived in this region for a very long time before the white man reached the shores of America. About forty miles from here at Ree Heights, South Dakota is a high hill that is said to have been used as a gathering place for ceremonies by the Ree Indians.

No doubt their first means of transportation overland was walking and carrying their burdens on their backs. Later they used the travels and possibly used a tamed wolf to pull it.

Other Indians also used this method of getting from place to place. The horse came into use in this territory much later and we can find no evidence that the Arickara Indians used the horse at the time they lived in the Fort Thompson Community.

The Arickara Indians had quite substantial homes and apparently they lived in villages.

Traces of these homes and villages are found near the mouth of Crow Creek and at other sites a few miles up the Missouri River from Ft. Thompson. Their winter homes consisted of round earth lodges such as have recently been reconstructed at Ft. Lincoln State Park, five miles south of Mandan North Dakota by Civilian Conservation Corps. These homes were very large and warm and sometimes several families (with their dogs and other property) used one lodge.

We do know that the Arickara Indians cultivated corn and vegetables. They made implements from shoulder blades of the buffalo, the chief implement being the hoe. The principal products were beans pumpkins, corn and squashes. The women did practically all the work in the garden and they lived constantly in their garden to protect them from insects and other wild animals. Needles, awls and other tools were made by the men and women from the long bones of animals. Some of them were used in making tents, clothing, etc. from the skins of animals. Narrow strips of rawhide were used for lacing. We do not know when the Arickara

Indians began to tan animal skins by scraping off the flesh and manipulating it with their hands to make it soft and pliable.

The chief weapon used by the Arickara Indians was the bow and arrow. They made the bows of ash and cedar and they were almost straight with a cord of rawhide extending from end to end. It was no easy task to bend the bow with sufficient force to kill an animal, especially a buffalo. The arrow was usually made of ash and was about two feet in length. A piece of flint or bone was attached to the point and at the other end a web of feather was inserted upon three sides so that the barbs aided the shaft to keep its course in flight.

Each tribe had a special pattern of its own which is used almost exclusively in making arrows. From the form of these arrows it is possible to identify the makers of them quite accurately. The Arickaras made a small point about three-quarters of an inch in length and a half inch wide at the base. They were very thin and delicate. The hunting arrows were notched near the base so they might be attached firmly to the shaft and be recovered for further use, but the war arrows were loosely inserted into the split shaft that they might penetrate and remain in the body of the enemy.

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The Sioux arrows are larger and heavier than those of the Arickara Indians and are about two inches long and an inch wide and a quarter of an inch thick in the middle. The war arrow has a wedge shape at the top for insertion in the split shaft, but the hunting arrow has a flat head upon it by means of which it can be bound to the shaft

Horses were first introduced into the American continent by Europeans by way of South and Central America. History teaches us that the Spanish and Portuguese conquistadors were the first to use horses in America. Many of these horses escaped and multiplied very rapidly, running in large herds on the plains until captured and tamed by the Indians. Scientists say that specie of the horse roamed the American continent long before mankind but we have no written record of this period. The Verendrye brothers state in their journal of their travels in this region in 1738 that the Indians had large herds of horses and that they were very good riders and very fond of their horses. They used the pelvis bones of the buffalo for s saddle. The horse helped change the entire life and economy of the Indians in this territory. It made it possible for them to take their belongings and go great distances from their permanent homes which were located along the Missouri River. The horse became a source of wealth and anyone having several horses had a great prestige and political power within the tribe.

The Dakota or Sioux, which had bilingual differences, were divided into three groups, namely Santee, Yankton and Teton. The Sioux lived originally in the forested region of the

North Central States, but they gradually sold or lost their land and moved westward into what is now the state of Minnesota and still later into the Dakotas. By this time they had acquired horses and firearms and became very powerful and extended their borders to embrace an empire in the center of the continent. History tells us that they traded with the white man as early as the middle of the seventeenth century. As the Sioux moved westward they came into conflict with

the Arickara Indians who already inhabited this region. A series of wars between the Sioux and

Arickara Indians continued for many years. They were unable to drive the Arickaras from their fortified towns but they did drive off the Buffalo herds and drove them so far that the Arickara

Indians found hunting to be a difficult matter and it seriously interfered with their meat supply.

Hunger finally compelled the Arickaras to leave their fortified villages and follow the buffalo herds. Bands of Sioux warriors preyed upon the Arickara hunters and killed many of them. The

Arickaras after more than forty years of constant warfare, were fin ally compelled to leave their homes and move to new territory where their hunters could find buffalo. They moved northward up the Missouri River and built a new group of fortified villages near the mouth of the Cheyenne

River where it flows into the Missouri. Here they remained for a few years when pressure from the Sioux again forced them to move still farther up the Missouri River. They finally settled at a site about thirty miles north of the present city of Mandan, North Dakota at the mouth of the

Knife River. Here Lewis and Clark found them in 1804 living in close relationship and proximity to the Gros Ventre and Hidatse Indian tribes. Descendants of these people are now living in the same place on what is now the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation.

It was the Missouri River which made it possible for the early explorers and trappers to reach this territory. The first white man coming on this region was Pierre Verendrye who came from Fort Assiniboine on the Assiniboine River in Canada. He made several trips down the

Great Lakes and at one time reached the Lake of the Woods in Northern Minnesota. At another time he reached the Assiniboine River in Canada where he built a fort among the Assiniboine

Indians. On one of his trips in the year of 1731 he traveled across country from this fort through what is now the Turtle Mountains of North Dakota and reached the Missouri River near what is now Sanish, North Dakota. He is the first white man to see the Missouri River in

Page 3 this region that we have any record of. History tells us that Spanish traders came into this region from Mexico to trade with the Indians in the middle of the seventeenth century and that they brought the horse to this region. Tradition teaches us that the territory between the Cannon Ball and Heart Rivers in North Dakota was the meeting place of all Indians in this region and these

Spanish traders for the purpose of trade. Tradition says that this territory was sacred and that a truce existed by which all tribes agreed not to carry warfare in this territory. Written records are not very dependable for this period (1650-1750) but if it is correct that Spanish traders came into this region, they came through the present community of Fort Thompson. As far as we know

Pierre Verendrye did not get this far south, but in 1738 his two sons followed their father’s route and reached the Missouri River at Sanish or Washburn, North Dakota. Here they left the River and started westward to find the Missouri River and to learn if it emptied into the Pacific. These two brothers turned south and reached the Big Horn Mountains in Montana and then turned eastward. They finally reached the present site of Fort Pierre, South Dakota where they buried a lead plate claiming all this territory for France. From reading the records of their trip one has reason to suppose that they were in the region of Fort Thompson but they left no accurate record as to which ‘Big Bend’ in the Missouri River they visited. One ‘Big Bend’ is just north of Fort

Thompson on the Crow Creek Reservation.

In 1787 traders and trappers began to come up the Missouri River into this territory from

St. Louis Missouri. They brought many trinkets with them to trade to the Indians for furs, particularly beaver furs, which were in such demand in the eastern states and England for making hats. These traders also brought ‘fire water’ or whiskey which was considered a necessary adjunct in all commercial transactions. It is said that for a rife the Indian would give a pile of

beaver skins equal to the length of the rifle. This might explain why the rifles found in this region are so long.

Joseph Garreau in 1787 came up the Missouri from St. Louis to the mouth of the

Cheyenne River and no doubt was in the present region of Ft. Thompson. He left no written record of his travels. In 1792 and again in 1794 Jacques D’Eglise came up the Missouri to the mouth of the Cheyenne River. He left no written record but the descriptions and impressions of the country were told were told to others who wrote them down. In 1794 a group of ten white men headed by John Baptiste Trudeau, representing the ‘Commercial Company for the

Discovery of Nations of the Upper Missouri; from St. Louis, Missouri came up the river with a large cargo of merchandise for trade with the Indians. They had planned to go to the Arickara and Mandan Indians in what is now North Dakota. They arrived at the present site of Ft.

Thompson and there met a party of Teton Sioux on September 30th, among them were several

Yankton Indians and Trudeau was a poor trader with Indians as they bullied and frightened him and robbed him of most his merchandise. They held him prisoner from September 30th to

October 2nd. When he escaped and went up the cliffs just below the present site of the Lower

Brule Sub-agency. Here he hid the remaining goods in one of the crevasses of the cliff, sunk his boat and by using a circuitous route, went to the Arickara Indians.

Trudeau kept a journal of his experiences and in this he says the Sioux at Ft. Thompson caused him great embarrassment and pain. They did not hurt him but really wanted to trade with him. He would not trade with them as he was saving his merchandise to trade with the Arickara

Indians, who were the enemies of the Sioux. The Sioux just helped themselves to his merchandise and gave him such furs as they thought would compensate him for his merchandise.

They saw that he was frightened and so took advantage of him. The Arickaras helped recover his boat and goods later.

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An extensive trade in furs and pelts was carried on in the South Dakota Territory from

1790-1865. Since most of the trade went into the markets by way of the Missouri River much of it passed by Ft. Thompson down the river and much of the trading took place in the Ft.

Thompson vicinity. It was the chief occupation of the whites and Indians for some time. Much of the trade was under the direction of the Upper Missouri Trading Company, a subsidiary of the

American Fur Company, a nationwide organization with headquarters in New York City.

Commodities, fire arms, trinkets, etc. were the chief products exchanged for furs and pelts.

Some of the fur traders married Indian women and reared families and a number of them sent their children to St. Louis and other cities to be educated in white schools. As these children returned to their communities they introduced new ideas that were gradually adopted by their people. Many of these mixed bloods later became scouts, interpreters etc. for the United States army during the military campaigns. Some of them traveled in the cities of the east and helped the white people to get a better understanding of the problems of the plains Indians.

Beaver skins were in great demand in the cities of the east and in England at this time.

They were used chiefly for making the famous beaver hat used from 1770-1850. Beavers were native to the Dakotas and were found in practically all streams. A huge fur trade grew up in this territory and was centered at Ft. Pierre. A Trader by the name of Jacob Ralsey traded at Ft.

Pierre during the year of 1832 and his accounts show that he secured five packs of Beaver skins from the Arickara Indian villages alone that year. A pack had about one hundred pelts or eighty skins and the value of his beavers alone were over $2000 for that year. As much as fifty packs of

beaver were shipped from Ft. Pierre one spring. In the spring of 1834 a trading store was established at Crow Creek under the management of Colin Campbell. This store was a branch of the store at Ft. Pierre Choteau near the present site of Ft. Pierre, South Dakota. Other branch stores were also established in this territory where Indians could bring their furs for exchange for white man’s wares. The Indians thought the white man a strange character and stupid to trade those treasurers for vermillion paint, mirrors, rings, calicoes, ribbons, tin pans, guns; and such luxuries as sugar and coffee; and such useful articles as blankets and traps for skins which anyone could get with little effort. The trappers, on the other hand, looked upon the Indian as very stupid for trading such valuable things as beaver furs for his wares which he could buy cheap in the cities. Neither the white man nor the Indian lost any sleep worrying about such little thing as cheating each other, but the white man possibly was shrewder in driving bargains.

During the War of 1812 between the United States and England, British agents were sent into Dakotas to inflame the Indians against the United States. To counteract this, the

Government sent Manuel Lisa into the territory as special agent for all the Indians in the upper

Missouri region with the special task of keeping the Sioux from aiding the British. He built Ft.

Manual Lisa near Big Bend twenty miles up river from Ft. Thompson near what is now the site of DeGray, South Dakota. Here he kept a large stock of goods for the Indian trade. He took genuine interest in the people and cared for the sick, old and crippled at the post. He kept in stock such things as seeds, poultry and cattle and tried to teach the Indians a new economy of life from that of moving about and hunting the buffalo. He had a small shop at the fort and taught the

Indians how to use some simple tools as the saw, claw hammer etc.

Most of the merchandise for the Indian trade was carried up the Missouri River in keel boats. These were sixty to seventy feet long, fifteen to eighteen feet wide and with a hold of

three to four feet deep. Goods were stacked five feet above the deck. It had sails to use when winds were favorable and at other times was propelled by

Page 5 forty men on shore who drew on a long line attached to the bow. In shallow water they used long poles to push the boat ahead. In 1831 Pierre Chouteau made a small steamboat with a flat bottom for navigation of the shallow Missouri River. Life at Ft. Thompson as at other trading posts along the Missouri was rather dull and uninteresting. Receiving Indians who came to trade, watching the country for buffalo, cutting wood for fuel were among the daily tasks.

