The day the Indian out foxed the Whiteman (circa 1905)

In 1952 Chief Manuel Louie (Chief Clarence’s great grand father) told me this story when I was 16 yrs. Old Manuel invited me up to his home on Wolf Cub Creek. I wanted to learn how to fish, hunt and trap. I couldn’t find a better mentor, I slept on the couch that night and about 5am Manuel woke me up and said his son Alec had a sweat house going, and I was welcome to join him and a couple of his boys.

This was between Christmas and New Years and before you go in a sweat house you had to get totally wet. So I stripped off and into Wolf Cub Creek I went. That had to be the coldest water I had ever felt. I wanted to scream but I was afraid his boys would laugh at me. Once in the sweat house Manuel started putting a little water on the red hot rocks. I slowly warmed up and that is when Manuel would start telling old stories.

This one is about old Pete McIntyre’s dog. The California big horn sheep came down with the Ewes and Lambs, and they would feed just north of Gallagher Lake. That’s when Pete’s dog got a little frisky and wanted to go Lamb chasing. He ran across the road and the Sheep headed straight up the steep cliff, and about 30 feet up it got to steep for the dog and looking back down it was to steep there also, the dog was really scared and afraid, when the dog didn’t come home Pete went looking for him. He found him stranded on the rock face, the dog wouldn’t budge. Pete went back to his cabin pondering on what to do. Then this Indian came ridding by and Pete told him if you get my dog down from that sheer rock face I will give you $5.00. The Indian rode over to where the dog was, got off his horse, went to the edge of the cliff. and saw the dog up 30 feet just trembling. Then with a voice that could be heard up and down the valley, he yelled “GO HOME” The dog shot straight down the steep cliff and never stopped till he was in Pete’s cabin. The Indian rode over and Pete gave him the $5.00 then Pete asked the Indian how he got the dog down, the Indian said it’s an old Indian secret. He then hopped on his horse and headed south. He was probably thinking the fun he was going to have up at the Fairview Town Site spending that $5.00 he probably also though , them White Men ain’t to swift.