The Wheeler Survey in Utah, Idaho, and Montana: Samuel E. Tillman's Tour of Duty in 1877

Samuel E. Tillman, Courtesy U.S. Military Academy, West Point

The Wheeler Survey in Utah, Idaho, and Montana: Samuel E. Tillman's Tour of Duty in 1877

BY DWIGHT L. SMITH

ON MAY 23, 1877, 1ST LT SAMUEL E. TILLMAN (1847-1942) reported at Ogden, Utah, for a tour of duty with what was known as the Wheeler Survey. As he had been in 1873, he was again assigned to the United States Geographical Surveys West of the One Hundredth Meridian under the command of 1st Lt George M. Wheeler. The project was engaged in a systematic topographic examination and mapping of the western half of the country. The field expeditions also methodically collected data and made scientific observations of natural history, geology and geography, climate and weather, and ethnology.1

Tillman was born into a locally prominent middle Tennessee plantation family. His father participated in the Seminole War, edited a local newspaper, held county offices, and served in Congress after the Civil War. Young Sammy Tillman received a semi-classical education at an uncle's nearby academy. And with his slave and white children playmates, he was well schooled in the agricultural and social activities that sustained the rural setting. When the war interrupted his formal education he was assigned a share of plantation chores along with the other children. They had a ringside seat, as it were, as the Civil War unfolded before them. Middle Tennessee's ambivalence about the war and the seesaw momentary occupations by forces of both sides as their armies crisscrossed the region several times fueled youthful perceptions and imaginations. Tillman was even "impressed" into the Confederate service on one occasion but escaped before reaching his assignment

After the war family friend Andrew Johnson, who was the military governor of occupied Tennessee, recommended Tillman's appointment as a cadet at the United States Military Academy. When he graduated in 1869 he was sent to frontier duty in Kansas. Within a few months he was recalled to West Point to become am instructor in geology, mineralogy, and chemistry. Three years later he requested field duty with the army engineers and served a tour with the Wheeler Survey in New Mexico and Arizona. On special assignment to the United States Naval Observatory in 1874-75, he went with a party to Tasmania to participate in the observation of the transit of Venus across the disk of the Sun. After another stint as instructor in astronomy and applied mechanics at the Military Academy, he served three more tours of duty with the Wheeler Survey in 1876, 1877 and 1878.

Due to the persistent interest of the academic staff at West Point, Tillman was invited to return there in 1879. A year later he became professor and head of the Department of Chemistry, Mineralogy, and Geology. He remained in that capacity until mandatory retirement in 1911. During World War I he was recalled to active service as the institution's superintendent.

Tillman's 1877 tour of duty with the Wheeler Survey in Utah, Idaho, and Montana is of interest here. He was in charge of a party that included a topographer, a meteorologist, an topographer, two packers, a cook and a general utility man. They were equipped with a variety of scientific instruments and pack mules as well as other essential equipment and supplies to sustain them in their field work Tillman was to survey a rectangular area extending approximately from Garland, Utah, and Blackfoot, Idaho, on the west to the Wyoming line on the east In mid-September he was directed to separate from his party for a special assignment With two men and equipment he went to Fort Ellis, east of present Bozeman, Montana. Here he was to establish a base line and then a system of triangles south to connect with the northward-moving survey he had previously worked on. Heavy snowfall made it impossible to fulfill this mission. After he returned to his party he was sent back to the survey office in Washington, D. C, and put in charge of the computation work with the field data that had been collected that season.

There is more to such a tour of duty, of course, than the collecting of raw data for official reports. There are interesting details and observations, some of which appear momentarily, if at all, in the documents the survey generated. A few examples illustrate: Without mules it is doubtful that the survey could have been conducted, especially in the terrain over which it had to work that summer. Even so, there were anxious moments. Sure-footed as they were, one carrying a triangulation instrument tumbled hundreds of feet, and another fell, severely hurting its rider. For his efforts to extract his mule from a harness entanglement, Tillman was rewarded with a bruise producing kick Later, another mule he was trying to break in gave him considerable trouble. The creak of folding paper frightened his mount who whirled around and headed straight on the narrow mountain road for the approaching supply wagon. It was a close call for Tillman.

Tillman was intrigued with the challenge of explaining the Bear Lake monster that had so long captured the imagination of the local populace. Fortuitously, as he rode out from camp along the lake shore one foggy morning, loud clapping sounds and upshooting water sprays offered the exciting possibility that the monster might well be at hand. He saw something and clearly explained what he had seen.

Other fauna captured his attention as well: how cattle salvaged vegetation from the carbonated waters of streams around Soda Springs; the contrasting instinctive reaction of ducklings and deer to their prob- able first encounters with humans; the nocturnal visit of a "large, handsome black and white skunk" who crawled on the bedding.

