Blacktail Deer Creek

Near Blacktail Deer Creek Emma Cowan and her brother and sister, Frank and Ida Carpenter, plodding along on two worn-out horses, unexpectedly met up with another scouting party.

... In rounding a point of timber, we saw in a little meadow not far beyond, a number of horses and men. At the first glance we thought them Indians. Frank drew our horses back into the timber and went forward to investigate. He returned in a very few minutes and declared them soldiers. Oh, such a feeling of relief!

Imagine their surprise when we rode into the camp and my brother told them we were fleeing from the Indians, the only survivors of our party, as he believed then....

This company of soldiers was a detachment from Fort Ellis [Bozeman], with Lieutenant Schofield in command. They were sent out to ascertain the whereabouts of the Nez Perces, and were returning in the belief that the Indians were not in that vicinity...

The soldiers quickly prepared supper for us....

Emma Cowan

Emma, Frank, and Ida were escorted out of the park by Schoffeld's detachment, and traveled on home by way of Bozeman. All ten of the Radersburg tourists had survived their encounter with the Nez Perce. However they did not yet know that all the others were also safe. Nearly a month passed before Emma Cowan learned that her husband, George,was still alive.


Timeline

Credits

The Nez Perce Flight to Canada - An Introduction

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