Hunting was a sport as well as a chore in order to keep the tables supplied with fresh meat. Once or twice a year bundles of newspapers came in from the outside world. Read until practically memorized.

It is thought that Manuel Lisa brought the first domestic cats into the region. In his journal of July 31, 1812 one of his employees by the name of John Littig says ‘This morning we lost our old she cat; at breakfast I missed her and sent a man to find her. He returned in the evening with the cat, to the great satisfaction of all. An animal of this kind is more valuable in this country than a horse. Mice are in great abundance and the company has lost several thousands of dollars in merchandise.’ Lisa also brought the first hogs, chickens and milk cows into this country. The Indians gathered around to watch him milk and were amazed at the way he pulled the cows teats to draw the milk.

In 1804 the Lewis and Clark expedition passed through Ft. Thompson on their way to the

Pacific. They made a record of their experiences and explorations at this place. The party had forty-three men and they traveled in three large boats, the large one being fifty-five feet long and propelled with twenty-two oars; also had sails to take advantage of favorable winds. Upper

decks and cabins were built into the stern and bow. The smaller boats had six oars each. One of the interesting facts pertaining to this region is that the party camped on American Island at

Chamberlain, twenty miles south of Ft. Thompson. It is here that history says Captain Clark wrapped a newly born Indian baby in an American flag to ‘make good American out of him.’

Treaties of friendship were signed by the Indians and Captains Lewis and Clark in which they pledged their allegiance to the government of United States.

One of the most fascinating men for the Indians was a colored man by name of York, a slave serving Captain Clark’s personal servant. York played on the violin and sang well and could ‘dance’ on his hands with his feet in the air, so the Indians said. He could walk on his hands and this amused the Indians. At first the Indians were shy of York as they never seen a colored man before. They walked around him, pulled his hair, spit on their fingers and tried to rub off what they thought was black paint. They thought his curly black hair and broad nose were peculiar and no doubt it took them some time before they would believe that he was not a white man painted black. York became the glamour man of the party and was especially well- liked by the women because of his genial good nature and his ability to fascinate them tricks and feats of magic.

Captain Clark states in his journal that he took with him the following articles “well stacked medicine chest, 1200 pounds parchmeal (corn), 1100 pounds common meal, 2600 pounds hulled corn, 4100 pounds flour, 500 pounds biscuit, 750 pounds salt, 3705 pounds salt pork, 170 pounds soap and candles, 50 pounds coffee, 100 pounds beans and peas, 112 pounds sugar, 250 pounds lard, 21 bales of Indian goods and tools of every description.” They expected to get most of their living by hunting and fishing.

Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, was responsible for this expedition. He instructed them to induce some of the chiefs to visit Washington and bring some

Children to be educated in white schools.

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Captain Clark was a brother of George Rogers Clark of Revolutionary War fame and Captain

Lewis was related to George Washington by marriage.

The expedition passed by Buffalo County and Ft. Thompson on September 19, 1804 and

Captain Clark tells of it in his characteristic way as follows: “Passed a large Island called

Prospect Island opposite this Island the three rivers comes in, passing there a beautiful plain, here

I walked on shore and killed a fat cow and sent her to the boat and proceeded on the first of three rivers, this river is about 35 yards wide and on it little timber, on the second river (Wolf) which is small 12 yards wide and on it the Sioux frequently camped. The third creek (Campbell) is near the size of the second. “Those rivers is the place that all nations who meet are at peace with each other and is called the Sioux Pass of the three Rivers.” It is now thought that these three rivers are the three creeks located on the reservation a short distance from the agency namely Soldier Creek at the agency, Campbell Creek south of the agency, and Crow Creel about eight miles south of the agency. Lewis and Clark passed Ft. Thompson again in 1806 on their return trip from the Pacific coast.

Sakakawea, wife of Toussaint Charbonneau, and guide for the Lewis and Clark expedition, passed by Ft. Thompson several times on their various trips to St. Louis to visit

Captain Clark who had promised to give him land and help him in business. Sakakawea died on

December 20, 1812 of what was thought to be diphtheria, leaving a boy named Toussaint ten years of age, and a girl, Lysette, age one. Captain Clark educated both of these children in St.

Louis. Captain Lewis died possibly by suicide on September 18, 1809 while on a trip from St.

Louis to Washington. Captain Clark died at St. Louis September 11, 1838.

The John Jacob Astor part passed by Ft. Thompson in 1811 on their way to establish a fur trading post at the mouth of the Columbia River at the present site of Astoria Oregon. This party stopped and prepared a meal on the west bank of the Missouri opposite Ft. Thompson. A group of Yankton Indians had seen them from across the river and tried to prevent them from going up the river as they thought they were supplying arms and ammunition to the Arickara Indians with whom they were at war. After some delay and assurance that the party was going to the Pacific coast, they permitted them to proceed. One member of this expedition named Pratt married an

Indian wife and later settled among the Indians as a trader and interpreter.

In 1832 George Catlin, the famous artist, came up the Missouri River on the steamer

Yellowstone. At the mouth of the Niobrara River the boat stuck on the sand bar and he and another member of the party left the steamer and walked past Ft. Thompson to Ft. Pierre. Catlin is famous for his fine Indian portraits. At the mouth of Crow Creek he came on an Indian village where he invited two Indian chiefs to sit for their pictures. The chiefs did not understand what he was doing and when he showed them his work they were astonished. They stood in awed silence and looked first at the portraits then at each other and then at the artist, and fin ally at his palette of brushes. The chiefs called their people together to see the pictures. They immediately recognized their chiefs and some went off in the jarring dance others commenced to yell, some to cry; others just stood in mute silence with hands over their mouths. Some even became indignant and fired their arrows into the air causing Mr. Catlin a great deal of worry and fright.

He finally learned what it was all about. The Indians came to the conclusion that Catlin was the greatest medicine man of all resulting in jealousy among other medicine men. After some time,

they became friendly and feasted him on dog meat which he says he ate without relish. Catlin spent eight years among the Indians painting their chiefs, teepees, babies, hunting expeditions, etc. He was at Ft. Thompson several times in his travels up and down the Missouri.

Audubon, the great naturalist, passed by Ft. Thompson in 1843.

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Older Indians say that family pride among the Sioux is exceptionally strong and that it is practically a caste system. The upper class among the Sioux resent familiarity on the part of the lower classes and that few men from the lower classes ever achieve tribal honors and then only by bravery or other heroic exploits.

The Sioux buried their dead above ground on a scaffold in their early days. They also bound the dead bodies to the upper branches of trees. The government and missionaries taught the Indians to adopt the white man’s system of using cemeteries and two of these, one Catholic and one Protestant , are located on the hills north and west of the fort.

Many steamboats began to come up the river after 2830 and these brought trappers and traders and adventurers, some intermarried with Indians and their children and grandchildren now make up a large part of the present day mixed blood population on our reservation. Several steamboat lines operated out of St. Louis and by end of 1876 they were going as far as Ft.

Benton, Montana with cargoes of goods. Some of the lines were the Nellie Peck, Western, Black

Hills, Rosebud, Big Horn, Muscatine and Peninah. These boats had sleeping quarters and dining quarters for passengers. They used wool for fuel and Crow Creek was one place they stopped to take on wood. Many men known as ‘wood-hawks’ made their living chopping wood for sale to the lines.

It is thought that the first white women to come to Ft. Thompson was Pelagia La Barge, wife of a steam boat captain, who visited here and purchased wood in 1847. Possibly others were here before this time but we find no record of it. On this boat was a man named Matlock who was in charge of a large annuity goods that he was taking to Ft. Pierre to distribute to various tribes in accordance with treaties signed between the government and Indians. The

Indians at Crow Creek attacked the boat and tried to compel Mr. Matlock to give them their share of goods at Ft. Thompson and save them a trip to Ft. Pierre. To do this would have been contrary to orders given to Mr. Matlock. The Indians refused to let Mr. Matlock load wood and until he could fuel for his boilers he could go no farther. Finally Etinne Prevost, famous frontiersmen, who was a passenger on the boat got permission from the Indians to load the wood.

The ‘Martha’ was tied up to the wood pile for some time and while waiting it seems the Indians had gotten possession of the boat, flooded the boiler and put out the fire. Nathan Griscomb, and a man named, La Barge, managed to get the deck gun and loaded it with powder and machine bolts, and before the Indians were aware of what was going on they wheeled it forward and La

Barge stood over it with a lighted cigar in his hand. He told the Indians he would ‘blow them to the devil’ if they did not get off the boat. They lost no time getting off and the trouble was over.

In 1857 the government built a wagon road from Ft. Snelling, Minnesota to Crow Creek.

The bad places were graded and stones were used to pave the river fords. The engineer in charge, William Nobles and it was named for him. Apparently road was not used much.

The American Board of Missions began to establish missions among the Indians quite early, but the Sioux or Dakota Indians had the reputation of being the most savage and therefore most difficult to convert to Christianity. In 1834 Dr. Thomas Williamson and Samuel and

Gideon Pond started a small mission among the Sioux in Minnesota. Most of the Crow Creek

Indians were then living in Minnesota. With the assistance of Stephen Riggs and a mixed blood fur trader, Joseph Renville (for whom Renville county North Dakota is named), they translated the Bible into Dakota or Sioux language. Missionary work was slow and after twenty-five years work only a few had been converted out of possibly 30,000.

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In 1862, the great Sioux Uprising occurred in Minnesota and it spread out over South

Dakota, North Dakota and Montana. It was the last attempt of the Sioux to drive out all whites from their ancient hunting in Minnesota. Failure of the local Indian agent to give out payment and rations due the Indians by treaties with the government is possibly the cause. The Indians had waited for several weeks at Yellow Medicine Indian Agency on the Minnesota River for their payment but the stubborn government agent refused to give out any part of the payment until he could give all of it at one time. He failed to realize the seriousness of the situation as the

Indians were practically starving while the government warehouse was full of food. The Indians knew this and became very impatient at the delay. Little Crow is said to have started the fighting by killing a white settler and then knowing he would be punished, he incited others to do likewise by telling them the Military was coming to punish all. The Seeds of the revolt were there due to encroachment of whites on Indian lands, to failure of the government to carry out its part of the agreement. It must be remembered that the Civil War was then in progress and the

Indian problem did not receive immediate attention as it was considered of less importance than the Civil War and States rights etc. Southern sympathizers were busy among the Indians making all kinds of promises and inciting them to revolt.

The uprising spread rapidly and before it was brought under control, over a thousand white homesteaders had been massacred and hundreds of thousands of dollars in property

destroyed. It was necessary to raise several armies of soldiers to punish the Indian and the attitude of the whites toward the Indian became one great bitterness, because almost every family lost some relative in the massacre. The whites now, instead of being friendly and helpful toward

Indians demanded that he be driven completely out of Minnesota territory; that he be severely punished. Many felt that the only good Indian was a dead one and it took years and years to change the white man’s opinion of the Indian. He overlooked the fact that the Indian is a human being with a soul and that the Indian had as many laudable characteristics as the white man. The

Indians attacked Ft. Ridgely, Minnesota and were beaten back several times and would have taken it had not reinforcement arrived. They attacked the new settlement of New Ulm,

Minnesota, burned the town and massacred the people. They attacked Ft. Abercrombie on the

Red River in North Dakota and all frontier forts and settlements were in a state of sage. White settlers hurried to larger cities and forts for protection. Missionary buildings were burned missionaries killed. The work of twenty-five years seemed lost.

The Governor of Minnesota Territory called for volunteers to form an army to punish the

Indians. General Sibley started from St. Paul with over 4000 soldiers and traveled up the

Minnesota River into Dakota Territory to a point six miles south of present town of Binford,

North Dakota. Here he left 800 of his men, many of whom were sick, qand started west to the

Missouri River. He fought battles with Indians at McPhails Butte, Stony Lake and dead Buffalo

Lake, and finally drove the remainder across the Missouri River at the mouth of apple Creek, five miles south of Bismarck, North Dakota. Some of the Indians returned to the east side of the

Missouri River and started on their way back to Minnesota when General Sully engaged them in battle. General Sully with cavalry from Nebraska and Iowa came up the Missouri from Yankton and he was supposed to meet General Sibley and prevent the Indians from crossing the river.