The proximity of a Bannock Indian camp to the settlement at Soda Springs caused some anxiety. It was still the frontier, and feathered and painted gun-bearing Indians were viewed apprehensively by this small Mormon community. Tillman's survey party quieted their fears. In Montana, Tillman's party and an armed band of Indians ascended a ridge from opposite sides. Hostiles? Again, they were friendly Bannocks who were in volunteer service with the army. At Fort Hall, Tillman indulged his ethnographic curiosity by observing Bannocks who had come to the agency for annuity distribution. He witnessed races between mounted horsemen and runners, and he described the details of cache, their favorite gamb;ong game. He was most amused by how some of the Indians "retailored" the clothing that was issued to them.

He was ever a keen observer of all that he encountered. Utilizing his diary, occasional fugitive notations, notes he used for public lectures, and official documents he prepared from his various tours of duty, Tillman wrote a partial autobiographical account of his life. He did not include his years as a professor and administrator at the Military Academy because he considered the institutional records contained more than adequate coverage for anyone who might be interested in those chapters of his career. He began but never completed a revision of this work.

Tillman's 233-page holograph manuscript is in the library of the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York The present account of his 1877 tour of duty is taken from this manuscript Only limited and silent editorial devices, such as paragraphing, capitalization, deletion of repeated words and passages, and rendering casual flourishes into appropriate punctuation, have been introduced to make it more readable.2

This year I left Washington on May 14th3 and after necessary stops in Omaha and Cheyenne4 in connection with the work of the survey I reached Ogden on May 23, 1877.

After distributing animals and their equipment and apportioning rations etc to the different parties, my party5 left Ogden for field work on June 5th and camped that night in North Ogden Canyon. On June 6th ascended North Ogden peak6 to establish it as a south triangulation station On the climb thereto the animal bearing the triangulation instrument fell and rolled at least 300 feet It was SO crippled that it had to be shot. The day from 8:00 A.M. on the 6th to 8:00 A.M. on the 7th was a very unlucky one, for besides the loss of the mule. Dr. Kampf, our ablest mathematician and computer was severely hurt by his mule falling with him.7 Lt Birnie8 was thrown by his mule and in the early morning of the 7th I found that my mule, which was lariated nearby, had managed to get her right forefoot fastened between the vertical strap of the halter and her head, and was cavorting around on three legs. I got up promptly, took hold of the lariat and followed it down to the imprisoned foot, on the right side of the mule, and just as I reached to slip the strap over her foot, she turned and managed to kick me near the waist with the hind foot on the same side. Thus, for the duration of the kick she had both feet on the same side in the air and did not fall over. The bruise on me by the kick showed that she had performed that extraordinary act' I was only slightly bruised but the performance gave me great confidence in the surefootedness of my riding animal.

The area assigned to my party for survey this year was that lying north of an east and west line through Ogden, Utah. The width of the area was about 60 miles and it extended to the north to about double that distance. Its eastern limit was along the dividing line between Wyoming on the east and Idaho and Utah on the west.9

It was an extremely interesting area, including the very attractive Mormon "Cache Valley," with its clean little villages, several of them with clear water running along the gutters of the streets. It included Bear Lake and nearly the entire course of Bear River, the interesting Soda Springs of Idaho, and considerable of the courses of Blackfoot and Portneuf rivers and the post of Ft Hall with its nearby Indian reservation.

Bear Lake is situated about 55 miles north of Ogden and 25 miles further east It is partly in Utah and partly in Idaho. The total length of the lake is about 25 miles with a varying width from one to 3 miles. It lies east of Cache Valley with the Bear Mountains between. Whenever our intent to cross the mountains to Bear Lake Valley was spoken of in the presence of resident inhabitants we almost invariably received reports of a lake monster about which the existence of which there was no doubt It had been seen by many and the loss of a number of sheep and calves were attributed to its destructive capacity. 10

As we were going to work entirely around the lake we knew that we should have opportunity to verify or refute the reports of the monsters existence, and for a short time one morning I felt confident that I was about to see some sort of a monster. The prospect for this unusual sight came about as follows: the 2nd night after crossing the Bear Range to the lake basin, we had camped on the lake shore about 10 miles to the south of the point of crossing the mountain. Very early on the morning of [the] 3rd it was discovered that all the unlariated mules had left the bell mare and were nowhere visible. This was a very unusual and unexpected performance of the mules and as soon as it was discovered several members of the party suggested "frightened by the monster."

A couple of mules were always lariated at night just to meet such emergency. On this occasion my mule was one of these and the mule of the chief packer was the other. We knew that the mules had gone either N. or S. along the lake shore. I mounted and rode north thinking that [the] animals had gone toward one of our preceding camps. The packer went in the opposite direction. The lake at that early hour was completely overspread by a layer of fog only a few feet thick and a clear atmosphere above, thus presenting a quite remarkable effect

As I rode rapidly northward, after proceeding about six miles, I heard out in the lake a little in advance of me, a distinct clapping sound as of two solid bodies, which was quickly followed by sprays of water shooting up through the thin layer of fog. Once again as I hastened on, and somewhat nearer to me, the same phenomena were observed and they were quite suggestive of some sort of lake animal, especially the upshooting spray of water. I soon thereafter reached a narrow section of the path upon which I was riding which enabled me to decide that the estray animals had not gone in that direction. I then rapidly retraced my steps bent on investigating the sounds and sights that I had observed out in the lake.

