Arrival of the Métis and Their Red River Carts

The Chippewa-Cree peoples, also known as the Métis, left the eastern woodlands of the United States for the Great Plains during the 1700s through the 1800s. The primary reason for this migration was due to their quest for the bison and its great potential as a food source and its use in the production of tools, leather, and craft items. (5: page 1)

Initially, there were vast herds of millions of bison roaming the Great Plains. With the arrival of trains, steamboats, and pioneers, the Métis families who arrived later soon realized that the bison herds were diminishing, The bison were getting harder and harder to locate.

The Métis families banded together in settlements stretching across the Montana highline from Great Falls to Malta. Many of these people had been chased out of Canada as refugees from the Riel Rebellion or had been excluded from the 10 Cent Treaty with the Turtle Mountain Chippewa in North Dakota. Click here for more information from the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Heritage Center.

The Métis hunted on the Great Plains in their Red River Carts. They could carry everything that they needed for long trips and also have room to bring back bison from their successful hunts. Unfortunately, they were also part of the problem of the bison slaughter. Besides harvesting enough meat for themselves, they would also kill more than necessary, bringing in hides and tongues to make money for goods and materials from the trading posts.

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Metis family travelling in a Red River Cart, between 1875-1900 

View of a Metis family travelling in a Red River Cart pulled by a horse on the plains, likely in Montana.

Red River Carts on 5th Avenue, Lewistown, Montana

Carts are in front of Dr. W. F. Hanson's office located on 5th Avenue South 1 block east of Main Street. George T. Bach and his sister Emily are on the front porch. The house on the far right is Frank Moshner's.

Red River half-breed camp and carts

Group of men, women and children, probably Metis in Montana, standing and seated near tents, cooking tripod and two-wheeled red river carts. Verso bears the stamp of collector A. F. Foote, Dentist, Helena, M.T.

Note on Language

A number of the photographs on this subject use the insensitive word "half-breed" in reference to Métis people. These captions are the original work of the photographers of the time. Montana History Portal is aware that these words are hurtful and racist, and we only use them to represent the photo as it was captioned at the moment it was taken. We have consulted with the Montana Historical Society, who holds the physical photos in their collection, and they concur that it is important to use the original caption as it was written, while also noting and recognizing that this language is utterly inappropriate in a modern context.

Red River cart built by Joe Dussome and Joe Hartmann

View of older couple Mr. and Mrs. Joe Dussome standing beside two-wheeled 'Half-Breed Cart of Frontier Days' in front of tipi. A horse is harnessed to cart. This facsimile of the cart was made by Joe Dussome, President of the Homeless Indians, and Joseph M. Hartmann.

Note on Language

A number of the photographs on this subject use the insensitive word "half-breed" in reference to Métis people. These captions are the original work of the photographers of the time. Montana History Portal is aware that these words are hurtful and racist, and we only use them to represent the photo as it was captioned at the moment it was taken. We have consulted with the Montana Historical Society, who holds the physical photos in their collection, and they concur that it is important to use the original caption as it was written, while also noting and recognizing that this language is utterly inappropriate in a modern context.

Métis Lifestyles

By the 1860s, even though the Métis had established settlements in Montana, they still traveled great distances to hunt for bison and gather plants and herbs. They also earned money acting as wood gatherers known as “woodhawks.” These woodhawks cut wood along the Missouri River at certain locations and waited for a steamboat to come by. By the time steamboats reached distant Montana, many ran out of fuel. The ships had to stop periodically to cut and gather wood, or look for the wood piles where they would stop and purchase to restock their fuel supplies. They paid cash or traded for supplies. 

The ancestors of Craig Clairmont, the author of this piece, were ‘woodhawks’, these people who cut wood for the steamboats. Lalay Doney along with his brothers cut wood along the Missouri River from Cow Island south of Malta to Fort Claggett at the mouth of the Judith River. This gave them enough wood to make it to Fort Benton, the end of the line for the steamboats. The steamboats then returned to St. Louis after dropping off their goods and taking on hides. (2: page 159)

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Steamer Benton built for T. C. Power and Bro.

View of the steamer 'Benton' on the river with passengers visible on the decks. The boat was built for T. C. Power and Bro. at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania about 1876, and was the first of the Power and Bro. Block P Line.

Steamer Helena at Wolf Point, Missouri River

View from the shore of the Missouri River looking towards the steamboat 'Helena' at the bank. Crowd of people on deck and along the river. Native American man seated in the grass in the foreground, looking at photographer. Near Wolf Point, Montana. 

