We asked what
was up that we were to be detained so long.
"On my trip for the horses," said Carson, "I saw some Injuns of
the Comanche tribe, and they told me that them and the Utes war
goin' to have a battle as soon as the Utes can cross the
mountains, and the place for the battle decided on is in the south
end of the park." He also said that with all the Indian fighting
he had been mixed up in he had never before had an opportunity to
see two tribes come together, and that he would not miss seeing it
for any consideration.
In those days each tribe of Indians had their own scope of hunting
and trapping ground, and if one tribe was caught intruding upon
the rights of another tribe it was apt to cause trouble.
As I have said before, South Park was a hunter's paradise in the
winter, and added to this, in the summer almost the entire valley
was covered with wild strawberries. Along the many little mountain
streams were abundance of wild gooseberries, blackberries and wild
currants, while on the hillsides were acres of wild raspberries.
In fact almost every variety of berries that there grew west of
the Missouri river could be found in South Park; while the streams
were full of the finest quality of mountain trout as well as many
other kinds of fish.
The two tribes of Indians mentioned had been in dispute for a
number of years as to their boundary line, each claiming South
Park, and this battle had been arranged the fall before by the
chiefs, also the place decided upon for the battle, which was to
be on a little stream in the extreme south end of the park, that
has since gone by the name of Battle Creek.
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