The West (1996): Season 1, Episode 8 - Ghost Dance - full transcript

WHEN I WAS A BOY,
THE LAKOTA OWNED THE WORLD.

THE SUN ROSE AND SET
ON THEIR LAND.

THEY SENT 10,000 MEN TO BATTLE.

WHERE ARE THE WARRIORS TODAY?

WHO SLEW THEM?

WHERE ARE OUR LANDS?
WHO OWNS THEM? --

SITTING BULL.

[ NATIVE AMERICAN CHANTING ]

[ DRUM BEATS,
CHANTING CONTINUES ]

[ MORE VOICES
ADDED TO CHANTING ]

BY 1887, THE WEST WAS CHANGING
FASTER THAN EVER BEFORE.



AMERICANS WERE MOVED

BY THE SAME IMPULSES
THAT HAD ALWAYS MOVED THEM --

TO BETTER THEIR OWN LIVES,

AND TRANSFORM THE REGION
IN THE PROCESS.

NOW, THEIR NUMBERS SOARED,

AND THEY BROUGHT WITH THEM

THE TOOLS
OF THE NEW INDUSTRIAL AGE.

MINING STILL LURED PEOPLE
TO THE WEST

FROM EVERY CORNER
OF THE GLOBE,

BUT IT WAS
A FULL-SCALE INDUSTRY NOW...

AND THE CITIES IT CREATED
SEEMED LITTLE DIFFERENT

FROM THE GRIMY FACTORY TOWNS
OF THE EAST.

HOMESTEADERS AND FORTUNE-SEEKERS
STILL ARRIVED,

EVEN THOUGH MUCH OF THE BEST
LAND HAD ALREADY BEEN CLAIMED.



AND THE FRENZY
OVER WHAT WAS LEFT

TOUCHED OFF HUMAN STAMPEDES,

WHILE WHOLE TOWNS
OPENED FOR BUSINESS OVERNIGHT.

BUT FOR THE FIRST INHABITANTS
OF THE WEST,

IT SEEMED THAT A WAY OF LIFE
THAT HAD LASTED FOR GENERATIONS

WAS ENDING.

AS THEY SAW THEIR
REMAINING LANDS STRIPPED AWAY,

SOME INDIANS SOUGHT REFUGE

IN A RELIGION THAT PROMISED
IT HAD ALL BEEN A BAD DREAM.

Woman: IF YOU STOP AND THINK

ABOUT THE KIND OF PREJUDICE
A LOT OF PEOPLE SUFFERED,

A LOT OF THE DESTRUCTION
THAT TOOK PLACE

AS A CONSEQUENCE
OF WAR AND CONQUERING,

THEN IT WASN'T
SUCH A PRETTY PICTURE.

BUT I HAVE TO SAY THAT I THINK
WE HAVE TO RECOGNIZE

THAT THAT'S THE STORY
OF ALL PLACES, OF ALL NATIONS,

NO MATTER WHERE IN THE WORLD.

IT IS A STORY OF CONQUERING,
GREAT SACRIFICE, GREAT LOSS,

AND, A LOT OF TIMES,
A TAKING AWAY OF THINGS

THAT REALLY BELONGED
TO SOMEONE ELSE.

BUT EVEN KNOWING ALL OF THAT...

AND WISHING THAT PART OF IT
WERE NOT THERE

CANNOT TAKE AWAY THE SPIRIT
AND THE IDEALISM

AND THE EXCITEMENT
THAT THE PEOPLE FELT

THAT ACTUALLY DID IT

AND THAT WE STILL FEEL WHEN WE
THINK ABOUT THEM DOING IT.

Narrator: ON THE MORNING
OF APRIL 22, 1889,

SOME 100,000
EAGER, WOULD-BE SETTLERS

SURROUNDED WHAT WAS CALLED
THE "OKLAHOMA DISTRICT"

ON THE SOUTHERN PLAINS,

PREPARING TO STORM IN
AND STAKE THEIR CLAIMS.

TWO MILLION ACRES
IN THE HEART OF INDIAN TERRITORY

WERE BEING OPENED
FOR HOMESTEADING.

ALL ALONG
THE DISTRICT'S BORDERS,

SOLDIERS FROM THE U.S. ARMY

HELD BACK THE SWARM
OF EXCITED PIONEERS

WHO WERE POISED FOR THE SIGNAL
THAT THE LAND RUSH COULD BEGIN.

AT PRECISELY NOON,

THE BUGLES BLEW,
AND THE HUGE CROWD SURGED AHEAD.

[ BANJO MUSIC PLAYS ]

MANY HEADED FOR TOWNS
ABOUT TO BE BORN --

OKLAHOMA CITY, STILLWATER,
KINGFISHER, NORMAN --

AND GUTHRIE.

THE LAST BARRIER OF SAVAGERY
IN THE UNITED STATES

WAS BROKEN DOWN.

MOVED BY THE SAME IMPULSE,

EACH DRIVER
LASHED HIS HORSES FURIOUSLY.

EACH MAN ON FOOT

CAUGHT HIS BREATH
AND STARTED FORWARD --

HARPERS WEEKLY.

Narrator:
BY THE END OF THE DAY,

ALL 1,920,000 ACRES
IN THE OKLAHOMA DISTRICT

HAD BEEN CLAIMED.

BUT THE CHOICEST LOTS
HAD ALREADY BEEN TAKEN

BY SETTLERS WHO HAD ILLEGALLY
SLIPPED THROUGH THE ARMY LINES

THE NIGHT BEFORE.

THEY CALLED THEMSELVES
"SOONERS."

MEN WHO HAD EXPECTED
TO LAY OUT THE TOWN SITE

WERE GRIEVOUSLY DISAPPOINTED
AT THEIR FIRST GLIMPSE

OF THEIR PROPOSED SCENE
OF OPERATIONS.

THE SLOPE EAST OF THE RAILWAY
AT GUTHRIE STATION

WAS ALREADY DOTTED WHITE
WITH TENTS

AND SPRINKLED THICK
WITH MEN RUNNING ABOUT

IN ALL DIRECTIONS.

Narrator:
BY NOON OF THE FOLLOWING DAY,

THE 15,000 NEW CITIZENS
OF THE BRAND-NEW TOWN OF GUTHRIE

BEGAN CHOOSING THEIR MAYOR.

IT WASN'T EASY.

THERE WERE TWO CANDIDATES
AND NO BALLOTS.

TWO LINES WERE FORMED,
AND EACH MAN'S VOTE WAS TALLIED,

BUT SO MANY VOTERS

RAN TO THE BACK OF THE LINE
TO VOTE AGAIN

THAT THE WHOLE BUSINESS
HAD TO BE DONE OVER.

LAWYERS WENT TO WORK,
FILING LAND CLAIMS FOR A FEE.

THREE MEN WITHOUT A CENT
BETWEEN THEM OPENED A BANK.

DEPOSITS WERE KEPT
IN A POTBELLIED STOVE

UNTIL THEY COULD AFFORD
TO BUY A VAULT.

A BLACKSMITH
SOON SAW THE NEED FOR A DENTIST,

DECLARED HIMSELF ONE,

AND ADVERTISED HIS SKILLS BY
HANGING THE TEETH HE EXTRACTED

ON A STRING OUTSIDE HIS TENT.

WITHIN FIVE DAYS,

WOOD-FRAME BUILDINGS
WERE BEING BANGED TOGETHER

ALONG MAIN STREET.

AND BY THE TIME GUTHRIE
WAS ONLY ONE MONTH OLD,

IT HAD A HOTEL, GENERAL STORES,
THREE NEWSPAPERS,

AND FIFTY SALOONS.

