The Explorers Were Soon Out Of The Country Of The Teton Sioux
And Into That Of The Ricaras, Or, As These Indians Are More
Commonly Called, The Rickarees.
On the first day of October they passed the mouth of a river incorrectly
known as Dog River, as
If corrupted from the French word chien.
But the true name is Cheyenne, from the Indians who bear that title.
The stream rises in the region called the Black Mountains
by Lewis and Clark, on account of the great quantity of dark
cedar and pine trees that covered the hills. This locality is
now known as the Black Hills, in the midst of which is the famous
mining district of Deadwood. In these mountains, according to
Lewis and Clark, were to be found "great quantities of goats,
white bear, prairie cocks, and a species of animal which resembled
a small elk, with large circular horns." By the "white bear"
the reader must understand that the grizzly bear is meant.
Although this animal, which was first discovered and described
by Lewis and Clark, is commonly referred to in the earlier pages
of the journal as "white," the error naturally came from a desire
to distinguish it from the black and the cinnamon-colored bears.
Afterwards, the journal refers to this formidable creature as the grizzly,
and again as the grisly. Certainly, the bear was a grizzled gray;
but the name "grisly," that is to say, horrible, or frightful,
fitted him very well. The Latin name, ursus horribilis
is not unlike one of those of Lewis and Clark's selection.
The animals with circular curled horns, which the explorers thought
resembled a small elk, are now known as the Rocky Mountain sheep,
or bighorn.
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