Post by grahamew on Feb 12, 2018 9:23:53 GMT -5
"This is an original photography taken in 1903 Douglas, Wyoming of 9 Oglala Sioux Warriors, arrested for the murder of Sheriff William Miller at the Battle of Lightning Creek. Seven people died including Sheriff Miller, Chief Black Kettle, and Chief Eagle Feather. Warriors were photographed by Marsh of Douglas, Wyoming. This was the last Indian Wars confrontation and occurred 13 years after the Battle of Wounded Knee. This was the most bloody battle of the misunderstanding of Indians and Whites over hunting rights. Chief of the Sioux Eagle Feather led 25 men into Wyoming for hunting and encountered Sheriff William Miller ending in a bloody massacre. The piece is on photo studio board and original photo stock. Marked across the bottom. Exceedingly rare original authentic piece of Wyoming History. Museum quality. Overall measures 12"x10". The Indians in this photograph include (from bottom right to left): Iron Shield, Chief He Crow, Red Pin., High Bull, Broken Nose, High Dog, James White Elk, Charge Wolf, Jesse Little War Bonnet. Comes with photocopy print."
www.icollector.com/Photograph-of-Sioux-Arrested-for-Murder-WY-c-1903_i24151234
www.sdhspress.com/journal/south-dakota-history-23-4/conflict-over-hunting-rights-lightning-creek-1903/vol-23-no-4-conflict-over-hunting-rights.pdf
"Black Kettle to Be Given
Official Burial During Fair Sioux Indians Making Plans For Service September 15
Douglas Enterprise - August 30, 1938
Indians from the Sioux Reservation of South Dakota are making elaborate plans for the official burial of a member of their race here Thursday, September 15, the second day of the 30th annual Wyoming State Fair.
The body of Black Kettle, who was killed in 1903 on Lightning creek northeast of Douglas in a fight between the Indians and the Whites, will be raised from its resting place behind the Wyoming Pioneer association's cabin at the Fair Grounds, and given official rites.
In the 1903 battle Sheriff Miller of Weston county, Deputy Louis Falkenburg of Douglas and four Indians besides Black Kettle were killed. Indians surviving the battle were brought here, kept in jail for some time, but all were turned loose after officials found they could secure no confessions for the murder of the two Whites.
Several years ago several of the same Indians were here during Fair. At that time they discovered the skull of Black Kettle in the Pioneer cabin. Identity was made by finding a bullet hole through the head, where, the Indians remembered, Black Kettle had been shot. Informed that his remains were buried in back of the cabin, the Indians expressed their desire to hold a burial service for him. The Wyoming Pioneer association has completed all arrangements. Word has been received from Chief Martin Red Bear that Black Elk, an Indian 89 years old, will conduct the rites. Black Kettle's widow, in her 90's, is still living, but will be unable to be here for the service.
A large crowd is anticipated for the official burial, as not many have seen the ceremony held sacred by Paleface tribes.
The scaffold to hold the casket will consist of for poles six fee high, with each having a crotch at the top. They will be placed just back of the corners of the grave. One of the uprights will be painted red, another yellow, the third black and white and the fourth black. Two eight-foot poles, painted brown, will rest along the tops of the uprights, and six three-foot crossbars, also painted brown, will form the base for the casket to rest on. The casket is to be painted black. After the ceremony the remains will be lowered into the ground.
The State Fair has contracted for 30 Sioux Indians to appear in full costume each day of the Fair, and the Wyoming Pioneer association is taking care of plans for the burial. Rick Anthony of Douglas is building the structure to be placed over the grave."
"In 1895 the Wyoming State Legislature enacted game laws which outlawed the hunting of deer and antelope. Despite the enforcement of this law Indians continued to hunt wild game. In October 1903, a party of Sioux travelling for the purposes of gathering medicinal plants were, despite their permits, tragically mistaken for a hunting party. A local posse confronted the Sioux on Lightning Creek. The battle was short but heavy casualties resulted on both sides. Over thirty years later the Sioux returned to claim their dead. The following is an extract from a 1996 letter by Dave Thompson recounting the scene witnessed by his father, Rod Thompson. “In 1936 two old Hoppies-Jitneys (old cars) full of Lakota Indians stopped at our ranch house and asked permission to go down to Lightning Creek and dig up the remains of their relatives and comrades that had been buried after the battle in 1903. There were two elder Indian survivors from the battle, they did all the work at the burial site. One would find a tree or where a tree had been, then step to another tree, if the steps didn’t come out right he would try another route. After a try or two and the right space between trees was found, the second Indian paced off some steps, would dig and locate bones. Three to four bodies were located in the near darkness of the evening light, thirty-three years after the battle, with only steps and memory. This never ceased to amaze me in later years, it was truly a remarkable.” Dave Thomson, Lightning Creek Rancher."
More here, though you'll have to search for it: archive.org/stream/annalsofwyom49121977wyom/annalsofwyom49121977wyom_djvu.txt
Here's the Newcastle Times version - Custer still to the fore after all those years (and they say they weren't thinking about him at Wounded Knee...): genealogytrails.com/wyo/weston/news_indians.html