Low water prevented him from coming in time and when he did arrive, General Sibley, who had waited for him for a month and whose supplies were getting low had crossed low, had returned to Minnesota. Sully followed the trail of the Indians who had recrossed the river and were on their way to Minnesota, some say to surrender. He caught up with these Indians at a point near

Merricourt, North Dakota and in the battle which was fought 25 soldiers were killed and a large number of Indians. The soldiers were buried and later a monument erected there. It is now called Whitestone Battlefield. It has never been proven that these Indians had any part in the

Minnesota Uprising. Some say they were returning from a hunting expedition when they were attacked. These Indians might have been related to the Lower Yanktons.

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Public opinion began to demand all Indians be driven out of Minnesota and they be compelled to move west of the Missouri River and that all territory west of the Missouri be reserved for the Indians forever. It was planned to let the Indians do as they pleased west of the river. The public mind was clearly shown in the tone of editorials of newspapers. Some offered rewards of $25.00 for five Indian scalps. One result of the whole affair was gradual construction of a series of forts along the frontier garrisoned by soldiers. Some forts constructed from

Yankton north during the next twenty-five years were as follows: Nale, Lookout, Sully, Yates,

Rice, McLean, Lincoln, Stevenson, Berthold, Union, etc. Other forts farther east were Ransom,

Abercrombie (new garrisoned with more soldiers), and Tottem.

Some of the leaders of the uprising fled to Canada, but thousands were rounded up and imprisoned in a large camp at Mankato and St. Paul. Minnesota. Of the group, 300 were to be hanged but President Lincoln commuted the sentences of all except 38. These 38 hanged from a

large scaffold at Mankato. The people gathered for the hanging like they do for a county fair.

Missionaries began the big job of reconverting the Indians to Christianity.

The task of moving the Indians to the Missouri River was begun in earnest as the white population of Minnesota did not want another massacre and many thought the sooner the Indians were moved the less danger there would be another uprising. Some Indians were taken down the

Mississippi River and up the Missouri in over-crowded boats while others were marched across country on foot to the Missouri. On June 1, 1863 about 4000 were conveyed to Usher’s landing on the Missouri by boat. Here they established a reservation which the Santee Sioux and

Winnebago Indians shared. Col. Clark Thompson conducted one group of Indians to the present site of Crow Creek and built Ft. Thompson as an Indian Agency and semi-military post.

Fort Thompson was laid out in a square 300 feet each way. Around the square was a ditch three feet wide and three feet deep. The ditch was dug by Santee women. In this ditch was set cedar pickets about 15 feet long with 12 feet above the ground. On the west side were two stores and a warehouse coming out flush with the pickets. On the north side was the Winnebago school house, interpreters quarters, the agents house, and the doctors quarters. On the corner were the soldier’s barracks. On the east side were the boarding house; blacksmith shop, carpenter shop and wagonmakers shop. On the northwest and Southeast were bastions outside the pickets. The pickets were sawed on the side with the outside left rough. Holes for guns were made eight feet from the ground and twelve feet apart. On the north and south sides was a gate made of same material as pickets. The sawmill was on the west side of the fort and about fifteen rods from it on the edge of the timber. Further on in the heavy timber were the Indian wigwams.

The fort was a half mile from the river and the timber along the Missouri was pretty heavy, but right at the fort the brush was only as high as a horse’s hip.

Two reservations each about ten miles square were established along Soldier Creek which winds around through the fort on the northwest side. One reservation was for Santee

Sioux the other for Winnebagos. The two tribes were unfriendly, quarrels and fights were common. Reverend Luke Walker’s brother was killed in one of those fights. About 4000

Indians were in these two reservations and if they remained there, the government would cloth and feed them. Lack of anything to do was too much for these restless, uncivilized red men and it was difficult for a small garrison of soldiers to keep them in control. Almost all of them were resentful and dissatisfied because they could not come and go as they always had. They demanded back the land that they signed away and practically all of them disliked the country here. They preferred Minnesota to the Dakotas.

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The Winnebagos, homesick and dissatisfied, quietly constructed canoes and slipped away down the Missouri to join friends and relatives in Nebraska, where they were finally established on other reservations. When the Winnebagos left Yanktonais, Two Kettles and Lower Brules

(west of the river) were brought here and the agency at Ft. Thompson has been in continuous operation ever since. Crow Creek now became known as Ft. Thompson.

Reverend Thomas Williamson spent nearly a lifetime preaching among the Indians, especially the Sioux in Minnesota. Reverend John Williamson and Reverend Stephen Riggs worked out a Sioux Dictionary and Grammar in 1852. Before this time the Sioux had no written language and their history and traditions were handed down from one generation to the next by word of mouth. This was the beginning of an attempt to reduce the Sioux language to writing.

Rev. John Williamson came to Ft. Thompson from Minnesota with the Santee in 1863. He held meetings in an agency building but the Indians in a council of chiefs decided they did not want

the white man’s religion. The council appointed Feather-In-The-Ear to tell Rev. Williamson that he would have to discontinue his religious services, but Rev. Williamson refused. A committee went to the agent Col. Thompson and asked him to make the missionary leave, but the Col.

Refused to do this. Indians were sent through the camp to inform all Indians they were forbidden to attend any meeting of the new missionary. Gradually the opposition lessened and many who opposed the missionary now became his friends and helped him spread the gospel among the people.

Rev. John Williamson started a small school at the agency, but older Indians were opposed to the white man’s school as they were to his religion. The school was started in the fall of 1863 in a small agency building . Col. Thompson assisted Rev. Williamson as much as possible to make the school a success. Old Strike made a speech to the Indians in favor of the school and church but he says they opposed him. He sent his own grandchildren to the school.

When they left they were tormented by a crowd of Indian boys and men. Others gathered around the school and looked in the windows at the strange things that the children were doing, and they listened to the singing inside. They were curious about the charts with figures and letters that hung on the walls. Gradually their curiosity overcame them and they began to send their children to school for short periods. Rev. Williamson’s knowledge of the Indian language and customs made him very much in demand as an interpreter for the government agents.

The years from 1863-1866 were hard years for the Santees that remained at Ft.

Thompson. The seasons were dry and no corn or potatoes were produced. The government planned to ship in supplies by boat but the Missouri River was so low it was impossible to navigate it. The government was busy with the Civil War with the supplies for the soldiers had to be met first so provisions for Indian rations were postponed until late. In fact it was late in the

fall before the contracts were let for furnishing supplies and these had to be shipped from

Minnesota which was the nearest point of supply. General Pope in command of the Northwest was in charge and he outfitted an expedition at Mankato on November 5, consisting 136 ox wagons escorted by three companies of soldiers. The country had been burned over for great distances and water was hard to get. It was over 300 miles from Mankato to Ft. Thompson; the snow was deep and weather disagreeable most of the way. Only a few teams arrived at Ft.

Thompson. One by one they dropped exhausted in the snow and their loads had to be left along the trail. The Indians were forbidden to leave the boundaries of the reservation as they were considered prisoners of war for participating in the Minnesota Uprising. It was not proved that these particular Indians had any part in the massacres. The Indians had been disarmed, but

Sounding Heavens took his gun apart and hid the pieces in his tent.

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The Indians were forbidden to leave the boundaries of the reservation and they depended on the government to supply food for the winter, but as stated above the contracts were delayed and the Indians were nearly starving. As the winter came on and still no food the Indians became worried and were almost unmanageable. Col Thompson and his staff became worried and feared violence would break out. Sounding Heavens strayed away from the reservation and later returned telling the Indians he saw a large number of buffalo in the James River valley about where Mitchell, South Dakota is today. The Indians were planning to leave the reservation to hunt the buffalo, but Col. Thompson had strict orders to keep the Indians on the reservation.

As conditions worsened he called Rev. Williamson and others for a conference on what should be done. They knew if the Indians stayed they would starve. Rev. Williamson said he would take the responsibility of going with the Indians to the James River and hunt the buffalo and see

that they all got back. Col. Thompson disregarded his orders and a hunting expedition was organized with Rev. Williamson and several government employees going along. There were

800 Indians in the party and they had only six guns. They started out in January, fortunately the weather was mild as their clothing was thin and threadbare. They started northeast and found their first buffalo near the present site of city of Miller. They killed a few and had their fill that day. They came on a large herd near present site of Redfield where they set up a hunting camp.

Each day they hunted and brought in the carcasses for the women to scrape and tan the hides and prepare the meat. After several days the meat and skins were packed and hauled back to the

Fort. This saved the tribe from starvation. Shortly after they returned a heavy snow storm fell and the weather became extremely cold.

When the Santees left the Yanktonais, who roamed this territory for several years, settled down on Crow Creek and have been there since. They established two large camps here, one at the mouth of Crow Creek with White Ghost as Chief and Lazy Bear, Bowed Head and Dog Back were the leaders. The other was near the site of the Lower Brule landing where Wize was Chief.

Another band under Drifting Goose drifted about from one place to another and finally settled down on Crow Creek Reservation. Some of their descendants, when not moving from Yankton to Crow Creek to Sisseton and back again several times a year, attended school here.

In the summer of 1872, Sister Anna Pritchard of the Episcopal Church, came to Ft.

Thompson to do missionary work. She started a small day school with the help of the new

Indian Agent Dr. Livingstone. In the fall of 1872, Rev. H. Burt came to Ft. Thompson and started his missionary work that continued for forty-three years. He gave his life to these people and the Indians still speak highly of him for the work he did here. Indians say he was a true missionary who gave all his efforts, time, health and energy to their welfare. He died here and is

buried in the cemetery on the hill north of the Fort. In the winter of 1873-1874 a school house was built at the lower camp at the mouth of Crow Creek. Rev. Burt occupied this for both school and church purposes until spring of 1874 when he moved to the agency at the fort. In the fall of

1874 a church dwelling house was constructed on the hill back of the upper camp. It is aid that to be the first church built in the county. The agent, Dr. Livingstone built a log school house near the church where Sister Anna taught school. In the fall of 1874 Mr. Edward Ashley became an assistant to Rev. Burt and taught the school at the lower camp on Crow Creek until the spring of 1875 when he moved to the agency on account of the mosquitoes being so bad near the river in the heavy timber. These two schools, one at the upper Camp and one at the Lower Camp , were operated by the missionaries until 1880. The two schools were combined about 1875 or

1876 at the agency. Some accounts state there was another day school operated by the

Presbyterian missionary at another camp south east of the present fort.

Page 12 In 1880 the government established an industrial boarding school at Ft. Thompson and erected several buildings, many are still used. This was operated until 1920 when it closed and the education of Indians was turned over to a newly organized school district named Victory No.

8. In 1880 the Order of St. Benedict built a school for Catholic children on the northern boundary of the reservation. Father Pius was the first Superior and was in charge of this school until his death in 1935 serving 55 years. Under his management and supervision many buildings and a fine church were constructed on the site. The enrollment now was nearly 275 pupils drawn from this reservation as well as Lower Brule, Sisseton, Standing Rock, Berthold and Tuttle Mountain

Reservations. Father Justin Snyder, O.S.B. is present head of the school (1941) and has been in charge since Father Pius’ death in 1935.

The government constructed a telegraph office from Yankton to Ft. Thompson in 1863.

This building with some alterations changed it into a residence and is now used as a storage house by C.C.C.-I.D. (Civilian Conservation Corps, Indian Division). A stage came from

Yankton about once a week bringing newspapers, mail, freight and passengers. Old records show that it was about two or three days late in arriving at the fort.

More and more of the Indians are now adopting the white man’s way of living but some of the older men and women still gather the inner bark of the red willow to mix with their tobacco. They call this mixture kinicinck and the odor is different from real tobacco. It is doubtful if dog meat is still used for food, but it is said that some of the older people still eat

‘mice beans’. A certain kind of field mice gathers beans in the fall and dig pits to hide them.

Often times a half bushel can be found in one pit. They are with a brown skin which comes off easily in hot water leaving a white meat which when cooked with beef is very delicious.

Practically all Indian ceremonies, rites and dances have a religious significance. Most of the early missionaries say the Indians did not associate religion with morality in the sense that white people did. The Indians still gather wild fruits but most of their foods are bought and they use the same foods as white people. Only the real old Indians wear their hair long and very few wear blankets. Practically all the Indians dress in white man’s clothes and they dress quite well considering their incomes. The girls wear lip stick and rouge and get permanent hair waves same as their white sisters. Practically every family has some make of a car that they drive to

Chamberlain on Saturdays.