IN THE YEARS THAT FOLLOWED,

THERE WOULD BE MORE LAND RUSHES
THROUGHOUT THE WEST,

BRINGING IN SETTLERS
AND CREATING NEW TOWNS

IN NUMBERS
NEVER BEFORE IMAGINED.

Richards:
I AM A BEING OF THE WEST.

I AM AN HEIR

TO THE RICHEST POSSIBLE HERITAGE
THAT ANYBODY COULD HAVE.

I THINK OF THOSE PEOPLE

WHO WERE READY
TO TAKE ON ANYTHING

AND TO DO SO WITH THE COMMITMENT
AND THE DEDICATION

THAT NO MATTER,
COME HELL OR HIGH WATER,

THEY WERE GOING TO SUCCEED --
I THINK I'M A PART OF THAT.

AND I LOVE THE NOTION OF BEING
SOMEWHERE IN THAT LINEAGE

AND KNOW THAT MY CHILDREN
ARE TOO.

THE INDIAN
MAY NOW BECOME A FREE MAN --

FREE FROM THE THRALDOM
OF THE TRIBE,

FREE FROM THE DOMINATION
OF THE RESERVATION SYSTEM,

FREE TO ENTER
INTO THE BODY OF OUR CITIZENS.

THIS BILL
MAY THEREFORE BE CONSIDERED

AS THE MAGNA CARTA

OF THE INDIANS
OF OUR COUNTRY --

ALICE FLETCHER.

Narrator:
IN 1887, WELL-MEANING REFORMERS

HAD PERSUADED CONGRESS
TO PASS THE DAWES ACT.

IT PROVIDED FOR EACH HEAD
OF AN INDIAN FAMILY

TO BE GIVEN 160 ACRES
OF FARMLAND

OR 320 OF GRAZING LAND.

THEN,
ALL THE REMAINING TRIBAL LANDS

WERE TO BE DECLARED "SURPLUS"
AND OPENED UP FOR WHITES.

TRIBAL OWNERSHIP --
AND THE TRIBES THEMSELVES --

WERE MEANT SIMPLY TO DISAPPEAR.

Woman: THE DAWES ACT

WAS A WAY TO BREAK UP
THE WHOLE TRIBAL STRUCTURE

OF NATIVE AMERICAN NATIONS.

INSTEAD OF SAYING
YOU ARE A GROUP OF PEOPLE,

ALL OF A SUDDEN,
YOU ARE INDIVIDUAL LAND OWNERS,

YOU ARE AMERICANS.

AND SO IT WAS DESIGNED
TO BREAK UP COMMUNITY,

TO CIVILIZE PEOPLE,
MAKE US FARMERS,

AND TO ALSO BREAK UP
OUR TRIBAL STRUCTURE.

Narrator: IN 1889, THE SAME YEAR
AS THE OKLAHOMA LAND RUSH,

TWO EASTERN WOMEN ARRIVED AT THE
NEZ PERCE RESERVATION IN IDAHO,

DETERMINED TO IMPLEMENT
THE DAWES ACT.

ALICE FLETCHER
WAS A LEADER OF THE GROUP

THAT CALLED ITSELF
THE "FRIENDS OF THE INDIANS,"

A PIONEER IN THE EMERGING FIELD
OF ETHNOLOGY,

AND ONE OF THE ARCHITECTS
OF THE NEW LAW.

HER COMPANION WAS JANE GAY,
A SOMETIME POET

WHO HAD LEARNED
THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY

TO DOCUMENT THEIR TIME
WITH THE INDIANS.

THEY HAD COME, THEY BELIEVED,

TO SAVE THE NEZ PERCE
FROM THEMSELVES --

BY DIVIDING UP THEIR LAND
AND MAKING THEM HOMESTEADERS.

ALICE EXPLAINED WHAT SHE HAD
CALLED THEM TOGETHER TO HEAR,

EXPLAINED THE LAND ALLOTMENT,
THE MEANING OF CITIZENSHIP,

AND HER WISH
THAT THE WHOLE PEOPLE

WOULD SEE THE WISDOM
OF THE GREAT CHANGE

THAT SHE HAD COME
TO BRING UPON THEM.

STILL, A SILENCE --

THE INTERPRETER READ THE LAW
AND THEN SAT DOWN AND WAITED.

A LITTLE STIR
AROSE AMONG THE PEOPLE,

AND AT LENGTH,
ONE MAN STOOD UP --

A TALL, BROAD-SHOULDERED FELLOW

WITH AN AIR OF AUTHORITY
ABOUT HIM.

HE SAID,

"WE DO NOT WANT OUR LAND
CUT UP IN LITTLE PIECES.

"WE HAVE NOT TOLD YOU TO DO IT.

WE ARE CONTENT
TO BE AS WE ARE."

AND A GROAN OF ASSENT

RAN ALONG THE DARK LINE
OF SPHINXES

AS THE OLD MAN
DREW HIS BLANKET ABOUT HIM.

"OUR PEOPLE ARE SCATTERED,"
SAID ANOTHER.

"WE MUST COME TOGETHER

AND DECIDE
WHETHER WE WILL HAVE THIS LAW."

SHE TOLD THEM THAT THERE
IS NOTHING FOR THEM TO DECIDE.

THEY HAVE NO CHOICE...
THE LAW MUST BE OBEYED --

JANE GAY.

Narrator: ALICE FLETCHER
IMMEDIATELY SET TO WORK

MARKING OFF THE NEW BOUNDARIES
ON THE RESERVATION.

THE NEZ PERCE CAME TO CALL HER
THE "MEASURING WOMAN."

CHIEF JOSEPH HIMSELF
CAME TO PAY A VISIT.

AFTER HIS LONG FLIGHT
FROM THE ARMY IN 1877,

HE HAD BEEN EXILED TO OKLAHOMA

AND THEN ALLOWED TO RETURN
TO A RESERVATION

IN EASTERN WASHINGTON --

BUT NOT TO HIS BELOVED HOMELAND,
THE WALLOWA VALLEY IN OREGON.

USING A NEW DEVICE --
A WAX CYLINDER --

FLETCHER CONVINCED JOSEPH

TO RECORD
ONE OF HIS TRADITIONAL SONGS.

[ NATIVE AMERICAN CHANTING ]

BUT SHE COULD NOT TALK HIM INTO
TAKING AN ALLOTMENT OF LAND.

Gay: HE WILL HAVE NONE
BUT THE WALLOWA VALLEY,

FROM WHICH HE WAS DRIVEN.

HE WILL REMAIN LANDLESS
AND HOMELESS

IF HE CANNOT HAVE
HIS OWN AGAIN.

IT WAS GOOD TO SEE
AN UNSUBJUGATED INDIAN.

ONE COULD NOT HELP RESPECTING

THE MAN WHO STILL STOOD FIRMLY
FOR HIS RIGHTS,

AFTER HAVING FOUGHT
AND SUFFERED AND BEEN DEFEATED

IN THE STRUGGLE
FOR THEIR MAINTENANCE.

Narrator: ALICE FLETCHER
KEPT AT IT FOR FOUR LONG YEARS,

TRYING TO DIVIDE INDIAN LANDS
FAIRLY,

WHILE FENDING OFF WHITES
WHO SOUGHT TO PERSUADE HER

TO LEAVE THE BEST LAND
FOR THEM.

Fletcher: I AM NEARLY USED UP.

I HAVE SUCH A HARD TIME HERE,
BUT I SHALL SOON PUSH THROUGH.

MY HONOR IS INVOLVED
IN GETTING THIS DONE.

Narrator:
BY THE TIME SHE WAS FINISHED,

SHE HAD MADE MORE THAN 2,000
NEZ PERCE ALLOTMENTS --

OVER 175,000 ACRES.

