The History and Culture of the Spirit Lake Dakota
Frank Jetty, Junior, Part 2:
Thus, my father and mother were separated forever for my father remained at Fort Snelling.
The next spring we left for the prairies between here (St. Michael, N.Dak.) and Bismarck. In June the Government sent scouts to find out where the Indians were. When the Indians saw the regiment coming, they thought the soldiers were coming to fight. But this was not the reason. They wanted to bring back the Sioux to Yellow Medicine, Minn. From thence they had come.
The Indians fled again, and the soldiers followed with the intention of over taking them at the Missouri River. When the Indians arrived between Mandan and Bismarck, N. Dak., below the hills on the river shore, they camped. Sibley and his soldiers watched them four miles from the encampment to circle them the next morning. When the Indians perceived that they were discovered, they started to improvise boats with small trees on which they tied buffalo hides. All during the night the Indian swimmers guided these boats across the river with ropes held between their teeth. Thus, all who could not swim and the women, children and belongings were carried across. Only a poor old squaw who had died during the night remained behind. The Indians prepared her well. The next morning, the soldiers found her sitting there waiting for them. When the soldiers saw they were tricked, they returned.
In the fall, the Indians recrossed the Missouri River and went to Turtle Mountains, Bottineau, N. Dak. Near the present site of Peace Gardens. There they spent the winter for this was good hunting-ground. Here too, was the fort of the Hudson Bay Co., where the Indians could exchange pelts for munitions, guns, food and clothing.
The next Spring, they left Turtle Mountains and came to Pleasant Lake to hunt buffalo and here they met half-breeds who came from Walhalla and Pembina to hunt. The Bois Brulis (Burnt Woods) and the Sioux met. The good Indians who had children with white blood feared that they would be killed by the wicked Indians. In the group were ten boys and four girls with white blood. Their parents asked the half-breeds if they take these children and care for them so that the bad Indians would not kill them. They always had fear of the Sioux or of the children. Thus, the Sioux gave these children to the Half-breeds to have them brought up.
Myself, age 6 was adopted by Moses Azure and his wife, Leocadie Martella. She had been educated by Rev. Father Belcourt for the sisterhood but did not persevere. Moses Azure’s brother, Antoine, adopted Josephine, my sister, age 9, but the following year she ran away to her mother. My sister left during the night to follow her mother to the camp after her
