DESCRIPTION & HISTORY of SWEETGRASS is a winter-hardy aromatic perennial grass, normally found growing in rich, moist soil from Alaska to Newfoundland in full sun, and is also native to northern Europe.. The ranch is 4,894 deeded acres, plus a 640 acre State of Wyoming lease and a 40 acre . Larson saw his biggest kill, and . Heart Butte High School completed. On a lonely grave in the Sweet Grass Hills north of US Highway 2 a poem is engraved on the tombstone: "Remember me as you pass by,As you are now, so once was I,As I am now, so you must be,Prepare for death and follow me.". 1873 and 1874 President Grant issued Executive Orders diminishing reservation lands. The treaty was ratified in 1856. Steeped in historical and religious connotations, the Sweetgrass Hills are uniquely Montanan. The Cypress Hills Massacre: In June of 1873, a group of Wolfers had their horses stolen by some Cree. When the miners left, the free range cattle businesses moved in. free travel planner. Touch for directions. A lock ( Subscribe to this website and receive notification each time a free genealogy resource is newly published. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. In Montana, trading whiskey to the Natives was illegal. Provisions were growing short, and but for the buffalo we should have been in a bad way. The Blackfeet Tribe is one of only 6 tribes that still lives on a portion of their ancestral lands. be seen as far North . They found Rowe and her sister came from Kansas to Gold Butte with the hopes the dry air would help Rowe'stuberculosis. Thin beds of argillaceous sandstone and bentonite are common. Located in north-central Montana along the Canadian border, the Sweet Grass Hills consist of three distinct buttes separated by vast sweeps of rolling grasslands. The main entrance to the cave is Visitors should remember that these roads are rarely marked. Title proper. At the end of the attack, 217 people were killed. Dunn; Sweetgrass Hills Massacre by Hugh A. Dempsey; Good Medicine by Helen Raynor Mackay; Return to the Beloved Mountains by James Willard Schultz; The Washburn-Doane Ewpedi-tion of 1870 by W. Turrentine Jackson; New Mextcan Machiavelli by David H. Stratton; Rangeland Rembrandt, The Please be mindful when visiting any caves. 1898 Forty percent of the Blackfeet tribal cattle herd was lost. Time Immemorial Creation Napi, Old Man, created the Rocky Mountain Range, the Sweetgrass Hills and other geographic features in Montana and Canada. With most of the men away hunting in the Sweet Grass Hills, the soldiers fired into the lodges where women, children, and elderly slept. Close-up. May. When burned as a blessing, it brought benevolent powers to Montana Indians. Official websites use .gov And your general elk license allows for the harvest of antlerless elk. [5], The Sweet Grass Hills are a sacred site of the Blackfoot aboriginal people who live on both sides of the 49th parallel north which forms the CanadaUnited States border. Steele, Corry, Tracy and Shayne Tolman made the discovery in the Sweetgrass Hills, just south of the Canadian border, when they were camping. Full text is unavailable for this digitized archive article. As the scenic drive approaches US Highway 2, hay and wheat fields also become a common sight. I havent taken this route, so anyone who travels it is on their own. Beginning in Whitlash, the route travels around the northern and eastern side of Mt. The largest numbers of victims were women and children. See 150 traveler reviews, 78 candid photos, and great deals for Sweetgrass Inn Bed & Breakfast, ranked #4 of 26 B&Bs / inns in Rapid City and rated 4.5 of 5 at Tripadvisor. you'll find a wonderfully unique selection of traditional Native American food products and handcrafted items, perfect for sharing with your family and friends. Quick View. When Potts found out that whiskey was being sold at Pine Coulee, he guided the Police to the Coulee where they arrested five men. References: Kimmerer, Robin Wall, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. [10] In 1993, the Hills were listed as one of America's Most Endangered Places. On the September 18th, they reached the foot of the Sweetgrass Hills where they stopped and pitched their tents. However, Julia Dafoe & Megan Maki as Chester High School students debunked that rumor with a projectsaved on the Montana Heritage Project website. The Baker Massacre Marker 48 28.812 N, 111 47.706 W. Marker is near Shelby, Montana, in Toole County. Though they were not present, Article 5 defined their territory, using the Musselshell, Missouri, Yellowstone Rivers and the Rocky Mountain Range as markers. Messages. Yet those who make the time and effort to explore this forgotten part of Montana will reap the rewards of seeing a nearly unspoiled grass prairie that marches off to the horizon in all directions. Thousands of men from a variety of jobs volunteered for the North West Mounted Police. Brown. plan your trip with our