THEN SHE AND HER FRIEND

STARTED EAST
TO CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS,

WHERE FLETCHER
HAD BEEN AWARDED A FELLOWSHIP

AT HARVARD'S PEABODY MUSEUM.

Gay: IN THE WEEK'S JOURNEY HOME
ACROSS THE CONTINENT,

WE SHALL HAVE TIME

TO REVIEW THE OUTCOME
OF OUR EARNEST ENDEAVORS.

BUT IF IT HAS BEEN WELL FOR US
AND WELL FOR THE INDIAN

IS NOT FOR US TO KNOW.

WE CAN ONLY LEAVE THE QUESTION
AMONG THE UNSOLVABLE,

WHOSE MULTITUDE
GROWS EVER GREATER

AS LIFE GOES ON.

Narrator: THE DAWES ACT,
MEANT TO HELP INDIANS,

DEVASTATED THEM INSTEAD.

IN 1895, THE REMAINING
HALF-MILLION UNALLOTTED ACRES

OF NEZ PERCE TRIBAL LAND
WERE DECLARED "SURPLUS"

AND OPENED FOR HOMESTEADING.

BY 1910,
THERE WOULD BE 30,000 WHITES

WITHIN THE NEZ PERCE
RESERVATION --

AND JUST 1,500 NEZ PERCE.

ACROSS MUCH OF THE WEST,
THE STORY WOULD BE THE SAME.

BEFORE THE DAWES ACT,

SOME 150 MILLION ACRES
REMAINED IN INDIAN HANDS.

WITHIN 20 YEARS, TWO-THIRDS
OF THEIR LAND WAS GONE.

Man: BY THE 1880s,

THE GREAT AMERICAN WEST
WAS NOT A MATTER OF COWBOYS,

INDIANS, MOUNTAIN MEN,
AND EXPLORERS,

BUT IN FACT, A LAND LARGELY
URBAN, LARGELY INDUSTRIAL,

AND RIVEN
WITH MANY OF THE SAME PROBLEMS

THAT ASSAULTED
THE INDUSTRIALIZED EAST.

THE MINING INDUSTRY,

PROBABLY MORE
THAN ANY OTHER SINGLE INDUSTRY,

WAS DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY
TO GET INTO THE WEST,

FIND WHAT RESOURCES IT HAD,
DIG 'EM OUT,

LEAVE A WRECK BEHIND,

AND GET OUT
AND MOVE ON SOMEPLACE ELSE.

Narrator: BUTTE, MONTANA,
WAS ALWAYS A MINING TOWN.

IT HAD BEEN BORN
DURING A GOLD RUSH IN THE 1860s

AND WAS GIVEN
A SECOND LEASE ON LIFE

WITH A SILVER STRIKE
IN THE 1870s.

THEN, IN 1881,
300 FEET BELOW THE GROUND,

MINERS MADE AN EVEN MORE
IMPORTANT DISCOVERY --

THE LARGEST DEPOSIT OF COPPER
THE WORLD HAD EVER SEEN.

IT WAS JUST WHAT THE NEW
ELECTRICAL AGE REQUIRED --

COPPER FOR CONDUCTORS,
MACHINES, WIRES.

BY THE MID-1880s,
BUTTE'S MINES WERE YIELDING

ALMOST 2,000 TONS OF SILVER
AND COPPER ORE EVERY DAY --

WELL OVER A MILLION DOLLARS
EVERY MONTH.

ITS CITIZENS BOASTED THEY LIVED
ON THE "RICHEST HILL ON EARTH."

Man: BUTTE HAD
A KIND OF COLLECTIVE ENERGY

THAT I SUSPECT NO OTHER
WESTERN TOWN COULD HAVE MATCHED.

THE MINES NEVER CLOSED,
THE BARS NEVER CLOSED,

CERTAINLY THE RED-LIGHT DISTRICT
DID NOT CLOSE.

I'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT OF IT
AS AN EASTERN TOWN,

AS A MISPLACED EASTERN TOWN --
A KIND OF DOWNSIZED PITTSBURGH

LOCATED IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.

Narrator: MOST OF THE
BUTTE MINERS WERE IRISH,

BUT THERE WERE ALSO FINNS
AND JAPANESE AND ITALIANS,

CROATIANS, MEXICANS,
AND SWEDES --

38 DIFFERENT NATIONALITIES
IN ALL --

SO MANY THAT THE "NO SMOKING"
SIGNS IN THE MINES

HAD TO BE PRINTED
IN 14 LANGUAGES.

ALL THE MEN WERE WORKING
STEADILY TOWARD ONE GOAL --

TAKE AS MUCH ORE AS POSSIBLE
FROM THE MINES,

4,000 FEET BELOW THE SURFACE.

IT WAS THE MOST DANGEROUS JOB
IN AMERICA.

IN THE HOT, AIRLESS TUNNELS,

TEMPERATURES STAYED
ABOVE 90 DEGREES ALL YEAR ROUND.

MINE SHAFTS COLLAPSED
OR CAUGHT FIRE.

AND THERE WAS THE PERPETUAL
THREAT OF SILICOSIS,

CAUSED BY INHALING DUST,
WHICH TORE AT THE MINERS' LUNGS

AND LED THOUSANDS TO DIE YOUNG
FROM PNEUMONIA AND TUBERCULOSIS.

Emmons:
THE ELEVATION TO GROUND LEVEL

IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUTTE WINTER
WAS THE CAUSE OF GREAT ELATION

AMONG THE SCHOOLCHILDREN
OF BUTTE

BECAUSE MEN BEING RAISED
FROM A 100-DEGREE MINE

WOULD BE COVERED WITH SWEAT,

AND AS THEY
REACHED THE SURFACE --

AS THEIR SWEAT-DRENCHED
WORK CLOTHES

WOULD STRIKE
40-DEGREE-BELOW AIR --

THEY WOULD DISAPPEAR
IN A PLUME OF EVAPORATION.

SO THE SCHOOLCHILDREN
USED TO GATHER ON THE HILLSIDE

AND WATCH THE MEN RAISED,

AND IT WAS
THEIR AFTER-SCHOOL PLEASURE

TO WATCH THEM
LITERALLY DISAPPEAR

IN THIS CLOUD,
THIS PUFF OF SMOKE.

IN APPROACHING BUTTE,

I MARVELED AT THE DESOLATION
OF THE COUNTRY.

THERE WAS NO GREENERY
OF ANY KIND --

IT HAD ALL BEEN KILLED

BY THE FUMES AND SMOKE
OF THE PILES OF BURNING ORE --

BILL HAYWOOD.

Narrator: JUST FOUR TREES
SURVIVED WITHIN BUTTE ITSELF,

AND ALL THE NEARBY HILLSIDES

HAD LONG SINCE BEEN STRIPPED
OF WOOD

TO FUEL THE SMELTERS
THAT ROARED ON,

ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT.

THICK, REEKING SMOKE
HUNG PERPETUALLY OVER THE CITY

AND THE RAW-BONED
MINING SETTLEMENTS AROUND IT --

CABBAGE PATCH, ANACONDA, AND
A PLACE CALLED "SELDOM SEEN."

Emmons: BUTTE HAD
AN AIR-POLLUTION PROBLEM

THAT WAS SUCH THAT IT WOULD BE
LITERALLY DARK AT NOON.

THE PREVAILING WINDS USUALLY
WOULD CARRY THE SMOKE AWAY,

BUT IN DEAD AIR CONDITIONS,
BUTTE WAS OBLITERATED --

IT DISAPPEARED FROM VIEW.

