He was never charged but was relegated to purchasing horses for the army. It is a place of memory." Quoted from: Marias River Massacre Site by Scott Warnick, SIMMS HIGH SCHOOL Even the captain himself shared the nightwatch. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_6411_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_6411_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); Descendants of Heavy Runners band of Blackfeet Indians stand at the place from which their forebears were attacked by U.S. cavalry in 1870. They arrived at Trading Post, Kansas, in the morning and then headed back to Missouri. The previous fall, Malcolm Clarke, an influential Montana rancher, had accused a Blackfeet warrior named Owl Child of stealing some of his horses; he punished the man with a brutal whipping. Carol was hurt. This claim contradicted Baker's earlier reports and implied 150 non-combatant deaths. On January 23, 1870, the cavalry received a scouting report that the Piegan, led by Mountain Chief, was camped along the Marias River. Become a sustaining member for as low as $5/month, Make an annual or one-time donation to support MTPR, Pay an existing pledge or update your payment information, The Big Sky Documentary Film Festival kicks off Friday evening in downtown Missoula. The camp was initially intended to intern Hitler's political opponents which consisted of: communists, social democrats, and other dissidents. Maher Massacre - Wikipedia Rather, because of it, she grew even more fascinated by the event in 1870. Why, in 1978, 108years after the massacre, would someone still be afraid to talk about it? But its also a story about misguided government policies, ignorance, bigotry, and maybe some opportunities to learn from our mistakes. They buried the dead as best they could. When Carol gained the trust of her great-aunt, Annie ultimately told her the story of a little girl. [5], Clarke's murder created a climate of unrest in the region, as outraged white settlers demanded that the government protect them and suppress the outlaw Blackfeet. Marias Massacre Site[1]The Marias Massacre is also known as the Baker Massacre and Piegan Massacre. Clarke found success trading with Blackfeet tribes and eventually married a Native woman named Coth-co-co-na and had four childrenHelen, Horace, Nathan, and Isabel. Tovas, Blanca. The Marias is a Class I river from Tiber Dam to its confluence with the Missouri River for public access for recreational purposes. Some people say that blame for the eventual downfall of the great Indian nations of the Northwest should be laid at the feet of the Corps of Discovery. On the morning of January 23, 1870, troops of the 2nd U.S. Cavalry attacked a Piegan Indian village on the Marias River killing many more than the army's count of 173, most of them women,. When writer Frank Bird Linderman requested an interview for a story, Kipp refused because the military would hang him if he told what he knew about the massacre. Doane was a participant in the Marias Massacre of approximately 200 Piegan Blackfeet people (mostly women, children, and old men). Never, since Montanas first settlement, have we so long enjoyed immunity from Indian outrages. Rhineland | Facts, History, & Significance | Britannica His mission was to punish the Piegan men who had killed Malcolm Clarke, a white trader and rancher. Chrie Newman is an arts and humanities producer and on-air host for Montana Public Radio, and a freelance writer. You can navigate days by using left and right arrows. On January 23, 1870, Baker's party received a scouting report that the group of Piegans, led by Mountain Chief, was camped along the Marias River. However, after the massacre, that movement ended, and Indian Affairs were handled instead by the Department of Interior, where they continue to be handled today, according to Andrew Graybill. HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. Most of the healthy men had left the camp to hunt. But the average grade didnt stop Carol. Survival and resilience: Blackfeet mark 150 years after massacre on the Marias River | Montana, Wildlife, Fishing | Britannica As they awaited the command to fire, the camp chief came out of his lodge, walking toward the bluffs, waving a safe-conduct paper. When Iva Croff was about 9, a classmate told her they were related. Robert J. Ege, Strike Them Hard! Bellevue, Nebraska: The Old Army Press, 1970. So, on that bitterly cold morning, nearly all the camp's occupants were women, children, or elderly.