So with the arrival of the Mounties came law and order. A recent story on the Sweet Grass Hills reminded avid hiker and explorer Tom Kotynski of the historic grave at the Gold Butte ghost town. The Blackfoot Massacre, often called the Bear River Massacre, the Baker Massacre, or the Marias Massacre. Sweetgrass Hills Massacre. SweetGrass Trading Company is a certified . The Blackfoot Massacre, often called the Bear River Massacre, the Baker Massacre, or the Marias Massacre. The Sweet Grass Hills are a sacred site of the Blackfoot aboriginal people who live on both sides of the 49th parallel north which forms the Canada-United States border. 1872-73. On September 15th, they left for the Sweetgrass Hills in a snow storm. In June of 1873, a group of Wolfers had their horses stolen by some Cree. Land This home has been completely redone. Fun Facts. These battlegrounds remain today, a testament to the clash of cultures that defined the region in the nineteenth . 1962 Article II of the Constitution and By-Laws of the Blackfeet Tribe, defining tribal membership, was amended. The inscription above was to prick the consciences of those who looked down on young Jessie Rowe. Ride north on the gravel road Highway 224 from Joplin, Montana. The three buttes are West Butte (elevation of 6983 feet), Gold Butte (elevation of 6512 feet) and East Butte (elevation of 6958 feet). 1978 Percy DeWolfe elected to State Senate. The Baker Massacre profoundly impacted the Blackfeet people and is very much alive in tribal memory. (Smaller attacks on the Wiyot tribe took place later that week.) A recent story on the Sweet Grass Hills reminded avid hiker and explorerTom Kotynski of the historic grave at the Gold Butte ghost town. Marker is on U.S. 2 at milepost 283 near Kraft Road, on the left when traveling east. 1898 - Forty percent of the Blackfeet tribal cattle herd was lost. Brown, before linking up with the Sweet Grass Hills Backcountry Drive to the south of Mt. This provides an island of mountainous, forested habitat for elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer and a few moose. The Sweet Grass Hills have been a prominent landmark of northern Montana since the buffalo days. An ancient vision quest to the top of these mountains led to the discovery of the Sun Dance. Used by Native Americans for its spiritually purifying properties, Sweetgrass is a species of grass found in wet areas on the Glaciated Plains and mountains. This "ceded strip" is known today as Glacier Park. There were places where, as far as the eye could reach, untold thousands were in sight, the country black with them. In 2004, a joint border facility opened at the Sweetgrass port of entry and Coutts . Land Area: Forested areas, consisting mainly of Douglas fir, are therefore able to grow on the hills' slopes. Havre, MT 59501. The route is remote, lonely, usually windy, utterly devoid of any services, and not always easy to navigate. 1780 A band of Blackfeet raided a Shoshone camp not knowing the Shoshone had small pox. The United States agreed to help the Canadian police catch the Whites that were involved in the Cypress Hills Massacre. A column of cavalry and infantry under the command of Major Eugene Baker attacked the sleeping camp early in the morning. 