As I approached the same locality I again heard the clapping sounds and saw the upshooting sprays [of| water and was quite [excited] by the hope that I might be the discoverer of some unusual beast, perhaps the veritable monster of which we had heard such frequent mention. When I had reached the point in my path nearest the source of the disturbance the sounds were repeated and as before immediately followed by the sprays of water. I dismounted, and after fastening my mule by an easily loosened knot, I took my carbine from its holster and started on foot to solve the mystery.

When I came within distinct vision of the water at the shore line I could see waves continually rolling in toward the shore, but the fog still prevented definite sight of their cause, though I could make out indistinctly some dark objects near their apparent origin. It was then necessary to get nearer for a positive conclusion, so keeping a large leaning tree between the monster and myself I went cautiously forward up to the tree. I had just reached the tree when the phenomena already mentioned repeated itself, and the waves toward the shore came in in greater volume.

My vantage position now gave me clear view and full explanation of both the sounds heard and the sprays seen. However, if my investigation had not been carried to a complete solution that morning of June 28, 1877, I should probably have felt able to endorse the probability of some sort of a lake monster and I submit that the real explanation of the phenomena observed is so remarkable that, it would probably never have been known. For here is what it was, and what I saw: two large bulls [were] standing out in the lake facing each other in the water, well up to their sides. Every time that either would attempt to attack the other, their heads would go down, their horns strike together with a clash and their nostrils fill with water. Their heads immediately went up to blow out the water and thus sent spray above the low fog.

The discovery thus made brought vividly to my mind the delight that a bull fight used to afford me and my youthful associates, when I was a boy in my Tenn. home. . . .11 So I decided to try to have the animals continue their struggle under conditions more favorable for energetic action and I returned to, mounted my mule and rode out into the lake and approached the bulls in a direction intended to separate them and drive them toward the beach. This was partly accomplished, but they reached the beach at considerable distance from each other and I did not succeed in getting them to continue the fight.

I rode back to our camp and learned that the mules had been found and brought in. The members of the party were at breakfast I immediately narrated to them my experiences of the morning, substantially as above given, and stated that the account was not exaggerated, and offered a reward to any one who could tell what I had really seen. One member said, "It must have been the Bear Lake monster." Another said "Two bears at play while taking a morning bath." I did not consider that either guesser was entitled to the reward. . . .12

As we worked northward it became convenient to establish a base for supplies at the Idaho Soda Springs, and in the region there were a number. . . [of most unusual and interesting] experiences. First among these was an occurrence shortly after we made our camp there. In the Springs village we found living 15 Mormon families, and within about a mile there was a camp of 17 Bannock Indian families.13

One evening upon returning from the day's work I found a couple of Mormon men awaiting me and bearing the request that my party come over and camp in their village. They said that for two or three days the young bucks from the Indian camp had been riding about wearing feathers and paint and that some of them that day had passed back and forth through their village and had their guns with them. I told them that the head man of the Bannocks had been getting a morning meal with us for several days, had had his breakfast with us that morning. This fact they said "rather increased their anxiety." So, I agreed to send over part of my party to sleep in their village, that they would go over after our supper. The remainder of my party concluded to leave our tents standing, but to take our bedding out into the open and sleep on higher ground.

The next morning when our guest from the Indian camp came over to get some breakfast, we were all back in our tents. I don't think that he ever knew of our action of the previous night We learned from him that morning almost entirely by sign language, that the Nez Perce Indians, under their celebrated Chief "Joseph" were sweeping around toward the Yellowstone Park . . . and would pass not far to the north of us.14 Also he told us that some of the Bannock tribe were going to join our soldiers in the pursuit of the Nez Perce. It was this anticipation of service that had excited the Bannock and caused the parading which had alarmed the Mormon village. My men who spent the night in the Mormon village learned that there were only two guns among the 15 families and very little ammunition. We concluded that their anxiety was not unreasonable in view of the Indians' conduct and with no explanation thereof.15

There are several hundred square miles in the region of the Idaho Soda Springs which show evidence of the former existence of springs similar to the present active ones. These springs have received abundant notice since 1877. ... But I saw one performance there that I have never seen elsewhere, nor have I ever seen mention of the same performance elsewhere. It was the action of common cattle, milk cows . . . standing in the streams which carried the discharges from numerous carbonated springs. They would submerge their heads entirely when necessary to reach and tear up vegetation growing along the bottom of the stream. None of my party... had ever seen such action on the part of cattle. 16

As we passed northward on our work, it brought us to the watershed which drained to Snake River and hence to the Pacific instead of to the Salt Lake basin. The first tributary of the Snake reached was the Blackfoot a stream ever memorable because of its great abundance of fish. From the time of our camping, 5:00 o'clock, 40 lbs. offish were taken by 6:30, on that day July 30. Salmon trout was the species. About a month later (Sept 5) our work having carried us further to the west, we camped on the Portneuf, also discharging into the Snake. It seemed equally full offish and just as easily taken.

