The Bannock War

By Ron Marlow

     Trouble was brewing on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in 1878. It was claimed that the food rations were inadequate and the Indians were going hungry. The Indian agent was under investigation for sending food back east to his relatives.
     Hungry braves under Chief Buffalo Horn, in search of camas roots on the Camas Prairie, found that cattle had trampled their food supply. After getting drunk on whiskey, they searched out the cattle herders and shot two.
     Settlers were killed at Steens' Mountain in central Oregon. Chinese miners in central Idaho in 1879 were robbed and killed by the so called "sheep eaters." Ranchers were robbed and killed on the Salmon River and stock run off.
     Military forces from Boise were sent north after the Indians. They ran into all kinds of obstacles, from bad weather to losing a string of mules in a snow slide that was loaded with their food rations. Finally, after finding signs of Indians, they ran into an ambush. Troopers were wounded, horses and mules went down. The Indians set fire to the underbrush, so a retreat was ordered. Another military detachment was ordered from Umatilla, which included Umatilla Indians, but the renegades eluded capture. Finally most of the elusive Indians surrendered saying that they were tired of running and they would agree to go to the Fort Hall Reservation.
     In Payette Valley, Indians seemed to be everywhere and they were intent on harassing the settlers to get them to leave. Mrs. Peter Pence, who lived up Big Willow, was so afraid that the Indians would come and burn their house down that she and her children would hide in grain fields at night. Peter Pence finally moved his family to Boise. As a spokesman for the local citizens, he wrote the U.S. Marshal and the governor in Boise for arms and ammunition to fight the anticipated invasion of hostile Indians.
     Chief Egan of the Weiser Indians, along with a few Piutes, were ordered by the Malheur Indian Agent to return to the reservation. He refused to go, bragging that he's killed eight white men and a Mr. and Mrs. Scott.
     Several battles occurred in Eastern Oregon between the military and various tribes. The Umatillas joined with the military in several skirmishes and in one, Chief Egan was killed. At the Payette Lakes, Bannocks killed five citizens.
     Contrary to fears, there was no big invasion of hostile Indians to the valley. Several large bands moved through on their way to Nevada, but didn't cause any problems. Whenever needs arose, military detachments were dispatched from Boise City. For the most part, Indians moved to reservations and gave up the land on which they had roamed.