1851 The Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851. . Some of the more famous were The Cypress Hills Massacre, the Sweetgrass Hills Massacre, and the Seven Persons incident. The East Butte hills, whether rocky or grassy, gain trees at a certain elevation, but not on the sunny south faces. Some of that history has been lost, but much remains vibrant within community stories and narratives that have yet to be documented. SweetGrass Ranch is a "five star" recreational paradise located on the edge of the Black Hills approximately 35 miles northeast of Gillette. They rise nearly 3000 feet above the surrounding prairie and are visible for miles. Within Alberta, 403.2 km 2 of the Cypress Hills are protected as the Cypress Hills Provincial Park . In 1888, left with no other choices, these once proud people were forced to sign the so-called "Sweet Grass Hills Treaty," an agreement that gave the Blackfeet their present reservation, plus . Only 300 were selected to go. You have permission to edit this article. It was the result of the force being deployed to what is now southern Alberta in response to the Cypress Hills Massacre and subsequent fears of a US military intervention. However, the nearby towns of Shelby and Havre have lodging at affordable prices. Archaeologist think the masks, about 16 centimetres wide and buried in dirt under the cave floor, may have . You can cancel at any time. 2nd ed. Health, Beauty, Wellness Sakari Botanicals, Salves This is often referred to as the Sweet Grass Hills Treaty/Agreement and was ratified by congress in 1888. After leaving the Pembina River both men and horses suffered through lack of good water. The gods created them, so perhaps one day you should visit them. Shelby, Valier, Conrad and Chester all have impressive views of the Sweet Grass Hills, along central Montanas northern border, and the Rocky Mountains to the west. If the road is wet, it is generally best to wait a day to allow the route to dry out. LockA locked padlock Towers above the prairies with a great view in every direction. The attack was purportedly to be in response to the killing of an influential rancher, Malcom Clark. General material designation. Federal minerals in the Hills are now withdrawn from mineral entry to protect other resource values. The "Hills" were created by an igneous intrusion through older sedimentary rocks during the Eocene, about 50 million years ago. His people did not participate in Clarkes killing nor were they hiding the perpetrators of the crime. Its easy to see why Napi choose the Sweetgrass Hills for a perfect little sanctuary. 1870 - The Blackfoot Massacre, often called the Bear River Massacre, the Baker Massacre or the Marias Massacre, occurred when U.S. We also sell. Towering above the rolling prairie, the Sweet Grass Hills are one of the more noticeable geographic features in Montana. Twenty-two Natives died. The Sweet Grass Hills (Blackfoot: ktoyissiksi, Cheyenne: v'ho'htsvse, Kalispel-Pend d'Oreille: aalqn, "three peaks"[1]) are a small group of low mountains rising more than 3,000 feet (910m) above the surrounding plains southwest of Whitlash, Montana, in Liberty and Toole County, Montana. A mysterious, forbidding shelter, this is a place where we can imagine the camping pits that once existed, bellowing smoke from the chimney not a bad spot to wait out a flood, and after squirming out through the portal, one almost feels reborn, with ones first sight being Montanas Sweetgrass Hills. The pointed peak of Mount Brown in the Sweet Grass Hills as seen from the tiny town of Whitlash. Last edited on 13 February 2023, at 17:40, "Disputing the Medicine Line-The Plains Crees and the Canadian-American Border, 1876-1885", http://opi.mt.gov/pdf/IndianEd/IEFA/FortPeckTimeline.pdf, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sweet_Grass_Hills&oldid=1139156526, This page was last edited on 13 February 2023, at 17:40. To survive the flood waters the god fled to the Sweetgrass Hills, and to a specific location within the hills. The Sweet Grass Hills produced minor amounts of gold and silver as well as other minerals in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A nine-part series chronicling the turbulent history of one of the most extraordinar An official website of the United States government. The hills were formed in the early Paleogene period, and geologically are known as stocks - intrusive igneous rock forced up from below and solidified. These immense bands were moving north, and there seemed no end to them. The areas around the hills were once their homeland and a view from atop the buttes allowed them to easily track the massive buffalo herds. Pete, Tachini. West Butte (6983 ft/2128 m) Countries. Waving his good conduct papers and medals, Heavy Runner was the first casualty of the Baker Massacre that cold January morning. Other caves exist within the Sweetgrass Hills, and like many caves in Montana, they lay undiscovered. 