In 1879 the government abandoned Ft. Thompson as a military post and turned it into a full time Indian agency. In 1881 the Land Allotment Act was passed by Congress giving each

Indian 100 acres of land to farm. Oxen were issued by the government and plows , harrows,

mowers etc. were sent to the agency for Indians to use. A boss farmer was sent to Ft. Thompson to teach Indians how to farm and use the machinery. At first they worked as groups and raised wheat that was bought by the government and ground into flour in a mill erected at the fort. The flour was issued as rations. Big crops were raised as the country had few weeds such as Russian thistle to cut down the yield. Indians were primarily a meat eating race and soon learned to make bread like the white man made it. Some say they did not like it at first. W.W. Anderson became the agent at Ft. Thompson. He was very interested in teaching the Indians to be good farmers. At this time the Indians were divided into ten bands led by the following chiefs: Bull Ghost, Dog

Back, Crow Man, Middle Tent, Scattering Bear, Bear Ghost, Wizi, Drifting Goose White Ghost, and Not-Afraid-Of-Shooting. At times there was trouble between the whites and Indians on money matters, but these were generally settled by the Indians and their chiefs with cooperation of the Indian agent.

Every two weeks about 60 head of cattle were slaughtered and issued to the Indians.

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The cattle were shot with a rifle and the Indians did the butchering. Five head were issued to each band. In 1892, 1893 and 1894 Walter Rhodes of Bijou Hills, South Dakota got the bids to furnish the beef. Sometimes they bought beef in Colorado and Texas and drove the herds over land to the agency. In 1893, Mr. Rhodes obtained money to purchase cattle from a Denver

Colorado banker named Charles Boettcher. The grandson of Mr. Boettcher, Charles II, forty years later was kidnapped by Verne Sankey and held prisoner in the basement of his ranch house for 17 days on the east end of Crow Creek reservation. The government was trying to induce the

Indians to enter the stock raising business and it gradually built up a herd of its own which it planned to use as a basis for supplying the Indians with foundation breeding stock. The boarding

school had a herd of beef and dairy cattle started as it gradually increased in quantity and quality.

It also had sheep, hogs horses and poultry. Most of the boarding school stock came after 1903, after some failure in trying to get the older Indians to succeed in the stock business. More emphasis was being put on training the younger generation in stock raising and giving them actual experience handling stock in school. When the students completed their work at school, they came under the supervision and direction of the boss farmer (now called extension agent) who helped them to succeed in the stock business. After 1910 large numbers of cattle and horses were raised on the reservation. It is said that the fine grass growing here was attracting the attention of the cattle barons desired to buy the Indian lands if possible or at least lease it. In

1918 the government buyers for the army bought many carloads of horses for the army during

World War I. Henry Jones was government herder from 1884-1889 and he had his assistant

Leone Kirkie and several others whose names are not available at that time.

Major Chamberlain replaced Mr. Anderson as Indian agent at Ft. Thompson when the

Indian allotment became effective. Much of his time was taken up in allotting the land to every

Indian 18 years old. It was planned to build permanent houses and barns on each allotment as well as to dig wells so adequate water was available. The allotment act helped to break up the compact a highly organized tribal organization which was regretted in future tears and which finally led to the passage of the Wheeler-Howard Indian Reorganization Act. Three saw mills were constructed to cut lumber for the buildings to be built on the allotments. Every Indian who was 18 years old received or was supposed to receive 160 acres of land one pair of young mares, two milk cows with calves at side, plows, harnesses, garden tools, and stock. Everything was done to encourage them to live on their allotments, adopt the white man’s system of living permanently in one place.

Mr. J. C. Anderson moved into this territory and became one of the big cattle barons and land owners at the fort. He also operated a general store at Ft. Thompson, was postmaster, served in the State Legislature, etc. He was to become a power on the reservation for the next 50 years. He bought all the hides from Indian people for a dollar each regardless of size. In 1893-

94 he had the contract to furnish live stock to the Indians. He also sold many horses to the government for issue to the Indians. The horses were to be broken to drive and it was the inspectors business to see that they were broken. One story told a number of times is that Mr. J.

Q. Anderson and his ranch foreman Axel Olson (who is the oldest living white resident of the community who has been here continuously since 1880), always hitched up an old plug with the new bronco that was to be inspected. The wildest broncho would be tamed after dragging this old plug around for an hour. Almost invariably the inspector passed the broncho as broke to drive. Later when the Indian got the horse he had a wild ride trying to get him home, but soon broke the horse himself. The government paid the Indians quarterly cash annuities during this period as the outgrowth of certain treaties. When they received the money most of it was spent at Anderson’s general store. Anderson ordered buggies by the carload lot and

Page 14 sleigh bells for the dances were in big demand that he ordered over 200 strings and sold them in less than a day. Long Coyote had such big feet that he had Anderson order a large size of shoes and overshoes the first of July so he would be sure to have them when winter comes. Mr. Axel

Olson was postmaster at Ft. Thompson for several years. He has lived here for many years and is now the oldest living white settler among us.

J. Q. Anderson bought many of the Indian allotments and leased many more until he became the largest land owner and cattle rancher on the reservation. In 1914 he shipped in 200

carloads of long-horned cattle from Mexico to Ft. Thompson. Mr. Anderson had difficulty getting cattle out of Mexico and when he finally reached Pukwana, 35 miles south of Ft.

Thompson, it was quite like in the Fall and there was a foot of snow on the ground and still snowing. Weather was very cold and before they got the cattle out of the stock yards 15 died.

Olson rented all the barns he could get in the neighborhood to shelter them and the rest were taken out to the Stransky ranch north of Pukwana until the weather was such that they could move out to the fort. Sixty cattle were work oxen and had shoes on when they arrived. People came from quite a distance to see these cattle and to get some of the long horns.

When the government first established the agency at Ft. Thompson only one department handled all the work. As the number of functions increased and more reports required, the office staff was increased and additional departments were set up each with a different head responsible to the agent, now called Superintendent. The first agents were mostly army officers and it became the practice to call all agents majors. In the early days not much was done to improve the condition of the Indians. The schools were operated in connection with the churches and under the direction of missionaries. The chief function of the agent was to keep order and see that the Indians did not leave the reservation. As many as 30 Indian police were employed at one time to help the agent keep order after the soldiers were withdrawn. The police received $5.00 per month and rations. The chief police received $10.00 per month. The education department was established in 1880 and what is now the medical extension and forestry departments with their heads responsible to the agent. Better qualified Superintendents and Department Heads were gradually being sent out as standards for these positions were raised. According to our records the following Superintendents have served at Crow Creek Indian Agency since it was established about 1868. Thompson, Livingstone, Marble, Zeibach, Dunn, Racine, Crane, W.W.

Anderson, Ap. P. Dixon, Dr. Trenn, Capt. Daugherty, Spencer, Parkhurst, J. G. Gassmer, J. H.

Stephen, H. D. Chamberlain, L. W. Lane, H. J. Johnson, W. F. Haywood, Kohlenburg, E. J.

Peacore, Herman Wright, James Hyde, The present Superintendent is Paul L. Hallam, former

Examiner of Inheritance in this area.

The medical facilities have been greatly expanded since the early days. Very little medical work was done at first because the Indians clung to their belief in the old Indian medicine man and old methods of treating illnesses. There was no hospital for many years because they were afraid of the white man’s medicine. The Indians hesitated to come to the local doctor until the disease progressed so far a cure was impossible. If they died, his relatives blamed the white man’s medicine killed him. The first medical building was a small house (now used as a residence by the Veo family) that used as the doctor’s residence and dispensary. Later a hospital was constructed with capacity of 12 beds. It had an operating room, kitchen, store rooms, maternity ward and two screened in porches. A field nurse was employed for several years. This position is now discontinued but might be reestablished in the near future. The old dormitory used by the boys was at one time used as a sanitarium

Page 15 for tubercular patients, it burned down in January, 1934 and now all tubercular patients are sent to the new sanitarium constructed in Rapid City, South Dakota. A new hospital, nurses home and doctor’s residence were constructed in 1936. The present hospital has a capacity of 24 beds and is modern in every respect, having a well equipped operating room and e-ray. The building is brick and practically fire proof. The present staff includes Dr. William Habel, Mrs. Tyler-

Fisler, nurse, and Genevieve Townsend, nurse. Mrs. William Price is cook, Mrs. John Jeunesse

and Mrs. Veo, housekeepers, Mrs. Amos Irving assistant cook. Adolph Day, Dan Quilt and

Vernon Ashley are janitors. (1941)

For several years the government employed Mrs. Coler as Home Demonstration Agent to teach Indian women and girls how to cook and sew and keep house. She had the reservation divided into districts where the women would gather for instructions one day per week. They were also taught to make Indian craft products for commercial marketing such as beaded purses, woven articles etc. Mrs. Coler resigned in 1936 and the position has been abolished for the present.

Transportation has always been a problem on practically every reservation. Roads are built nearly everywhere except on Indian Reservations. The Indian service has been aware of this need but lack of funds and road building equipment made it impossible especially to do road building in the hilly country one finds on most reservations. In September 1933, a separate road department was set up at Crow Creek. The chief function was the construction, maintenance, and repair of roads and bridges on the reservation. The agency road department has 130 miles of highway to maintain. Miles of good roads have been constructed and in 1940 it completed a highway to the Grace Mission community which is used by the school buses every day. Mr.

Lyle Kinport, road engineer, is in charge of this department at present. (1941). His staff includes

Arnold Welles, Clark, William Menzie, Foreman, Francis Welles, Instrument Man, and a position as maintainer operator is to be set up in the near future. Before 1936 the only highway north and south out of Ft. Thompson was a narrow winding unsurfaced dirt road. When anyone from the Fort was in Chamberlain and a few drops pf rain fell they started for home or remained in town until it was safe to attempt to go home. The gumbo made the road impassable and the winding, narrow road and steep hills made the trip from Chamberlain to Ft. Thompson very

dangerous. Crow Creek, Isburg and Bad Hand hills were the worst. Highway 47 was completed by the state in 1935 and now gives the people access to Chamberlain to the south and Highmore to the north. There is great scenic beauty along this highway especially in spring, summer and fall.

The Episcopal Church has maintained a mission at Ft. Thompson since 1863. The untiring efforts of Dr. Williamson and Rev. Burt have already been mentioned. Rev. Burt served

43 years, 1872-1915. Rev. Burt died June 8, 1915 and was succeeded by Rev. Mounsey who served from 1915to 1917. Rev. David Clark took over on April 30, 1919 and at this time, 1941, is still in charge of the missionary work in this community. Rev. Clark lived among the Indians here and Rosebud Agency most of his life. He comes from a family of missionaries, his father and brother also are in the field of missionary work. Rev. Clark speaks the Sioux language and is well acquainted with the customs and culture of the Sioux. Under Rev. Clarks’ direction a new church building was constructed by the Episcopal Board of Missions in 1930. The building has a large room in the basement for community activities and a library. It also has a well equipped kitchen. Rev. Clark and Mrs. Clark maintain a museum in their house containing a collection of old relics and pieces of Indian art and craft work. They worked tirelessly in building up the craft work which averages $3,000 per year.

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This money helps to bring badly needed cash for the Indians. Most of the Indian craft work is done by Indians who, because of physical disability, are unable to work construction projects.

The craft work enables them to remain at home, giving them something to do, helps revive and retain the old Indian arts, and also makes it possible for them to earn something toward their livelihood. For a number of years the Episcopal Church maintained a dormitory for girls. This

was discontinued in 1938 and the government took over the operation. The Episcopal Church has a Young Peoples’ Fellowship Club which meets every Wednesday in the church basement.

This organization sponsors dances and other events at various times of the year. One hour of school time is given each Monday for religious training of those whose parents request it in writing. Mrs. Clark has charge of Episcopal training and Father Justin the catholic training.

The early history of education at Crow Creek has already been mentioned, but in order to continue our narrative some repetition is necessary. Rev. Williamson started a small school at the mouth of Crow Creek in fall of 1863, the year that Ft. Thomson was established as a military post. He taught mostly Bible but some in secular subjects. As stated before, there was opposition to the white man’s education for several years and enrollment was small. Missionary schools were conducted by the Episcopal Church at both Upper and Lower Camps and secular courses were taught in addition to the Bible, but the training was largely of religious nature.

