Brent Towns (who also writes as B. S.
Dunn, Jake Henry, and Sam Clancy) tells me a favourite of his
novels is the first LARAMIE DAVIS book, HIGH
VALLEY MANHUNT (credited to B.S. Dunn) ‘because I felt a great sense of
achievement’ with it.
When
ageing gunfighter Laramie Davis enters a Montana town all he wants is a hot
meal. Instead he finds himself in a deadly shoot out with a town lawman, then
pursued by the law man’s kin. On top of that he tangles with a gang of outlaws
and hostile Blackfeet Indians seeking revenge.
I thought
I’d take a brief look at the history of the Blackfoot Indians.
They consist of four bands. The
Siksika (‘Blackfoot’), the Kainai or Kainah (‘Blood’) and the Northern Piegan (or 'Poor Robes') reside in Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada; the Southern Piegan or Pikuni
are located in Montana in the United States. All speak one of the Algonquian
languages. The unrelated Sarcee became merged into the Blackfoot Confederacy
and, (for a time) the Gros Ventre. The Gros Ventre call themselves
the ‘white clay people.’ The French called them Gros Ventres (‘fat bellies,') misinterpreting a sign language gesture for waterfall.
The name Blackfoot is said to
have come from the color of the soles of their moccasins, typically dyed or painted
black. One legend claimed that tradition arose after some Blackfeet blackened
the soles of their moccasins by walking through the ashes of a prairie fire.
The Blackfoot had adopted the
use of the horse by 1730. The Blackfoot called horses ‘elk dogs.’ They became
buffalo hunters and established themselves as one of the most powerful and
warlike tribes on the Plains by the late 18th century, earning themselves the
name ‘The Lords of the Plains’.
Canadian traders established
friendly trading relations with the Blackfoot from 1754. But, in tragic
contrast, relations between the Blackfoot and the Americans soured almost from
their first encounter.
In 1806 members of the Lewis
and Clark expedition encountered a group of young Blackfoot warriors in Montana. The
group camped together that night, and at dawn there was a scuffle as it was
discovered that the Blackfoot were trying to steal guns and run off horses
while the Americans slept. In the ensuing struggle, one warrior was fatally
stabbed and another shot by MERIWETHER LEWIS himself, and presumed killed.
This set off decades of
conflict between Blackfeet and Americans. They were bitter enemies of American ‘mountain
men’ trapping their country. In 1809 they captured JOHN COLTER and allowed him
to run for his life. Colter survived after stumbling into what later became
Yellowstone National Park. (An incredible adventure that deserves a blog of its
own.)
Despite these hostilities,
around 1840 acclaimed painters KARL BODMER and GEORGE CATLIN were both able to paint
and draw the Blackfoot.
Painting by Karl Bodmer
In 1837 Blackfoot resistance
was much weakened when smallpox struck them, killing an estimated 6,000. In
1851 they were restricted to land assigned to them by the Fort Laramie Treaty.
When gold strikes brought thousands of settlers to Montana from 1862 onwards
the Blackfoot mounted small-scale resistance.
The most notable action in
subsequent hostilities was the Marias River Massacre when one of their villages
was destroyed by the US Army on January 23, 1870. Controversy surrounds this
incident but evidence suggests this was a peaceful camp attacked by mistake and
that of 173 Blackfeet killed, only 15 were warriors.
BUFFALO BULLS BACK by George Catlin
Blackfoot resistance was
fading. When the Sioux were engaged in fighting the United States Army in 1876,
they sent runners into Blackfoot territory, urging them to join the fight.
CROWFOOT, one of the most influential Blackfoot chiefs, dismissed the Sioux messengers.
In Canada the Blackfeet
largely stayed out of conflicts with the North West Mounted police, and the two
serious Indian rebellions of 1869 and 1885. When news of continued Blackfoot
neutrality reached the Canadian government, LORD LANDSDOWNE, the governor
general, expressed his thanks to Crowfoot on behalf of QUEEN VICTORIA. The
cabinet of the current Prime Minister even gave Crowfoot a round of
applause.
Blackfoot medicine man by
George Catlin
Nowadays there are
approximately 32,000 Blackfeet living in the U.S.A. and Canada.
The
Montana setting and ageing hero aspect of
HIGH VALLEY MANHUNT brought to mind the classic 1967 western ‘Will Penny’ with CHARLTON HESTON.
Meanwhile
the small town run by a corrupt family who provide judge and sheriff etc.
reminded me of ‘Buchanan Rides Alone’
with RANDOLPH SCOTT
Reviews
of HIGH VALLEY MANHUNT:
‘The plot
was well thought-out and original, the writing style was sharp and entertaining,
and the hero was compelling.’
‘I love
the pace of Dunn's writing. He seems to balance the characters, the scenery and
the action perfectly.’
‘A great
fast-paced read. Strong characters people this action-packed western.’
and https://www.amazon.co.uk/High-Valley-Manhunt-Laramie-Davis-ebook/dp/B00VHFPVJ2/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
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