1855 Lame Bull Treaty / Judith River Treaty.This treaty took place at the mouth of the Judith River with the Blackfeet, Nez Perce and the Salish and Pend dOreille (language in treaty also refers to Flathead tribe) To make way for the railroad, Isaac Stevens was charged with negotiating a peace between the Blackfeet and the allied tribes the Nez Perce, Salish and Pend dOreille. From US HWY 2, about 2 miles west of Chester, turn north onto Whitlash Road. 1887 A Code of Laws was enforced by three tribally elected leaders, along with Indian Agent Wood. Come get a taste of farm living ,book a tour. 1978 Earl Old Person became Chief of the Blackfeet Tribe. Also known as vanillagrass, mannagrass and holy grass, it is well known to many Indigenous people in Canada and the United States as a material for baskets, as well as a scent, medicine and smudge. Highest Point. Potts, who was part Blood and part Scottish, rode at the front as they headed for Fort Whoop-Up. They were all over 15 1/2 hands, and were admitted to be the best ever shipped from that city." At some point shots were fired. Page 26 Four brothers from southern Alberta have unearthed ancient masks made of shells believed to be from the Gulf of Mexico in a Montana cave. The Sweetgrass Hills were once named for the famous hero Katoyis, who slay the wind-sucker monster atop one of these buttes. Americans trading on Canadian soil, the Red River Settlement in an uproar, settlers taking the law in their own hands . Range Type. 1987 Blackfeet National Bank, first tribally-owned, federally chartered bank on an Indian Reservation established. These island ranges, completely surrounded by the 'sea' of plains and not geographically (or often geologically) part of the Rocky Mountains to the west, are "biological hotspots", containing more species than the prairie below. But when Natives traded for whiskey, their drinking often led to violence. But during the journey, Denny notes that the horses were "unaccustomed to grazing or looking out for themselves, could not stand up under the hardships. They had eaten the grass short, making feed very scarce; the lakes were fouled by them. Waving his good conduct papers and medals, Heavy Runner was the first casualty of the Baker Massacre that cold January morning. Sweet Grass Hills information has already been included in the Cool Things, and there will be many more by the time all 365 are posted. Furthermore, during my exploration, every attempt was made to be respectful to the area. This "ceded strip" is known today as Glacier National Park. Privacy Policy. This ceded strip is known today as Glacier Park. 1865 Unratified Treaty with Montana Governor Meagher and Blackfeet Indian Agent Gad Upson. In Whitlash, turn east onto Black Jack Road, in about 9 miles turn right (south) and park on public lands marked by a sign at the base of the Butte. Sweet Grass (also Sweetgrass) is an unincorporated community in Toole County, Montana, United States, on the Canada-US border. On the September 18th, they reached the foot of the Sweetgrass Hills where they stopped and pitched their tents. It turned out that the ones hanged were innocent. Length: 2.9 mi Est. In the event you miss this junction, or the road itself looks nasty, the visitor can head south on Highway 552 until reaching Oilmont Road (Highway 343), and then head back to Whitlash on Strawberry Road (Highway 217). 2023 Central Montana. Website design and hosting by Tempest Technologies, LLC. . Touch for map. [5] Since the Sweet Grass Hills are at a higher elevation than the surrounding prairie, temperatures are cooler and precipitation is higher. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The Devils Chimney is a small cave that just might be the greatest unknown religious site in Montana. Since White traders could make good money by trading whiskey, they headed north from Montana, out into the freedom of Whoop-Up country. Located across north central Montana, in Toole and Liberty Counties, these mountain islands hold secrets only the gods know. While not all-encompassing, they serve as instructional tools that accompany the text of both the history projects and the Montana Tribal Histories: Educators Resource Guide. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. With most of the men away hunting in the Sweet Grass Hills, the soldiers fired into the lodgers where women, children, and elderly slept. 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