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About The Conservative (Nebraska City, Neb.) 1898-1902 | View Entire Issue (May 9, 1901)
Conservative * ? | ? : locates this camp "in the northwest corner of Atchinson county , Missouri , " but this leaves a range of anywhere within ten miles. The full description is given above for the benefit of any of THE CONSERVATIVE'S readers who are inclined to curious research. The "Bald Prairie , " according to Lewis and Clark's map , was the wide bottom directly opposite Nebraska City , and they show it as running from Hamburg to Pacific Junction. The camp of the 16th and 17th would therefore have been at the extreme foot of it , though this is hardly indicated by the text. The "this , " a quarter of a mile below the camp , is regrettably indefinite. On the 17th , "Captain Lewis rode up the country , and saw the Nishnahba- tona , 10 or 12 miles from its mouth , at a place not more than 200 yards from the Missouri , and a little above our camp. It then passes near the foot of the Bald Hills , and is at least six feet below the level of the Missouri. " Several con clusions may be drawn from this. The distance to the mouth of the Nishna is a total mistake ; it must have been four times as great as is stated. The camp was below the place called by later travelers the Grand Pass , which must have been where the river afterwards broke through to its present mouth ; though it must have made sad work in doing this , if it was six feet below the Missouri. And the Bald Hills were be low Hamburg , not above. On July 18 , "a gentle wind carried us along between the prairie on the north and Bald island to the south ; opposite the middle of which the Nishnahba- tona approaches the nearest to the Mis souri. At 18) miles , we reached an island on the north , ( Iowa side ) near to which the banks overflow ; while on the south , the hills project over the river and form high cliffs. At one point a part of the cliff nearly % of a mile in length and about 200 feet in height has fallen into the river , 'it is composed chiefly of sandstone inter mixed with an iron ore of bad quality ; near the bottom is a soft slatestone with pebbles. " If the river lay then at all as it does now , this can only have been at Minersville , the old Otoe City. It is hard to believe that the cliffs projected over the river as the journal says. "Made 18 miles and camped on the south ( Nebraska side ) opposite the lower point of the Oven islands. " A little way below Nebraska City , there fore ; but why Oven Islands ? "July 19th. The Oven islands are small and two in number ; one near the south shore , the other in the middle of the river. . Opposite them is the prairie called Terrien's Oven , from a trader of that name. " All this Oven matter is passing strange. Dr. Cones' editorial instinct told him also that something was'fwrong here. "I suspect a snag , ' he says. Further ; "at 4) miles , vre reached some high cliffs of a yellow earth , on the south , near which are two beautiful runs of water. ( Table Creeks ? ) rising in the adjacent prairies , one of them with a deer-lick about 200 yards from its month. In this neigh- jorhood we observed some iron ore in the bank. At 2) miles above the runs , a large portion of the hills , for nearly % of a mile , has fallen into the river. " They do not appear to have seen it fall , though it is often said that they did. There are numerous places above Ne- jraska City , which may have been the scene of this ancient land-slip. Ser geant Floyd spoke of but one "run" on ; his day , which he said they called Cherry Bun. They camped on an island , not very far up , and the next morning came to the Weeping Water after traveling three miles. The pretty translation of the old French ( or In dian ? ) name of this stream is , it seems , the work of Dr. Biddle. Captain Clark called it "the water which cry's ; " Sergeant Patrick Gass , the "Weeping Stream ; " and our friend Floyd made "Cry's Creek" out of it. The journal has no more to say of it than that it emptied just above a cliff of brown clay ; and on the next day , the 20th , they reached the Platte. It was more than two years before they returned. On the 4th of Septem ber , 1806 , they stopped in their rush down stream to call upon their com rade whom they had left at Sioux City 'On ascending the hill we found that the grave of Floyd had been opened and was now half uncovered. We filled it up , and then continued down. " The y were hurrying home , making 70 miles and upwards per day , and had little eye for scenery ; the only mention they make of any landmark in this neighborhood is that they camped on the night of September 9th "opposite Baldpated prairie ; " perhaps , therefore at Nebraska City. A. T. RICHARDSON. INDIAN JUGGLERY. Coronado , in his account of the natives met while exploring Quivera , and Java- millo , in his account of these strange aboriginal pwple , as well as many other less illustrious writers , often refers to the feats of jugglery practiced by these aborigines. Many of the marvellous feats are graphically described by more recent writers , but the mass of readers give them little credence. I have been quite critical in the matter myself , and have never referred to these unexplainable antics which tickle the pen of sensational writers , and I should not mention them now were I still incredu lous. During my recent trip to Colum bus and Fnllerton , Neb. , I had the pleasure of an hour's talk with the Hon James E. North , of Columbus , a gentle man who has had.a . wide experience " ' ' with the Indians and is , probably , the best posted man in the state of Nebraska on Indian lore. This fact , coupled with his fine intellectual power , and un questioned veracity , leads me a willing convert to the marvellous feats of ugglery as described by many of these writers. Realizing the deep-seated incredulity , I desire to have these stories sifted to the bottom now , while we have with us the eye-witnesses , that they may be author itatively incorporated in our scientific investigation of the aborigines of this state , and I challenge any one to refute the evidence here presented. Mr. North has kindly given m'e per mission to use his name in connection with these feats of jugglery which he witnessed , and the high standing of this gentleman in his own community and , in fact , throughout the whole state , adds a weight which must be recognized as conclusive evidence that the stories are true. They are published now , while Mr. North can correct any error I may make in reciting them , and his address is Columbus , Nebraska. Major Frank North was one day riding with a Pawnee Indian , when the Indian stopped his horse and dismounted. Out of the soft earth by the roadside , the Indian formed a ball and flattened it to resemble a turtle ; he placed it on the ground and it immediately assumed the form of a turtle , and Major North plainly saw it walk away , having every appearance of a real , live turtle. This story , Mr. James E. North says , he has often heard his brother tell. Here is a feat of jugglery which is not at second hand , and at least four eye-witnesses are still living. In the early spring of 1868 , Hon. James E. North and wife , Mr. Lute North and an interpreter by the name of Bowman , ( now living in California ) were invited to the Pawnee village , near Genoa , Neb. , to witness the "Corn Dance. " This was a ceremony which the Pawnees conducted every spring , to determine if the year would be favorable for a corn crop. It was conducted in one of the largest lodges. A fire was in the centre of the lodge , the braves , warriors and visitors were seated around the sides ; the medicine-man then took several kernels of corn in his hand and passed them around so that all could see , while he went through with the strange antics of the dance. He dug a small hole in the earthen floor of the lodge about half way between the fire and the side where the visitors were seated , and planted the kernels of corn , covering them with a little earth , while the ceremonies con tinued. A blanket was brought and the spot was covered with it , while the dance went on. After a few movements , the blanket was removed and behold , the kernels had sprouted , which bespoke a favorable planting season. Again it was covered and , after a short space of
