Closed Captions Audio Described

Dr. Hope Benedict, a historian of Western history, discusses the consequences of the Lewis and Clark Expedition for the Lemhi Shoshone people. She traces Lemhi history from Sacagawea's time through the arrival of Mormon settlers, the gold rush, and ultimately forced removal to Fort Hall in 1907. Benedict emphasizes Chief Tendoy's diplomatic efforts to keep his people in their Lemhi Valley homeland and their lasting cultural connections to the region.

Transcript

0:04 All right.
0:07 Well, good afternoon, everyone and welcome to the Tent of Many Voices. The Tent of Many Voices. is part of the Corps of Discovery 2, traveling Lewis and Clark exhibit. This is a multi-agency exhibit with the National Park Service being the lead agency.
0:28 It's been on the road since January of 2003 and will continue to travel through 2006 during the four years of the bicentennial of that Lewis and Clark expedition. What we do here in the Tent of Many Voices is we bring in a wide variety of presenters to share with us both different aspects of that Lewis and Clark Expedition,
0:51 its history and its legacy. And that's what we're gonna learn a little bit about this afternoon is some of the legacy of that Lewis and Clark expedition we have with us Dr. Hope Benedict and she is a historian of Western history. She's a local here in Salmon and is gonna share with us some of the
1:14 repercussions of the Lewis and Clark expedition for the Lemhi Shoshone. So let's give her a warm welcome here to the Tent of Many Voices. [Audience Applause]
1:27 [Dr. Hope Benedict Speaking] Thank you very much. I know some of you, of course, who are expecting Rosina George. But because of the tragedy in her family in the last few days, she was not able to be here and I was called approximately an hour ago and asked to fill in. So here I am,
1:44 I was born in Lemhi County, as were my parents and grandparents. So I have a long history here and then in order to not have to go very far away from home to do dissertation research, I decided to write my dissertation on Lemhi County, primarily on the of community based on mining and ranching. But an aspect of my research was also focused on the Lemhi Shoshone.
2:08 So my, my talk is entitled The Repercussions of the Lewis and Clark Trek for the Lemhi Indians.
2:17 It whistled a minute ago, made me nervous.
2:22 The repercussions of the Lewis and Clark Trek for the Lemhi Indians. For the Lemhi Shoshone tribe, the return of Sacajawea in the company of the Corps of Discovery in August of 18 5 may be the most renowned aspect of their history, but it is only a short segment of their long tenure and their continued presence in what is now the Lemhi Valley of East Central Idaho.
2:48 Forced removal to the Fort Hall reservation in 1907 ended the Lemhi's continuous habitation but not the connection to their ancestral homeland. Commemoration of the Lewis and Clark bicentennial has invigorated recent Lemhi efforts to return. And some members of the tribe currently seek the creation of a new Lemhi reservation.
3:11 Others have worked assiduously with the Lemhi County Lewis and Clark Committee to create this exemplary educational center known as the Sacagawea Interpretive Center, which we are all pleased to be in today. 200 years after the Lewis and Clark journey set in motion the process that led to the Lemhis removal, the commemoration of that same trek could prove
3:33 or provide the opportunity for their return. The available recorded history of the Lemhis stems primarily from their recurring interaction with the Caucasians beginning with the arrival of Lewis and Clark as you are all well aware. Their dealings with these groups demonstrate a people interested primarily in peace and with a strong desire and determination to remain in their traditional homeland.
3:58 From the late 18 th century Sacajawea's people, a group of approximately 400 to 500 spent the spring and summer in the Lemhi and Salmon River valleys calling themselves Agaidika, or salmon eaters, the Lemhis relied on the seasonal salmon runs to provide their primary food source. For the rest of the year,
4:21 they coalesced with other tribes or sometimes moved in smaller family groups through traditional migratory regions, hunting buffalo or gathering camas.
4:31 But by the second half of the 19th century, the Lemhi band of the Shoshone circumscribed by increasing intertribal warfare, white incursions and the disappearing buffalo, spent the majority of the year in their Lemhi encampment. Always a part of their traditional territory, by 1860 this valley had become their primary home.
4:55 Once the Corps left for the Pacific Ocean, the Lemhi Shoshonly sh sh, Shoshone excuse me, apparently encountered few other whites until the founding of the Salmon River Mission in 1855. Depleted sources of beaver pelts did move a few fur trappers and traders into their area during the 1820s the early 1830, but with minimal effect on the population as a whole.
