Crow Country

[bmwhacker]

We took a couple hundred mile loop yesterday across a small section of the Crow Indian Reservation.
A common scene in these parts: Teepee Poles stored against a tree. Nearly every place you pass mimics this scene.

The Beartooth (Absaroka) Mountains in the distance. Recent snow covers them.

Old farmstead.

The Pryor Gap in the distance. A rough road will take one through the "Gap" and up into the Pryor Range. Crow legend speaks of the "Little People" who inhabit the mountains here.

There are numerous back roads throughout the area. One leads up to the "Dry Head Overlook". The overlook views down onto the Big Horn Canyon, the Pryor "Wild Horse Range", and also over to the Big Horn Mountains. Quite a view from there.

Another route will take you all the way to Lovell Wyoming. Last time I was up there after heavy rains, (30 odd years ago) the roads were very bad and impassable into Wyo.

In the 1800's, an attempt was made to tunnel through one of the mountains for a railway line. I've read that many Chinese laborers lost their lives in the futile attempt. The unfinished tunnel still remains.

Pryor Montana was also the final home of the famous Crow Chief " Plenty Coups".

I believe the center horseman is "Plenty Coups". (old family photos from 1908)

Local target range

Recent rains turned the waters brown....Beavers have apparantly been busy.

Stopped for a break.....

Said "A-Ho" to a group of Crow Horses. The Crows are / were well known for their fine horses and horsemanship. I think a couple of the critters had some "mule" blood in them.

Our trek eventually took us over to Fort Smith MT. One of my best friends family used to operate the only gas station / repair shop in the town. Spent a lot of time hanging out there in the early 70's. The station has long since closed. The area is now a popular fishing destination. Quite a few folks have guide services for floating the Big Horn River.

Yellowtail Dam....525 feet high....1485 feet long. My older Brother worked on the construction of the Dam in the early 60's. We used to drive our vehicles across. Foot traffic isn't even allowed on the Dam anymore. ....likely a victim of the "Homeland Security" paranoia.

View of the Dam from the South.

Rode down to the "OK-A-Beh" Marina. Used to go boating with friends on the lake. Spent many days water skiing / fishing years back. Talked with the Marina Concession dude, they have some sort of fuel line problem so fuel for the boaters isn't available. Quite a few folks out on the lake it appeared. The water would be way too cold for skiing this time of year. Even in the heat of the summer the water is always cold in the lake. Good "Walleye" fishing this time of year when the water is cold. Walleye lay deep in the lake this time of year. Talked to a guy "fileting" some Walleye in the parking area.

Heading out of the marina area.

The canyon winds for 70 some-odd miles into Wyoming. Fantastic scenery. Very remote areas which are off limits to non-tribal members. Years back we ignored "postings" and hiked / climbed into many off-limit areas. That would bring steep fines and probably jail time nowadays.

Around the corner of this view was the first marina for the lake. It was called "Frozen Leg" marina. A local had blasted a road through the rock and constructed a treacherous road down into the canyon. They charged to haul your boat in / out. Boat owners were not allowed to haul their own boats on the road. Years later, after the road had been closed, I drove down the trail with a friend in his CJ-5 Jeep. The ride down was terrifying due to washouts and sections of the road that were pretty much gone. I doubt if the road is even usable today. We walked down the road in the early 80's and then climbed up the canyon wall to some old caves on the cliff walls. The climb up was very dangeous and steep. The final 30 feet or so were nearly vertical. Back then there was an old Geologists chain ladder which had been left in place. I don't think a person could have got to the cavern entrance if the ladder wasn't there. Indian Pictographs were painted on the cave walls. There is a series of caves which have different levels. One cave was covered in crystal formations. Other small openings lead to large caverns which weren't accessable due to the small openings. These caves are all "off-limits" these days.

Stopped in St. Xavier. The derelict school was once a very nice place. I played basketball there as a kid. Now it has been vandalized and pretty much destroyed. Not a window left in the building.

Had a nice ride with minimal wind and near zero traffic. Lots of wide open spaces around these parts.

Covered just over 200 miles. I hauled an extra bit of gasoline with us but didn't need to use any. Hit the "reserve" valve at 150 miles so could have gone another 50 before running dry. The Heinrich Tank holds just over 8 gallons...the bike typically gets around 25 - 30 MPG running at lower speeds. Spent most of the day plugging along at 50 - 60 MPH

[tedmarshall]

My family and I cruised thru Crow Agency 4 yrs ago when we dropped off number one son at U of M. Saw the gathering/pow-wow. Obviously talented horse tribe. One of the more together/successful group of natives we'd seen. Though I suppose being Custer's aides wasn't good PR with the Sioux.
Ted

[Rutabaga]

Interesting historic ride. Looks like just the kit to ride in.

[bmwhacker]

Originally Posted by tedmarshall

My family and I cruised thru Crow Agency 4 yrs ago when we dropped off number one son at U of M. Saw the gathering/pow-wow. Obviously talented horse tribe. One of the more together/successful group of natives we'd seen. Though I suppose being Custer's aides wasn't good PR with the Sioux.
Ted

"Crow Fair" is the major yearly event for the local area. It coincided with a religeous revival prior to the Fair. Thousands of people from across the country / Canada attend. I remember some pretty hot Native American Gals present...this was the only time in memory that I was turned down by a chick for being "too white"....
One of my best friends owns the only local gas station and grocery store in the town. The 2 - 3 weeks around Fair time are utter madness for him.
The locals in Hardin MT. have a "Custers last Stand" reinactment each year. The folks down at Crow Agency decided to compete so started their own reinactment near Crow Agency. I hate to admit it but I never attended any of the reinactments. I feel a better flavor for the actual battle is found by wandering the actual battlefield instead. When I was a kid, there was no real Govt. presence at the battlefield site, so one could wander about unhindered by rules, regulations and Rangers eyeing you.
When my Brother was in colege in Bozeman in the early 60's, some classmates of his stole a "7th. Cavalry Headstone" from the battlefield. (baaaad Ju Ju!) They packed the 600 lb. obelisk up into their dorm room in Bozeman. When school was out, they packed it down and left it in the front yard of the dorm. It eventually found its' way back home.

Early Crow Indian Camp - (Family Photos circa 1906)