On Sept 7 th the following most interesting and suggestive incident occurred. After making camp that day, I had ridden on in the direction of our travel for the morrow to select the best route for our advance. I was passing along the outer edge of a small pond lying along the ridge which I wished to ascend. Suddenly a duck flew up from the bunch grass along the edge of the pond and I saw that she had left several of her young nesting in the marsh grass. I managed to catch two of them, and walked back and put them in open water. They both promptly dived and I did not see one of them again. The other I saw close up to the edge of the pond apparently seeking concealment I thought it highly improbable that those young ducks had ever before seen a human being, but their action certainly indicated fear of them!

I then rode on around the pond and found a suitable place to ascend the ridge; and on top I found good going, with little glades and park-like areas, with trees of several species, varying from 5 to 15 inches in diameter I had gone only a short distance until my mule threw up her head and stopped still. She had seen a deer about a 100 yards away, standing broadside and gazing at us. I dismounted, took my carbine from its holster and took a few steps to the front of my mule. When I cocked the gun the mule turned and walked a little way to my rear. She did not like the report of a near rifle. As the mule walked back the deer came nearer and offered a perfect target at about 80 yards. My shot ended its career, "blotted out its universe." As in the case of the little ducks, I also doubt whether the deer could have seen many people. I was much impressed by the difference in behavior between the ducks and the deer. For whether either or both had had experience with their common enemy, the directing influence, instinct or intelligence which ever it was seemed [ to] be on the side of the little ducks.

The deer added some fresh meat to our rations. By the next days travel we could have reached Ft Hall'' but concluded to camp a little short of the post, in order to dust off our equipment and freshen up ourselves before venturing into the more civilized life of any army post. We camped early at about four miles from the post. Shortly after camping the packer who [was] guarding the mules reported that he had heard at least 35 to 40 rifle shots in the direction of Fort Hall.17 Said that he knew it could not be target practice because the firing was too rapid and only continued a short time.

We learned the next day the cause of the firing, and the incident is mentioned here only because it illustrates an extreme instance of inconvenience, which was experienced at more than one western post The firing referred to was due to an attempt to exterminate a colony of skunks that had availed [themselves] of homes in and around the nearby public buildings of [the post]. These animals usually came out of their dens at certain hours on fair days and made themselves a nuisance. That day a squad of the post's best marksmen was detailed to kill as many of them as possible, hence the firing heard. I forgot to get a record of the number killed.

On Sept 12th the two topographers and myself ascended Mt Putnam, near Hall which was to be the most northern triangulation station of our season's work in that area We started very early and reached the summit at 8:00 A.M. The view afforded deserves a description beyond my powers. From the top, the mountain down 1,000 or 1,500 feet was in bright sunlight, while a dense fog concealed below that level for many miles in every direction. Above that level was the beautiful blue dome of a cloudless sky. The seething and boiling of the fog produced great rolling waves and tumbling cumuli masses which could be seen for many miles over the lava covered desert Four or five volcanic peaks protruded through this great vapor ocean, giving the impression of "peaks of a sunken continent" At the far distant limit of vision the horizon line appeared circular and calm as that one views on a bright day in mid-ocean.

At about this date, I received orders from Washington directing me to turn over my party to Lt Willard Young18 and myself to proceed to Fort Ellis, Montana, establish a base there and carry a system of triangles back down to Ft Hall and connect up with our work in that area I was directed to take two men, a two horse wagon and the necessary instruments for the work I was authorized to use my own riding mule for conveyance.

There was with my outfit only one spare mule, and so far as we knew he had never been ridden, though he had been packed a few times. Under these conditions I suggested to Lt Young that he take my riding animal and that as I had considerably over a 200 miles ride ahead of me in the immediate future, that I could break the spare mule to the saddle. This arrangement was accordingly adopted.

On Sept 18th with the two horse wagon, one enlisted man and one of the packers and myself mounted on the spare mule we left Hall for Ft Ellis, Montana, the latter place being about 2°40' further north than the former.

My enlisted man was a German named Hans Gutman. He was a little below medium height, not in the least talkative, but not in the least ill-natured, but very confident in his own conclusions and entirely devoid of all kind of superstitions. The packer was a tall, loosely built man 6'3" from Mo., and named McClure, stoop-shouldered, pleasing features and typical S.W. speech, possessed of many local beliefs and other superstitions. They were both good workers and I found them interesting characters when I chose to dismount occasionally and ride with them in the wagon.

On the morning of our departure from Hall there was considerable interest among the members of my party, as well as among the residents [of the] post to see how the spare mule would behave when put under saddle.19 There was some trouble in getting a halter on him but after that he was quite amenable and gave me little trouble in mounting him. After being in the saddle I had him led by his halter a short distance without his making any trouble. When the halter was released he showed that he did not fully understand the action of the bridle, but I at once concluded that he had been ridden before. This conclusion was further strengthened by his action when my two mule wagon drove out of the corral on to the road leading to Ellis, for by only a gentle manipulation of the reins he was induced to follow the wagon on to the road. I continued to ride behind the wagon for several miles from Hall, but all the while guiding him to the right or left by the reins.