Demand for Bison and Decline of the Bison Population

The number of bison did not drop significantly until the start of the 1830s. At this time, the number of beavers was plummeting. With the industrial revolution in full gear back in the eastern part of the United States, there was a demand for thick and heavy duty leather for the machinery. There was also a demand for a delicacy - bison tongue. The bison could meet both of these demands.

By the end of the 1830s, the demand for bison hides finally exceeded that of the beaver pelts due to the rapid decline of the beaver populations. For example, a steamboat in 1838 brought back over 10,000 bison hides. (3: page 150)

One can see the decline of the bison populations with the documentation of harvest numbers and the numbers that were left by the 1890s. For example, at Fort Union, Major Culbertson in 1841 took in 4 beaver pelts and 2,200 bison hides. By the end of 1847, over 20,000 bison hides had passed through Fort Benton. From here on, the slaughter of the bison ramped up due to the increasing number of hide-hunters who were paid only for the hides and nothing else. This continued until the 1880s, by which point the populations of bison were almost totally exterminated. (4: pages 174,178 and 3: pages 154-155, 157)

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Taking the Tongues

View of man taking the tongue from a buffalo carcass. Several more carcasses are in the background in a snow-covered field. One carcass with gun leaning against it. 

Killing Cows and Spikes on the Snow. Near Cohagen.

View of buffalo carcasses on a snowy plain, near Cohagen, in the Little Dry Creek basin of Dawson County, Montana Territory. A saddled horse with a holstered rifle is standing at left among the dead bison.

Killing of a buffalo

After the Chase, After the Buffalo Run. North Montana

Close-up view of killed buffalo showing some butchering and skinning. A riderless horse to the left.

Skinning buffalo

View of buffalo hunter skinning large buffalo carcass, Taking the Monster's Robe. Several more carcasses in background in snow covered field.

After the Chase, After the Buffalo Run. Northern Montana

View of several Buffalo carcasses in grass with two saddled horses in the background, after a Buffalo run.

Monster buffalo bull

Taking the Monster's Robe

View of buffalo hunter skinning large buffalo carcass, Taking the Monster's Robe, in northern Montana. Several carcasses in background, in a snow-covered field. broken glass negative.

L. A. Huffman and a young bull killed with the Henry Saddle gun

View of Montana photographer L. A. Huffman with rifle, standing behind carcass of buffalo.

House of green buffalo hides. Slabs of hump at right. Old buffalo.

View of house created of Green Buffalo hides in snow covered field with two horses in background. Slabs of hump at the right. 

Results of the Annihilation of the Bison

By the end of the 1880s, the disappearance of the bison meant that the way of the Plains tribes was changed forever. This meant that starvation was a constant threat and that dependence on the government was inevitable. They fought hard to preserve their way of life and sovereignty but in the end were forced to a cruel and poor servitude and settlement on the reservations. (3: page 264)

The 1870s was the pinnacle of the bison slaughter. Millions of bison were slaughtered primarily for their hides and tongues, but also just for sport, with their carcasses left to rot. When the transcontinental railroads were built, it was thought that over 250,000 bison were killed to feed the work crews. In 1871, just one trading house in St. Louis brought in over 250,000 bison hides. (3: page 707)

By the end of the 1880s, the populations of the bison were very small. On the Flathead Reservation, the Pablo herd started at around 30. In Yellowstone Park, 18 bison were documented. In all, only about 1,000 had survived and were now being protected.(3: page 707)

Once the bison populations were decimated, even the bones were taken off the Great Plains. In 1874, 10 million pounds of bison bones were sent back east by train for carbon and fertilizer production. 1.25 millions pounds of bison hides and 600,000 pounds of meat were also sent back east.(3: pages 707-708)

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Indian capitol (bison skulls in rock ring), Redfield, S.D., 1892

View of men standing near circle of stones used by Indians as base for teepee. Several buffalo skulls within ring.

Buffalo Trails at Hell Creek. October, 1902.

View of a hillside on the Plains showing animal trails near Hell Creek, Garfield County (historically Dawson County), Montana. Trails were reportedly created by bison herds prior to the 1880s. A number of bleached animal bones, likely from cattle, are visible. 

Half-breed [Metis] buffalo bone pickers and Red River carts at N. P. yards in Minnewaukan, D. T.

Five men and a boy with horse-drawn carts, known as 'Red River carts' by the Metis people who created them, filled with bison bones in front of Northern Pacific Railroad cars and grain elevator. Pile of bones on ground. 