[14]. Like Carol, Leo Bird, didnt hear about the massacre until he was in college. They were fighting men on 24-hour alert. The noise alerted the Piegan camp and Chief Heavy Runner. It was because of the content.. So we cant just get over it.. Scout Joe Kipp, who was married to an Indigenous woman, sensed they had mixed up the camps and told Baker. A descendant of Heavy Runner, accessed February 6, 2011, "2011, CarolMurrayTellsBakerMassacre1.flv", Annual reuion His Civil War Rank was Brevet Lt. Col of Volunteers and Assistant Adj General/Inspector, "Soldiers Massacre the Wrong Camp of Indians", "The Baker Massacre (Told by Bear Head, a Survivor, circa 1935)", accessed Feb. 5, 2011 CarolMurrayTellsBakerMassacre1.flv, "Major Eugene Baker, 2nd U.S. Cavalry, Fort Ellis, MT", "Canada, Saskatchewan Catholic Church Records, 1846-1957", Article on the 2010 Baker Massacre Memorial, Witness to Carnage: The 1870 Marias Massacre in Montana, Native American Legends: The Marias Massacre, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marias_Massacre&oldid=1165832739. In attempt to calm his camp, Heavy Runner approached the army, waving a note of safe passage he received from the superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Montana Territory. [2], Baker's command came across a small Piegan camp on January 22 and captured the occupants. The Marais des Cygnes massacre (/mr d zin, - sin, mr d zin/,[1][2] also /mri d sin, mre d sen/)[citation needed] is considered the last significant act of violence in Bleeding Kansas prior to the outbreak of the American Civil War. Montana doesnt exist without the dispossession of Indigenous lands, he said, adding that the massacre marks the end of the Blackfeet peoples violent resistance in North America. During this trip you will see towering white cliffs, teepee ring villages, bison jumps, lush cottonwood groves, wildlife and much more. Because of a change in ownership, the Blackfeet ceremony at the massacre site on the south bank of the Marias was moved in 2010 to a bluff on public land overlooking the river from the north. "[2] He was immediately shot and killed. Also known as the Marias River Massacre or Bear River Massacre, the Baker Massacre occurred Jan. 23, 1870, when the U.S. 2nd Cavalry, led by Maj. Eugene Baker, killed at least 173 members. After asking many relatives, Bird learned he is a descendant of one of Heavy Runners three wives, Whole Woman. Lewis and his three companions were watchful every moment of their journey through Marias River country, for they had been led to expect trouble from the Blackfeet. Clarke then moved his family to the Rocky Mountains and undertook ranching with his second wife, a mixed-race Blackfoot woman named Good Singing. According to Pease, only fifteen young men aged twelve to thirty-seven were killed. [26] Horacewho was half-Indianwas ultimately pardoned for his role in the massacre by the Native community, who viewed his participation as justified by a desire to avenge his father and because of his social and economic standing in the community. Pease responded by demanding a full investigation to explain the discrepancy between the military and the Piegans' versions of events. This timeline will cover the events that occurred in The Marias River Massacre, a devastating event that resulted in the loss of many innocent members of the Blackfeet tribe in Montana, as well as discuss the connection between this story and my teaching. [14], Long Time Calf escaped through the freezing waters of the Marias River, carrying her infant niece. At the time of the massacre, the Blackfeet Reservation stretched across most northern Montana. and ended discussions about returning control of Indian affairs to the U.S. The massacre was initially reported in local newspapers as an achievement. By the time the brutal attack was over, Baker and his men had, by the best estimate, murdered 37 men, 90 women, and 50 children. Blackfeet Nation commemorates 150th anniversary of Baker Massacre One thing we hear a lot of is: That happened so long ago. As the darkness faded, Bakers scout, Joe Kipp, recognized that the painted designs on the buffalo-skin lodges were those of a peaceful band of Blackfeet led by Heavy Runner. I understand it was described by our people that the way of the river was so aggressive I always imagine if a bear was running at you, thats how it would look and feel. Find more excerpts from primary sources relating to the massacre on the site "Witness