5:20 The Mormons however, were the harbingers of change for the Lemhis.
5:25 After establishing themselves in the heartland of the Great Basin, the Latter Day Saints initiated the settlement of a protective ring of communities which could also serve as potential markets and convenient outposts for traders and missionaries. In May of 1855, Brigham Young sent 27 men north from Salt Lake into the region of
5:47 the Salmon and Lemhi rivers to begin the process in that region. Among the six such settlements established in 1855 the Salmon River mission had specific goals. Paramount among them, according to the directives issued by Young was to quote, settle among the buffalo hunting Flathead, Bannock or Shoshone Indians, end of quote,
6:11 or to get as close to them as tribal leadership would allow. Their prescribed duties included teaching the tribes the quote, arts of civilization, end of quote, such as agriculture and peaceful association with other tribes and Caucasians. Receiving permission from the tribe to settle in the valley, the missionaries began construction near the camping site
6:34 of Lewis and Clark on the Lemhi River and in what was essentially the summer home of the Shoshone. This area was also used of course as you know, by the Bannock and by the Nez Perce as they either pass through or use the region for fishing.
6:50 Most historians familiar with this period in Mormon and Lemhi history contend that the indigenous population seemed fairly content with this arrangement between the missionaries and the tribe asking only that the missionaries not kill game or catch fish for commercial purposes. Agreeing to those conditions, the Mormons dug irrigation ditches, planted crops,
7:14 built a corral, a mud fort and 13 cabins inside the fort walls. They eventually added another 13 cabins, a blacksmith's shop, sawmill and they dug a well. It was in essence, of course, becoming a community. In a friendly gesture, the Indian tribes introduced the Mormons to the enormity of the salmon runs in the Lemhi and Salmon rivers. Promises notwithstanding,
7:37 the fish seemed so plentiful that the LDS could not resist the temptation to ship smoked salmon to Salt Lake. That first summer they sent eight wagon loads. Within two years, the missionaries had also developed an active trade with Fort Hall to the south and with Fort Owen in the Bitterroot Valley of the Montana territory. By 1857 the mission had expanded to over 100 people.
8:03 In fact, Brigham Young was so impressed with the mission that he visited the Lemhi Valley with a large entourage and encouraged closer relations with the Lemhis themselves. He also at that point offered to buy Fort Hall on his return trip. With the Mormons increasing numbers, the arrival of 200 head of cattle, continued shipping of salmon to Utah,
8:26 extensive cutting of timber for increasing fences and also of course for cabins, and the apparent development of a permanent Mormon settlement worried the indigenous population. In addition, LDS attempts to practice trade and diplomacy among the various tribes within the region without understanding the inter tribal relations backfired on them.
8:50 During the last months of the mission, the three tribes within the region at the time experienced a period of hostility that was exacerbated by well intentioned Mormon interference. Rather than fostering peace, they returned, incurred their wrath and distrust. Simultaneously, the deterioration in relations between the United States government and the Mormon State of Deseret
9:14 affected the trust and trade between the Lemhi Mormons and also the mountaineers and traders within the region. Suffice it to say the situation proved untenable for the LDS mission by February of 1858. Brigham Young, facing difficulties of his own, determined that the salmon River mission should immediately be abandoned.
9:35 He sent 150 men to rescue those at the Lemhi outpost in March, thus ending the first white settlement in the area. It is difficult to assess the effect of the Mormon mission on the Lemhis. Perhaps the Lemhis gained insight into the diplomatic practices of whites. Perhaps they learned to distrust promises made. But it would be unfair to say that the entire episode was negative.
10:00 The missionaries willingly and generously shared their provisions and crops with the Lemhis. And it seems their intentions at developing a peaceful association were genuine, if at times misguided. The Mormon Fort did have one obvious result and that remains true to this day and probably the most obvious for all of us here, officially known as the Salmon River Mission
10:22 when established, the missionary is called the Fort Limhi. L, I M, H, I. After an ancient Indian chief who appears in the book of Mormon. The Mormons applied the name to the river near which they built their fort to the mountain range and to the entire region. This appellation proved the most lasting feature of the Salmon River mission. For, although the spelling was eventually changed to Lemhi L, E, M, H,
10:47 I, the next white settlers kept the Mormons nomenclature. The term is now generally applied to Sacajawea's people to differentiate them from the Shoshone and Bannock of Fort Hall.
