https://caspercollege.cvlcollections.org/files/original/24c63fc44c2e92d581bd7dd2193d693c.pdf 5e31dd1a102ae032fdd48ca3fb820e90 PDF Text Text The question has often been asked how the town of Greybull and the river hard by L wore gibon such a strange appelation. There are several versions, but I will tell you of an old legend, and I will tell it to you as it was told to me in the summer of 1901 while C. H. Townsend and I were traveling by team and buokboard through the Big Horn country. Readers of thia interesting and informative daily column may take it for what it ia worth—believe it or not, as you wish. * ♦ ♦ This is the story: In the very, very early days a gray buffalo bull ranged in the Absaroka valley, along what is now known as the Greybull river, feeding on the luscious grasses of the broad, verdant meadows. In this valley ranged wild animals of many kinds, because there was always an abundance of feed, and the water was good. This was the only gray bull that had ever been seen in that part of the country by the red men. It was considered a good omen. ♦ » ♦ Arapooish, chief of the Crow tribe, who had possession of the vast Absaroka domain issued an edict that the extraordinary animal, which excited so much wonder and admira> tion among his people, should not be molested or harassed in any way. In honor of the bull Arapooish named the stream of water in the valley "Greybull," After a number of years, as must all living things, the bull died. The carcass was skinned and the pelt was made into a beautiful rug for Arapooish, which was placed in the center of the great chief’s tepee. Only the most honored guests were allowed to tread upon it. • ♦ * In a very few months after the death of the deeih ef the bull, which had been held in such high reverence and awe, hard luck, disater and death overtook the Crow tribo. Came the Sioux, the Cheyenne, the Blackfoot and the Pawnee Indians from the east and the south. The Absaroka country and the Crow tribe wore encircled by the invading enemy. Hany of the Arapooish fighting men were killed. Their horses were stolen and several hundred Crow children were carried away. Young squaws were captured and forced to become the wives end slaved of the hated Sioux and their allies. ♦ ♦ ♦ Forced to retreat, after many moons of hard fighting, Arapooish and what was left of his people, established themselves on land farther to the north. The invaders took possession of the Absaroka country end held it for many years. Although, by conquest, the ownership of the rich hunting ground was changed to the Sioux and theiriallies, the name of the stream given by the Crow chieftain, remained unchanged. * * * Later came the white man from the east, far beyond the 'ather of the Waters. The great government these pale faces represented gave to the rod man allotments, annuities, reservations, pensions, chatties, schools, missions, liberty, and everything under the �- 2 - sun that could be given for their comfort, happiness and convenience, in exchange for their hunting grounds, which were now almost depleted of game. The red man accepted the generous gifts from the Great V^hite Father, but they wanted to "eat their cake and still have it." It cost the United States givernment billions of dollars end the lives of more than a million white men, women and children to convince the red man of his error. * • * After years and years of warfare between the Indians end the United States government, the Absaroka country, the fertile valley and the placid stream in the Big Hom Basin re­ tained the name given it by the Crow chieftain, Arapooish. « * * Translated from the Crow language, Absaroka, means sparrow hawk, or the land of the Crow. The Cx*ow tribe was not numerous, end probably did not number more than 10,000 in their most flourishing days, but their land was the richest hunting ground in the Great Northwest country, and it was considered the most pleasant place in the vast Rocky Moun­ tain region to live. The Crow Indinas were physically and morally the best of the West­ ern Indians, and in proportion to their numbers they possessed more and better horses than any of the other tribes. • ♦ ♦ Absaroka was the valley and watershed of the Big Horn and the Little Big Horn rivers, and it extended considerably to the eastward, including the valleys of the Rosebud, Tongue, Powder, Sweetwater and Platte rivers, as well as a strip of territory on the north bank of the Yellowstone. Arapooish was chief of the Crow tribe for many years, and in addition to being friendly to the whites, he was always loyal to his own people and their country. That he was possessed of great wisdom may be judged frcm the following eulogixan: » * ♦ "The Crow country," he said, "is a good country. The Great Spirit has put it ex­ actly in the right p>abe. While you are in it you fare well; whenever you go out of it, whichever way you travel, you fare worse. If you go to the south, you have to wander over great, barren plains; the water is warm and bad, end you meet the fever and ague. To the north it is cold; the winters are long end bitter; with no grass you cannot keep horses there, but must travel with doge. What is a country without horses.* On the Colum­ bia they are poor and dirty; they paddle about in canoes, and eat fish. Their teeth are worn out; they are always taking fish bones out of their mouths. Fish is poor food. To the east, they dwell in villages; they live well, but they drink the muddy water of the Missouri—that is bad. A Crow's dog would not drink such water. About the forks of the Missouri is a fine country; good water; good grass; plenty of buffalo. In summer it is almost as good as the Crdw country, but in winter it is cold; the grass is gone, and there is no salt weed for the horses. • * * r V** The Crow country is exactly^the right place. It has snowy mountains and sunny pl»i«5^* �all kinds of climates and good things for every season. When the summer heats scorch the prairies, you can draw up under the mountains, where the air is sweet and cool, the grass fresh, and the bright streams come tumbling out of the snow-banks. There you can hun^ the elk, the deer, and the antelope, when their ekins fre fit for dressing; there you will find plenty of white bears and mountain sheep. In the autumn, when your horses are fat and strong from the mountain pastures, you can go down into the plains and hunt the buffalo, or trap the beaver on the streams. And when winter comes on, you can take shelter in the woody bottoms along ths rivers; there you will find buffalo meat for yourselves, and cot­ tonwood bark for your horses; or you may winter in the Wind River valley, where there is salt weed in abundance. Tes, the Crow oountzy is eaakly in the right place. Everything good is to be found there. There is no country like the Crow country." * ♦ ♦ It was some time after the Crow Indians lost possession of their valuable lands that Port Reno and Port Phil Kearny were established, and soldiers were stationed at these posts for the protection of ths white people who were passing through that part of the country over the Bozeman Trail, but the Sioux and the Cheyenne stole their horses end killed the defenseless emigrants, who believed that the Indians would respect the ft treaties signed at Fort Lramie by the heads of the different tribes. These forts were as cities of refuge in a boundless wilderness, but it was not long until the hostile such Indians had congregated iiv'great numbers that the soldiers and forts were attacked by large bands of Indians, which finally resulted in the Petterman massacre. * * * * in* * this *perti *ef *the *eewntry *wae 1‘absndened *by * the *white *peep le * * When I made my first trip into the Big Horn country a few months more than forty- two years ago there was no town of Greybull, and only a few Bettered settlements in that vast territory. The land where the thriving little city of Greybull now stands was as free as the sky above and primeval as the redman's trail. It was still a wilderness. But in the space of two score years flourishing settlements throughout the Big Horn Basin have developed into bustling trade centers. Their patterns of paved streets, public squares, comfortable homes, substantial business blocks, factories, modem school build­ ings and churches ^ave advanced by stages into numerous little cities of charm and beauty. �Block Precinct Street oa CD CD CD tXl CD oa KCD CD � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes Subject The topic of the resource Local authors -- Wyoming -- Natrona County -- Casper Casper (Wyo.) -- History Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.) Natrona County (Wyo.) -- History Description An account of the resource The Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes are a series of the larger archival collection that are his papers. Both his Letterboxes and his Notebooks available in this digital repository include holograph manuscripts, which is to say, manuscripts written in the author's hand. Much of the material in Mokler's Letterboxes dates to the 1920s and 1930s. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letterbox 2-E Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alfred J. 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Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Goodstein Foundation Library Archives and Special Collections (Western History Center) Relation A related resource Alfred J. Mokler Papers