to Carnage". It was the most effort she had put into a school project. This interpersonal conflict ultimately led to Clarke murdering McKenzie. De Trobriand claimed that many of the Piegan women had been killed by their husbands to protect them "from tortures among the white men which are inflicted upon white women when captured by those Red fiends." In the meantime, Major Eugene Baker led his troops downstream to find the actual target designated clearly in his orders. As the Blackfeet Nation remembers the massacre, honors their ancestors and teaches younger generations about the event, they focus on healing. They attacked the site at Willow Rounds, but Mountain Chief had been warned and left the area, so Baker's men instead ended up attacking the camp of Chief Heavy Runner, who had enjoyed . Dachau (UK: / d x a /, /-k a /; US: / d x a /, /-k a /) was one of the first concentration camps built by Nazi Germany and the longest running one, opening on 22 March 1933. She was eight years old. She remembered waking up to the noise of barking dogs. Cobell was married to the sister of Mountain Chief and wanted to divert attention from his brother-in-law's camp, which he knew was about 10 miles (16km) downstream. The Marias River Massacre On the morning of the incident, also known as the Baker Massacre and the Piegan Massacre, Chief Heavy Runner tried to stop the attack by showing papers that he claimed gave him and his people clear passage in the area. He also reported capturing 140 women and children who were later released because of smallpox. Additionally, the able-bodied men were out hunting, so Heavy Runners camp mostly consisted of the elderly, women, children and victims of smallpox. [6] Other Blackfeet oral histories state that Owl Child's wife became pregnant from the assault, and gave birth to a child who was either stillborn or killed by tribal elders. Museum and research center closed for renovations. Mountain Chief - Wikipedia Soldiers later reported that Baker drank a great deal throughout the march. Carols curiosity burned she had found her research project. They took him prisoner. He said: "We killed some with axes" and "gave them an awful massacreing. What couldnt be protected were the trade routes between the gold camps. In the latter years of his life, Horace Clarke would say the two central events of his life were the murder of his father and the military campaign that followed. It was the first time she experienced deep mistrust from a relative. Fools Crow: Marias (Bear) River Massacre | Humanities Montana Ryan Hall said understanding the massacre is fundamental to understanding the invasion and conquest of Montana. Many blamed Major Baker, a known alcoholic, for the massacre and failure to capture Mountain Chiefs men. Although the Army Appropriation bill in 1870 allowed Sheridan to take over Indian affairs, his involvement in the massacre prevented him from advancing. Marias River, Montana - Discovering Montana Marias River Massacre - The US Cavalry massacred the camp of Heavy Runner, a peaceful Blackfoot Chief, while looking for Mountain Chief another Blackfoot Chi. Jan 25, 2020 1 of 8 Carol Murray, vice president of Blackfeet Community College, shares the story of the Baker Massacre during a memorial ceremony observing the 150th anniversary near the. He succeeded in preventing an official investigation into the incident. It makes me kind of uneasy framing this entire event around Baker and using his name again and again. ", This page was last edited on 17 July 2023, at 18:21. Home About Montana Blog Contact The Marias Massacre - A Montana Disgrace . They were afraid people would come kill the rest of us, he said. Baker later reported to the Secretary of War that his cavalry killed 173 Native Americans - though later reports reveal there may have been more than 200 casualties - destroyed 40 lodges and all of the bands winter supplies. Baker needed to wait until Sheridan's division inspector general Colonel James A. Hardie reviewed the situation and reported back to him. [3] During his time there, he became friends with classmate William Sherman, although they lost touch after he left school. The massacre occurred on January 23, 1870, in Montana Territory. He may have known it was Heavy Runners camp. Finally, when convinced that no living creature remained, he withdrew. Often referred to as the Baker Massacre, the 1870 event is also called the Marias River Massacre or the Bear River Massacre. There was little resistance from