Later the two schools were combined and held at Ft. Thompson under the direction of Sister

Anna Pritchard in a large log house constructed for this purpose by agent Livingstone in 1874.

Edward Ashley was one of the teachers who taught here at this time. The schools continued under missionaries until 1880 when the government took over educating the Indians. Mr. Joe

Irving is the only living Indian who attended the missionary schools before 1880. In 1880 the government started an industrial boarding school at Ft. Thompson and continued to operate it until 1920. Several building were constructed during the next forty year others were added until the school plant occupied most of the agency reserve. The enrollment at one time was over 300 and many older men and women living here now received their education in this school. Just to mention a few who attended are the following: John Saul, Thomas Saul, John Badger, Louis

Fire, Charles Eagle, Joe Irving, Silas Ross, Ben Oldest Child, Fred Medicine Crow, John

Jennessee, Alex Sazue, Pete Like Him, Dan Hayes, Clement Wounded Knee. Several women live among us who were students at the boarding school but hose names can’t be listed for lack of space.

A frame building was constructed for a school house in 1880. Other buildings were as follows: boy’s dormitory, girl’s dormitory, kitchen and dining hall, power plant, laundry, music building, hospital, commissary, ice house, horse barn, hog house sheep shed, poultry house, several cisterns, school employees club etc. The hospital was torn down in 1940, boy’s dormitory was used for school purposes by the school district and by the government from 1936-

1939 and is now used as quarters for Indian employees. The old Principal’s house is used as residence by Amos Irving and Dan Quilt. The school employees club is now used as a hotel for government employees and operated by Mrs. Frank Thomas (this building was a girl’s dormitory). The house occupied by the Bill Menzies and Prices was once a girl’s detention ward, used as a condemned room for discarded property; the commissary now used as agency ice house; the dining hall is used as quarters for four Indian families employed by the government.

Most of the other buildings except the barn have been razed. The above is the status of old boarding school buildings in 1941 when this is written.

The old government boarding school had a large herd of beef and dairy cattle, hogs, sheep, flocks of poultry pure bred horses fruit orchards just across Soldier

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Creek from the present school building; a large school garden one-fourth mile west of the present school; an artesian well for irrigating the garden; large hog pasture between the agency and the river where over 200 pure bred hogs grazed and several hundred acres of pasture, grazing and hay land. The school produced practically all of its own food. Students produced vegetables in

the school garden. All meat was produced from herds and eggs from school flocks. School herds supplied the milk for the school and hospital. Fruit from garden was canned and stored for winter use. Fuel was cut from timber along the river, the boys sawed a d split it as part of their detail duty. The girls did the cleaning and laundry and some cooking. It was necessary to have the students do most of the work not only for the educational value but because of the small staff of employees compared to the large number of pupils enrolled. The pupils attended classes in academic subjects half time and industrial and detail work the half. Some classes had over 50 pupils in them. All clothing was mended by the girls under the direction of a seamstress. The students learned by doing as there were never enough textbooks to go around. The school was proud of it park in front of the buildings and its ability in sports. A band of 25 pieces gave frequent concerts where all the people of the community attended. George Shield still has his cornet. Many of the men who played in the band still live at the agency.

In 1915 the school staff consisted of the following employees. Their native states and salaries are also given as follows: Wilbur Hygood, Superintendent, Georgia $1800; Claude

Gillette, Principal Wisconsin $900; Mildred Reynolds, teacher, Michigan, $600, Wilma Love, teacher, Penn. $630, Samuel Lincoln, industrial teacher, Neb. $600, Susan Jones, matron,

Michigan, $520, Mary Koser, Cook, Ohio, $500, Elizabeth Thompson, cook, S. D. $500, Nyles

Spruce, engineer, Mich. $720, Donald Martin, school farmer, Indiana, $600, August Wendt, school laborer, S. D. $540; Salaries given in 1884 show $720 for principal and $405 for teachers, and $60 for school police (watchman).

In 1920 the government discontinued operation of the boarding school at Ft. Thompson and the education of the Indian children was taken over a newly formed District (Victory No. 8).

A school board was elected to manage the affairs. The government paid the School District

thirty-five cents per pupil per day of attendance to assist the district with operating expenses.

Ten cents per day if district served a hot lunch for pupils at noon. Dormitory facilities were discontinued except for a small dormitory for girls operated by the Episcopal Church. The school board added ninth grade and the vocational training was dropped in favor of the academic curriculum used in most public schools of the state. The school board operated the school until

July 1, 1936. Records show that the school entered the County Play Day events at Gann Valley,

South Dakota several times and won a number of places in spelling, declamation etc. The severe drought and depression during the years 1930-1937 brought about financial difficulties for the district. Indian land was exempt from taxation and the white ranchers were losing their land due to the drought, low prices for farm commodities, depression etc. and they found it difficult to pay their taxes. Finally the Office of Indian Affairs decided to take over the operation of the Ft.

Thompson School and rebuild the school plant adopt a more progressive curriculum in an effort to train the Indian boys and girls to live successfu8lly on the reservations. It is necessary that they be trained to use resources which they have on the reservation as records indicate that 98% of boys and girls who leave the reservation return in a few years to live on the reservation. This being the case, it is important that they should know how to use reservation resources.

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The members of the Victory School Board in 1933-1936 were: Axel Olson, David Clark,

Asa Slow. In 1936-1937 the members were: Axel Olson, Mrs. Ralph Spangler, August Wendt.

The latter three are still serving. The members of the school faculty in 1935-1936 were as follows: Don Russell, Acting Principal and grades five and six; Mrs. George Wendt grades three and four, Ann Thue, grades seven and eight, Mrs. Abe Loudner grades one and two. Don Russell acted as Principal as it was intended that the government would employ a Principal. The school

board received thirty-five cents per day for each Indian child in attendance and ten cents per day per child for hot lunch at noon from the government.

On February 11, 1936 Mr. Adolph Johnson arrived to be the Principal. The school board had direction of the school until July 1, 1936. Mr. Johnson made a study of the educational problems on both Lower Brule and Crow Creek Reservations. The results of this study were written in a memorandum to the Superintendent and the office of Indian Affairs. Accompanying this memorandum was a suggested program for improvements of the schools on Crow Creek and

Lower Brule Reservations. The program was approved and Mr. Johnson was made responsible for the entire educational program for the jurisdiction under the Superintendent. This improvement has been followed consistently with some necessary modifications.

The name of the school was changed to Ft. Thompson Indian School and this has been changed to Ft. Thompson Vocational Day School, then Ft. Thompson Vocational boarding Day

School, and the present name Ft. Thompson Community School. School opened under government control in September 1936. During the years 1936-1937 and 1937-1938 (until

November) the school Board employed one teacher in lieu of tuition for white children. The school was reorganized from first to the ninth. The first two grades were set as the primary unit and the curriculum changed so that the two grades as a full time activity program. The work was partly carried over to the third and fourth grade. The fifth and sixth grades were set up as the intermediate unit while the seventh eighth and ninth organized as the Junior High School unit.

Practically all new books were purchased and much other new equipment was added to the school. General Shop and Home Economics were added beginning in the fifth grade through the ninth. The work in the Junior High School was departmentalized and in the fifth and sixth grades partially departmentalized. This made it possible for the teachers to teach the courses for

which they were best prepared and made it possible to enrich the curriculum and offer more opportunities than before. One teacher took all the music, another all the art. Another, shop and home economics etc. A full meal was served at noon to all Indian children. Some Indian art and craft work was given to upper grades in 1936-1937. The faculty was as follows: Adolph

Johnson, Principal, and grade nine, Mrs. Burkholder (September to January, 1937) grades seven and eight, H. H. Ullrich Jan. 1 to June 1937 grades seven and eight, shop and some ninth grade courses, Raymond Schiemost, grades five and six and music, Leona Bonser, grades three and four and home economics (Sept. to Nov.), Leitha Phillips, grades one and two, John Saul, Indian crafts, Gladys Thompson, cook, George Tuttle, Janitor. The school was accredited by the

Department of Public Instructions. The school bus took the senior high students to Chamberlain,

South Dakota.

In 1937-1938 the program was expanded and additional equipment purchased. During the summer the old school building was repaired and painted. The addition of senior high school grades were postponed until a new building was constructed. This year the old hospital building was released to the education division. The noon lunch, shop classes , home economics classes and Indian craft work was transferred to this building where it continued until 1938-1939. The

Episcopal Church operated a dormitory for girls in the old boarding dining hall until March 1938 when the government assumed the responsibility for the dormitory. This year the school planted a garden just west of the school plant as an agricultural project.

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The school participated in the County Play Day and won first place in the contest. This year the children who completed the ninth grade were transported to Chamberlain for their senior High

School work. The members of the school staff during 1937-1938 were as follows: Adolph

Johnson, Principal, R. Ullrich, Raymond Schiemost, Leona Boser, Jewel Watts, teachers, Sybil

Long Turkey, cook, George Tuttle, janitor, Maurice LaRoche, bus driver.

The year 1938-1939 saw additional expansion and further improvement in the school curriculum and quality of work done in the school. The enrollment increased crowding available space and school facilities. It was apparent that if further expansion was made, additional room would have to be provided. A fine display of art work from all grades was sent to Washington for display. The school participated again in the county play day at Gann Valley and again won honors in music, art and athletics. The school was honored by being invited to provide entertainment for the Indian Service Section of the State Education Association Convention held in Mitchell in November. About sixty boys and girls were transported to Mitchell for the program. The audience was very attentive and pleased with the quality of the numbers presented and the students enjoyed the experience. A number of the pupils had never been to a city as large as Mitchell and while there they visited the airport and saw their first airplane. The program presented was an Indian nature an Indian background. The following numbers were presented by the pupils in costume. (costumes made by the pupils themselves)

Song By The Waters of Minnetonka (in costume) Joe Blacksmith Songs Primary Chorus Musical Reading Did You Ever Ramona Fleury Song Ramona Fleury Original songs composed by first and second grades Songs Grade Chorus Indian Dances First and second grades

In addition to the program the Ft. Thompson School had a fine exhibit of art work from all nine grades and an exhibit of articles made in the shop. The exhibit of articles made in home economics classes were eliminated. Rudolph DeLoria was in charge of the display room and while there, he drew free hand pictures for the visitors to the display room. In the summer of

1939 the school participated in the three day celebration given by the people of Chamberlain to celebrate the completion of ‘The Nations Mainstreet’ (hard surfacing highway 16). During each of the three days, the school participated in the parade. Delma Jeunesse entered the girls’ beauty contest as Miss Ft. Thompson and won a gold pin. Lake Bedayshosha was dedicated at this time.

The dam which impounds this lake is the second largest earthen dam built by the Civilian

Conservation Corps in the United States. This year will always stand out in the minds of the people and students of the community as a memorable year. In August 1938 the President of the

United State approved a grant of $205,000 for the construction of a new school building and a new dormitory building at Ft. Thompson. Construction work started the latter part of September and continued throughout the winter and spring of 1939-1940. The students watched their new

‘home’ go up piece by piece. The building were turned over to the government on May 27,

1939. Paul Hallam, former Examiner of Indian Inheritance, replaced James Hyde as

Superintendent on May 28, the buildings were opened for inspection by people of the community. Much of the work of pupils was displayed in the new classrooms, shop, home economics, etc. We shall never forget the surprised expression on the faces of the pupils as they walked through the hall. The teachers had to be on alert every minute to keep them from using the long hall for a race track. Commencement was held in the new auditorium on May 29, 1939 with Ben Rifle, Sioux Indian field agent as the speaker.

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On the day of the commencement it rained for several hours, then stopped for about two hours and by the time the hour for commencement arrived it rained in sheets. We shall never forget the disgust of the faculty at the sight of the floors covered with thick Missouri River gumbo. The janitor had to use a putty knife to scrape it off the following day. The summer of 1939 was

‘moving day’ for the school. All equipment had to be moved from old building to the new one.