After proceeding thus for a time, I concluded to ride in front of the wagon, both to set the pace of travel and also for the better teaching of my mule the function of the bridle, and to accustom him to my movements and changes of position in the saddle. For some distance after passing to the front, I had continually to use the bridle reins to keep him from turning around as he was inclined to do; but after a ¥i hour's handling of him in front of the wagon, changing his gait etc he seemed indifferent to the distance the wagon was behind. Such satisfactory progress was being made that I concluded that the animal was not [at] all vicious and that though not thoroughly broken he had been used under the saddle before, but not for sometime. This I think was a correct conclusion.

Later in the day when I was about 150 yds. in front of the wagon and on a long rather steep grade, I came to a fork in the road and drew a folded map from my haversack to decide which branch I should take. In putting the map back, there was produced the creak of folding paper. This frightened my mule and he whirled short around, which increased the paper creak, and started on a run back up toward the approaching wagon. I tried to stop him by pulling straight back on each rein. Failing in that I undertook to pull him off the road so [as to] avoid a collision. This I did not succeed in doing. As he approached the wagon the driver thereof very naturally slowed his team, which threw up the pole of the wagon and my mule plunged in under [the] breast chain of the off mule of the wagon, and was pretty well wedged in between the pole and the off-mule. My saddle pommel caught by the breast chain was carried back toward my mule's tail and I dismounted as quickly as possible from his rear instead of at his side, entirely unhurt, but a sizable piece from the front of my overall was left on the breast chain. It was a very close call for me as the pole came very near piercing me.

After getting the mix-up unscrambled and repairs made to one broken trace and one rein, and my mule again saddled and I in the saddle we proceeded on our way. I directed my teamsters to come on at a moderate gait until they found me awaiting them at our next camping place, which would be at the crossing of Snake River. I then set out and gave my mule very strenuous exercise over the entire distance to the river. That ride too enabled me to give him excellent training. I was able to make him familiar with the sound of an unfolding map, and also the sight of the same partly open. I also changed his gait from run to walk and then back from walk to ran, several times.

In due time the wagon with our bedding and supplies arrived at the camping place. That night we did not erect our tents but slept in the open with only our canvas bed covers above and below our bedding. That night we had a rather unique experience, in the behavior of a large, handsome black and white skunk. Before I had gotten asleep, I felt something moving on the canvas at the foot of my bed. I carefully raised my head to see to the foot of my bed and there sat this animal. Before this, I had had some experience with this species, but was never in such close proximity to one without being aware of it This fact interested me and I thought to deal gently with the beast.

It sat humped up with its long bushy tail making a graceful curve well up into the air and had a broad white stripe extending from its head along its entire body which was black It made a pretty picture. After a few seconds I moved the canvas at my feet and it waddled off toward the bed of the soldier and climbed thereon at the foot and went its whole length and descended close by the man's head, and a few feet further on it passed by the bedding of McClure but did not go up on it As our wagon was parked just beyond McClure I thought it advisable to see that our visitor should not loiter in that vicinity, for so far it had left no evidence of its presence. So I arose and routing out both Hans and McClure we satisfied ourselves that it had left our vicinity. McClure assured me that such a harmless visit of a skunk was a sure sign of good luck It was the first time that I became aware that a skunk was not always accompanied by a bad odor ....

After camping at Snake River on the 18th we pressed on toward Ellis On the night of the 20 [we were] at Camas Creek which was a station of an overland stage line. The arrival of the stage at places as isolated as this was an event of the day. On this occasion I was endeavoring to converse with an Indian, who spoke some English, and who had his son with him, a nice looking boy 10 or 11 years old with bow and arrow. I said to the father, "Your son is a fine boy, grow up, be big man!"

Yes said the Indian, "May be, some day, he drive Stage."

Several days later I was riding well ahead of my wagon team and was ascending a narrow ridge over which the road passed. As I neared the top so as to see over, partly over, I discovered a squad of Indians near the top coming up on the other side. There were seven of them and they were not in the ordinary garb of reservation Indians. They were all armed and their dress and equipment suggested a hostile group. The alarming thought came over me, and it was most alarming that they were a band of Nez Perce Indians who were then being pursued by the army and whose whereabouts was unknown to me and might be that region.

I had come so close to them, so unexpectedly, that I knew that if they were hostiles, there was little possibility of escape from them. Accordingly I rode forward with all the boldness that I could assume and very greatly relieved when they began to grunt out "How," to which I gladly responded the same. They proved to be of the Bannock tribe and were of the number that had joined our troops in the pursuit of the Nez Perce. From them I obtained the first definite information of the result of the Nez Perce's campaign. The Nez Perce had recently passed eastward in that section.

