A Washakie Anecdote

Utah Historical Quarterly, Volume 3, April 1930, Number 2

A WASHAKIE ANECDOTEBy Mrs. Elizabeth Arnold Stone

One of the outstanding memories of my childhood is my first and only sight of the famous Indian , Chief Washakie, known as "The Friend of Peace." For over sixty years he was head of the Shoshones, trusted alike by red and white men.

The time was July, 1875, and the .scene a vacant lot on the outskirts of Evanston, Wyoming. A band of Shoshones was encamped on Yellow Creek, and one glaring afternoon fifty or more of them "trekked" into town. The men were mounted, also some of the squaws; but most of the women rode on hammocklike seats drawn by horses. Two poles fastened on either side of a horse furnished the frame-work, and a blanket slung from one pole to the other made a sagging vehicle for a mother and two or three little children. The older boys were riding cayuses.

In spite of beaded ornaments and vermilion-painted cheeks they were a sorry looking lot after the four-mile ride over the sage covered hills in the summer dust. Bright-eyed papooses peered over the rims of baskets hung on their mothers' backs, and larger children clad only in breech-cloths, or less, stretched grimy hands to the white people who had gathered, with the request for "cold bisikee" (biscuit), their only attempt at English.

Then some one called out, "Here comes Washakie!" And down the street toward the disheveled crowd rode half a dozen mounted braves, Washakie in the lead. He rode a well groomed horse and made an imposing figure wrapped in his gorgeous blanket. He was said by many to resemble in looks Henry Ward Beecher. Above the grizzled locks that hung smoothly on either side of his finely chiseled face was a wide sombrero. We gazed in admiration until a bright-eyed youngster suddenly called out:

"Look at the coffin plate!"

Sure enough! On the very front of Washakie's hat was a shining piece of polished silver, bearing the amazing inscription, "OUR BABY"!

Horror gripped my heart, for like all frontier children of that day 1 had not escaped stories of Indian atrocities. Had he robbed a grave for it? Fortunately for my peace of mind the answer was at hand, for one of our playmates, Emil Foss, whose father kept a furniture store, with funeral supplies as a side-line, came up and proudly exhibited a bow and arrow which he had got from the old chief in exchange for the coffin plate. And I have no reason to think that the gallant Washakie was not equally pleased over his side of the trade as he headed his little band back to Yellow Creek late in the afternoon for he was still wearing his strange decoration.

References

1 Aug. 27 to Sept 5 (Bidwell).