Bear River Massacre

 

            The massacre of members of the Northwest Band of Shoshone Indians preceded many of the more infamous massacres such as the Sand Creek and Wounded Knee Massacres. It did not get the recognition it deserved as a devastating event for the Shoshone people.  The massacre occurred on January 29^th, 1863 along the Bear River in what is now southern Idaho.  The Civil War was grabbing the headlines and most likely this matter received a paragraph at most in the biggest newspapers, if mentioned at all.  The circumstances leading up to the massacre have become all too commonplace in the history of the Native Americans during the latter half of the nineteenth century.  In detailing the history and development of this massacre “facts” from both sides were presented.  In the end as many as 400 tribal members lost their lives.

            The Shoshone were spread out in the area known as the Great Basin, a region surrounded by the Wasatch Mountains to the east, the Sierra Nevada to the west, and the Snake River Plain to the north.  The Great Basin included most of Nevada, half of Utah, and sections of Idaho, Wyoming, Oregon, and California.  Cultural similarities existed between the different bands that spread over the territory but differences in life styles were also present. The Eastern Shoshone led by Chief Washakie relied extensively on the use of horses which enabled them to travel to the Wyoming territory and hunt buffalo more so than other Sho-shone bands.  Bands living near certain rivers utilized fish more widely in their diet.  Those living in the area north of the Great Salt Lake had access to wide-ranging grassy plains; these grasses yielded large amounts of seeds which were harvested and used in their diet which provided an important food staple during the winter months.  Other important food items included berries, roots and small game.  The Great Basin was also the location where the California Trail passed through with a branch of the Oregon Trail a short distance from present day Salt Lake City.

            Shoshone exposure to white emigrants increased in the 1840’s as traffic on the California and Oregon Trails amplified the degree of contact related to distance a particular band lived from the trail.  Eventually trading posts were built and there was limited trade with fur trappers and fur traders prior to expansion in California.  Initially, the interaction between whites and Indians was friendly.  In some circumstance’s migration expanded eastward from California as gold in California became scarcer and new gold mines opened in the Great Basin area.

            In 1847 a large group of Mormons settled in Utah.  This group was led by Brigham Young from Illinois.  They wanted to escape persecution by settling in the Mexican Territory.  Unfortunately, Mexico lost this territory shortly after settlement and the Mormons were once again in an area under United States government control.  Additional Mor-mon emigrants continued to settle in the Utah Territory and with this, pressure was put on resources utilized by the Shoshone.  Heber C. Kimball, a church leader, believed in Mormon “Manifest Destiny” and was known to have said “We won’t pay for land.  Land belongs to Our Father in Heaven.  We expect to plow it and plant it” (Madsen, 1985).  As early as 1849 Brigham Young sent men to chastise the Indians who were stealing and killing cattle although this was supposed to conflict with his beliefs as outlined in the Book of Mormon (Madsen, 1985).  Over the course of the next 10 to 15 years Young would rather feed the Indians than take punitive action.  As the best regions for farming were exploited by white settlers, Indians became more reliant on being fed by the church community which drained food stores and made the farmers angrier and more aggressive.  Starvation was the norm for many Indians.  Starvation and resentment on the part of the Shoshone only enhanced their desperation leading to further theft of crops and cattle by some of the Shoshone as they were in survival mode.  In addition to starvation, the natives were also plagued by diseases such as cholera, measles and small pox.

            Patrick E. Connor was born in 1820 and immigrated to the United States at the age of 12 from Ireland.  He initially joined the army at the age of 18 and often returned to service when not focusing on entrepreneurial interest.  When the Civil War began, he joined the Union Army while living in California and was made a Colonel in charge of the 3^rd California infantry.  Their orders were to protect the mail routes and telegraph lines in the western territory.  He eventually made his way to Salt Lake City in the Utah Territory where he ordered his men to build Fort Douglas.  Serving in this capacity left Connor and his men dismayed as they would have preferred to be fighting traitors in the east.  Plans were made to confront the group of Indians who resided at Bear River to qualm the fears and concerns of the white settlers.

 

            Colonel Patrick E. Connor’s Version of the Bear Creek Massacre.

            Word was received the Indians responsible for the recent attack on miners, massacre of emigrants during the past summer and generally wreaking havoc on the mail system. They were settled for the winter to the north approximately 140 miles or so away in the area called Bear River. Connor notified the district marshal of his intent to arrest Chiefs Bear Hunter, Sagwich and San Pitch at this location but had no intent on taking prisoners.  He was welcome to accompany his regiment if the marshal wished.