My party arrived at Ellis on the morning of Sept 28th and I was received with the greatest cordiality by all the officers from the post commander down to the youngest lieut Two of the latter were associates of mine when we were cadets at West Point

From that date... to Oct 26th there were only 14 days fairly suitable for our work and only 1/2 of these were first-class days. I and my soldier, and my packer did much hard work in those days, of which will be mentioned only the measurement, in both directions, of a base line, 4 miles long, and the leveling of the line and erecting substantial monuments at each end, the daytime ascent of Bridger Peak, and nighttime descent, the latter providing, in brilliant moonlight, remarkable effect

On Oct 26th I saw that it was too late in the season to accomplish the work prescribed and decided to close it and began packing to that end.20 My two men and the wagon left for Ft Hall on the 27. I left at 3:00 A.M. on the 29th for Virginia City by stage and reached there 8:00 PM. I there waited for my teamsters who arrived on Oct 30th, and after taking me aboard, continued on to a camp on Ruby Creek During the 25th the thermometer did not go above 32°. On Nov. 4th camped again at Camas Creek with 5" of snow in the morning. On the morning of the 5th, two coyotes standing on a knoll about 275 yards from us, apparently becoming impatient that we did not leave the camp set up a most vociferous howling, throwing their heads rapidly from side to side between yelps, [so] that at our distance there seemed to be at least 1/2 dozen howlers.

It is quite evident that by changing the direction of the sound by rapid throws of the head [it] would tend to deceive a listener as to the number of yelling animals. I and my two men concluded that morning, that had we not been positively certain as to the number [v/e] might have felt certain that there [were] at least three times or more coyotes than were really present I am quite certain that I have been deceived at times as to numbers by this rapid, tossing action of the head, also, often accompanied by a rotating action of the whole body.

By steady daily marches we got back [to] Ft Hall on Nov. 7th. My arrival at this date gave me three most interesting days the greater portion of which were spent in watching the conduct of the Bannock Indians there assembled at the Agency to receive certain annuities which were then being distributed to them, a short distance from Ft Hall.21 The heads of the families received the articles allotted to each family. Upon my arrival at the point of distribution on the morning of the 8th some of the bucks were already riding about enrobed in varied colored blankets which had just been issued to them. Before noon they had arranged a number of races, some of which were contested between mounted men and others between a mounted man and a runner on foot, the footman of course, receiving a certain distance at the start The races of both kinds were generally over long distances, as much as 5 or 6 miles. Such racing was of some interest, but not as exciting as more closely contested runs for shorter distances. While the bucks were disporting themselves in their new blankets, the squaws guarded the remainder of the family supplies.

With a young officer of the post, who had been a pupil of mine a few years before at West Point, we returned to the Agency after sundown and we then witnessed the gambling game of Cache which was being played by eight bucks, two sets of four, sitting on the ground in parallel lines about five feet apart with a spread blanket between them. When the game started the players on each side set with forearm, from the elbow, pointing vertically upward. One set of fours had their fists tightly closed. The set had the lead and one of their number held in his hand a short stick (about two inches long I was told). The game required the opposite set of fours to guess in which of the eight uplifted hands contained that stick The side holding the stick of course, had concealed it entirely out of sight of their opponents

When the starting signal was given, the side holding the stick began swaying their trunks and uplifted arms from right to left accompanying it with a low monotonous note. The guessers swayed their bodies in with the holders and each guesser pointed a finger at one of the uplifted hands of the opposite side. After continuing this swaying motion for a short time, one of the guessers with a finger continually directed to a particular uplifted hand, designates it as the hand holding the stick If the guesser correctly indicates the location of the stick, he has so to speak made a ten strike and the stick goes to his side, if he fails to point to the hand holding the stick, which he clearly has many chances to do, he loses for his side by a certain amount, depending upon how many hands were between the one designated and the one holding the stick

If the few principles of the game as indicated in the above partial description are correct it is at once evident that the game is one of numerous possibilities. My friend did not profess much knowledge of the game but he said that it was a fact that the same Indians always did the guessing for the same players, those individuals being picked out because of greater ability to see and read change of expression in their opponents, as for instance when a holder of the stick might give evidence of alarm should he see two or three of his opponents pointing at his hand, might cause him to change his expression. During my limited stay at Ft Hall I was not able to procure other information of the game of Cache, from the French "cacher." The stakes that evening at the game watched by us were piles of the newly issued blankets.

My friend was most anxious for me to visit the Agency the next morning, because he said that by that time the Indians would have had time to make certain changes in some of the articles of clothing issued to them to better adapt them to the purpose that they desired. Moreover he said that the changes made by the Indians indicated their advance in civilization. It was a strange thing, he said, but as a rule the older Indians were advancing more rapidly than the younger in adopting the ways of civilized life. I did go out to the Agency the next morning and my friend was delighted and amused for we found exactly what he wished to show me. He first pointed to a young Indian who had received a pair of old army trousers from our late interstate war [18]61-65. He had cut off the legs of the trousers just below the knee, was wearing them as leggings or puttees and had discarded all the remainder of the pair.

Now, said my friend I hope we will see how an old man treats his trousers if we are so fortunate as to see one. Pretty soon we saw an old man approaching with a blanket over his shoulders and apparently wearing a complete pair of trousers. Now, said my friend, he has tailored his old trousers quite differently from the way the young man treated his. His blanket hides all his tailoring, which consisted in cutting out a large piece from the rear seat, but retaining the front and the legs entire. Now the agent, my friend said, considers that this old man has advanced much more rapidly than the young one and the agent terms all those who have tailored their trousers like this old [ man] "grangers." We saw other Indians, both bucks and squaws wearing corn or meal sacks with the mill signs still on them.

