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Notes and references
Shepherd massacre: http://www.rickgrunder.com/EphemeraForSale/shepherd/shepherd.htm


 * (Shepherd & Miltimore) Nevada Indian agents see Lander & Clark  http://www.nevadaobserver.com/Reading%20Room%20Documents/Letters%20from%20Nevada%20Indian%20Agents%201860.htm
 * "The Army and the Indian Massacres" Desert News 21, Sept. 1859 http://udn.lib.utah.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/deseretnews2&CISOPTR=6019&REC=39&CISOSHOW=6020


 * (Shepherd)"Indian Massacre". also,"Indian Difficulties": Desert News 17, Aug. 1859 http://udn.lib.utah.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/deseretnews2&CISOPTR=5767&REC=34&CISOSHOW=5768
 * (Miltimore)"The Late Massacre near Fort Hall": Desert News 21 Sept. 1859 http://udn.lib.utah.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/deseretnews2&CISOPTR=6019&REC=39&CISOSHOW=6020

Bear River Expedition
Over 20,000 emigrants on the Oregon Trail came through South pass in 1859 with 17,000 going to California, 2,000 to Oregon, and the remainder to Utah. Their were several major attacks on emigrant trains that year.\

(June 4, 1859)  Wallen Expedition. At the end of April 1859, General Harney, commander of the U S Army Department of Oregon, ordered Captain Henry D. Wallen to “open a road from the Dalles to the Great Salt Lake valley.” Leaving Ft. Dalles on June 4, 1859, the Wallen expedition consisted of two companies of dragoons, one infantry, and an engineer detachment. The expedition traveled South along the John Day, Des chutes, and Crooked rivers and determined that this route impracticable for wagon traffic. Near old Fort Boise they they linked up with the established Oregon Trail. At Salmon Falls they encountered some Bannock Indians. Wallen described them as "..athletic men, well armed and formidable. Doubtless these Indians are in the habit of visiting the Valley of the Great Salt Lake, and derive their supply of arms and ammunition from that source." "..not having been impressed with the prowess of the white man, are constantly annoying small parties of emigrants passing through their Country." At Raft River he left the expedition and traveled to Camp Floyd with an escort of twenty dragoons arriving August 15.

(June 12, 1859 ) Humboldt Expedition. With orders from General Johnston, commander of the U S Army Department of Utah, Major I. Lynde left Camp Floyd, Utah Territory for the purpose of protecting emigration on the northern route to California. The command consisted of D company, seventh infantry, and B company, second dragoons, with rations for ninety days. He escorted an eight wagon train of apostates out of the territory who feared retaliation from the Mormons. Arriving at Bear River, he crossed by ferry and traveled to the City of the Rocks. He noted that he had met small parties traveling from California to the states east. Descending Granite Pass, to Goose Creek, he traveled to the head waters of the Humboldt River. On the 12th of July, he arrived at the mail station at Gravely Ford where he found flies, mosquitoes, and alkaline water. Leaving the expedition he followed the Humboldt ninety-six miles west along the river. At this point he had traveled 584 miles and encountering no Indians began his return trip on July 29. Sixty-five miles above Gravely Ford he encountered 15 Shoshone who professed to be friendly. He noted that the Indians were miserably poor living on squirrels, rats and begging from the emigrants. Meeting large numbers of emigrants, the expedition gave provisions to those who were destitute. Reaching the head of the Humboldt on August 3, he met the Shepherd train that had been attack by Indians and whites dressed as Indians. On August 19, the expedition reached the Bear River. (July 26,) Indians attack emigrant train on Hudspeth Cutoff near Twin Springs in Southeast Washington Territory. One killed, cattle and wagon teams stolen.

(July 27,) Shepard Massacre Indians attack emigrant train a few miles West of the above. Five killed, belongings plundered.

(August 1, 1859) Superintendent of Indian affairs, J. Forney, was notified by a citizen of Brigham City, U.T. of an attack on a train on the California Road 200 miles distant. The Indians, who had horses, mules, oxen, etc for sale, said that two Indians met the emigrants for trading and the whites killed them so they (the Indians) gathered their forces and killed five adults and two children.

(August 2,) Forney notified Utah Territorial Governor A. Cummings.

(August 3,) Cummings notified General Johnston.

(August 5) Special Orders No. 65. 1. "A company of dragoons will march from Camp Floyd on the 8th instant, for the northern road to California, for the purpose of giving protection to emigration thereon, and attending to other duties,which will be assigned it in special instructions from the commanding general. A subaltern from one of the infantry regiments will be assigned to the command, also a medical officer. The company will be rationed for forty days, and will take charge of fifteen days' provisions for the troops of the Humboldt expedition under Major Lynde, seventh infantry ; two sevenths of the meat ration will be bacon. The necessary transportation and supplies will be provided from the depot."

(August 6,) Gen. Johnston ordered Capt. Lynde and the Humboldt Expedition to Bear River. Also, Lt. Gay with the Second Dragoons was ordered to investigate, make arrests if necessary and rendezvous with Capt. Lynde at Bear River.

(August 10,) A. B. Greenwood, Commissioner of Indian Affairs, is informed by Forney of the Indian attacks. He reported six men and one woman killed, and six men and two women wounded some mortally by Bannock of Oregon and Shoshone of Utah. The Shoshone attempted to sell cattle, revolvers, etc. to the settlers but were refused. Forney issued an Order prohibiting settlers and emigrants from trading or purchasing items from the Indians.

