BONES SEEN ON OLD BATTLEFIELD

BUTTE NEWSPAPER MAN VISITED TWIN BUTTES OF HORSE PRAIRIE VALLEY BATTLEFIELD

"A rock slid away disclosing a human skeleton. Investigation revealed other bones - here a skull, there a thigh, a jawbone, or a leg. The whole hillside was littered with the bones of men."

In this manner a Butte newspaperman, a few years ago, described his visit to the Twin Buttes of Horse Prairie valley, situated about 30 miles west of Armstead, and 100 miles southeast of Butte.

Horse Prairie valley, in which Lewis and Clark spent several days while on their historic expedition, contains other evidence of inhabitation by primitive races, for this valley once was famous for its fish and game and delightful climate and was happy hunting grounds for the Indians of Montana.

Here they lived and died, and fought in the savage wars which sometimes exterminated whole races.

The Twin Buttes which rise abruptly out of the prairie at the juncture of three small creeks probably once witnessed a savage and sanguinary battle for, according to tradition and mute testimony of decaying bones, hundreds were slain.

From the pinnacle of the old battleground, one can gain an unobstructed view for miles and miles and to this refuge amid scenes similar to those which have been made famous in Russell's painting a tribe once fled to evade its foes.

Whether or not any escaped probably will never be determined, for history contains no mention of the conflict. Only the skeletons remain to tell of the tragedy.

The majority of the bones have been buried beneath sliding rock, but here and there, a hand, a foot, or a skull projects from the loose stone. An occasional moccasin, a piece of blanket, beads, eagles' claws, elk teeth and arrowheads can be found.

When a Butte newspaper man visited the old battlefield several years ago scores of eagles' claws, arrowheads and pieces of human bone were discovered and carried away as souvenirs.

Mrs. J. W. Scott of Armstead, who has spent several years in investigating Indian legend and in tracing down obscure ends to early Montana history, which told of the discovery, said that the late H. H. Brown of Grant, a little town which nestles in the center of Horse Prairie valley, once told her of passing the Twin Buttes shortly after the battle or massacre.

"My attention was first attracted to the buttes," Mr. Brown is reported having said, "by hundreds of buzzards which were circling above the hill. I watched them as they swooped down and arose in droves. When I came closer I saw that the hillside was covered with bodies of Indian dead.

One of the skulls which was shown to a physician was, according to the man of science, that of a youth, probably not more than 10 years of age. This indicates that not only the warriors, but a whole tribe was massacred.

The Horse Prairie valley is noted for its Indian relics. Near Armstead there are traces of an old wall. Only the tumble down ruins remain of what once may have been fortifications or some peculiar device for slaughtering buffalo. West of the Metlen ranch house either nature or the hand of a redman has carved the figure of a gigantic man upon the face of the hillside. From a distance of 10 miles the face of the redman, with his war bonnet and right hand raised in defiance, is plainly discernible. Although the figure is believed to be a freak of nature, man could hardly improve upon the picture, which covers the entire side of the mountain.