Watkins: MUCH OF MINING
THAT GOES ON IN THE WEST TODAY

IS STILL OPERATING UNDER A LAW
SIGNED BY ULYSSES S. GRANT

CALLED THE "GENERAL MINING LAW
OF 1872,"

WHICH WAS DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY
TO ENCOURAGE MINING IN THE WEST.

IT ENCOURAGED EXPLOITATION.

IT LITERALLY GAVE AWAY
ENORMOUS CHUNKS OF AMERICAN LAND

AT ALMOST NO PRICE,

IMPOSED NO RESTRICTIONS ON HOW
THE MINES WOULD BE DEVELOPED,

REQUIRED NO RECLAMATION WORK
AFTERWARDS,

NO MONITORING OF WHATEVER ACIDS
AND OTHER GARBAGE

THAT MIGHT GET SPILLED
INTO THE LOCAL WATER TABLES,

AND GAVE AWAY -- NO ONE
EVEN KNOWS HOW MUCH PRECISELY --

GOLD AND SILVER,

WITH NO ROYALTIES
PAID TO THE GOVERNMENT AT ALL.

THE WEST
IS A FAIRLY FRAGILE ENVIRONMENT.

UNLIKE THE WELL-FORESTED EAST,
THE SCARS LAST LONGER,

THE DAMAGE
IS OF A LONGER DURATION.

AND YET, WE STILL CONTINUE
TO USE THE WEST THE SAME WAY,

AS IF WHAT WE DID
WAS IMPERMANENT.

BUT IN HUMAN TERMS,
IT IS NOT IMPERMANENT AT ALL.

IT LASTS A VERY LONG TIME --
GENERATIONS.

Narrator: BY 1890,

NO INDIAN PEOPLE
ANYWHERE IN THE WEST

LIVED FREELY
ON THEIR OWN LAND --

AND EVEN THE RESERVATIONS

ON WHICH THEY STRUGGLED
TO SURVIVE

WERE BEING BROKEN UP
UNDER THE DAWES ACT.

CONGRESS HAD CUT APPROPRIATIONS.

RATIONS
WERE DRASTICALLY REDUCED.

THERE WERE DEADLY EPIDEMICS

OF MEASLES, INFLUENZA,
WHOOPING COUGH.

ON THE STANDING ROCK RESERVATION
IN NORTH DAKOTA,

THE LAKOTA MEDICINE MAN,
SITTING BULL,

WAS LIVING QUIETLY IN HIS CABIN.

HE WAS STILL REGARDED
WITH RESPECT

BY THOSE LAKOTAS WHO REMEMBERED

THE EERIE ACCURACY
OF HIS VISIONS

DURING THE DAYS
WHEN THEY HAD FOUGHT CUSTER.

BUT THE LAKOTA WERE DIVIDED NOW,

AS THEY STRUGGLED
TO COME TO TERMS

WITH THE WHITE MAN'S WORLD.

AND SITTING BULL HAD HAD
ANOTHER, MORE DISTURBING VISION.

THIS ONE TOLD HIM

THAT THE WORST FATE THAT COULD
BEFALL A LAKOTA AWAITED HIM --

TO DIE AT THE HANDS
OF HIS OWN PEOPLE.

THAT FALL,
SITTING BULL HAD A VISITOR,

A MINICONJOU LAKOTA
NAMED KICKING BEAR,

JUST BACK FROM A TRAIN TRIP
TO THE FAR WEST

AND BEARING REMARKABLE NEWS.

A CEREMONY
CALLED THE "GHOST DANCE"

WAS SWEEPING THROUGH MANY TRIBES
OF THE WEST.

IT WAS PART OF A MESSAGE OF HOPE
FOR ALL INDIAN PEOPLES

BEING PREACHED BY A PAIUTE
MEDICINE MAN AND PROPHET

NAMED WOVOKA.

MY BROTHERS, I BRING YOU WORD
FROM YOUR FATHERS THE GHOSTS

THAT THEY ARE MARCHING NOW
TO JOIN YOU,

LED BY THE MESSIAH

WHO CAME ONCE TO LIVE ON EARTH
WITH THE WHITE MAN

BUT WAS KILLED BY THEM.

I BRING TO YOU THE PROMISE
OF A DAY

IN WHICH THERE WILL BE
NO WHITE MAN

TO LAY HIS HAND ON THE BRIDLE
OF THE INDIAN'S HORSE,

WHEN THE RED MEN OF THE PRAIRIE
WILL RULE THE WORLD --

WOVOKA.

Narrator:
WOVOKA'S GOSPEL OF SALVATION

WAS FILLED WITH CHRISTIAN,
AS WELL AS INDIAN, ELEMENTS.

MEN AND WOMEN
WERE FIRST TO PURIFY THEMSELVES

AND FORESWEAR
ALCOHOL AND VIOLENCE.

THEN THEY WERE TO DANCE
IN A LARGE CIRCLE,

CHANTING AND APPEALING

TO THE SPIRITS
OF THEIR ANCESTORS.

WHEN THEY DID, WOVOKA PROMISED,
THE WHITES WOULD VANISH,

THE BUFFALO
WOULD COVER THE EARTH AGAIN.

Man: THE GHOST DANCE, I THINK,
WAS A DESPERATE PRAYER.

THEY THOUGHT THAT, WELL,
IT MAY BE POSSIBLE

THAT ALL OF THIS
HAS BEEN A BAD DREAM

OR ALL OF THIS IS PASSING,

AND THERE WILL BE
THE RESTORATION

OF THE WORLD WE KNEW AND LOVED.

Narrator: LIKE MOST INDIANS,
SITTING BULL REMAINED SKEPTICAL

OF THE CEREMONY'S
PROMISED POWERS.

BUT HE AGREED

TO LET THE GHOST DANCE BE TAUGHT
TO THOSE PEOPLE AT STANDING ROCK

WHO WANTED TO LEARN IT.

IN THE LAKOTA VERSION
OF THE CEREMONY,

THE DANCERS WORE SPECIAL SHIRTS,

SAID TO BE STRONGER
THAN THE WHITE MAN'S BULLETS.

THE PEOPLE, WEARING
THE SACRED SHIRTS AND FEATHERS,

NOW FORMED A RING.

WE BOYS WERE IN IT.
ALL JOINED HANDS.

EVERYONE
WAS RESPECTFUL AND QUIET,

EXPECTING SOMETHING WONDERFUL
TO HAPPEN.

THE LEADERS BEAT TIME AND SANG
AS THE PEOPLE DANCED,

GOING ROUND TO THE LEFT
IN A SIDEWISE STEP.

OCCASIONALLY, SOMEONE FELL
UNCONSCIOUS INTO THE CENTER.

AS EACH ONE CAME TO,
SHE OR HE SLOWLY SAT UP

AND LOOKED ABOUT, BEWILDERED,

AND THEN BEGAN WAILING
INCONSOLABLY.

[ DRUM BEATS AND CHANTING ]

PINE RIDGE AGENCY.
NOVEMBER 12, 1890.

WE NEED PROTECTION,
AND WE NEED IT NOW.

INDIANS ARE DANCING IN THE SNOW
AND ARE WILD AND CRAZY.

THE LEADERS SHOULD BE ARRESTED

AND CONFINED
AT SOME MILITARY POST

UNTIL THE MATTER IS QUIETED,

AND THIS SHOULD BE DONE
AT ONCE --

DANIEL F. ROYER.

Narrator:
RESPONDING TO THE PLEAS

OF A FRIGHTENED INDIAN AGENT,

WASHINGTON DISPATCHED
GENERAL NELSON A. MILES

WITH 5,000 TROOPS,
INCLUDING THE SEVENTH CAVALRY,

CUSTER'S OLD COMMAND.