(August 13,) Marching through Box Elder, U.T., Lt. Gay received information that a large body of Indians, responsible for the attacks near Sublett's Cutoff and the theft of settler's cattle, were camped in a canyon leading to Cache Valley. Obtaining a guide he arrived at the Indian camp before dawn with forty-two men. "After a rapid march of two hours, the encampment was indicated by a number of ponies grazing, and in a moment afterwards by the Indians jumping up from their beds under the bushes, and running up the mountain sides, which were here covered with under growth. I immediately formed my men, and charged upon the main body of them; in the charge several of the enemy were filled and wounded. They then scattered, and took positions behind rocks, &c. Here they were charged and driven up precipices, beyond the reach of men or horses. I then dismounted my men, and kept up a fire for at least an hour and a half, which for an hour was briskly returned by the enemy ; but he gradually ceased to fire. The precipitous nature of the ground rendering it utterly impossible to pursue him, I drove off his horses and returned to this place. The attack commenced just before the dawn, and continued until after sunrise." Lt. Gay estimated they killed twenty of the enemy and he had six wounded, two seriously. They took twenty horses, one belonging to the massacre victims at Sublett's Cuttoff. Gay was convinced his Mormon guide led him into an ambush.

(August,14) Special Order No. 71. A company of dragoons and two companies of infantry will unite with Lt. Gay, second dragoons, for the purpose of "protecting emigration and punishing depredators." Major Lynde will take command upon his arrival.

(August 15,) supplement to Special Order No. 71 urging caution.

(August 16,) Col. F.W. Lander, Superintendent of Road Construction, sent information to Forney concerning the massacre of the emigrants on the Trail from an Indian informant. Col. Lander is of the opinion that the Indians are encouraged stealing horses, mules and cattle by the whites of Utah Territory.

(August 17,) Gen Johnston notified Adjutant General of Indian attacks.

Notes and references
Attack on the "Carpenter Train" 'Daily Alta Cal' Oct. 5, 1859 http://cbsrfs.ucr.edu/batches/batch_ca_20070524_tahoe/sn84031933/00000000058/1859100501/0140.pdf

Old Fort Boise
The overland Astor Expedition are believed to be the first whites to explore the future site of the first Fort Boise (located on the Boise River about seven miles from its mouth) searching for a suitable location for a fur trading post in 1811. John Reid, an Astorian, and a small party of Pacific Fur Company traders established an outpost near the mouth of the Boise in 1813 and were promptly massacred by Indians. Marie Dorion, the wife of one those killed, and her two children escaped and travel more than two hundred miles in deep snow toward friendly Walla Walla Indians on the Columbia. The explorer and mapmaker David Thompson of the North West Fur Company called the Boise "Reids River" and his outpost "Reids Fort" on a 1818 map. Donald Mackenzie, a former Astorian representing the North West Fur Company, established a post in 1819 after establishing friendly relations with the Indians at the same site.

In 1834, Thomas McKay built Fort Boise, selecting the same location as Reid and Mackenzie. Fort Boise was built to compete for furs with the American trading post of Fort Hall, about 300 mi to the east, near Pocatello. In 1836 the Hudson Bay Company took control of the fort until its abandonment. From 1835-1844, the fort was headed by French-Canadian Francois Payette. It was mostly staffed by Hawaiian (Owyhee) employees and soon became known for the hospitality and supplies provided to travelers and emigrants. In 1838, Payette constructed a second Fort Boise near the confluence of the Boise River and Snake River about five miles (8 km) northwest of the present town of Parma, Idaho and south of Nyssa, Oregon. It was built in the form of a parallelogram one hundred feet per side, surrounded with a stockade of poles fifteen feet high. Later the logs were covered and replaced with sun-dried adobe bricks. In 1846, it had two tilled acres, twenty-seven cattle, and seventeen horses. In 1853, a flood damaged the fort. In 1854, the Ward massacre took place within a few miles of the Fort. Nineteen members of an Oregon Bound emigrant train were murdered by Shoshone. The fort was deemed indefensible from hostiles and with the demise of the fir trade it was abandoned in 1855 with the stock and goods taken to Flathead country.

The Shoshone (Snake River sternwheeler) was constructed and launched at the old Fort Boise location in 1866. She transported miners and their equipment from Olds Ferry for the Boise basin and Owyhee mines.

The site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and currently lies within the boundaries of the Fort Boise Wildlife Management Area. A replica of the fort is open to the public.

Notes and references
http://www.nwcouncil.org/history/images/thompson.jpg(thompson) http://www.nwcouncil.org/history/images/thompson.jpg(thompson) http://www.idahohistory.net/Reference%20Series/0062.pdf(T.McKay) http://www.icbemp.gov/science/beckham.pdf (Ft. Boise) http://www.idahohistory.net/images/ot19e(optional).jpg

http://www.shockfamily.net/Owyhees/History.pdf (Oregon Trail, Fort Boise, etc.)p.21 www.icbemp.gov/science/beckham.pdf (Gibson, Ft Boise)

http://library.boisestate.edu/special/images/BoiseRiverMaps/1844bPosSmall.jpg (Robert Greenhow's 1844 map depicted the Hudson's Bay Company fur trading post Fort Boise at the confluence of Reed's River (Boise River) and the Sahaptin (Snake River))