11:01 For the next eight years after the LDS left and abandoned the mission, the Lemhis again enjoyed relative isolation. Although this area has often been and usually was a crossroads for people traveling through to different gold regions, particularly in the early 1860s. The discovery of gold in the mountains above the Salmon river, however, ensured change.
11:23 Although population numbers vary during the first few years from 1000 to 2000, and of course, at times rumored to be as high as 10,000 although that number was never reached, the evolution of a core population of miners, ranchers and service providers had a significant impact on the Lemhi's living conditions and set the stage for their eventual removal.
11:46 One of the first and most painful problems arose from the Lemhi's dependence on salmon. In the first newspaper, in 1867, the difficulties were chronicled: miners supplemented their prospecting incomes by setting up fish weirs effectively cutting off the fish from the Lemhis.
12:06 In the June 20th, 1867 issue of the local paper, the semi weekly mining news, the editor reported a disturbance at a lake 15 miles from Salmon City. Evidently one of the tribal members had removed a seine in an effort to improve their chances at catching salmon. The seine's owner reported that it had been found at the Indians camp
12:29 and that when its return was demanded, one of the Indian men drew a gun. He was shot without further conversation. The final line of the article pointed to the outcome of future disagreements quote, as we have no officers in this section of the country, no notice has been taken of the affair, end of quote.
12:50 The claim of no legal recourse, however, appears patently untrue as there was reference in the same paper to legal actions taken by Judge Beatty, and in the August issue, officers of the law were mentioned. Apparently justice depended at that point on the identity of the victim. Ranching too in many ways, restricted the movements of the Lemhis and effectively curtailed their usual patterns of gathering food
13:14 and hunting. Between 1868 and 1871 federal agents forced the Lemhis to cede their claim to the salmon and Lemhi river valleys and move them on to a provisional reserve near the Lemhi River. Efforts then began to remove the Lemhis from the region altogether. First to the Crow Agency in Montana and when that failed, the recently established Shoshone Bannock
13:38 Reserve at Fort Hall. Most of these efforts came from outside pressure, particularly of course, from the federal government in their attempts at trying to sustain the reserve. Chief Tendoy, who had led the Lemhi since 1863, struggled to maintain a peaceful relationship between his band and the growing white community. He managed to resist removal from the area for decades. When Tendoy
14:02 and the Lehis first refused to leave, federal agents offered him as though it were theirs to give, the position of chief at Fort Hall. They asked in this, of course, as an enticement. Tendoy declined the offer. At this juncture, the Superintendent of Indian Affairs requested on their behalf a $55, a $5,000 dollar rather sorry appropriation for farming equipment. The federal government however,
14:26 argued that maintenance of this reserve was simply too expensive. The Lemhis had to go. $25,000 was allocated to convince them that leaving was the best plan. The Lemhis again refused this inducement. In 1874 Colonel George L Shupe, one of the first Caucasian settlers of Lemhi County between 1866 and 1867
14:51 and eventually Idaho's last territorial governor, first state governor and one of its first US senators he was very busy, interceded on behalf of the Lemhis, arguing that the Lemhis served as a barrier between white settlers. And as he said in his letter, quote, other Indians who were not good, end of quote,
15:10 asked that Tendoy and the approximately 450 Lemhis be granted a permanent reserve within the bounds of their homeland. John Haley, Idaho's territorial delegate to Congress responded with a surprise. He said you must certainly have a much better set of Indians than we have in my county or you would be anxious to get rid of them, end of quote. Again, along the same lines of what Gary Walton said the other night.
15:34 It's difficult to read some of these things because you don't know whether to judge them from the time or from our own.