AT PINE RIDGE AND ROSEBUD
IN SOUTH DAKOTA,

THE GHOST DANCERS FEARED

THAT THE SOLDIERS
HAD COME TO ATTACK THEM

AND FLED TO A REMOTE PLATEAU
SURROUNDED BY CLIFFS

WHICH NERVOUS WHITES SOON
BEGAN CALLING "THE STRONGHOLD."

MEANWHILE, AT THE STANDING ROCK
RESERVATION IN NORTH DAKOTA,

INDIAN POLICE,

CHARGED WITH KEEPING PEACE
AMONG THEIR OWN PEOPLE,

HEARD A RUMOR THAT SITTING BULL

WAS ABOUT TO JOIN
THE GHOST DANCERS.

FORTY-THREE LAKOTA POLICEMEN

WERE DISPATCHED
TO BRING SITTING BULL IN.

TWO TROOPS OF U.S. CAVALRY
FOLLOWED AT A DISTANCE.

BEFORE DAWN
ON DECEMBER 15, 1890,

THE POLICE
BURST INTO SITTING BULL'S HOUSE,

ORDERED HIM TO HIS FEET,
AND PUSHED HIM TOWARD THE DOOR.

OUTSIDE, SITTING BULL'S
FOLLOWERS BEGAN TO GATHER,

TAUNTING THE LAKOTA POLICE,

VOWING TO KEEP THEM
FROM TAKING THEIR LEADER.

SITTING BULL HESITATED,
UNSURE OF WHAT TO DO.

THEN, ONE OF HIS SUPPORTERS
RAISED HIS RIFLE

AND SHOT ONE OF THE POLICEMEN.

BOTH SIDES BEGAN FIRING.

[ GUNSHOTS ]

A LAKOTA POLICEMAN PUT A BULLET
THROUGH SITTING BULL'S HEAD.

[ GUNSHOT ]

THE LAST OF HIS GREAT VISIONS
HAD COME TO PASS --

SITTING BULL HAD BEEN KILLED
BY HIS OWN PEOPLE.

Black Elk:
MY GRANDFATHER'S MOTHER

WAS ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO WAS
FROM SITTING BULL'S CAMP.

AND MY GRANDFATHER WOULD TELL ME

THAT WHEN SITTING BULL
WAS KILLED,

THEY HAD VERY FEW HORSES,

SO THE FEW HORSES THEY HAD,
THEY PUT THE YOUNG CHILDREN ON,

AND THEY WALKED
TO BIG FOOT'S CAMP,

AND THAT SHE WEPT AS SHE WALKED.

AND SHE WEPT NOT ONLY

FOR SITTING BULL BEING KILLED
THE WAY HE WAS,

BUT ALSO WEPT BECAUSE SHE FEARED

THAT SHE WOULD NOT LIVE
TO HAVE CHILDREN.

AND IF SHE DID HAVE CHILDREN,
WOULD THEY BE LAKOTA?

Narrator: SITTING BULL'S
GRIEVING FOLLOWERS

FLED TOWARD
THE CHEYENNE RIVER RESERVATION

WHERE THEY JOINED
A MINICONJOU BAND

LED BY A CHIEF NAMED "BIG FOOT."

HE HAD ONCE BEEN
AN ENTHUSIASTIC GHOST DANCER,

BUT HE WAS NO LONGER CERTAIN

THAT THE WORLD
WOULD BE TRANSFORMED.

BIG FOOT DECIDED
TO TAKE HIS BAND INTO PINE RIDGE

AND SEE IF THERE WASN'T SOME WAY
TO RECONCILE THINGS.

BUT GENERAL MILES MISUNDERSTOOD
WHAT BIG FOOT WAS DOING

AND ORDERED THE SEVENTH CAVALRY
UNDER COLONEL JOHN FORSYTH

TO INTERCEPT HIM.

THEY CAUGHT UP WITH BIG FOOT
THREE DAYS AFTER CHRISTMAS.

THE CHIEF WAS RIDING IN A WAGON,

TOO ILL WITH PNEUMONIA
EVEN TO SIT UP,

BUT HE FLEW A WHITE FLAG
TO SHOW HIS PEACEFUL INTENTIONS.

THE SOLDIERS TRANSFERRED
BIG FOOT TO AN ARMY AMBULANCE

AND THEN LED HIS BAND DOWN
TO A LITTLE CREEK FOR THE NIGHT.

IT WAS CALLED WOUNDED KNEE.

THERE WERE 120 MEN
AND 230 WOMEN AND CHILDREN.

THE SOLDIERS
DISTRIBUTED RATIONS.

AN ARMY DOCTOR
DID WHAT HE COULD FOR BIG FOOT.

BUT THE SOLDIERS
ALSO POSTED FOUR CANNON

ON THE TOP OF A RISE
OVERLOOKING THE CAMP.

THE FOLLOWING MORNING
THERE WAS A BUGLE CALL.

THEN I SAW THE SOLDIERS
MOUNTING THEIR HORSES

AND SURROUNDING US.

IT WAS ANNOUNCED THAT ALL MEN
SHOULD COME TO THE CENTER

FOR A TALK.

BIG FOOT WAS BROUGHT OUT
OF HIS TENT AND SAT,

AND THE OLDER MEN
WERE GATHERED AROUND HIM --

DEWEY BEARD.

Narrator: CHARLES ALLEN,

A REPORTER
FOR A NEBRASKA NEWSPAPER,

WATCHED FROM THE HILLTOP.

Allen: AT THE SOUTHEAST EDGE

OF THE GROUP
OF STANDING INDIANS,

THERE WAS A FAIR-SIZED PLAT
OF GRASS

WHERE, IN ALL THE EXUBERANCE
OF EARLY YOUTH,

WERE EIGHT OR TEN INDIAN BOYS

DRESSED IN THE GRAY
SCHOOL UNIFORMS OF THAT PERIOD.

THE FUN THEY WERE HAVING

AS THEY PLAYED "BUCKING HORSE,"
"LEAP FROG," AND SIMILAR GAMES,

CARRIED THE MIND
FOR A FLEETING MOMENT

BACK TO THE DAYS OF BOYHOOD.

Narrator: TROOPS BEGAN MOVING
FROM TEPEE TO TEPEE,

CONFISCATING KNIVES AND AXES
FROM THE WOMEN,

SOMETIMES SEIZING A RIFLE.

A MEDICINE MAN BEGAN TO DANCE.

"DO NOT FEAR,"
HE TOLD THE WARRIORS,

"BUT LET YOUR HEARTS BE STRONG.

"MANY SOLDIERS ARE ABOUT US
AND HAVE MANY BULLETS,

"BUT I AM ASSURED

THE BULLETS
CANNOT PENETRATE US."

Allen: SUDDENLY,
SCOOPING UP A HANDFUL OF DIRT

HE TOSSED IT
SCATTERING IN THE AIR,

AND WITH EYES
TURNED TOWARD HEAVEN,

IMPLORED THE GREAT SPIRIT TO
SCATTER THE SOLDIERS LIKEWISE.

Man: ALMOST SIMULTANEOUSLY

WITH HIM THROWING
A HANDFUL OF DIRT INTO THE AIR,

SOLDIERS TRIED TO DISARM
A MAN WHO WAS DEAF.

AND HE HUNG ON TO HIS RIFLE,

AND THEY KIND OF
STRUGGLED OVER IT,

AND IT WENT OFF.

THESE TWO THINGS HAPPENED
AT THE SAME TIME AND -- BANG.

I MEAN,
IT JUST BLEW EVERYTHING UP.

[ GUNSHOTS ]

Narrator:
THE SOLDIERS OPENED FIRE --

WITH RIFLES...

REVOLVERS...

