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Building a new life on Maine Prairie – 1861: Bartering at the Sioux encampment
We continue with excerpts from Annals of our Ancestors, where author Julia Frost recounts her first winter on Maine Prairie and her “bartering expedition” to the Sioux winter encampment west of Pearl Lake. “Long and cold as was the winter of 1862, it was not without incident; some things that seemed marvelous to us happened in the lonely cabin called the “Shadow.” One day Mrs. Stanley came over to tell me the Indians were camped west of Pearl Lake, and that she was going to bake bread and take it to their camp to exchange for venison, and if I would like to join her in the bartering expedition she would be glad. Much as I had dreaded the annual coming in of the Sioux to rove over their old possessions, yet I decided to accompany my neighbor, and soon got to work on the biggest baking I had ever done. I worked at it all that day and into the night, and when I was through I had a washtub full of nice loaves. Mrs. Stanley took potatoes, rutabagas, and bread as her barter, and about noon one bright, cold day we started with our bobsleds well laden with our wares. Mrs. Stanley was in fine spirits, the horses were in good trim, and it was a merry load which set forth. “Though I have spoken of but Mrs. Stanley and myself in this expedition, we really were well accompanied by a bodyguard consisting of our husbands and Brother William and Amos. With buffalo robes snugly tucked about us we sped over the snow, making due west for the bluffs. A turn in the road brought us in full sight of the Indian village. It was laid out in long, straight streets; the tepees were either of heavy canvas or skins. This was a very large encampment; when we were in sight and smell of it, the horses threw up their heads, showing the whites of their eyes, and gave loud snorts, so that Mr. Stanley had to pull hard on the lines. After a time they became more quiet, although they continued to stamp, toss their heads, and strain at the bits. “Mrs. Stanley was the first one out; what a woman she was for those far-away days – an ideal wife for a frontier huntsman! She was of Irish descent, with pretty Irish blue eyes, a few freckles, regular features, and animation written all over her small, compact figure; she knew how to make the best of frontier life and get happiness out of it. “While Mrs. Stanley bartered I went out to the village of tents and looked over the Indian tepees at closer range. The Indians had scraped off the deep snow and left the ground bare for a floor. Then from the near-by marsh they had brought long, dry grass to spread down over this floor of earth; and lastly, they had carpeted all with blankets and buffalo robes, leaving a space in the center, however, for a small fire. Here the squaws boiled pots of venison and bear meat or dried out tallow, which they used in case of an emergency for food, believing it to be especially strengthening. In one tepee I saw a squaw beading a pair of buckskin moccasins, while others were preparing venison for ‘jerking.’ They had great pots of meat over the fire, and strips hung from the apex of the tent to dry. These strips were cut very thin and were called ‘jerks’; they were unsalted and dried quickly, hanging as they did directly above the fire in the center of the tent. It seemed to me no meat could be sweeter than jerked venison. “It was not easy walking about through the snow, and I retired to the bobs to look after the load. As I sat there wrapped in fur and buffalo robes, I watched with interest the busy scene about me. I thought of these North American nomads; every year about Christmas they came back to their old hunting grounds and made great slaughter of deer and bear and all manner of game; sometimes they killed as many as a hundred deer in a single day.” Frost then described the hunters she observed, returning to camp with the prize their skills had won. Embarrassed, she also told how the Indian children came playing around the sled, and – unobserved by the one who was supposed to be guarding the settler’s possessions – stole all but two of the rutabagas from under the buffalo robes. She then concludes: “My tub of bread brought a tub of venison hams and shoulders, so we felt quite rich, and for many a day we had this good wild meat fried, roasted, and boiled, besides dried and jerked; this latter was good and sweet to whittle off when we were hungry. I must record that the lightness of my bread was not in its favor, for with many dubious head shakes was its weight compared with the solid meat to be given in exchange but Mrs. Stanley was a good bargainer, indeed exceedingly quick and bright about everything, and as the Indians really wanted the bread and we the venison, in the end all were satisfied. People who were accustomed to seeing large bodies of Indians estimated that there were about five hundred in this camp.” ********** Sesquicentennial excitement is in full swing – and another celebration took place on Saturday, June 24, during Fair Haven’s Old Settlers’ festival. About 150 visitors attended our history-tent-display, new members joined our society, Maine Prairie souvenirs were purchased, and it was a splendid event. ********** Plans are already under way for our very special Kimball Days events, including the final sesquicentennial celebration Saturday, Aug. 12, to include a “one-room schoolhouse” program and birthday cake, plus many other extra features. Also Friday, Aug. 11, “Supper In The Park” and the annual extensive history exhibit in Kimball’s historic city hall all weekend. Mark your calendar, you won’t to miss this. And keep watching this column for more. ********** When you’re walking down Main Street, take a good look at the north side of city hall which now sparkles since it has been power-washed and tuck-pointed. We are also pleased to announce that the national landmark is in the process of having its windows replaced with historically-correct replacements. If you gave, thank you for making this possible. ********** For you history buffs – the answer to our June 22,