GRAND TETON NATURE NOTES

AN EPISODE FROM THE HAYDEN SURVEY OF 1877

by
Dr. F. M. Fryxell

In Dr. F. V. Hayden's letter to the Secretary of the Interior, published under date of December 1, 1878, in the Eleventh Annual Report of the United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories (Washington, 1879), appears the following statement (page x):

"The topographical field-work of the past season was carried on by three parties, to each of which a definite area was assigned to be surveyed. These areas were approximately in the form of rectangles, limited by meridians and parallels of latitude. Each of them contained about 11,000 square miles. That assigned to the Teton division, in charge of Mr. G. R. Bechler, lay between the meridians of 190°30' and 112° and the parallels 43° and 44°15'. This area comprises nearly all the country about the sources of the Snake River, including the very rugged range of the Teton Mountains and the northern half of the Wind River Mountains. From the character of the country, being nearly all mountainous, and much obstructed by living and fallen timber, work was necessarily slow, yet Mr. Bechler succeeded in surveying nearly 6,000 square miles up to the early part of September, when he was obliged to stop work and leave the country, owing to the proximity of Joseph's band of hostile Indians."

To Mr. S. J. Kubel, veteran Chief Engraver of the U. S. Geological Survey, we are indebted for a more detailed account of the circumstances which cut short the work of the Bechler party in September of 1877. The story which follows is in Mr. Kubel's own words, as told to the writer in 1929 and recorded verbatim.

"The Bechler party consisted of G. R. Bechler, Chief of Party, Orestes St. John, Geologist, S. J. Kubel, Topographic Aide, and the boys Tom Cooper, Pete Pollock, and Lou McKean, cook. The party had been working near the Tetons, and as far as I can recall now we were just going into camp near the Wind River. After supper, while sitting around our mess kit, we saw three mounted Indians approaching and waving a white cloth. They slid off their ponies and the one in charge showed us a 'warning' stating that the bearer and his party were friendly and had been sent out from some military reservation to notify all settlers, miners, prospectors, etc., that Chief Joseph and his band were on the warpath in the neighboring mountains and country, and urging the immediate return of all persons notified to shelter at the nearest military reservation.

"We asked the Indians to have some food, but apologized that we had no sugar for the coffee." Indian said, "Me got sugar", and went to his saddle bags and brought out about a pound of sugar wrapped in a newspaper, or part of a newspaper, published in Cheyenne. I was 19 years old and interested in anything Indian, and sat down to watch them eat and hear them talk.

"Not having had any mail or newspapers for some weeks, I began to notice the paper wrapped around the sugar. The first thing I read was about like this: 'The Hayden Geological Survey party under Bechler has been killed by Chief Joseph and his band of Nez Perce Indians, and their bones and instruments have been found and identified.' The article was, I believe, an Associated Press item and had been seen in Washington. When I called Bechler's attention to this startling information, he, of course, broke camp at daybreak and we traveled on toward Fort Rawlings. On the way we met a large body of soldiers — I was told that it was Terry's command going after the Indians — and after a short talk we kept on to Fort Rawlings, where we were able to assure our friends and relatives that we were still very much alive.

"I cut the report of our killing from the paper and for many years preserved it in my diary of the trip, but in some manner the diary with the clipping disappeared. I have quoted the clipping as accurately as I I can recall it after so many years. It may not be verbatim, and the references to bones and instruments may have been distorted by the imagination, or through the lapse of years by the imagination stimulated by frequent and enthusiastic repetition as is often the case, but I am convinced that the quotation is essentially correct. At any rate, the story of the newspaper clipping itself is correct."

Editor's Note

Although the diary and clipping of which Mr. Kubel speaks have disappeared, his notebook containing sketches made in this region is still in existence. Mr. Kubel consented to the placing of this notebook in the Jenny Lake Museum. It is now on display there as one of the most interesting exhibits we have pertaining to the history of the park and this region.

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The National Museum of Stockholm, Sweden, has recently purchased a large canvass "Glimpse of the Tetons", the work of Birger Sandzen, noted artist of Lindsborg, Kansas. It will be displayed as a part of the permanent collection of the Museum. Dr. Bandzen visited the Tetons in the summer of 1930.

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