Hysterical Journey to Historic Places

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CAMAS MEADOW



The people thought they were safe from pursuit when they reached Montana and they could live peacefully among the Crow. Generals Sherman and Sheridan thought differently though. Indians who could defeat the army and make the army look foolish needed to be hunted down and destroyed. On August 9 the people were attacked at Big Hole by new soldiers led by John Gibbon. He was driven back to hide in some trees and put under siege until the people could break camp and escape. Still it was a costly fight for them. Many were killed or wounded. The retreat took them through Bannock where they hoped to trade for medical supplies, but the terrified miners would not come out to trade. Gibbon slunk back to Fort Shaw with his bushy tail between his legs. One Arm finally made it through the mountains, learned of Gibbons failure, and galloped off in pursuit. From Bannock the people scampered off, as best they could, down Grasshopper Creek, past Cache Lake and over Monida Pass into Idaho. One Arm hoped to head them off at Camas Meadow and found a splendid defensive camp on August 18. He set out pickets behind rifle pits and hoped he was ahead of the people, but he was still a day behind. The people were up at Henry’s Lake. They knew where One Arm was and decided to slow him down by raiding his horse herd. In the wee hours of the morning they slipped into One Arm’s camp and were about to make off with the horses when an alert sentry woke up and challenged them. A rifle shot rang out, and it ruined the horse raid, but the ruckus put 200 mules into stampede. The people made off with those mules instead. At daylight One Arm sent his cavalry off in pursuit but they met resistance in a narrow canyon and could not proceed. One of the cavalry companies made it back to camp by afternoon, but One Arm had to send foot soldiers up to assist in the withdrawal of the other company. The loss of the mule herd stopped One Arm dead in his tracks. The army moved to Henry’s Lake to swat pesky mosquitoes and wait for a new supply train to be acquired from Virginia City. In the meantime the people moved east through Yellowstone and were dismayed to learn that the Crow were not much their friends after all. They refused to allow the people to bring the war into their country, and provided scouts to the army. The people turned north in a break for Canada.

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Photos

HOWARD'S CAMP
The camp was inside a pocket in a surrounding basalt flow. It gave the soldiers waist high protection and offered convenient firing positions.

RIFLE PIT
One Arm set out dozens of these rifle pits in his outer perimeter. It is likely that the rifle shot that started the stampede originated from one of them very near this position. This rifle pit appears to be newly stacked up.The mules stampeded from the meadow in front of the rifle position.

ORIGINAL PLAQUE
This plaque marks the location of One Arm's camp, but it can barely be read anymore

GHOSTS
Look for these silhouettes on the south side of County Road A-2 east of Kilgore. They mark the roadside interpretive center. One Arm's camp is about half a mile down a pretty poor dirt road to the southwest.