15:42 Despite his misgivings, Hayley advocated their cause and President Grant established the Lemhi Reserve by executive order on February 12, 1875. Although Chief Tendoy effectively restrained his band from joining in the Nez Perce Bannock and Sheepeater conflicts of the later 1870s, while managing to allay the misplaced fear and hysteria of the white population,
16:07 the federal government continued its efforts to remove his people from their home. By 1880 the pressure was so intense that Tendoy took action. And I think this is a very important point to note because he was obviously one of the best diplomats of his time. With the assistance of Colonel Shupe and several other local business and political leaders, Tendoy and a number of his head men traveled by train to Washington DC
16:31 to discuss their situation in the Lemhi valley. The outcome of the meeting was a treaty stating that the Lemhis would leave the Lemhi Reserve for Fort Hall. But Tendoy forced government acquiescence to a critical provision. Removal would occur only when a majority of all the adult males agreed to leave. The Lemhi reservation,
16:54 however, had never proved adequate for the maintenance of the Lemhi population. Insufficient land, game, diminishing numbers of fish and inadequate farming conditions, only 2700 acres of the 160 square mile reserve were irrigable, kept the lamb highest impoverished. Forced to accept rations in order to survive in the Lemhi Valley, the Lemhi
17:18 found themselves at the mercy of reservation policy and the Indian agents determined to enforce it. Agents withheld rations to force the Lemhis to adopt, adopt white dress and religion. They withheld rations to force school attendance, they withheld rations to ensure peaceful behavior. And some of the more unscrupulous sold supplies intended for the Lemhis to local settlers.
17:42 Surprisingly, however, only a few acts of vandalism were perpetrated by the Lemhis against reservation policy, burning down a fence here and there. It was minimal. Despite the best efforts of Shupe and his associates, little was done to alleviate the deteriorating conditions on the reserve. Deprivation led to discontent.
18:05 And on December 5th, 1905, the Lemhis decided that in order to survive, they would have to leave. During a meeting with inspector James McLaughlin of the Department of the Interior, the Lemhis were informed that the government intended to discontinue all assistance. Furthermore, he told them that if they refused to accept those lands set aside for them at Fort Hall in the 1880 agreement,
18:29 they would lose all claim to that. In response, Tendoy addressed the gathering. He reminded those present that he had always kept his promises that he had tried to live a good life. He pointed to the agreement he had made in 1880. The Lemhi Herald, another local paper recorded his comments. Quote,
18:50 now I am an old man and my friends are all gone. Shupe is gone and Mcpherson who is a local businessman, gone away. Now we have none to advise us. Before I die, I want to see my people provided for and fulfill the promise I made to the government. End of quote.
19:10 He then explained that the declining numbers of fish and game would ensure starvation, and that Fort Hall was their only hope of survival. When he finished, there was no immediate dissension from the head men, although many of them later regretted their decision and some resented Tendoy for his role in 1907 June 1907, the remaining 474 Lemhis
19:35 left for Fort Hall. They didn't all leave of course at the same time, it took several years for the Indians to remove completely. Tendoy, however, was not among them. After fighting so long and so hard, albeit peacefully to remain in the Lemhi Valley, Chief Tendoy died one month earlier than the June 7th departure on May 9 1907
19:59 along the banks of the Lemhi River. When I say they were removed, it's important I think here to note that they were not removed completely from their home. To conclude that they were forced to leave and never return would be erroneous. They still returned of course to this area year after year, they had an encampment. As you know, many of you know, of course who were from here near the outskirts of town.
20:24 They also attended schools here and of course, many members of the tribe continued to make a very strong presence here into the 70s and 80s and now with the efforts made here into the 90s and certainly into the 21st century. I had a couple of quotes that I'd like to read to you from the newspapers when they did leave, which I think is a very important thing to understand about their role in the local community within the county.
20:49 The removal of the Lemhis to Fort Hall sparked a divided reaction among the other residents of Lemhi County. The Lemhi Herald reflected the myriad responses. Quote, the removal of the Lemhi Indians will affect the county and its people in many ways. Their presence has resulted in the distribution annually of 40,000 to $50,000 a year
21:12 which will be cut off without much chance of compensatory relief. Indeed, it is hard to figure out a plan by which the reservation will be able to produce so much in private hands. There are some who contend that the departure of the Lemhis from these accustomed haunts means an opportunity for some of the adjacent cattlemen whose herds have been depleted by the marauding thieving, savage. And others
21:35 contend that the move will work a great hardship upon certain whites who have been actually doing the stealing, and using the Indian for a kind of convenient scapegoat to settle the blame upon. But whichever is which and whatever is what the noble red man will be greatly missed and he will have many friends here who will always wish him good fortune, end of quote.
21:58 Asserting that the removal to Lem to Fort Hall was certainly a good one for the Lemhis the editor of the Lem High Herald, for all, for all his apparent compassion must have missed their exodus. In 1989 one of the members of the tribe, a granddaughter of one of those removed to Fort Hall in 1907, recounted her grandmother's description of their move. Quote,
22:21 she says their trek when they were moved here, Fort Hall, she says was a pain, a pain. It's a pain that they talk about their voice. You can tell they were hurt. My grandmother says that when they were traveling, she says there was childbirth and she says several stillborns, several babies that had died. She says it was sad to leave your home. And so she says, when they were forced to move, it was a terrifying experience.
