﻿510 
  ANNUAL 
  EEPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1927 
  

  

  Later 
  Kurz 
  again 
  referred 
  to 
  the 
  habitations 
  in 
  the 
  Iowa 
  camp 
  

   and 
  stated: 
  

  

  The 
  tents 
  were, 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part, 
  conical 
  in 
  form 
  and 
  made 
  of 
  skins 
  in 
  the 
  

   usual 
  Indian 
  fashion. 
  There 
  were 
  among 
  them, 
  however, 
  some 
  wigwams 
  

   constructed 
  of 
  osier 
  twigs 
  or 
  withes 
  and 
  covered 
  with 
  rush 
  mats. 
  There 
  were 
  

   others 
  constructed 
  with 
  pieces 
  of 
  bark 
  with 
  a 
  roof 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  material 
  — 
  

   that 
  is, 
  with 
  strips 
  of 
  bark 
  laid 
  across 
  the 
  top. 
  The 
  last 
  form 
  of 
  hut 
  could 
  

   be 
  used 
  only 
  when 
  roof 
  and 
  sides 
  were 
  covered 
  with 
  snow. 
  

  

  The 
  Iowa 
  village 
  proved 
  an 
  interesting 
  place. 
  Kurz 
  was 
  much 
  

   surprised 
  to 
  hear 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  younger 
  Indians 
  speak 
  very 
  good 
  

   English. 
  

  

  I 
  asked 
  Uotschetsche, 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  young 
  men, 
  whether 
  they 
  taught 
  so 
  well 
  at 
  

   the 
  mission. 
  He 
  said 
  not 
  so, 
  but 
  at 
  Johnson's 
  school 
  in 
  Kentucky. 
  That 
  man 
  

   Johnson 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  great 
  friend 
  to 
  the 
  Indians. 
  

  

  And 
  again 
  referring 
  to 
  the 
  Iowa 
  : 
  

  

  Their 
  attitudes 
  and 
  movements 
  are 
  never 
  awkward. 
  Their 
  hands, 
  which 
  are 
  

   perfectly 
  flexible 
  and 
  supple 
  from 
  their 
  constant 
  practice 
  in 
  the 
  sign 
  language, 
  

   they 
  use 
  in 
  a 
  manner 
  particularly 
  graceful. 
  

  

  The 
  games 
  played 
  by 
  the 
  Indians 
  always 
  proved 
  of 
  interest 
  to 
  the 
  

   young 
  artist. 
  Some 
  weeks 
  after 
  leaving 
  the 
  lowas, 
  while 
  at 
  Fort 
  

   Union, 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  Missouri 
  above 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  

   Yellowstone, 
  he 
  wrote 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  lowas 
  are 
  fond 
  of 
  card 
  games, 
  but 
  on 
  many 
  occasions 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  two 
  

   young 
  people 
  sit 
  down 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  opposite 
  each 
  other, 
  take 
  off 
  their 
  moccasins 
  

   and 
  place 
  all 
  four 
  in 
  a 
  row 
  between 
  them. 
  Then 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  players 
  thrusts 
  

   his 
  hand 
  into 
  each 
  moccasin, 
  leaving 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  them 
  some 
  small 
  object. 
  His 
  

   opponent 
  has 
  now 
  to 
  guess 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  found. 
  He 
  is 
  allowed 
  only 
  one 
  

   chance. 
  If 
  he 
  guesses 
  correctly 
  he 
  wins 
  the 
  game, 
  if 
  not 
  he 
  loses. 
  

  

  About 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  January, 
  1849, 
  " 
  the 
  first 
  gold 
  seeker 
  showed 
  him- 
  

   self 
  in 
  St. 
  Joseph." 
  The 
  Missouri 
  was 
  open 
  to 
  navigation 
  about 
  the 
  

   middle 
  of 
  February 
  when 
  " 
  several 
  thousand 
  of 
  those 
  adventurers, 
  

   all 
  in 
  a 
  heat 
  from 
  gold 
  fever, 
  streamed 
  into 
  St. 
  Joseph." 
  Kurz 
  then 
  

   told 
  of 
  the 
  wild 
  rush 
  to 
  California, 
  the 
  curious 
  crowds 
  that 
  gathered 
  

   to 
  cross 
  the 
  Missouri, 
  the 
  troubles 
  and 
  disappointments 
  of 
  many. 
  

   About 
  June 
  " 
  the 
  Mormons 
  assembled 
  near 
  Kanesville, 
  8 
  miles 
  from 
  

   Council 
  Bluffs, 
  in 
  readiness 
  to 
  wander 
  on 
  to 
  Salt 
  Lake 
  and 
  found 
  

   their 
  new 
  Zion." 
  The 
  year 
  passed 
  without 
  much 
  of 
  interest 
  having 
  

   been 
  accomplished 
  by 
  the 
  artist 
  who, 
  however, 
  had 
  been 
  quite 
  ill 
  

   but 
  had 
  fully 
  recovered. 
  Nor 
  was 
  the 
  year 
  1850 
  of 
  any 
  greater 
  

   interest. 
  

  

  On 
  May 
  11, 
  1851, 
  Kurz 
  left 
  St. 
  Joseph 
  on 
  the 
  river 
  boat 
  Sacra- 
  

   mento 
  for 
  Council 
  Bluffs 
  where, 
  so 
  he 
  wrote 
  in 
  his 
  journal: 
  

  

  I 
  shall 
  wait 
  for 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  boats 
  that 
  make 
  annual 
  trips 
  to 
  the 
  Yellow- 
  

   stone 
  in 
  the 
  interest 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  fur 
  companies 
  and 
  bring 
  back 
  the 
  commodities 
  

   that 
  supply 
  their 
  traflSc. 
  

  

  