Crow Agency

In 1876, the Crow Agency was located near present-day Absarokee, a few miles south of the Yellowstone River near present-day Route 78, but that too turned out to be a temporary location, used for only eight years.

 Here is an abbreviated chronology of the Crow Agency as rendered by the Bozeman Avant Courier newspaper:

 Between 1869 and 1872, the Crow Agency (for the River Crows only) was located 35 miles east from Bozeman at Fort Parker. Fort Parker burned in 1872 but was immediately rebuilt and renamed Fort Pease. Major Pease had been the Crow Agent at Fort Parker. Fort Pease continued as the Crow Agency until June of 1875 when the Agency headquarters was moved to the Absarokee location in what is now Stillwater County. In April, 1884, the Crow left the Absaroka area and moved to the valley of the Little Bighorn River, uniting with the Mountain Crow, with their headquarters at the present-day site of the Crow Agency in what is now Bighorn County.

So, until the summer of 1875, the Agency Headquarters was located at Fort Pease, less than ten miles southwest from Hunters Hot Springs. Which brings me to my original point, that less than a year before the campaign against the Sioux started, Hunters Hot Springs fell under the more-or-less benevolent sphere of influence of the River Crows and were not unduly hampered by the Sioux. In fact, there is only one report I can find of the Sioux attacking Hunters Hot Springs. That report, written by Dr. Hunter, is as follows:

"Crow Agency, July 26, 1874 ~ Editor Courier: I am here. The Sioux have just jumped me up at my ranch. We exchanged shots - five in number. They got my horses and left. Eleven Sioux mounted on as fine horses as I ever saw. All I regret is that Gov. Potts was not with me, that he could have realized that the Sioux are in the country. It is thought that Dunphy's herder is killed; at last accounts about 40 Indians were in full chase after him and not far behind. Yours Truly, A. J. Hunter."

From my reading, Fort Pease and Fort Parker were not set up by trappers, they were constructed and maintained with federal and territorial funds and were indeed bona fide government sanctioned headquarters for the Crow Agency, complete with a school and church, where flour and beef were distributed to the River Crow between 1869 and 1875. In 1874 alone, over two hundred thousand pounds of beef and eleven thousand 100-pound sacks of flour were meted out to the Crow at Fort Pease. The trappers did most of their trading at Benson's Landing at a trading post called "Hoppy, Daniels and Carpenter" during the latter part of this period, according to newspaper reports.Jason.

 

CROW AGENCY.—The crow Indians were composed of 2 bands, the Mountain and the River Crows, so called from their locations. The latter occupied the country along the Missouri river or British line;the former were located about 250 miles south of that point in the mountains.

The Crow Indians signed their first treaty in 1826. They were then probably south of the Kansas and Nebraska line, although there is now no positive evidence thereon. The next heard of this tribr of Indians was in 1868, when they made a treaty at Port Laramie; since then they have been in possession of a section of country between the Yellowstone river and tbe Montana and ■?Wyoming line, extending east of the midchaunel of the Yellowstone river where it crossed the south boundary of Montana for about 250 miles.

There have been two treaties of segregation, one in 1880 and one in1890, whereby the Crow reservation has been reduced about one-half.There are no data obtainable regarding the location of these Indians  prior to a hundred years ago, but many of their traditions and their stories mention animals found only in southern climes, and it isfancied that at one time the Crows resided as far south as the central portion of Texas or Louisiana. Many efforts' have been made to locate this tribe during the last century, but so far everyattempt has been unsuccessful. There are many members of this tribe who were captured in war from the Sioux, Piegans, Crees,Gros Ventres, Shoshones, Arapahos, and Oheyennes, but theyare considered by the bands as full-blood Crows, and have every, right of an original Crow Indian. It is estimated that there are over 400 members of this tribe who are born members of other tribes.

 There have been no white men admitted into this tribe, although quite a number reside among the Crows, married to Crow or other Indian women  M. P. WYMAN, United States Indian agent.

The River Crows were for a long time divided, a portion of them being at or near Fort Belkuap agency and many roamed.   They are now, however, all on the Crow reservation. In June, 1885, the Crows at Grow agency, Montana, numbered 3,226.

The Crows were removed from the western portion of their reservation in 1883 to the valleys of the Big Horn and Little Big Horn rivers.   Many hold their lands iu severalty.

Money has been expended for an irrigating ditch or canal, but the Crows, although owners of large numbers of horses, have made but little progress in forming.   They have always been loyal to the United States..

 

 

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[bighorn] [Residents] [Wyola] [1930 Census] [Biographies] [Lodge Grass] [1930 Census 2] [Rodeo Queen] [Hardin] [Hardin 2] [Pryor] [cowboys] [Bios] [Crow Fair] [Obits1] [Crow Agency] [Gen. Scott] [WW2] [Census 1870] [1930] [WW2 (2)] [Obits 1] [PAGE2 Census] [Deaths, Custer] [Cemeteries] [Long Hair'] [Fetterman Fight] [Custer Battlefield] [Custer data] [Custer Battle] [Custer Bios] [Internments] [Ft. Custer and Ft. Keogh] [MT Fort PARKER] [1870 Census] [Dipping Vat] [Fort Smith] [A-H obits] [First Familes] [Volume 1] [Missonaries] [Crow History] [Art,culture]

BIG HORN COUNTY TOWNS

WYOLA,

LODGEGRASS

, HARDIN,

CUSTER  BATTLEFIELD

E-MAIL
Jo Ann if questions
ashevillejewelry @yahoo.com

 

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