New equipment was arriving almost daily and had to be checked, unpacked and put in proper places. Members of the school staff for 1938-1939 were as follows: Adolph Johnson, Principal,

R. G. Ulrich, Leona Bonser, R. D. Schiemost, and Jewel Watts, teachers, Mrs. George Tuttle, cook, George Tuttle, janitor, Herman Eagle, bus driver. Senior high school continued to go to

Chamberlain by bus, Dorothy Loudner was housekeeper.

The school year 1939-1940 opened in the new school plant. An expansion of the curriculum, personnel, facilities etc. were made this year. Thirty-eight pupils from Crow Creek and Lower Brule were quartered in the new cottage-type dormitory. The Grace Mission and

Grey Hill Schools were closed and consolidated with Ft. Thompson School. A bus route was layed out with two new buses purchased. The tenth, eleventh and twelfth grades were organized at the senior division of our school. The school was inspected by the State High School inspector and became an accredited four year high school. A Smith-Hughes Agricultural instructor, anther high school teacher another bus driver and another janitor and housekeeper were added to the staff. The agriculture program was reorganized and expanded and the school became an agricultural high school with emphasis on agriculture. In the spring of 1940 funds were allotted through the efforts of Superintendent Hallam to purchase 50 head of yearlings as a nucleus for the school herd. In the summer of 1940 two registered Hereford bulls were purchased from the Rosebud Boarding School. A registered Hereford bull was from the Big Bend

Livestock Association for $200 and added to the herd. Several hundred dollars were spent for new machinery and other equipment. Four young mares and six young saddle horses were purchased for the school. During the summer 14 steers were purchased. Several of the older boys were organized into a Junior Livestock Association in the spring of 1940. The boys worked

to earn their cattle during the summer. A school garden was planted but grasshoppers destroyed most of the crop. During the summer the boys cut and stacked over 350 tons of hay as well as several tons of milo feed. The work was done under the direction of Mr. Sullivan, Smith-Hughes

Agriculture Instructor. The Ft. Thompson School entered the South Dakota High School Music

Festival at Wessington Springs in May and every entry received a rating of first, second or third.

The Boys Glee Club received second place and participated in the Winners’ Concert; the Girls

Glee Club third place, Esther Thompson, soprano, second place, Eustace LaRoche, bass, first place, Joe Blacksmith and mixed chorus were eligible to enter the National Regional High

School Music Festival in St. Paul, Minnesota. Eustace LaRoche won second place in this festival and Joe Blacksmith won third place. The mixed chorus did not participate due to financial difficulties in transporting the group to St. Paul. The boys’ basketball team had a fine record, it being their first year of competition. A Girls basketball team and a midget team was also organized this year. Two bronze plagues were won at the State Music festival and gold pins were earned by Eustace LaRoche and Joe Blacksmith at the National Music Festival. On May 7,

1940 fifty boys and girls from first grade through the twelfth traveling in two buses made a 1000 mile tour into Minnesota and North Dakota and points in South Dakota giving entertainment.

Huge audiences came to hear the boys and girls. They gave original songs, readings, glee club members, chorus numbers, solos and Indian dances and harmonica solos. Trips were made to

Pine Ridge Community School, Pine Ridge, South Dakota and Chamberlain, South Dakota.

Entertainment s were given at the following places: May 7, Cheyenne Agency, South Dakota,

May 8, Wahpeton Indian School Wahpeton North Dakota, May 9, four programs at

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Fargo, North Dakota, one at Senior High School one at Central Grade School, and two at

Aggasiz Junior High School. In Fargo the audience was estimated at 400 to 1500 people. The evening of May 9th the group gave their program in the City Auditorium at Valley City North

Dakota. This was their largest audience and the whole city turned out for it. On the morning of

May 19, their last program was given before the student body and faculty of State Teachers

College, Valley city North Dakota. It was broadcast over station KOVC. The group arrived home in Ft. Thompson at 1:00 P.M. on the 11th. They were tired and happy and all felt the trip was well worth the effort. The program was also given in Valley City High School on May 10th.

Everywhere they went they were received with kindness and their programs much appreciated.

They learned much from this experience. Many people who attended our program have never seen Indians in their life and never seen Indian dances. Many white people thought Indians couldn’t do as well as white people and were surprised that they could do even better. We feel that white people will have a better appreciation of Indians and what they are able to do.

Ramona Fleury’s musical reading ‘Did Y’ Ever” will be remembered by those who heard it. The fine work in music due to the untiring efforts of Mr. Schiemost who had charge of all music at

Ft. Thompson School. The Primary grades printed a book containing 20 songs written by them.

They wrote the words and music and drew the pictures to illustrate the songs. May 24th was visiting day at the school for the entire community. The spring program was given in the evening. Mr. Titus, Deputy State Superintendent of Public Instruction, visited the school and spoke appreciative of the work being done there. Dinner was served to parents of pupils . On

Saturday evening the new school and dormitory building were dedicated and the 1940 commencement was held. Mr. Samuel Thompson Supervisor of Indian Education, from

Washington D. C. was guest speaker. Superintendent Paul Hallam spoke to the group and

presented the diplomas. Members of the school staff during 1939-1940 were: Paul Hallam,

Superintendent, Adolph Johnson Principal, R. G. Ulrich, English and mathematics, Leona

Bonser, English, Lawrence Price substitute until March 1, Social Science, English, Agriculture and Phy. Ed. R. D. Schiemost, fifth and sixth grades and music, Liberty Mae Mattson, third and fourth grades Jewel Watts first and second grades. Robert Fisler, Science, Social Science, Phy

Ed. and coach. Thomas Sullivan, mathematics, Agriculture, Herman Eagle bus driver, Peete

Yellow Back bus driver, George Tuttle, janitor, Henry Comes-A-Flying, janitor, Annabelle

Tuttle, cook, Dorothy Loudner, Housekeeper.

During school year 1940-1941 additional improvements were made in the curriculum and the agriculture program was expanded. Through the efforts of Superintendent Hallam funds were obtained to purchase eleven more work horses and a registered Percheron stallion. The calf crop was good with an expansion of the herd. The Anderson Ranch west of the school was purchased and added to the school holdings. The school now has over 1000 acres much of it can be irrigated. The purchase of more machinery and a tractor is under consideration as well as hogs, sheep, poultry and goats for the school livestock program. Six-man football was introduced by coach Fisler and the team made good account of itself considering that football was new to them. The boys’ basketball team under coach Fisler made an enviable record this year. They defeated Chamberlain, Stephan, Ft. Yates, Kennebec, Highmore and Pukwana, White Lake,

Stickney, Plankinton, Oacoma and were defeated by Gregory, Mt. Vernon, and Cheyenne

Agency Teams yet to be played at this writing are Chamberlain, Kimball, and Reliance. Other teams defeated are Pierre Indian School, Hopper, and Chamberlain C.C.C. Camp. In football the team defeated Pipestone Indian School, Pukwana, Onida and lost to Onida and Pukwana and

Pierre Indians.

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On January1, 1941, Ft. Thompson School was admitted to membership in the South Dakota High

School Athletics Association. Member of school staff are as follows: Paul Hallam

Superintendent, Adolph Johnson, Principal, E. G. Ulrich, Ass’t Principal, Robert Fisler, Phys.

Ed., Enjean Frazier, Mrs. Sullivan, Velva Allen, Home Economics, Tomas Sullivan Agriculture,

English Arithmetic, Kenneth Harldson and Hale Hickman, temporary teachers, fifth and sixth grades, Liberty Mae Mattson, third and fourth grades, Marcella Elebesadel, first and second grades, George Tuttle, janitor, John Deloria, janitor, Herman Eagle, bus driver, Lawrence Irving, bus driver, Annabelle Tuttle, cook, Dorothy Loudner, housekeeper, George Turner farm labor.

In February 1936 a Nursery was organized at Ft. Thompson under the supervision of the local principal and partially supported by Works Project Administration. The first two month the school was held in the basement of the Episcopal Church and in April moved to the old gymnasium building. The enrollment has grown one the first week to the present average of 30.

Mrs. Phillip Byrnes was the first teacher. Children from age two to four are enrolled in this school and are taught simple counting, colors, discipline, health, games etc. They are given orange juice, cod liver oil, milk and good food. All have shown improvement in health and vigor. In 1939, the nursery moved into the old hospital building where it is located at this writing. Mrs. Byrnes resigned and rewash replaced by Mrs. Brownfield who in turn resigned and replaced by Miss Brady. She was transferred to Aberdeen South Dakota and Florence Kogle replaced her and at present time heads the staff. In 1940, Kindergarten was organized as a community project under the W.P.A. with local agency supervision. The enrollment in this school is 22 at present. Mrs. Price is the teacher. Recently the kindergarten was consolidated with the Nursery School and is known as the Pre-School Project. The present staff is as follows:

Paul Hallam, Local Sponsor, Adolph Johnson, Supervisor and Director, Florence Kogle, Head

Teacher, Margaret Anton, teacher, and Miss Dillon, teacher, Mrs. Price, teacher, Lacy Stewart, cook, Sam Jones, janitor-bus driver.

The following students have graduated from Ft. Thompson Community School the

Government established it as a government school.

1936-1937

Eighth Grade Ninth Grade

Narlvian Ashley Robert Ahrens Raymond Davis Melba Hallman Anna Mae Drapeau Robert Olson Nadeline Harrison Doris Van Winkle Cecelia Medicine Bear Archie Olson Mary Spangler Henry Walking Crane

1937-1938

Eighth Grade Ninth Grade

Kenneth Ahrens Robt Spangler Rueben Bagola Rudolph DeLoria Mary Thomas Raymond Davis Wilmer Fleury Donald Welles Anna Mae Drapeau Lawrence Hallam Nadeline Harrison Rolland Hepworth Mary Spangler Alma Longfish

Page 23 1938-1939

Eighth Grade Ninth Grade

Rozanna Bjorkin Claymore Bad Moccassin Walter Davis Joseph Blacksmith Del Jeunesse Rudolph DeLoria Milton McBride Rolland Hepworth

Dorothy Slow Robert Spangler Rudolph Van Winkle Donald Welles Wilmer Fleury

1939-1940

Eighth Grade Ninth Grade

Constance Crow Florence Koch Paul Chekpa Thelma Like Him Lorenze Fleury Robert Olson Ruth La Roche Lena Stewart Hosea Roe Robert Welles Alex Sazue Doris Van /Winkle Jean Thomas Maurine Van Winkle

The enrollment in Ft. Thompson Community School and Ft. Thompson

Pre-school Project for year 1940-1941 is as follows:

Pre-School Project

Robert Gingway Dorman Santee Aleta Kirbie Duane Grey Cloud Mark R. Shields Anne Touched Mary Grey Cloud Wayne Shields Dallas Harris Lavina Head Al St. John Barbara Carpenter Rodney Head Larry Gingway Norma Carpenter Robert Jeunesse Millicent Goodface Elbert Crow Nelson Jeunesse Leta Kennedy Belva With Horn Billy Menzie Rudolph Quilt Genevieve Ashes Lucille McBride Colleen Big Eagle Eldon Bird Alfred Kennedy Caroline Stewart Darwin Kennedy Ronald Kimbie

Fort Thompson Community School First Grade

George Deloria Mervin Quilt Phyllis Jeunesse Vilas Hopkins Eddie Shields Everett Harrison Frank McGhee Benny Bagola Solomon His Law

Edson Medicine Crow Daryle Daugherty Corrine Santee Silas Ross Rudolph Kennedy Junior Carpenter Jerry Voice Ethely Hayes Jacqueline Van Oss Roger Davis Maralyn Medicine Crow

Second Grade

Dewey Crow Ethel Crow Shirley Kay Hepworth Raymond Powers Alice Eagle Mildred St. John Van St. John Doris Ree Virgil Saul

Third Grade

Joshua Clark LeRoy Ross Lillian Irons George Comes-A- Flying John Voice Evelyn Lambert Jerris His Law Daniel Fire Cloud Wanda LaRoche Elmer Long Crow Francis Fire Cloud Alice Yellow Back Dennis Loudner John Rank Florence Young Kenneth Loudner Patsy Drapeau Walter Medicine Crow Tracy Hopkins

Fourth Grade

Louis Crow Chauncey Long Crow Lucille His Law Francis Green Omar Dean Davis Martha Lambert Ralph Green Bertha Comes-A-Flying Helen McGhee Jonas Hawk Thelma Fleury Marcelline Tiyona Oscar His Law Marion Pollard Jerald Price Ida His Law