AND FINALLY, THE CANNON

THAT HURLED EXPLODING SHELLS
INTO THE TEPEES.

THE LAKOTAS DID THEIR BEST
TO FIGHT BACK.

[ GUNSHOTS CONTINUE ]

WHEN THE SHOOTING
FINALLY STOPPED,

SOME 250 MEN, WOMEN,
AND CHILDREN WERE DEAD.

Allen: I WALKED AROUND
VIEWING THE SAD SPECTACLE.

ON REACHING THE CORNER
OF THE GREEN

WHERE THE SCHOOLBOYS HAD
BEEN SO HAPPY IN THEIR SPORTS

BUT A SHORT TIME BEFORE,

THERE WAS SPREAD BEFORE ME
THE SADDEST PICTURE I HAD SEEN

OR WAS TO SEE THEREAFTER,

FOR ON THAT SPOT
OF THEIR PLAYFUL CHOICE

WERE SCATTERED
THE PROSTRATE BODIES

OF ALL THOSE FINE, LITTLE
INDIAN BOYS, COLD IN DEATH.

THE GUNFIRE HAD BLAZED ACROSS
THEIR PLAYGROUND

IN A WAY
THAT PERMITTED NO ESCAPE.

THEY MUST HAVE FALLEN
LIKE GRASS BEFORE THE SICKLE.

Narrator:
DEAD, TOO, WERE 25 SOLDIERS.

WOUNDED LAKOTAS
AND WOUNDED SOLDIERS ALIKE

WERE TAKEN TO
THE HOLY CROSS EPISCOPAL CHURCH

AT PINE RIDGE.

ITS WALLS WERE STILL HUNG
WITH CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS.

Woman: PEWS WERE TORN
FROM THEIR FASTENINGS

AND ARMFULS OF HAY
FETCHED BY INDIAN HELPERS.

UPON A LAYER OF THIS,

WE SPREAD QUILTS AND BLANKETS
TAKEN FROM OUR OWN BEDS.

THE VICTIMS WERE LIFTED
AS GENTLY AS POSSIBLE

AND LAID IN TWO LONG ROWS
ON THE FLOOR --

A PATHETIC ARRAY OF YOUNG GIRLS
AND WOMEN AND BABES IN ARMS,

LITTLE CHILDREN, AND A FEW MEN,
ALL PIERCED WITH BULLETS.

Second Woman: A YOUNG GIRL,

WHO HAD A GHOST SHIRT ON
UNDERNEATH HER CLOTHES, SAID,

"THEY TOLD ME IF I PUT THIS ON

"THE BULLETS
WOULD NOT GO THROUGH,

"AND I BELIEVED THEM.

NOW SEE WHERE WE ARE."

Narrator: FOR SEVERAL DAYS,

THE DEAD LAKOTAS
WERE LEFT WHERE THEY HAD FALLEN,

WHILE THE ARMY CONTENDED
WITH SPORADIC FIGHTING

THAT BROKE OUT
ON THE RESERVATION.

FINALLY, AFTER A HEAVY SNOWFALL,

A BURIAL PARTY
ARRIVED AT WOUNDED KNEE,

DUG A PIT, AND DUMPED IN
THE FROZEN BODIES.

Momaday: IN THE SHINE
OF PHOTOGRAPHS ARE THE SLAIN,

FROZEN AND BLACK
ON A SIMPLE FIELD OF SNOW.

THEY IMAGE CEREMONY.

WOMEN AND CHILDREN DANCING,
OLD MEN PRANCING, MAKING FUN.

IN AUTUMN, THERE WERE SONGS,

LONG SINCE MUTED
IN THE BLIZZARD.

IN SUMMER, THE WILD BUCKWHEAT
SHONE LIKE FOXFUR AND QUILLWORK.

AND DUST GUTTERED ON THE CREEK.

NOW IN SERENE ATTITUDES
OF DANCE,

THE DEAD IN GLOSSY DEATH
ARE DRAWN IN ANCIENT LIGHT.

Narrator: ON JANUARY 15, 1891,

THE 4,000 REMAINING
GHOST DANCERS

FINALLY SURRENDERED
TO GENERAL MILES.

ARMED INDIAN RESISTANCE
IN THE WEST HAD ENDED.

[ DRUM BEATS ]

Man: WOUNDED KNEE
HAPPENED YESTERDAY.

FOR LAKOTA PEOPLE,
WOUNDED KNEE IS TODAY.

WOUNDED KNEE REPRESENTS
ALL THE FRUSTRATIONS

OF THOSE YEARS AND YEARS
AND YEARS ON THE RESERVATION.

EVEN THOUGH IT HAPPENED IN 1890,

IT'S FRESH
IN LAKOTA PEOPLE'S MINDS

AND IN THEIR HEARTS.

THAT TRAGEDY, THAT DESTRUCTION,

THAT DEVASTATING THING
THAT HAPPENED TO THEM,

IT EXISTS TODAY.

IT EXISTS IN OUR HEARTS
AND OUR MINDS --

THE WAY WE THINK
WHEN WE SEE ABOUT,

WHEN WE TALK ABOUT
INDIAN/WHITE RELATIONS --

THAT'S THE FIRST THING
THAT COMES TO MIND.

WE'LL NEVER FORGET WOUNDED KNEE.

I KNOW A LAND

WHERE THE GRAY HILLS LIE
ETERNALLY STILL UNDER THE SKY,

WHERE ALL THE MIGHT
OF SUNS AND MOONS

THAT PASS IN THE QUIET
OF NIGHTS AND NOONS

LEAVE NEVER A SIGN
OF THE FLIGHT OF TIME

ON THE LONG,
SUBLIME HORIZON LINE --

ETHEL WAXHAM.

Narrator: ON OCTOBER 20, 1905,

THE RAWLINS-TO-LANDER STAGECOACH
RATTLED NORTH

TOWARD THE SWEETWATER RIVER
IN CENTRAL WYOMING.

ON BOARD
WAS AN UNUSUAL PASSENGER,

A 23-YEAR-OLD
NAMED ETHEL WAXHAM.

SHE WAS A CITY GIRL FROM DENVER,
A GRADUATE OF WELLESLEY COLLEGE

WHO HAD SPENT A SUMMER
DOING VOLUNTEER WORK

IN THE SLUMS OF NEW YORK.

SCHOOLED IN FOUR LANGUAGES,
SHE DABBLED IN POETRY,

ENJOYED STAGING
AMATEUR THEATRICALS,

AND WAS VORACIOUSLY CURIOUS
ABOUT THE WORLD.

JUST A FEW WEEKS EARLIER,

SHE HAD BEEN OFFERED
HER FIRST FULL-TIME JOB

AS A TEACHER IN A REMOTE
ONE-ROOM SCHOOL

IN THE CENTER OF WYOMING.

Man: MY MOTHER, WHO WAS
ALWAYS GREAT FOR ADVENTURE,

DECIDED THAT SHE WOULD
TAKE THE JOB.

OF COURSE, THE ADVENTURE STARTED
WHEN THE MILLS FAMILY,

WITH WHOM SHE WOULD LIVE

AND WHOSE THREE CHILDREN
SHE WOULD TEACH,

WROTE HER AND TOLD HER
WHAT THINGS TO BRING

AND WHAT KIND OF CLOTHING
AND WHAT TO EXPECT.

BUT THERE WAS NO MENTION
OF HOW BEAUTIFUL THE RANCH WAS,

AND WHAT THE SCENERY WAS LIKE,
AND WHAT THE PEOPLE WERE LIKE.

SO, ALL THOSE THINGS

WERE A SURPRISE
AND A REVELATION TO HER.