Note on Language

A number of the photographs on this subject use the insensitive word "half-breed" in reference to Métis people. These captions are the original work of the photographers of the time. Montana History Portal is aware that these words are hurtful and racist, and we only use them to represent the photo as it was captioned at the moment it was taken. We have consulted with the Montana Historical Society, who holds the physical photos in their collection, and they concur that it is important to use the original caption as it was written, while also noting and recognizing that this language is utterly inappropriate in a modern context.

Half-breed [Metis] buffalo bone pickers (3 carts), Minnewaukan, Dakota Territory, NP.

Three horse-drawn carts filled with bones, decorated with skulls and antlers. Four men by the horses. Prairie in the distance.

Note on Language

A number of the photographs on this subject use the insensitive word "half-breed" in reference to Métis people. These captions are the original work of the photographers of the time. Montana History Portal is aware that these words are hurtful and racist, and we only use them to represent the photo as it was captioned at the moment it was taken. We have consulted with the Montana Historical Society, who holds the physical photos in their collection, and they concur that it is important to use the original caption as it was written, while also noting and recognizing that this language is utterly inappropriate in a modern context.

Buffalo Bones, circa 1889

View of a large pile of bones from a large number of American Bison, deposited along the Northern Pacific Railroad tracks in Eastern Montana. Several freight train cars are visible behind the pile of bones. Photo is taken from the publication 'Sport Among the Rockies: The Record of a Fishing and Hunting Trip in North-Western Montana,' by the Scribe [Charles Spencer Francis] (Troy, NY, 1889).

Bison Recovery

Within 20 years of their near extermination, the bison population was slowly starting to recover. A 1908 Bison Population census shows the results with over 2,000 bison accounted for:

(3: page 709)

Luckily, due to the awareness of individuals and entities such as the American Bison Society, the population of bison began to recover. The National Bison Range was established in 1908 on the Flathead Reservation starting with 25 wild bison. (3: page 709)

As a result, the population of wild bison today numbers over 30,000 in public and private herds while over 400,000 are raised in captivity.(1)

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Monster Buffaloes Estimated to Weigh 2,000 Pounds. 

View of several bison during the round-up and shipping of Michel Pablo's bison herd to Canada.

Buffalo and calf.

An adult bison and a calf stand in short grass, probably in Montana.

Buffalo Grazing Big Open North Montana

View of Buffalo grazing the "Big Open" North Montana. 

Buffalo at a pond

Buffalo at a fenced pond, Mission Mountains in the background. National Bison Range, Montana.

Bison herd, 1894

View of bison in a meadow on the Flathead Indian Reservation, Mission Mountains in the background.

Bison in Yellowstone National Park (standing in fenced field), 1935

The photograph shows a group of bison, including possibly several calves. Most of the bison are standing, a few are sleeping or lying down. In the distance is a chain link fence. The location is probably the Buffalo Ranch in Yellowstone National Park.

Buffalo Herd Stampede, Yellowstone National Park

Color paper postcard depicting a bison herd in Yellowstone National Park. The bison are moving swiftly creating dust in a green, grassy area. BUFFALO HERD STAMPEDE, YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK" is the title on the bottom border in the bottom left and center.

Buffalo Herd near Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone Park

Color paper postcard depicting dark brown bison grazing near Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. "BUFFALO HERD NEAR MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, YELLOWSTONE PARK." is the title on the bottom border in the bottom left and center.

Albino bison

Albino Bison on the National Bison Range near Arlee, Montana.

Exhibit Author: Craig Claremont

Bibliography/Citations

1) "Frequently Asked Questions: Bison", National Park Service Yellowstone (accessed August 2022) https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/bisonfaq.htm

2) Lewistown Genealogical Society. A Collection of Stories of Central Montana Pioneer Families 1899-1999. Self published, 1999.
https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/3667

3) Sanders, Helen Fitzgerald. A History of Montana, Volume 1. Chicago, Illinois: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1913.
https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/5083

4) Stout, Tom. Montana, Its Story and Biography: A History of Aboriginal and Territorial Montana and Three Decades of Statehood Vol.1. Chicago, Illinois: The American Historical Society, 1921.
https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/5088

5) Swan, Elizabeth and Margaret (Letrelle) LaTray. First Catholic Pioneers-The Metis. Self-published, 1945.
https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/3727


Photo Credits:

Lewistown Public Library

Montana Historical Society Research Center

Museum of the Rockies

University of Montana Mansfield Library

Yellowstone National Park Heritage and Research Center