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Fifth Grade Sherman Eagle Verdell Ve Sybil Deloria Edgar Loudner William Voice Priscilla Laughlin

Sixth Grade

LeRoy Hank Winifred Ashley Elizabeth His Law Wallace Laughlin Bertha Mae Fogg Coleen Hopkins

Nadine Like Him Gloria McBride Gloretta Ross Irma LaRoche Elizabeth Rabbit Elizabeth Rockwood Gladys McBride Gloretta Ree

Seventh Grade

Moses Along the Back Arnold McGhee Martha Grass Rope Nelson Blaine Clarence Winde Sophie Fleury Jack Irving Lawrence Winde Pansy McBride Ethelbert McBride Harold With Horn Violet Lodge

Eighth Grade

Thomas Eagleman Elizabeth Grass Rope Lois Spangler Clarence Little Eagle Adeline Jeunesse Winifred Ree Clifford Loudner Charlotte Lambert Willard Roubideau Ralph Schweigman Tracy Lambert Charles Laughlin Milton Young Ruby Like Him Geraldine Atkinson Sylvia Rank

Ninth Grade

Paul Chekpa Alex Rencountre Grace Stoll Lorenzo Fleury Alex Sazue Any Holbeck Joseph Goodface Marie Big Eagle Betty Jane King Victor Irving Constance Crow Maurine Van Winkle Orville Langdeau Ruth LaRoche Hosea Ree Hazel McGhee

Tenth Grade

John Atkinson Walter Davis Delwin Jeunesse Charles DeWitt Sylvester St. Pierre Wilma Holbeck Ansel LaPoint Victor Thompson Clifford Wilson Milton McBride Rudolph Van Winkle Bernard Stoll Grace DeWitt

Eleventh Grade

Claymore Bad Moccassin Kenneth Lamb Benjamin Long Crow

Elgin Thompson Esther Thompson Rudolph Deloria Betty Holbeck Lola Holbeck Wilmer Fleury Sophie LaRoche Joseph Blacksmith Raymond Yellow Back

Twelfth Grade

Raymond Davis Bessie Goodface John Eustace LaRoche Gladys Prue

Post Graduate Doris Van Winkle

In the spring of 1876 General George Custer and the seventh Cavalry passed through Ft.

Thompson on their way from Yankton where they disembarked a special train bringing them from the south to garrison and build Ft. Abraham Lincoln. On the site of previous outpost of

Ft.McLean. This is located five miles south of present city of Mandan N. Dak. General Custer camped overnight at Ft. Thompson and the tree where he pitched his tent is still standing. In

June 1876 General Custer and his Seventh Cavalry were massacred in the battle of Little Big

Horn in Montana Territory, now the state of Montana. Here General Custer and his men were surrounded and killed while they were attempting to compel the Sioux Indians to return to their reservations. The Sioux left their reservation on a hunting expedition which was contrary to an agreement with the Secretary of War. The Sioux were attempting to keep the whites from taking their hunting grounds which were guaranteed to them by solem treaty signed by their chiefs and the Government. An attempt was being made to build a railway, the Northern Pacific, through their territory to the Pacific coast and survey parties under government protection were already in the territory. The Indians knew that as soon as the railway was constructed settlers would come into the territory and their

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last remaining hunting grounds would be gone forever. Construction of the railway and trails and frontier forts was contrary to the treaties signed by Indians and the Government. The

Indians were determined to fight and disregard the provision that they must remain on their allotted reservation. As the Indians saw the encroachment on their lands they became bitter and it was evident that the time was not far when they would fight for their rights, their homes, lands and culture. The government was placing small garrisons of soldiers at frontier forts along the

Missouri River in anticipation that they would have to compel the Indians to live on the reservations. All of these troops went through Ft. Thompson, some by river steamboat, some by foot on their way to the various frontier forts along the Missouri. Most came through during the years 1870-1890. The bravest man in the world is the one who fights for his just rights against great odds even if he must sooner or later yield to superior force. This was the case of the

Indians on the plains. They fought to protect their rights guaranteed to them by treaty. They fought all that was near and dear to them ---their freedom to hunt and travel as they desired, but it was evident that they could not win against the superior man power and resources of the white people. The case of the Indian was a just case and was highly commended for the great effort put forth. During this period of time several well known characters visited Ft. Thompson. In

July 1885 Benjamin Harrison who later became President of the United States presided at a conference held in Ft. Thompson between his Senatorial Committee on Indian Affairs and the local Indians. Others who visited were as follows: Captain Grant Marsh, famous Missouri

River steamboat captain and pilot and author of ‘The Conquest of the Missouri’, Captain Thomas

Custer, Captain Niles Keogh, General Nelson Miles, Frank LaFromboise, famous Indian scout for the army, (he was part Indian), ‘Buffalo Bill’ Cody, probably the most famous (old records in agency office indicate he bought Pacific hides from Indians and his signature is found in one of

the old books indicates that he had been here personally), Dr. William Slaughter, famous physician was stationed at Ft. Rice two hundred miles up the river, Joseph Nerreau, James

D’Englise, John Tradeau, Manuel Lisa, Captain Lewis and Captain Clark, expedition, George

Catlin, famous artist, General Fremont. Mr. Lewis P. Smith was frozen to death on April 14,

1872 near Bijou Hills while on his way from Ft. Thompson to Yankton where he was to meet a physician from Sioux City IA. to attend to Agent Livingston’s wife. He is the first white man buried in the local cemetery. Many soldiers died during the extremely cold winters from various diseases but most were reburied at Custer Battlefield at a later date. No doubt many are buried here but no trace can be found of their graves. In 1880 Mrs. Whistling Elk committed suicide by hanging on tree near present site of Drapeau residence. On September 10, 1933, eight people lost their lives in a serious flood which occurred at Ft. Thompson. Soldier Creek, which encircles the agency on the west and northwest, was suddenly filled to overflowing from a flash flood which occurred several miles up the creek. The water rushed with no warning and engulfed the homes of several families living near the creek. The Fred Loudner family of six and

Mr. & Mrs. LaPoint who were visiting them were drowned. The disaster occurred at night. Six bodies were recovered and buried on September 13. Two days later the decomposed body of

Fred Loudner was found. The little boy’s body was never found. The Flyte home was flooded and they were compelled to rush to an apartment above them where they aroused the Thomas family and were rescued about three AM. Soldier Creek flooded again in May 1937 but little damage was done and no lives lost. In November 1933, Lloyd Bolte was cranking his truck when another truck filled with gravel backed into him and crushed him. He had

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been hauling gravel for the new Ft. Thompson-Chamberlain state highway number 47. On April

14, 1923, Lee Little Eagle was found murdered in his home east of the agency. On May 25,

1936, Edward Trust was crushed by a caterpillar tractor while working on state highway 34 mile north of agency. On June 12, 1936, Howard Bebo was killed by landslide while working on new agency sewer near present Ralph Spangler. On October 13, 1940 occurred one of the saddest tragedies that has happened here in recent times. Earl roundhead shot and killed his wife

Ethelyne and his mother-in-law Belle Roundhead at their home seven miles south of the agency.

He committed suicide possibly the same night but his body was not found until several months later. On August 15, 1940, two automobiles had a head on collision on highway Forty-seven.

One car was driven by Larry Van Winkle , son of the chief Clerk and the other by Louis Vec.

Several injured and Francella Tiyona was killed in this accident. On May 10, 1940, Theodore

DeSheuquette shot his wife Belva Red Hail DeSheuquette but she recovered from the effects.

Ft. Thompson has two general stores at this time. One is owned by Charles LaCroix and the other by A. G. Wendt and son. Mr. Wendt has operated the store here for over twenty-five years. He was employed by the former government boarding school and also by the agency.

Mr. Wendt has been a county commissioner for many years.

In 1890 excitement ran high in this territory over the Messiah that the Indians thought would take away the white man and all the troubles of the Indian people. Several Indian uprisings frightened the white settlers into demanding protection from bands of Indians in this region. Soldiers were sent out again and forts constructed in this region. Ft. Lookout was established ten miles south of the agency. Part of the fort such as barns store houses etc. were located on the east side of the river while the main part was on the west side of the river.

Soldiers were stationed at Ft. George 25 miles up the river from the agency But on the west side

of the river. Old timers say soldiers were stationed at Ft. Thompson but no official record can be found. The Messiah Craze ended in the Massacre at Wounded Knee Creek on the Pine Ridge

Reservation and with the killing of Chief Sitting Bull on the Grand River in December 1890.

This was the last attempt by the Sioux to resist the authority of the Federal Government.

When Buffalo County was organized in 1864 it was the largest county in Dakota

Territory. It included present county of Buffalo, Aurora, Jerauld, Sanborn, Davison, Hanson,

Brule, Miner, McCook and part of Lake County. Settlement dates back to the establishment of

Fgt. Thompson in 1863 as an Indian agency and semi military post. In1882 white settlers came into the county and immediately began a movement to organize the county. A newspaper, The

American Home was first published in the county, this is now called The Gann Valley Chief.

The reservation was opened for settlement and then withdrawn. The county was reduced in size to 479 square miles which it now occupies and finally organized in 1885. In 1888 Gann Valley became the county seat after a struggle with Buffalo Center. Buffalo County n ow has a population of 1811 and Gann Valley 242. The Crow Creek Indian reservation has 943 Indians in its roll at this time. In 1924 Lower Brule reservation was made part of the Crow Creek

Jurisdiction and it was reduced from an Agency with its own Superintendent to a sub-agency with a financial clerk in residence but all affairs of Lower Brule are handled by the

Superintendent of Crow Creek Reservation. Headquarters for both reservations are at Ft.

Thompson. Lower Brule has 600 Indians on its roll at this time. On May 23, 1931 a pageant entitled “Buffalo County in the Making” was presented at Ft. Thompson with the cooperation of

Indians and Whites. It was portrayed on the banks of the Missouri River with towering bluffs of the Missouri for a background.

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On one side of the stage was an Arickara lodge and on the other side a lonely Indian grave while at the base of a large tree lay a smooth stone, symbol of the art of the Indian Medicine man.

From the scene showing the coming of the red man to the last scene showing the Spirit of

Progress, Indian and white men marched together each contributing his part toward the development of the main theme built around the part played by Home, Church and School, and the state. The following Indians took part in the pageant: Black Antelope, White Eagle,

Medicine Crow, McBrides, Stands-on-Top, Loudners, Slows, White, Ocobe, Brother-of All,

Swift Hawk, Red Hail, Quilt, Bad Moccassin, Two-Dog, Strong Blanket, Fleurys, Philbrick,

White Boy, Irvings, Santees, Oldest Child, Wounded Knee, Skunk, Eagleman, Red Water, Bird,

Wind and Never Misses. The last chief of the Crow Creek Indians was White Ghost who died in

1905.

One of the best policies ever pursued for the benefit of the Indian was the establishment of Civilian Conservation Corps, Indian Division. Not only do the Indians receive their present support from the C.C.C. but the training program has been invaluable to the young men of the reservation. They learned to develop and use resources they had and made many improvements to the reservation. Many check dams were built to prevent soil erosion, many larger dams for water storage, many miles of truck trails have been constructed, range improvement, soil conservation, insect pest control etc. are only a few things done by the C.C.C.-I.D. Young men learned to operate and repair power machinery such as trucks, caterpillars, road maintenance etc.

The local C.C.C.-I.D. was organized in 1933. Ben Salmen is the present Senior Project Manager and Bart Muench is first assistant.

The personnel at the agency is changing frequently through transfers, promotions etc.

