﻿FRIEDEICH 
  KURZ 
  BUSHNELL. 
  511 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  afternoon 
  they 
  " 
  passed 
  a 
  community 
  of 
  Otoes 
  and 
  

   various 
  settlements 
  of 
  half-breeds," 
  and 
  late 
  on 
  May 
  13 
  arrived 
  " 
  at 
  

   Iowa 
  Point 
  near 
  the 
  Bluffs," 
  

  

  Kurz 
  was 
  ever 
  anxious 
  to 
  visit 
  new 
  places. 
  The 
  day 
  after 
  reach- 
  

   ing 
  Council 
  Bluffs, 
  he 
  crossed 
  the 
  Missouri 
  to 
  Belle 
  Vue, 
  Peter 
  A. 
  

   Sarpy's 
  " 
  trading 
  house 
  for 
  the 
  Omahaws." 
  On 
  the 
  river 
  a 
  short 
  

   distance 
  below 
  Sarpy's 
  house 
  was 
  — 
  

  

  a 
  Protestant 
  mission, 
  and 
  beyond 
  MacKinney 
  a 
  trading 
  place 
  for 
  the 
  Otoes 
  

   and 
  Omahaws, 
  a 
  beautiful 
  far-reaching 
  view 
  over 
  the 
  estuary 
  of 
  tlie 
  Big 
  

   Platte. 
  

  

  While 
  in 
  Belle 
  Vue, 
  on 
  May 
  16, 
  Kurz 
  saw 
  for 
  the 
  first 
  time 
  an 
  

   earth 
  lodge, 
  and 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  made 
  a 
  sketch 
  of 
  a 
  Pawnee 
  girl 
  near 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  lodges. 
  May 
  20 
  proved 
  an 
  interesting 
  day 
  for 
  Kurz, 
  and 
  

   to 
  again 
  quote 
  from 
  his 
  journal 
  : 
  

  

  Crossed 
  again 
  to 
  Belle 
  Vue 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  visiting 
  a 
  village 
  of 
  Omahaws 
  

   6 
  miles 
  distant. 
  

  

  He 
  followed 
  a 
  path 
  over 
  the 
  hills, 
  then 
  traversed 
  a 
  wooded 
  plain 
  

   and 
  soon 
  reached 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  Papillon 
  Creek, 
  beyond 
  which, 
  on 
  

   elevated 
  ground, 
  stood 
  the 
  Omaha 
  village. 
  The 
  village 
  was 
  rather 
  

   small 
  but 
  probably 
  characteristic 
  of 
  many 
  throughout 
  the 
  region. 
  

   As 
  described 
  by 
  Kurz 
  : 
  

  

  Their 
  dwellings 
  consisted 
  both 
  of 
  skin 
  tents 
  and 
  clay 
  huts 
  in 
  the 
  midst 
  of 
  

   which 
  were 
  scaffolds 
  used 
  for 
  the 
  curing 
  of 
  meat 
  and 
  high 
  inclosures 
  in 
  which 
  

   they 
  confined 
  their 
  horses 
  for 
  safety. 
  On 
  the 
  side 
  from 
  wliich 
  I 
  entered 
  the 
  

   village 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  narrow 
  ditch 
  or 
  trench, 
  whether 
  constructed 
  for 
  defense 
  — 
  

   a 
  shelter 
  behind 
  which 
  they 
  fired 
  on 
  their 
  enemies 
  — 
  I 
  do 
  not 
  know. 
  They 
  

   mounted 
  the 
  meat 
  scafliolds 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  the 
  simplest 
  sort 
  of 
  improvised 
  lad- 
  

   ders 
  — 
  the 
  trunk 
  of 
  a 
  tree 
  about 
  6 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter 
  in 
  which 
  steps 
  were 
  cut. 
  

   I 
  took 
  a 
  walk 
  about 
  the 
  village. 
  For 
  a 
  long 
  while 
  I 
  watched 
  the 
  sport 
  of 
  the 
  

   young 
  boys, 
  as 
  they 
  practiced 
  hurling 
  the 
  spear 
  with 
  great 
  velocity 
  through 
  

   a 
  rolling 
  brass 
  ring. 
  Before 
  a 
  clay 
  hut 
  sat 
  the 
  personages 
  of 
  the 
  village 
  as 
  

   spectators 
  and 
  judges, 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  distinguished 
  by 
  their 
  trappings. 
  

  

  Kurz 
  made 
  many 
  drawings 
  during 
  his 
  stay 
  at 
  Council 
  Bluffs 
  and 
  

   when 
  visiting 
  in 
  the 
  surrounding 
  country, 
  some 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  now 
  

   reproduced. 
  

  

  On 
  June 
  1 
  Kurz 
  was 
  invited 
  by 
  Peter 
  A. 
  Sarpy 
  to 
  remain 
  with 
  him 
  

   at 
  Belle 
  Vue 
  until 
  the 
  arrival 
  of 
  the 
  boat 
  in 
  which 
  he 
  was 
  to 
  proceed 
  

   up 
  the 
  Missouri. 
  Three 
  days 
  later, 
  on 
  June 
  4, 
  Kurz 
  entered 
  in 
  his 
  

   journal 
  : 
  

  

  I 
  am 
  living 
  in 
  a 
  trading 
  house 
  ; 
  I 
  sleep 
  on 
  a 
  buffalo 
  robe 
  ; 
  I 
  am 
  again 
  in 
  

   the 
  midst 
  of 
  Indians, 
  who 
  are 
  continually 
  trading 
  with 
  Mr. 
  Sarpy. 
  He 
  lets 
  

   them 
  have 
  gimpowder, 
  lead, 
  and 
  tobacco 
  on 
  credit, 
  that 
  they 
  may 
  prepare 
  for 
  

   hunting 
  during 
  the 
  summer. 
  Buffalo 
  range 
  about 
  80 
  miles 
  from 
  this 
  village. 
  

   Stephen 
  Decatur, 
  a 
  nephew 
  of 
  the 
  celebrated 
  commodore, 
  is 
  employed 
  here 
  now 
  

   as 
  clerk. 
  He 
  was 
  formerly 
  a 
  teacher 
  in 
  the 
  East. 
  There 
  are 
  three 
  other 
  

  

  