Narrator: SHE MOVED
INTO THE RED BLUFF RANCH

AND STARTED RECORDING
HER OBSERVATIONS

OF THE REMARKABLE NEW LIFE
SHE HAD BEGUN TO LEAD.

Waxham: AT LAST, WE SAW THE
LITTLE SCHOOL HOUSE OF LOGS --

14' BY 16',
WITH A GOOD SOD ROOF.

THE WHOLE WAS PUT UP,
I BELIEVE,

AT AN ORIGINAL
EXPENDITURE OF $75.

THE DOOR HAS HAD
SOME PASSERBY'S SIX-SHOOTER

EMPTIED INTO IT.

Narrator: SHE BEGAN TEACHING --
7 STUDENTS IN ALL, AGES 8 TO 16.

Waxham: THE FIRST 15 MINUTES
OR HALF-HOUR

ARE GIVEN TO READING
"UNCLE TOM'S CABIN"

OR "KIDNAPPED,"

WHILE WE ALL SIT
ABOUT THE STOVE TO KEEP WARM.

USUALLY,
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE READING,

THE SOUND OF A HORSE
GALLOPING DOWN THE FROZEN ROAD

DISTRACTS THE ATTENTION
OF THE BOYS,

UNTIL A FEW MOMENTS LATER,

6-FOOT GEORGE SCHLICHTING
OPENS THE DOOR,

A SACK OF OATS IN ONE HAND,

HIS LUNCH TIED UP
IN A DISHRAG IN THE OTHER.

COLD FROM HIS 5-MILE RIDE,

HE SITS DOWN ON THE FLOOR
BY THE STOVE,

UNBUCKLES HIS SPURS,
PULLS OFF HIS LEATHER CHAPS,

UNWINDS THREE RED HANDKERCHIEFS
FROM ABOUT HIS NECK AND EARS,

TAKES OFF ONE OR TWO COATS,
ACCORDING TO THE TEMPERATURE,

AND STRAIGHTENING
HIS LEATHER CUFFS,

IS READY FOR BUSINESS.

Narrator: VISITORS TO THE RANCH
WHERE ETHEL LIVED WERE FEW --

SOMETIMES NO ONE FOR DAYS.

BUT AMONG THOSE WHO CAME BY
WITH INCREASING REGULARITY,

DESPITE
A DIFFICULT 11-HOUR RIDE,

WAS A RUGGED SHEEP RANCHER
NAMED JOHN GALLOWAY LOVE.

Waxham: MR. LOVE IS
A SCOTCHMAN ABOUT 35 YEARS OLD.

HIS FACE WAS KINDLY,

WITH SHREWD, BLUE,
TWINKLING EYES.

BUT HIS VOICE WAS MOST
PECULIAR AND CHARACTERISTIC.

CLOSE ANALYSIS FAILS
TO FIND THE CHARM OF IT --

A LITTLE SCOTCH DIALECT,
A LITTLE SLOW DRAWL,

A LITTLE NASAL QUALITY,

AND A TONE AS IF HE WERE
SPEAKING OUT OF DOORS.

HE IS FULL
OF QUAINT TURNS OF SPEECH

AND UNUSUAL EXPRESSIONS.

FOR HE IS NOT A COMMON
SHEEPHERDER, IT IS SAID,

BUT A SHEEP BARON,
OR "MUTTON-AIRE."

Love: MY FATHER WAS UNMARRIED,

AND HE WAS BEGINNING
TO MAKE A LITTLE MONEY,

AND HE WANTED A WIFE.

AND HERE WAS
THIS BEAUTIFUL SCHOOLMARM,

AND SO OF COURSE
HE FELL IN LOVE WITH HER,

BUT SHE DID NOT
FALL IN LOVE WITH HIM.

NO BELLS AND WHISTLES RANG,
BUT SHE WAS INTRIGUED.

Narrator: JOHN LOVE WAS BORN
IN WISCONSIN

TO SCOTTISH PARENTS.

HE WAS BRIGHT AND RESOURCEFUL,
BUT HIGH-SPIRITED,

AND GOT HIMSELF EXPELLED

FROM THE UNIVERSITY
OF NEBRASKA IN 1891.

THEN, HE HAD INVESTED
WHAT LITTLE MONEY HE HAD

IN TWO HORSES AND A BUGGY,
AND HEADED FOR WYOMING.

WHEN HIS HORSES DIED
AFTER DRINKING POISONED WATER,

LOVE ABANDONED HIS BELONGINGS

AND WENT THE LAST 100 MILES
ON FOOT.

SINCE THEN, HE HAD SPENT
SEVEN YEARS ON THE RANGE

HERDING OTHER PEOPLE'S SHEEP,
CARING FOR THEIR CATTLE,

SAVING UP ENOUGH MONEY TO START
A SHEEP RANCH OF HIS OWN

ON A TREELESS STRETCH OF LAND
ALONG MUSKRAT CREEK.

Love:
I HAVE ASKED HIM MANY TIMES

WHY THAT GODFORSAKEN COUNTRY
WOULD BE HIS HOME.

HE KNEW ABOUT
THE RED BLUFF RANCH

AND OTHER PLACES
ALONG THE WIND RIVER FRONT.

BUT HE CHOSE THAT BECAUSE,
AS HE SAID SIMPLY,

HE NEEDED A LOT OF ROOM.

HE$X WANTED HIS OUTFIT TO GRO.

Narrator:
ETHEL WAXHAM ENJOYED LOVE'S WIT

AND HIS STORIES ABOUT RANCHING,
BUT WHEN HE PROPOSED MARRIAGE,

SHE TURNED HIM DOWN
AND WENT ON WITH HER WORK.

WHEN THE SCHOOL YEAR ENDED,
ETHEL LEFT WYOMING

AND ENTERED
THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO

AND BEGAN TO WORK TOWARD
A MASTER'S DEGREE IN LITERATURE.

THEN, LETTERS BEGAN TO ARRIVE.

MUSKRAT, WYOMING.
SEPTEMBER 12, 1906.

DEAR MISS WAXHAM,

OF COURSE IT WILL CAUSE MANY
A SHARP TWINGE AND HEARTACHE

TO HAVE TO TAKE "NO"
FOR AN ANSWER,

BUT I WILL NEVER BLAME YOU
FOR IT IN THE LEAST,

AND I WILL NEVER BE SORRY
THAT I MET YOU.

I WILL BE BETTER
FOR HAVING KNOWN YOU.

I KNOW THE FOLLY OF HOPING
THAT YOUR "NO" IS NOT FINAL,

BUT IN SPITE
OF THAT KNOWLEDGE,

I KNOW THAT I WILL HOPE

UNTIL THE DAY
THAT YOU ARE MARRIED.

ONLY THEN I WILL KNOW THAT
THE SENTENCE IS IRREVOCABLE.

YOURS SINCERELY,
JOHN G. LOVE.

NOVEMBER 12, 1906.

DEAR MISS WAXHAM,

I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE NOT
BEEN BROUGHT UP

TO COOK AND LABOR.

I HAVE NEVER BEEN
ON THE LOOKOUT FOR A SLAVE

AND WOULD NOT UTTER
A WORD OF CENSURE

IF YOU NEVER LEARNED,

OR IF YOU GOT AMBITIOUS
AND MADE A BATCH OF BISCUITS

THAT PROVED FATAL
TO MY FAVORITE DOG.

I WILL DO MY LEVEL BEST
TO WIN YOU, AND IF I FAIL,

I WILL STILL WANT
YOUR FRIENDSHIP JUST THE SAME.

YOURS SINCERELY,
JOHN G. LOVE.

FEBRUARY 15, 1907.

DEAR MR. LOVE,

I AM FORTUNATE IN HAVING
TWO LETTERS FROM YOU

TO ANSWER IN ONE.