The present staff is as follows:

Office Division Paul Hallam, Superintendent, 1939 Stephen Jones, Assistant Clerk, Land Lease 1934 Charles Laughlin, chief clerk 1940 Harry Scott, Financial Clerk, 1935 Charles Van Oss, Assistant Clerk, Personnel 1935 Charles Eagle, Janitor 1894 David Drapeau, Assistant Clerk, Property 1935

Extension Division E. D. Murdock, Jr. Ext. Agent, Lower Brule, 1940 Ralph Spangler, Farm agent, 1926 Fred Fleury, Farmer Big Bend Farm Dist. 1935

Forestry Division George Hepworth, Forester, 1932

Agency Shop and Public Service Div. Charles Smith, Engineer, 1940 Ames Irving, Light & Water Plant 1934 Walter Davis, General Mechanic, 1928 Pete Yellow Back, Light & Water Plant, 1940 Frank Thomas, Mechanic, 1927 Stanley Fallis, Light & Water Plant, 1940 Ed Loudner, Laborer, 1940 Buster LaRoche, Light & Power Plant Lower Brule

Roads Division Lyle Kinport, Engineer in charge, 1933 William Menzie, Foreman, 1935 Arnold Wells, Clerk, 1935 Francis Wells, Instrument Man 1935

Page 28 Medical Division Dr. William Habel, Senor Physician, 1940 Susie Veo, Assistant Cook, 1936 Beatrice Huston, Head Nurse, 1938 Mrs. Amos Irving, Housekeeper, 1934 Genevieve Townsend, Nurse, 1938 Adolph Day, Janitor, 1940 Lillian Lyndoe, Nurse, 1939 Dan Quilt, Janitor, 1940 Dorothy Fisler, Nurse, 1938 Vernon Ashley, Janitor, 1940 Mrs. Wm. Price, Cook, 1935 Nelson Jeunesse, Utility Man, 1937 Mrs. John Jeunesse, Housekeper, 1936

Civilian Conservation Corps-Indian Division Benjamin Salmon, Engineer, 1939 Frank Knippling, Foreman, 1936 Bert Muench, Jr. Engineer, 1937 George Wells, Foreman, 1934 Truxton Clement, Camp Assistant, 1940 Russell Behart, Foreman, 1937 Lloyd Wallace, Mechanic, 1940 Iva Menzie-His-Law, Jr. Clerk, 1938 Alfred Wells, Mechanic, 1934 Cecelia LaRoche, Clerk, 1940

Marion His Law, Night Watchman, 1939 Joseph Thompson, Clerk, 1940

Rehabilitation Division Ernest Jakes, Director, 1936

Law Enforcement Division Guy Lambert, Chief -of-Police, 1938 Charles Long Turkey, Tribal Policeman, 1941 Abraham Loudner, Policeman, 1939 Russell Harrison, Tribal Judge Crow Creek, 1940 George DeShequette, Tribal Policeman, 1938 Rueben Estes, Judge Lower Brule, 1940 Henry Goodface, Tribal Policeman, 1941

Education Division Adolph Johnson, Principal, 1936 Liberty Mae Mattson, teacher, 1937 R. G. Ulrich, Teacher, 1937 Marcella Klebesadel, Teacher, 1940 Robert Fisler, Teacher, 1940 Arthur Arehart, Principal, 1937 Thomas Sullivan, Teacher, 1940 Ethalmae Ziebach, Teacher, 1941 Velva Allen, Teacher, 1940 Herman Eagle, Bus Driver, 1938 Hale Hickman, teacher, 1941

Page 29

Lawrence Irving, Bus Driver, 1940 Annabelle Tuttle, Cook, 1938 George Tuttle, Janitor, 1936 Dorothy Loudner, Housekeeper, 1938 John DeLoria, Janitor, 1940 Grace Estes DeWitt, Housekeeper, 1939

Pre-School Section Florence Kogle, Teacher, 1939 Margaret Price, Teacher, 1939 Eileen Dillon. Teacher, 1940 Sam Jones, Utility Man, 1936 Margaret Anton, Teacher, 1940 Lacy Stewart, Cook, 1938

Many older Indians on Crow Creek Reservation have the advantage of a good education.

Some have graduated from Carlisle, Hampton Institute Haskell, etc. Among those who are still

living who attended these schools are: Thomas Tuttle, John Badger, John Deloria, Thomas

Eaglemen, Thomas Saul, David Drapeau, George Tuttle, Alice Carpenter Flute, Phoebe Saint

John, Ansel Carpenter, Charles McBride. The younger generation are taking advantages of the

opportunities for higher education. The high school enrollment has increased greatly the past

five years. Indians are learning if they are to compete with the white man they need to obtain training equal to that of the white man. Many complete high school on the reservation, then attend college for further training. The Government provides reimbursable loans for higher education of Indian students. Some attend college some go to a trade school and a few attend universities. When given the same environment as white people, they learn just as quickly as white people. Indians excel in art and athletics and the love music. Jim Thorpe, a graduate of

Carlisle is still living and is perhaps the greatest athlete of the Indian race. Among our own

Indians we have several who attained considerable success in sports. Ansel Carpenter was an outstanding football player at Haskell Institute. Fred Harvey and Solomon Fleury played minor league baseball when they were young. Thomas Eagleman was an outstanding baseball player several years ago.

Dr. George Frazier is the only full blooded physician in the United States. He served many years at Lower Brule Sub-Agency and is at present located in Gregory S. D. His daughter,

Emajean, graduated from State College at Brookings with a major in Home Economics and was employed as teacher at Ft. Thompson Community School the first semester of present year. Dr.

Frazier’s brother is an ordained minister. Dr. Charles Eastman, once Superintendent of Crow

Creek Agency was an outstanding author and lecturer. Dr. Henry Roe Cloud is Supervisor of

Indian Education in the United States Indian Service. The Indian people are taking their place alongside their white brothers in public affairs. Charles Curtis, former Vice President of the

United States was part Indian and gave over thirty years of his life to public service. Given the same advantages as whites, the time will come when so called ‘Indian problem’ will be no problem at all.

Page 30

BROTHERS ‘NEATH THE SKIN

They may be yellow, black or brown, They may be red or white, But underneath, whate’er the skin, The soul is pure and bright, They may be scattered east and west, Of every tribe and kin, In spite of color, race, or home, They’re fellows ‘neath the skin.

Then let the work and hope and pray That nations great and small Shall rest beneath the wings of peace That peace shall hover all To labor largely, urge ahead For those without, within, That all in word and truth shall be As comrades ‘neath the skin.

It was to Ft. Kiown that Hugh Glass made his famous crawl from the forks of the Grand

River in autumn of 1823-one of the most remarkable feats of human endurance on record. It has been immortalized in the poem “The Song of Hugh Glass” by John Neihardt.

CORRECTIONS AND ADDITIONS

Doane Robinson states in his accounts that there was a fort known as Ft. Recovery located at the lower end of American Island twenty miles from here. It was erected in 1822 and owned by the Old Missouri Fur Trading Company. Possibly there was an earlier fort on this island. The first election held in Buffalo County was at Ft. Thompson on October 13, 1863 by two companies of Iowa Cavalry stationed there. H. B. Farren made the first permanent settlement in the county on September 16, 1882. Land claims were filed at Mitchell, First post office in the county was at Eldorodo, sec. 9, twp. 106, R. 68 in December 1882, John Mather,

postmaster, Confederate soldiers captured in the Civil War served at Ft. Thompson and many other frontier forts in this territory. Some of these were from North Carolina and Georgia. Ft.

Lookout was built in 1822 on the west bank of the river from the mouth of Crow Creek by the

American Fur Co. In 1822 the Columbia Fur co. built Ft. Kiowa near Ft. Lookout as a competitive trading post for five years when both forts were consolidated. In June 1856

Companies B and D of the Second Infantry moved all portable buildings and material from Ft.

Pierre to Ft. Lookout and it became a military post under Capt. Nathaniel Lyon who became famous as General Lyon in the Civil War. It was a two regiment post and was abandoned soon after. Ft. Hale was built in 18u73 10 miles above Ft. Lookout, abandoned in 1883.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Conquest of the Missouri, Hanson Dept. of History Collection, Vol.8, 10, 12 Boots and Saddles, Elizabeth Custer Story of The Flickertail State, Wemett Out Where The West Begins, Trinka History of Minnesota, Coffman Frontier Days, Taylor Brief History of North Dakota, Fish and Black A Trooper with Custer, Stool Heroes and Hero Tales of South Dakota, Lowe Custer’s Last Battle, Brackett Lewis and Clark’s Journal The Teepee Book (50th Anniversary) of Big Horn Battle Association Readings in South Dakota History, Robinson Yellowstone Kelly, Luther Kelly Captured by the Sioux, Fanny Kelly Official Military Records for the Northwest Indian Expedition Into the South Dakota Country, Putney Collections of the State Historical Society My Friend the Indian, McLaughlin Kaleidoscopic Lives, Taylor Old Records of the Crow Creek of Indian Agency, Ft. Thompson SD

History of North Dakota, C. A. Lounsberry Forty Years with the Sioux, Riggs

Page 30a ADDITIONAL CORRECTIOINS AND ADDITIONS

Fort Lower Brule was known as Ft. Hale in army circles. It was located on the west bank of the Missouri opposite the mouth of Crow Creek. It was one company post established in 1873 and abandoned in 1883. Capt. R. E. Johnson commanded Ft. Hale. In 1877 the famous frontiersman, Capt. Joe Bush, commanded Ft. Hale. The Twenty-Second Infantry was stationed there at that time.

Dr. Livingstone of Yankton was agent at Ft. Thompson 1872-1878. He was tried for alleged theft but acquitted. He was Superintendent of the State Insane Asylum in 1889.

Fred Chamberlain and Doc. Middleton and their gang of desparadoes made their headquarters at Lower Brule and American Island near Chamberlain in 1872. They also had a hideout and illicit still in the hills near Wessington Springs. They stole horses from Indian

Reservations and sold in the white settlements. Here they stole more horses and sold at the

Indian agencies.

Crow Creek was named by Lewis and Clark on September 17, 1894 because Cpt. Lewis shot a magpie at this point. See his Journal entry.

The Battle of Whitestone Hill was fought on September 3, 1863 and a further skirmish on

Sept. 5, 1863 between the Sixth Iowa Cavalry and the Second Nebraska Cavalry with Santees,

Yanktonais, Cutheads, and Uncpapas. Twenty Soldiers were killed and 38 wounded. General

Sully says that 150 Indians were killed or wounded. Some Brule Indians also took part in the battle.

Fort Rice was built by Gen. Sully the summer of 1864 while on an Indian campaign in the Bad Lands of N. Dak. The thirtieth Wisconsin and First U.S. Volunteers were stationed here for some time. All these troops went through Ft. Thompson. Sully stopped at Ft. Thompson with some troops on October 10, 1864.

The Battle of the Badlands and Battle of Killdeer Mountain were fought by Sully in July of 1864 against the Sans Arcs, Yanktonais, Unkpapas. He had the Seventh Iowa and Sixth Iowa

Cavalry, Dakota Cavalry, Brakett’s Battalion, Eighth Minnesota Infantry, Second Minnesota

Cavalry and the Third Minnesota Battery, a total of 2200 men.

In 1855 Gen Harney came through here with 1200 men on his way to Ft. Pierre, Gen.

Todd mapped the Missouri River on this trip.

In 1839, Nicollet and Fremont came through here on their way to Fort Pierre.

The Arickara were driven out in 1794. Joseph Garreau lived with the Arickara at the south end of the Cheyenne River in 1877. In 1874 Trudeau and D’Eglise passed through on their way to trade with the Mandanns, Arickaras. The Astor party came through here in 1811under the command of William Hunt. Chas, LeRaye, son of Count De Chaumont of Lafayette’s staff was held prisoner by the Brule Indians from 1802-1804 when he escaped.

Registre Loisel built a trading post one mile below DeGray in 1797. It burned in 1810.

Gen. W. H. Ashley and his expedition passed here in 1823. He was trapped north of Wakapala and Gen. Atkinson came to his relief with 220 soldiers. Forty more joined him at Chamberlain.

Gen Atkinson and Col. Fallon held a trade council at Ft. Kiowa in 1825. Others who passed through here were George Catlin 1832, Prince Maximillian of Bied 1833, J. J. Audubon 1843,

Dr. Evans 1849, F. V. Hayden in 1854.

Gen. Sibley conducted an expedition of 45 ox teams and 50 men from Mankato to Ft.

Thompson, arriving on July 29, 1864. He reported severe drought and grasshoppers. He reports the distanced as 300 miles.

The Sixth Iowa Cavalry under Capt. Scott Shattuck was stationed at Ft. Thompson during the winter of 1865, according to reports of Gen Sully.

A number of reports have come to me that Fiorella LaGuardia, mayor of New York City lived at Ft. Lookout when his father was bandmaster in the army. Definite proof of this is not available at this time.

Buildings of Ft. Hale were sold to Mr. Taft who used the brick to build present Taft Hotel in Chamberlain South Dakota.