"Indians!" ****** 91 



miles of his goal most of the Indians were trapped and captured. At the 

 start, Chief Joseph was harassed by soldiers from the west. He fought 

 them off, outwitted parties sent to block his path, outgeneraled troops 

 sent to meet him in Yellowstone and Mon 

 tana, and in spite of his great handicaps and 

 lack of supplies, held his band together. While 

 in the Yellowstone, the Nez Perces captured 

 two separate parties of tourists, exchanged 

 their tired horses for the fresh ones of the 

 visitors, confiscated part of the supplies, and 

 pushed on, with women and children, always 

 eluding the troops. In this remarkable hegira, 

 Chief Joseph led the Nez Perces over half a 

 dozen mountain ranges, through passes that 

 were considered impassable, all the time in 

 strange country, until he reached northern 

 Montana, the old buffalo hunting grounds of 

 the Nez Perces. 



Chief Joseph and his exhausted tribesmen were surrounded by two 

 troops of militia on Snake Creek in the Bear Paw Mountains, within 

 sight almost of freedom. General Miles, whose admiration had been 

 stirred by Chief Joseph's gallant flight, persuaded the Nez Perces to 

 surrender on condition that they would be returned to their old home. 

 General Miles's agreement, made in good faith, was ignored by the 

 government, which treated the Nez Perces as criminals and sent most 

 of them to Leavenworth Prison and later to Indian Territory, where 

 many died; but in 1885 Chief Joseph and the remnant of his tribe were 

 removed to a reservation in Washington. Here the old warrior lived 

 for twenty years, aiding and counseling his people. Once he made the 

 long trip to Washington, D.C., to visit President Roosevelt and General 

 Miles. Chief Joseph's story is a part of that of the Yellowstone, though 

 his people never lived in the park other than during the brief period 

 when they sought refuge there. When the old Indian died in 1904, there 

 passed away perhaps the most remarkable man his race produced, in 

 modern years at least. 



Just as the Blackfeet are a part of Glacier National Park, the Crows 

 are coming to be associated with Yellowstone Park. In 1925 a group 

 of Crows were allowed to come to Yellowstone Park and help round up 

 the big buffalo herd. They wore their ancient hunting costumes and 

 rode bareback as they chased the buffaloes over the hills of the Lamar 

 River country. Crowds of Sagebrushers went out each day to see the 

 Indians bring down the buffaloes from the mountains. One day a buffalo 

 was killed accidentally and was given to the Indians. One old Indian 