THE DAYS HAVE BEEN
COMPARATIVELY DULL.

I AM TOO BUSY FOR DANCES HERE,

IF I CARE TO GO,
WHICH I DO NOT.

THE SEVEN MONTHS
I SPENT AT THE RANCH,

I WOULD NOT EXCHANGE FOR ANY
OTHER SEVEN MONTHS IN MY LIFE.

THEY SEEM SHORTER
THAN SEVEN WEEKS,

EVEN SEVEN DAYS, HERE.

SINCERELY YOURS,
ETHEL WAXHAM.

DEAR MISS WAXHAM,

I, FOR ONE, AM GLAD

THAT YOUR CURIOSITY LED YOU
TO DRIFT UP HERE TO WYOMING,

AND NOW MY SUPREME DESIRE
IN LIFE

IS TO PERSUADE YOU
TO COME BACK.

WITH LOVE AND KISSES,

EVER YOURS,
JOHN G. LOVE.

DEAR MR. LOVE,

SINCE YOU BEGAN
TO SIGN YOUR NAME AS YOU DO,

YOU MUST HAVE KNOWN
THAT I WOULD NOT LIKE IT

AND WOULD NOT CONTINUE
SINCE WE ARE ONLY FRIENDS.

I WROTE YOU NOT TO EXPECT
ANY MORE LETTERS FROM ME

UNLESS YOU STOPPED IT --

ETHEL P. WAXHAM.

DEAR MISS WAXHAM,

I WILL ALWAYS SIGN ALL LETTERS
PROPERLY IN THE FUTURE.

PLEASE FORGIVE MY ERRORS
OF THE PAST.

I SUPPOSE THAT I OUGHT TO BE
SATISFIED WITH YOUR FRIENDSHIP,

BUT I WON'T BE.

YOURS SINCERELY,
JOHN G. LOVE.

Narrator: IN 1907, ETHEL
RECEIVED HER MASTER'S DEGREE,

TOOK A JOB TEACHING
IN WISCONSIN FOR A YEAR,

THEN CAME BACK AND SPENT
ANOTHER YEAR IN COLORADO.

EVERYWHERE SHE WENT,
JOHN LOVE'S LETTERS PURSUED HER.

DEAR MR. LOVE,
THERE ARE REASONS GALORE

WHY I SHOULD NOT WRITE
SO OFTEN.

I'M A BEAST TO WRITE AT ALL.

IT MAKES YOU -- MAYBE --
THINK THAT "NO" IS NOT "NO,"

BUT "PERHAPS," OR "YES,"
OR ANYTHING ELSE.

GOOD WISHES
FOR YOUR BUSY SEASON FROM E.W.

P.S. I LIKE YOU VERY MUCH.

Narrator: FOR YEARS,
JOHN LOVE SLEPT OUTDOORS,

FIGHTING AGAINST THE TERRAIN
AND CLIMATE

TO KEEP HIS HERDS ALIVE,
STRUGGLING TO BUILD HIS RANCH.

HE SCOURED THE COUNTRYSIDE
FOR ABANDONED BUILDINGS

AND HAULED THEM OVER ROUGH ROADS
TO MUSKRAT CREEK.

A SALOON AND AN OLD HOTEL
BECAME BUNKHOUSES, SHEDS,

AND A BLACKSMITH SHOP.

HE HAULED THE LOGS
FOR THE MAIN HOUSE

FROM THE WIND RIVER MOUNTAINS
A HUNDRED MILES AWAY.

EACH TRIP TOOK HIM TWO WEEKS.

OCTOBER 25, 1909.

DEAR MISS WAXHAM,

THERE IS NO USE IN MY
FIXING UP THE HOUSE ANYMORE,

PAPERING, ET CETERA,

UNTIL I KNOW
HOW IT SHOULD BE DONE,

AND I WON'T KNOW THAT
UNTIL YOU SEE IT

AND SAY
HOW IT OUGHT TO BE FIXED.

IF YOU NEVER SEE IT,
I DON'T WANT IT FIXED,

FOR I WON'T LIVE HERE.

WE COULD LIVE VERY COMFORTABLY
IN THE WAGON

WHILE OUR HOUSE
WAS BEING FIXED UP TO SUIT YOU

IF YOU WOULD ONLY SAY YES.

DEAR MR. LOVE,

SUPPOSE THAT YOU LOST
EVERYTHING THAT YOU HAVE

AND A LITTLE MORE,

AND SUPPOSE THAT FOR
THE BEST REASON IN THE WORLD,

I WANTED YOU
TO ASK ME TO SAY "YES."

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
E.

DEAR MISS WAXHAM,

IF I WERE WITH YOU,

I WOULD THROW MY ARMS
AROUND YOU AND KISS YOU

AND WAIT EAGERLY FOR THE KISS

THAT I HAVE WAITED
OVER FOUR YEARS FOR.

YOURS SINCERELY,
JOHN G. LOVE.

Narrator: FINALLY,
IN THE SPRING OF 1910,

ETHEL WAXHAM AGREED
TO BE JOHN LOVE'S WIFE.

Love: WHEN MY FATHER WAS SURE

THAT MY MOTHER
WAS GOING TO MARRY HIM,

HE HAD A SHEEP WAGON BUILT
ESPECIALLY TO HIS ORDER.

AND THAT WAS TO BE
THE HONEYMOON SHEEP WAGON.

THEY WERE MARRIED
ON JUNE 20 IN 1910.

AND IT WAS PRETTY HOT, SO THEY
STARTED OUT FOR THE MOUNTAINS,

AND FROM THEN ON,

THERE IS A BLANK
IN OUR KNOWLEDGE.

MOTHER RARELY DISCUSSED IT,
EXCEPT IN TIMES OF CRISIS,

AND MY FATHER
NEVER DISCUSSED IT.

BUT APPARENTLY IT RAINED
A GREAT DEAL.

THE HORSES GOT AWAY,
THEY WERE MAROONED,

AND THEY NEVER
GOT TO THE MOUNTAINS.

Narrator: IT WAS THE FIRST TEST

JOHN AND ETHEL LOVE
WOULD FACE TOGETHER.

BUT IT WOULD NOT BE THE LAST.

GENTLEMEN, WHY IN HEAVEN'S NAME
THIS HASTE?

YOU HAVE TIME ENOUGH.

WHY SACRIFICE THE PRESENT
TO THE FUTURE,

FANCYING
THAT YOU WILL BE HAPPIER

WHEN YOUR FIELDS
TEEM WITH WEALTH

AND YOUR CITIES WITH PEOPLE?

IN EUROPE,

WE HAVE CITIES WEALTHIER
AND MORE POPULOUS THAN YOURS,

AND WE ARE NOT HAPPY.

YOU DREAM OF YOUR POSTERITY.

BUT YOUR POSTERITY WILL LOOK
BACK TO YOURS AS THE GOLDEN AGE

AND ENVY THOSE

WHO FIRST BURST INTO
THIS SILENT, SPLENDID NATURE,

WHO FIRST LIFTED UP THEIR AXES
UPON THESE TALL TREES

AND LINED THESE WATERS
WITH BUSY WHARVES.

WHY, THEN, SEEK TO COMPLETE
IN A FEW DECADES

WHAT TOOK THE OTHER NATIONS
OF THE WORLD

THOUSANDS OF YEARS?

WHY, IN YOUR HURRY
TO SUBDUE AND UTILIZE NATURE,

SQUANDER HER SPLENDID GIFTS?

YOU HAVE OPPORTUNITIES

SUCH AS MANKIND
HAS NEVER HAD BEFORE...

AND MAY NEVER HAVE AGAIN --

JAMES BRYCE.

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THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN
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