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WE remained in camp, near Wakara's village until next day; I induced Wakara, to sit for
his portrait; also Squash-head, Baptiste, Grosepine, Petetnit, and Kanoshe, the chief of
the Parvain Indians.
12th. We all started this morning, for the Seveir river; we arrived at the
crossing at 4 o'clock P. M. and found the stream very high, and unfavorable. There had
been a bridge built, a year before, but the swollen and rapid stream, carried it away; on
the bank of the river, were piled up several of the planks saved from the wreck. All hands
went to work to construct a raft, which they completed in an hour, and by 8 o'clock P. M.,
41 wagons (the rest remained behind,) were ferried over in safety; we camped on the other
side of the river.
By invitation, supped with Brigham Young: I conversed through an interpreter with
Wakara, the Utah chief. He states that he supplied Jose, the Mexican, whom Col. Fremont
found in the mountains, and who left at Parowan, with a mule, to go with several Indians,
back on Col. Fremont's trail, to find the "cache," (the goods buried in the
snow,) about 100 miles from Parowan; he had been absent 30 days, yet nothing had been
heard from them. He also told me of his interview with Col. Fremont, some years before,
and showed me the place where Col. Fremont crossed the Seveir River, which was a short
distance from where we crossed it. He remembered Col. Fremont, as the "great
Americats Chief." While the men were constructing their raft, I occupied myself in
making drawings of the surrounding country.
13th. We left the Seveir for Fillmore City, (called after the President of the
U. S.,) which is 35 miles south of us. After travelling ten miles, we camped "to
noon," giving an opportunity for the animals, to enjoy the luxuriant grass, which
grows abundantly in this valley. ("Round Valley.") We arrived at Fillmore City,
in Parvain Valley, Millard county, at 5 o'clock. This valley is sixty miles long and fifty
miles wide; the Seveir Lake is forty miles from Fillmore. Within ten miles of the city, to
the west, four fresh water lakes are to be found. Fillmore City, contains one hundred and
fifty families, one thousand head of cattle, three hundred sheep, sawmills, and
flour-mills, etc., etc. A wall of adobes is built all round the city, protecting the
inhabitants from the Indian aggressions.
Capt. Gunnison's party were encamped at Cedar Spring, in this valley, at the time of
their massacre.
This afternoon, accompanied by two interpreters and several other gentlemen, we
proceeded to the Parvain Indian's camp, to see their celebrated chieftain, Kanoshe, whose
portrait I was anxious to obtain. I found him well armed with a rifle and pistols, and
mounted on a noble horse. He has a Roman nose, with a fine intelligent cast of
countenance, and his thick black hair is brushed off his forehead, contrary to the usual
custom of his tribe. He immediately consented to my request that he would sit for his
portrait; and on the spot, after an hour's labor, I produced a strong likeness of him,
which he was very curious to see. I opened my portfolio and displayed the portraits of a
number of chiefs, among which he selected Wa-ka-ra, the celebrated terror of travellers,
anglicised Walker, (since dead). He took hold of it and wanted to retain it. It was, he
said, "wieno,"—a contraction of the Spanish "bueno"—very
good. I also learned from him, through the interpreters, the following facts; relating to
Gunnison's massacre.
"There were about thirty Parvain Indians, encamped six miles, N. W. of Gunnison's
camp, on Cedar Spring. Potter, a Mormon guide, and one of the exploring party went out to
shoot ducks; one of the Parvains was also shooting rabbits, and hearing the explosion of
firearms, he marked the direction, and followed the men to their camp. This Indian was the
son of a Parvain Chief, who was killed by a party of emigrants, under command of Capt.
Hildreth, about two weeks before. Marking the spot, he repaired to his own camp, and
commenced to make inflammatory speeches to his tribe; he made a fictitious scalp out of
horse hair, attached it to a pole, and elevating it, commenced the war dance; the rest of
the Parvains continued dancing until midnight.
They were incited to revenge, for the unprovoked murder of their old chief; who,
together with some women and young men, went into Hildreth's camp merely to beg food. They
were ordered out, and force was used to take away their bows and arrows; in the scuffle,
one of the Americans got his hand cut with an arrow-head when they were fired upon with
rifles, and several persons killed; among them this old chief.
The Parvains, before day, started for Gunnison's camp, surrounded the party who were
breakfasting under cover of the willows which grew on the banks of the creek. Capt.
Gunnison was the first man who had finished his breakfast; he arose, and while speaking to
his men, the Indians with a tremendous yell, fired upon them. Capt. Gunnison raised his
hands and beckoned them to stop. The men immediately fled, only one man fell by the first
fire on the spot. The men's first endeavors were to reach their horses; the Indians
pursued them, and shot them from their horses. The American party never fired a gun, the
last man fell three miles from camp.