On Nov. 10th I, with my two employees, left Ft Hall for Ogden and reached this town on the evening of the 13th. Here I parted from these two men, McClure and Gutman, who had been constantly with me since Sept 18th and almost my sole companions. I have already referred to some of their characteristics, one of which was McClure's superstitions and I now wish to say that he also possessed an active imagination, two illustrations of which I here insert I st seeing me arranging to shoot at some passing wild geese, he said, "Lieut, do not shoot them, they are so poor at this time of the year that they would lodge in the air;'' and again, one morning when we were directly west of the Teton Mountains, as we arose from our beds the yet unrisen sun was sending its beams close by the tops of the mighty group and high into the blue dome above. McClure calls to me saying, Lieut look, you can count six feathers in the Tetons' cap this morning. Both these conceptions show an active imagination, the latter one was being highly poetic as well: 1 st the conception of a falling body lodging in the air; 2nd the conversion of the" streaks of morning light" into feathers many hundred of miles long.

I bade my two faithful employees good-by on Nov. 15th22 and left for Washington where I arrived on Nov. 20th, 1877. From this date until July 17th, 1878 I was busily occupied in the Washington office with the astronomical, barometric, and triangulation computations of the different field parties.

NOTES

Dr Smith is Professor Emeritus in the History Department at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.

1 The best source of information concerning the scauered records of the survey is C. E. Dewing, "The wheeler Survey Records: A Study in Archival Anomaly," American Archivist 27 (April 1964): 219-27 For a convenient, brief account of Wheeler's expeditions and achievements see Richard A Bardett, Great Surveys of the American West (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1962), chaps 17 and 18

2 Three other accounts of Tillman's 1877 tour of duty supplement this on.e The manuscript of his 1877 diary is in the library, the United States Military Academy. It is generally terse and sketchy and serves principally as a chronicle rather than as a narrative account It furnishes an occasional detail or verification for this account.

2 His official report is concerned mo e strictly with the purpose of the survey It helps to flesh out some of his autobiographical coverage of the 1877 tour "Executive and Descriptive Report of Lieutenant Samuel E Tillman, Corps of Engineers, on the Operations of Party No 1, Utah Section, Field Season of 1877," U.S., Congress, House, Index to the Executive Documents, Report of the Chief of Engineers, Part III, 45th Cong., 3d sess., 1878-79, pp 1529-34.

Charles Jacob Kininer, as assistant topographer and meteorologist with Tillman's party, also served as a correspondent to the Ann Arbor Register (Michigan) which published a series of ten letters describing his experiences and observations Russell E, Bidlack and Everett L Cooley, eds., "The Kintner Letters: An Astronomer's Account of the Wheeler Survey in Utah and Idaho," Utah Historical Quarterly 34 (1966): 62-80, 169-82.

3 Geo M wheeler Special Orders, No 7, May 8, 1877, U.S Engineers Office, Geographical Surveys West of the 100th Meridian, Record Group 77, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

4 He spent several days in Cheyenne purchasing mules for the expedition. Tillman, "Executive and Descriptive Report," p 1529.

5 Tillman's party included topographer Gilbert Thompson, John A Hasson as meteorologist, William Lorram as odometer recorder, two packers, a "man-of-all-work," and cook Charles Jacob Kintner later joined the party. It was equipped with a triangulation instrument, two transits, two cistern barometers, two aneroids, two psychrometers, two odometers, and a maximum and minimum, two pocket thermometers. Ibid. See also note 2 above.

6 Willard Peak, a few miles to the southeast of Willard, Ibid.

7 Dr Kampf was a member of" an additional special base- measuring party" on temporary assignment at Ogden Bidlack and Cooley, "Kintner Letters," pp 67-68 Apparently he recovered to return to the Wheeler Survey office in Washington, D.C He was already working on the expedition's field data when Tillman arrived there in late November The injury he sustained may have been serious, however, as Tillman reported that Kampf" displayed his usual interest and energy in the work up to the date of his final illness." Tillman, "Executive and Descriptive Report," p 1533.

8 Rogers Birnie, member of the class of 1872, United States Military Academy The field operations were conducted by two parties led by Tillman and Birnie #2411, Register of Graduates and Former Cadets of the United States Military Academy (West Point, N.Y.: West Point Alumni Foundation, 1970); Tillman, "Executive and Descriptive Report," p 1529.

9 More precisely, it extended from 111° to 112°20' west longitude and from 4r45 ' to 43° 10' north latitude Tillman "Executive and Descriptive Report," p 1529.

10 It "is described by some, as an immense serpent 30 or 40 feet [long], by others as a large, hairy animal swimming with head projecting above the water several feet All ^re e that he throws water to a height of several feet when in motion There is a dread of the monster? among the inhabitants." Entry forJune27, 1877, Tillman 1877 Diary.

11 Dwight L Smith, "An Antebellum Boyhood: Samuel Escue Tillman's Fascination with Corn, Bulls, and Deer," Tennessee Historical Quarterly 47 (Fall 1988): 147-49.