22:45 It was sad to see all this area here, Fort Hall. She said it was mainly sagebrush and constantly wind, winds all the time she says, but they had no choice. End of quote.
22:56 Nora Urian Whitwell, one of the wives of the earliest families in the area noted quote, they trailed out through the valley with their families and pack horses, dragging their wickiup poles. They were weeping as they went. The ranchers along the way could hear their crying for some distance before they passed their homes. The ranchers were near to tears and some did cry. End of quote.
23:23 Now that was much briefer probably than you were expecting. But on an hour's notice and on behalf of the George family, this was the length of that I was able to prepare. If you have any questions, I will attempt to answer them. And thank you for your patience at hearing somebody other than the one you were expecting.
23:43 [Speaking out of frame] All right, if anybody has any questions... [Audience Applause]. Let's hear a round of applause. Thank you. [Speaking offscreen] If anybody has questions for Dr Benedict, please let me bring the microphone around so everybody can hear them. We'll start right here. So you mentioned the spelling change, but you didn't say why do you have a idea? Was it uh
24:06 animosity towards the Mormons? Was it uh for somebody forgot to dot the I and it turned into an e? [Dr. Benefict answers] I don't think it had anything [Audio Muffled.] Sorry. I always think I talk so loudly that I probably don't need this. Closer to anything would probably be forgetting to dot the I and not being able to read some of those late 19th century documents.
24:31 Also of course, if you are familiar with anything written, the Lewis and Clark journals for instance, and the spelling in the Lewis and Clark journals, a word could be spelled five different ways on the same page. And I think L E M H I is just the one that they use most frequently
24:49 just as a, just as a mistake.
24:52 [Speaking offscreen] All right. Did anyone else have any questions? All right, let me bring the microphone up here. Before their move. Where were they, where had they settled? What area down here in the valley where they settled in? [Dr. Benedict responds] Before who had moved?
25:08 The Lemhis in fact had used of course this whole region, but one of their primary and most important encampments was on the Lemhi near where Lewis and Clark had been because it was one of the best fishing areas during the summer season. But they used the entire area and of course, they were located in Nevada and Wyoming and southern Idaho and Nevada and so forth.
25:30 So this was all part of a migratory region while they gathered food, camas and so forth. But then settling eventually in this region for many of the reasons that I mentioned.
25:42 [Speaking offscreen] All right. Did we have some more questions? All right. All right, over here, we'll get this one and then we'll go on over there.
25:51 I don't have a question. I just wanted to acknowledge that uh some of the descendants of uh Chief Tendoy are here today for the demonstration down as in the park. Uh the, the granddaughter and the great or the great granddaughter and the great, great grandsons. [Dr. Benedict Speaking] Excellent. What time, what time is that? Maybe you could tell everyone?
26:15 [Speaking offscreen.] What time? they're all there at this point, all day. They're all day down where you walk around, they have some tipi's and display down there.
26:27 [Dr. Benedict speaking] In conjunction with his comment, I would like to encourage all of you who have not already been there to visit the Lemhi County Historical Museum. We have one of the largest displays of Lemhi Shoshone artifacts that you could see anywhere and we also have a great deal of information and artifacts from the general history of Lemhi County.
26:47 [Speaking offscreen.] Ok. I got another question over here. Let me bring the mic to you.
26:53 I was just wondering, are there any Indian burial grounds around this area? And the chief that you referred to that died along the river, is he buried somewhere here? [Dr. Benedict speaking] Yes, he is buried here and there is a monument at Chief Tendoy's grave and it is on the back Lemhi about what, 25 miles from town and other burial sites. There are some on the,
27:18 well, we call it the bar here, but that would be on the bench on the other side of the salmon river, but they are not designated or you won't be able to find them, but there are burial grounds there and then all over the valley.
27:33 [Speaking offscreen.] All right. Do we have any other questions for Dr.Benedict?
27:38 All right. Once again, let's please, uh, give uh her a warm, thank you for joining us here. [Audience Applause.] Ok. Uh Thank you for coming on such a short notice and filling in. Remember folks, we do have uh programs here.