Kanoshe, the chief, was sixteen miles away from the scene of the massacre, and knew
nothing about it. One of the tribe brought a horse into camp, and told Kanoshe what had
transpired. Kanoshe took the horse to the Mormon settlement, (Fillmore), and gave it up to
the authorities. He then proceeded to the Indian camp for the purpose of procuring the
property of the slain, to render it up to the Americans. The Parvains were exasperated at
his interference, and several arrows were aimed at him to kill him.
His indomitable courage alone saved him. He finally persuaded them to give up the
papers and effects of the slain, which be delivered to the proper authorities. The Mormon
guide was also slain.
The remains of the bodies of those who were murdered, were afterwards interred by the
Mormons.
When the alarm was given to the main body of Capt. Gunnison's party by one of the men
who escaped from the Indians, Capt. Morris and a detachment of his dragoons, instantly
galloped to the scene of action, thirty miles off; they were totally unprepared for
anything but offensive warfare.
They arrived on the spot, and found the mutilated remains of their comrades, but no
signs of Indians. The weather was very cold, and the ground frozen hard; they bad nothing
with them but their swords, to dig into the frozen earth, and were thus compelled to leave
them, until they could send from camp, men with pickaxes, etc.; besides, they were among
treacherous and hidden enemies. The living men at the main camp, claimed the first duty of
Capt. Morris, and as he could do no good to the dead by remaining, he retraced his steps
to the main camp, to protect it from a like aggression, if attempted. He did not know but
that the whole of the Indians were in warlike array around him, secretly hid away among
the willows on the creek.
Some blame seems to have attached to Capt. Morris; I read an article at Salt Lake City,
in a late American paper, in which his conduct was censured. I showed him this paper, and
he personally explained the situation he was placed in, and told me that his duty as an
officer, was to protect the lives of his surviving party, at the expense of the fraternal
feelings and sympathies which he entertained for the lamented dead. I have no hesitation
in saying that, from my knowledge of the circumstances of the case Capt. Morris was
perfectly justified in acting as he did.
At Fillmore I renewed my acquaintance with Mrs. Webb, who kindly entertained me when I
passed through this place three months ago.
14th. To-day I made a trade with Wakara, for a horse; I gave him my
double-barrel gun and a blanket in exchange, I have now a relief for my mule-we have a
long journey before us, and I must give him as much liberty as possible. My sole
dependence is on him, for crossing those dreaded jornadas* of over two hundred miles in
extent.
* A journey: the absence of water and grass, makes it necessary to
continue across the desert without stopping.
I made several views and sketches to-day. Fillmore is 33 miles S. S. E. from the Seveir
River, latitude 39' 59'.
The Parvain Indians are a dirty degraded set of beings, scarcely deserving the name of
human. They are much inferior to the Utahs, both in mind and appearance.
The Utahs have a large number of horses, and when mounted for a journey they are
caparisoned with bells and gaudy trappings. The men paint their faces with vermilion,
except when they go to war-they then paint them black. They are curiously attired in
buckskin shirts, leggings, and moccasins, beautifully marked with beads and porcupine
quills. They generally travel bareheaded, with sometimes a single feather in their hair.
They are very fond of red and blue blankets, and use them in the manner of a Roman Toga.
Phenomenon Of Insects Resembling Gunpowder.
Riding leisurely along, at the extreme end of the caravan, I noticed on the ground,
what I supposed to be gunpowder. I knew that Gov. Young had a considerable quantity with
him to give the Indians, and every man had more or less, a pound—I attributed it to
the accidental breaking of a keg, as the wagon jolted along, it might have [been] lost
through the crevices. I also noticed that the powder was only in the ruts made by the
wheels of the wagons. The quantities seemed to increase, and determining to prevent, if
possible, any further waste, I galloped to the other end of the train, and called Gov.
Young's attention to it. The caravan was stopped, and I dismounted to obtain a specimen of
it to show the Governor, when I discovered that they were minute living insects of the
beetle tribe, but no larger than a grain of rifle gunpowder, and at the distance of a foot
it was impossible to tell the difference. When the heaps were closely examined, they
appeared a moving living mass; on the road, ahead of the wagon there were none to be seen;
the weight of the wheels seemed to have pressed them through the snow, with which the
whole valley was covered. The contrast of these minute, black insects on the dazzling snow
was remarkable; for ten miles, it appeared as if two continuous trains of gunpowder, from
three to five inches wide, were laid the whole length of the Parvain Valley. Neither the
Governor nor the gentlemen who accompanied the expedition, had ever remarked a similar
phenomenon before, although they had frequently travelled over the same road.
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