Indian Encampment

When Miller visited the high lakes of the Wind River Mountains with Stewart in the fall of 1837, he was struck by their numbers, their beauty, and their sublimity. He was also greatly impressed with the age of the rocks and peaks that surrounded them. In his notes he recorded these sentiments quite clearly. For example, he addressed the geological and temporal essence of the natural features when he wrote that some of the rocks were “coeval with the beginning of the world.” He also was awed by the silhouette of the vast mountain backdrop. “In the distance,” he wrote, “a part of the chain of granite rocks cuts clear against the evening sky.” (Rough Draughts, 98) This small, late oil painting reflects the glory of his multiple responses to that alpine landscape. It is at once divinely inspired, empirically informed and romantically constructed.

Peter H. Hassrick

Indian Camps:

Small isolated camps of Indians, such as this scene depicted by Miller, were not a common occurrence because safety in the Rocky Mountains was more assured by living in larger groups. There have been, on occasion, encounters between mountain men and small, isolated bands of natives such as the one described by trapper Osborne Russell in July of 1835: “We descended the stream about 15 mls thro. the dense forest and at length came to a beautiful valley about 8 Mls. long and 3 or 4 wide surrounded by dark and lofty mountains. The banks of the stream in the valley were low and skirted in many places with beautiful Cottonwood groves. Here we found a few Snake Indians comprising 6 men 7 women and 8 or 10 children who were the only Inhabitants of this lonely and secluded spot. They were all neatly clothed in dressed deer and Sheep skins of the best quality and seemed to be perfectly contented and happy. They were rather surprised at our approach and retreated to the heights where they might have a view of us without apprehending any danger, but having persuaded them of our pacific intentions we then succeeded getting them to encamp with us.”

Sheep Eaters:

The Indian people that Russell’s party met in the isolated mountain valley located near the source of the Yellowstone River were referred to as the Sheep Eater Band of Shoshone Indians. These people inhabited the high, lofty areas of the Bighorn Mountains and the other ranges in and around the Yellowstone Lake region. They led a virtual stone-age life style and hardly ever traded for the white man’s goods. Russell described their tools and primitive life style in this passage: “Their personal property consisted of one old butcher Knife nearly worn to the back two old shattered fusees which had long since become useless for want of ammunition a Small Stone pot and about 30 dogs on which they carried their skins, clothing, provisions etc on their hunting excursions. They were well armed with bows and arrows pointed with obsidian … They said there had been a great many beaver on the branches of this stream but they had killed nearly all of them and being ignorant of the value of fur had singed it off with fire in order to drip the meat more conveniently. They had seen some whites some years previous who had passed thro. the valley and left a horse behind but he had died during the first winter. They are never at a loss for fire which they produce by the friction of two pieces of wood which are rubbed together with a quick and steady motion.”

Jim Hardee & Clay Landry

Further Reading:

Russell, Osborne, Journal of a Trapper