            They left Fort Douglas four days prior to the event with 220 California volunteers.  The group was divided into one larger and one smaller group; the smaller group was to lead so if detected, would be perceived as less threatening.  Men were mounted on horses and had several small cannons in tow.  Conditions were harsh and temperatures bitter but the men focused on the mission.  The regiment set camp the night before the encounter approximately 10 miles from the Indian encampment.  The plan called for the small group to depart around 2:00 in the morning with the larger group to follow an hour later, to engage the Indians at sunrise.

            The men were ordered to surround the camp and attack.  The battle ensued as the Indians awoke and vacated their lodges.  Claims were made by some of the men that the Indians were waving the scalps of white women trying to antagonize the soldiers.  They had the upper hand initially so the troops were required to change tactics.  At this point some of the Indians started to flee and they shot them while they swam in the icy water.  The battle lasted for almost four hours, until 10:00 in the morning.  The men experienced further suffering due the cold and wet conditions.

            His best estimate was they were up against 300 heavily armed warriors with ample amounts of ammunition.  In the end, he believed they killed 224 including Chiefs Bear Hunter, Sagwich and Leight.  Connor was unable to make an accurate count because of the need to get his wounded men to more hospitable conditions. He was sure some of them would have mobility issues the rest of their lives due to frostbite.  They left the remaining 160 or so women and children with a small amount of provisions. 

     Mae Timbimboo’s, a Shoshone Oral Historian, Version of the Bear River Massacre

            The land along the Bear River was a desirable location to spend the winter as it was centrally located in the Shoshone territory and it had a natural depression, willows and other vegetation which provided natural protection from the wind or storms.  It also had natural hot springs which served as a water source during cold conditions.  Early in January 1863 a gathering of thousands of Shoshone people met to participate in the Warm Dance, a common occurrence to give thanks and appeal to the Creator for warmer conditions.  Games, winter sports and other methods of having fun occurred.  At its conclusion many of the visiting guesst departed. 

            The arrival of the soldiers was expected by the Indian people. Tin Dup had a dream on January 27, 1863 which predicted the tragedy. He shared his dream and as a result left the following day with close to 40 tribal members. Chief Sagwich was warned by an acquaintance that settlers in the area were working with Colonel Conner to fix things once and for all.  Sagwich was aware of the problems being caused by a small group of Indians.  The stories told in the native history specifically name those responsible for causing problems for the white settlers such as the attack on miners, the killing of emigrants and messing with the mail. Indians whom were not a part of the Northwest band and were not present at Bear River (Parry, 2019).

            On the morning of January 29, 1863 Chief Sagwich arose early as he usually did.  He exited his lodge and observed an approaching haze. He knew the steam was rising off the horses and soldiers.  He called for all those sleeping to wake up and gather their weapons. They grabbed what was available; bow and arrow, tomahawks and a few rifles.  Sagwich gave orders not to shoot first hoping Conner would ask for those responsible to be turned over. This did not happen.  The soldiers attacked without notification of their intentions shooting men, women, children and babies.  Indians tried to escape by jumping in the river and heading for cover.  Some hid under the river bank in hopes of staying safe.  The story noted that one woman hiding under the bank was forced to kill her crying baby so as not to give away their location.  The snow was covered in blood.  Chief Bear Hunter suffered the most. He was shot, kicked, tortured and finally finished by a glowing hot bayonet driven from ear to ear.  He never cried out.  Chief Sagwich managed to escape, contrary to Colonel Connor’s report on events.  Word of the massacre prompted the church to send 3 men from Franklin, a nearby town, to evaluate the site.  By their count and report, 400 Indians were dead.  It is thought that perhaps Conner’s count was only of men. The massacre was probably the largest to have ever occurred in the United States.

            Colonel Conner went on to be promoted and was regarded as a hero. In ensuing years  Connor’s instructions to his troops regarding encounters with Indians was to “kill every Indian over 12 years old” (Parry, 2019).

            The Bear River Massacre wasn’t the first tragedy to strike the Indians of this country and certainly wasn’t to be the last.  The massacre served as an example of recurring events that Native Americans were subjected to by the Americans.  Commonly Native Americans were asked to give up their resources, usually made ill by disease, eventually blamed for taking a stand, forced to move.  The belief in Manifest Destiny in this situation even crossed religious/moral obligations as the Mormon colonists disregarded their “values” to attain their objective.  The Shoshone, who survived the massacre, dispersed to find places where they could begin again. Many of the Shoshone people such as Chief Sagwich joined the Church of Latter-Day Saints.  For the most part this didn’t enhance the quality of life for those who agreed to assimilate and often they were once again forced from their land.