the smallpox-ridden camp. The Marias River Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. In this years line-up, 20 films are listed in the "Made In Montana", The Blackfeet Tribe is working to expand teacher education on the reservation. Humiliated, Owl Child, with a band of rogue Piegans, sought revenge and killed Clarke. He fired at every moving body. I contemplate those little scenarios sometimes, piece by piece.. Bakers soldiers began blindly firing into the village, catching the peaceful Native Americans utterly unaware and defenseless. Marias Massacre Marias (Bear Creek) Massacre January 23, 2020, marks the 150th commemoration of the Marias Massacre, one of the most tragic events in Montana history. Despite the positive initial reports, the massacre would not be remembered the same way in history. Their commander was a drunk and their guides were duplicitous. In any case, a deep shadow of danger and paranoia hung over the Marias River country for more than sixty years, and was to prevail in a different guise a hundred years later on. She can be reached atnmabie@greatfallstribune.com. According to de Trobriand, Mountain Chief had fled the camp with his followers. The U.S. Army heard about Clarkes death, and Gen. Philip Sheridan, who was leading efforts to repress Native Americans, selected Maj. Eugene Baker to lead a retaliatory attack against the Piegan Indians, a branch of the Blackfeet peoples. He wasnt the one who was affected, and hes not the one who is remembering it today, said Ryan Hall, who is writing a book, The Backbone of the World: Blackfoot People in the North American Borderlands 1722-1877. In the book, which is expected to be released in April, Hall refers to the event as the Marias Massacre. Im happy that were finding a way to rebuild ourselves after this happened to us.. [22], Baker filed his official report on February 18. The Blackfoot Indians Real People of Montana, Lieutenant Gus Doane, commander of F Company, Byways & Historic Trails Great Drives in America, Soldiers and Officers in American History, John C. McCoy Founder of Westport, Missouri, Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Railroad, Give Yourself A Break: How to Travel On a Budget With Kids. Baker ordered a forced march that night and moved his mixed infantry and cavalry forces through rough country, locating a camp of 32 lodges in the low ground along the Marias River just South of present-day Dunkirk, Montana. The killing inflamed the public, which caused General Philip Sheridan to send out a band of cavalry led by Major Eugene Baker to track down and punish the offending party. Nathan Clarke was "stabbed to the heart" on September 19, 1872 in Deep Creek, Montana by James Swan, a Mtis man. [16], Learning of the raid, Mountain Chief's band escaped over the border into Canada. Only one man was ever prosecuted for his involvement in the massacre: William Griffith of Bates County, Missouri. Mountain Chief was also called Big Brave (Omach-katsi) and adopted the name Frank Mountain Chief. Army. Joe Kipp, Bakers scout who warned him that they attacked the wrong camp, suffered immense guilt after the massacre. Clarke's other children and his wife took shelter in the house unharmed. [22], The army justified Baker's attack and portrayed him as a hero. However, General William Sherman deflected a public inquiry by silencing the protests of General Alfred Sully, the Bureau of Indian Affairs superintendent of Montana Indians, and Lieutenant William Pease, the Piegan Indian Agent who had reported the damning body count. It wasnt because of the grammar or spelling. Or that the ruin of the Blackfeet in particular is entirely traceable to Meriwether Lewiss reaction to the eight Piegans who tried to steal his guns and horses on the morning of 27 July 1806. The Marias River (Baker) Massacre | Sutori The rape victim was married to Pete Owl Child, a Blackfeet warrior and member of Mountain Chiefs band. Afterward, Clarke tracked down Owl Child and beat him in front of his camp for the offense. Soldiers got the right tribe but the wrong band in 1870 when they attacked a Blackfeet camp on the Marias River in an atrocity largely forgotten today. The two sought revenge for their father and made their expedition known to the press.