12 For the official record Tillman noted that "This lake, according to the neighboring inhabitants, has its monster. That the statements made to me in regard to the monster were in good faith I have no doubt, and the fact that these people have been deceived into their present belief is quite as remarkable as would be the discovery of a large and unusual animal" Tillman, "Executive and Descriptive Report," p. 1531.

In July 1868 Joseph C Rich, a self-appointed publicity agent for the area, had captured the attention of the outside world with a dispatch he sent to Deseret News He told of Indian traditions of "a monster animal" that lived in Bear Lake but that had not been seen since buffalo inhabited the valley Several individual pioneer settlers had reported sightings, but they were given little credence. More recently, however, a party of four and then a group of ten " reliable persons whose veracity is undoubted" related that they had "distinctly" seen the monster sufficiently to describe it There have been other accounts since Rich's news story Ezra J Pouhen, Joseph C. Rich, Versatile Pioneer on the Mormon Frontier A Story of Achievement under Difficulties (Salt Lake City: Granite Publishing Co., 1958), pp. 214-18; Ausdn E. Fife, "The Bear Lake Monster," Utah Humanities Review 2 (April 1948): 99-106.

Monster lore thrives as a subject for historical/anthropological investigation and its literature increases It receives academic recognition in such things as a volume of program papers ol a 1978 conference at the University of British Columbia Marjorie Halpin and Michael Ames, eds. Manlike Monsters on Trial Early Records and Modem Evidence (Vancouver University of British Columbia Press, 1980). For an anecdotal report on Bigfoot lore see Larry Woody, "Is There a Bigfoot? American Way, October 1981, pp 142-47 A recent news item includes a presumed picture of a lake monster "The Quest of Ogopogo," Time September 18, 1989 One measure of the worldwide volume of writings on monster lore is given in the 4,450-item bibliography, George M. Eberhart, Monster's: A Guide to Information on Unaccounted for Creatures, Including Bigfoot, and Other Irregular Animals (New York: Garland Publishing, 1983).

13 The main center of the Bannocks was in southeastern Idaho By this time they were located principally on the Fort Hall and another reservation. John R. Swanton, The Indian Tribes of North America (Washington, D.C: Government Priming Office, 1952), pp 398-99.

14 The Nez Perce were on their epic defensive retreat from the United States Army which was driving them from the Sidmon River country in western Idaho Chief Joseph led them som e 1,500 miles eastward and northward before they were finally defeated and captured Francis Haines, The Nez Perces: Tribesmen of the Columbia Plateau (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1955), pp. 241-82.

15 Kintner reported the event with minor variance but giving further detail " We left here [ Soda Springs] on the morning of the 22d of July, after having had our bumps of excitability somewhat wrought upon by an Indian scare which originated among the people of Soda Springs. It seems a half breed Indian had a misunderstanding with a worthless white man here and a fight ensued in which poor Lo got the worst of the batde, and, Indian like, was bent on revenge if the whole settlement had to be sacrificed. There were about a hundred and fifty or two hundred Indians encamped near the village, and the warriors appeared in war paint and feathers and sent off their squaws and children (a sure sign of trouble), so we were told. We were camped about a half-mile from the village, and they sent a ma n out at dusk to ask us to come into town and help defend the place, but cis all our property would be exposed, we divided the party, sending five to town and four of us staying in camp, armed with pistols and breech-loading snot guns. Your correspondent stood guard, but not an incident occured to disturb the quiet of the lovely moonlight night, save the occasional howling of a coyote or the hooting of an owl on the mountain side." Bidlack and Cooley, "The Kintner Letters," p 169.

16 "Around several of the springs, when the air is still, the carbonic-acid gas accumulates in such quantities that birds alighting near them are poisoned It was found that less than two minutes were required to render grasshoppers unable to escape the poisonous depressions." Tillman, "Executive and Descriptive Report," p 1532.

17 The military Fort Hall, not to be confused with a former trading post of the same name some twenty-five miles to its southwest, was located twelve miles to the east of present Blackfoot, Idaho. It was established in 1870 to maintain control over the Bannock and Shoshoni Indians on their reservation Francis Paul Prucha. A Guide to the Military Posts of the United States, 1789-1895 (Madison; State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1964), p 77; Herbert M Hart, Pioneer Forts of the West (Seattle: Superior Publishing Company, 1967), pp 136-37.

18 Willard Young, a son of Brigham Young, was a member of the class of 1875, United States Military Academy #2553, Register of Graduates.

19 "I was mounted on the uncertain mule, [who was] named Bottle by my humorous packer because ' he always expected him to break his d neck,'" Lecture text, " Experiences in the Great West," March 18, 1893, Tillman Papers, Miami University Libraries, Oxford, Ohio.

20 The assignment "was not accomplished, owing to heavy fall of snow in the mountains." Tillman, "Executive and Descriptive Report," p 1533.

21 "The squaws came to the Agency from the camp, mainly on foot, and carried off on their backs the provisions that were issued to their respective families." Lecture text, "Experiences in the Great West."

22 [No signature], Special Orders, November 23, 1877, U.S. Engineers Office, Geographical Surveys West of the 100th Meridian, Record Group 77, National Archives.