[13]. Whereas in the early 1800s the Blackfeet had a population of . Heavy Runner ran toward the soldiers, "shouting and waving a piece of papera safe conduct from the Indian Bureau. There is a question, though, as to whether or not he was totally objective in trying to find Mountain Chiefs camp. The Marias Massacre - Discover Lewis & Clark The Marias Massacre (also known as the Baker Massacre or the Piegan Massacre) was a massacre of Piegan Blackfeet Native peoples which was committed by the United States Army as part of the Indian Wars. [4] Charles Hamilton returned to Georgia, where he died in 1880. How could he?" Its our history, and we wont quiet history. Broken implies theres no coming back. Today, January 23rd, fell on a Sunday back in 1870. CN: In January of 1870, Army officer Major Eugene Baker, under orders from General William Sherman, led the 2nd Cavalry from Fort Ellis, near Bozeman, to the Marias River in Northcentral Montana. [2] The New York Times published the letter, it was read in the House of Representatives, and news of the massacre spread nationwide. PW: The soldiers certainly could have done something to help the survivors, but they basically did nothing. Because the massacre happened 150 years ago, Croff said many people do not consider its lasting significance. How come you dont just get over it? said Croff. Baker also reported that his army suffered one casualty and one injury. Sherman responded by issuing a press release denying military guilt and insisting that most of the dead Piegans were warriors in Mountain Chiefs camp. They just wanted to get the battle over with and go back to their fort. The soldiers shot Heavy Runner in the chest, and he collapsed in the snow. But the nation-building that Americans will do in, Montana Public Radio | Afterward, a brief storm of outraged protest occurred in Congress and the eastern press. He watched them do this to the lodge of his mother, Fair Singing Woman, killing her and his father's three other wives and their four daughters. She heard all the noises, Carol said. He did it, but the story is not about him. Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, Idaho Governor's Lewis and Clark Trail Committee. The Marias Massacre is also known as the Baker Massacre and Piegan Massacre. The massacre occurred on January 23, 1870, in Montana Territory. The Marias Massacre (also known as the Baker Massacre or the Piegan Massacre) was a massacre of Piegan Blackfeet Native peoples which was committed by the United States Army as part of the Indian Wars. Thats when I went home and started asking about it, he said. As an interracial family, the Clarkes struggled to find their place in both white and Native communities. [12] Following their father's death, Nathan and Horace Clarke intercepted the Second cavalry as they passed through the Prickly Pear Valley and received permission from Colonel Philippe Regis de Trobraind to join the expedition. Mountain Chief was involved in the 1870 Marias Massacre, signed the Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868, and worked with anthropologist Frances Densmore to interpret . Welch's surrealistic, moving novel, Winter in the Blood, was recently made into a movie by Alex and Andrew Smith, filmed on Montana's Hi-Line and featuring Native . [3][7] The Piegan warriors first shot and severely wounded Horace, who survived. After learning more about her family history, Croff got more involved in researching the massacre. [31] In an attempt to raise the quality of appointees, Grant appointed as Indian agents numerous Quakers and other persons affiliated with religious groups. She asked her grandfather whether that was true, and her grandfather ultimately told her they were part of the Kipp family. They didnt know Maria, Carol said. Marias Massacre - Montana Historical Society We are patriots, said Blackfeet Tribal Chairman Tim Davis. United States Army, Major Eugene M. Baker, commanding. Details on the massacre differ across sources, but between 150 and "several hundred" people were killed and their bodies thrown into the Maher river. The massacre was real. It lies east of Germany's border with France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Confused by Annies vague response, Carol asked her to elaborate. The violence that the American government is willing to perpetrate is so immense at that point, that it really ends that cycle of violence and forces Blackfeet people onto reservations.. Follow heron Facebook@NoraMabieJournalistor on Twitter @NoraMabie. Though it was very emotional, she said attending the commemorationultimately strengthened my resolve., I thought, were going to be alright.

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