08/22/2026
Stray Shots
Irvine Diary
Second Installment
May 26
We had a little better supper last night then usual and you bet we did it justice. We got started in good time this morning be ready to commence to roll at 6 o’clock. We are now camped on Big Timber Creek for dinner. I saw a man nearly killed a few minutes ago. He got twisted up among the chains and other things and a steer got frightened and ran away.
May 27
Last night we camped at a place called Walnut Creek 20 miles from the Smoky which was fast traveling for a bull train. Yesterday I cut my first Buffalo. I cut off the hams, shoulders and took his tongue out and I was surprised how nice a fellow could do it when he had do it for meat to eat. We camped about 9 o’clock last night and went out about a half mile to hunt some wood along the banks of the creek because there is no wood anywhere else in this country. The banks of the creek were very high from the water and steep. I saw some wood along the water and saw a place I thought I could get down so I started but after I did start I went a good deal faster than I expected to & I went down, down and if I had not got hold of a branch of a tree I would have went into the creek. Jim made a desperate attempt to kill an antelope. His first shot broke its front leg and he followed it about 12 miles but could not get him.
May 28
We camped last night on the North Fork of the Panee (sic) (Pawnee) about 18 or 20 miles from our last stopping place and as we only intend to drive 12 miles today we will not commence to roll very early this morning. I had the first good wash since I have been out with the outfit. Sullivan went out hunting this morning about nine o’clock and did not return in time for the train, so it went on without him, and I have seen nothing of him yet and it is now half past 6 in the evening. God knows what has become of him. The Indians have got him, or he has fell in with some other train thinking it was ours. I really don’t know what to do if I had a horse I would go and hunt him, but I can’t get one. A wagon has just gave weigh and has to all unloaded and fixed and we are 12 miles from water and of course can get no grub. Will have to fast for a day and night.
May 29
Sullivan is all right. We overtook a train about 8 O’clock last night and he was with it. He had followed an antelope nearly all and had walked about 22 miles. We camped last night one. This morning one of our boys took sick and could not drive his team so I thought a pity of him and volunteered to drive it for him and I drove all morning and the Boss says I got along as well as any of them. I have a 6 yoked team.
May 30
Last night we camped at a place called Saw Log 14 miles from the Buchners ranch. It was the worst night since we have been out. We had one of the storms which are common on the plains of Kansas. The wind was so high that it would sometimes almost blow the cover off our house which is the third story of a wagon on top of some greasy bacon about 2 ½ ft. high and 6 long. It has one room and we sleep and eat and entertain all our company in it. We are now camped at 5 mile hollow for dinner. We will reach the Arkansas tonight and will have a hard time getting across it.
May 31
Last we camped on the Arkansas River at Fort Dodge which is a very nice little Post. It is built of stone except the commander’s house and a few others. I also mailed a letter to father last night letting him know I had got this far safe. Well, we have just crossed the Arkansas River and it was awful work. The river is a mile wide and about 2 feet deep and very much sand at the bottom. We had to put 22 yoke on some wagons and the noise made by the yelling of the Bullwackers and the cracking of whips was enough to shock the nerves of a Christian man like me. Every fellow waded the river but me. I stowed myself away on top of some bacon when no person looking willing to consider myself bacon for the time being. (Bullwackers were the teamsters that drove the ox train. They walked alongside their oxen carrying long bull whips.)
June 1
This morning we heard that about a 150 Indians had killed 3 men at a ranch 30 miles ahead of us. A detachment of Negro soldiers went out early this morning to see about it and this dinner while we were eating our dinner it passed us on the way back to the fort. There were three men killed and one wounded. The particulars are the Indians came into the ranch pretending to be friendly and while they were shaking hands fired on them. The man that is wounded says he cut one of them rather bad with a axe that was in the house.
(Soldiers from the Third U.S. Infantry at Camp Supply, Indian Territory, stationed at a camp known as Bear Creek Mail Station along the road were attacked by fifty Indians. Two soldiers were killed and a sergeant wounded. The Negro troopers of the Tenth U. S. Cavalry, known as “Buffalo Soldiers,” arrived in time to stop the attack.)
June 2
Last evening just before we came to camp we saw a large herd of Buffalo a short distance ahead of us and of course every fellow that could get off started after them and our wagon master who had a good horse killed two of them. The rest of us not getting a shot but I went and cut off a ham of one bound not to have bacon for supper in our mess but as I was walking for camp it commenced to rain and I never saw such a rain in my life. It just came down by the buckets full with hail in it as large as buckshot. Every fellow was soaked and when I went to our wagon I found that a sheet on the wagon had not been stretched and consequently all our blankets and every thing else was wet. It continued to rain all night and is still raining this morning. We had just finished yoking up when one of the boys broke the tongue of his wagon and we will have to lay over until it is repaired.
June 3
We are now camped on Bluff Creek laying over while some of our men are hunting 8 head of the best cattle we have in the outfit. We are now in the worst Indian country we have to pass through and those of us that are in camp have the wagons corralled close and are keeping a good watch for the Indians. 12 o’clock at noon Sullivan thought as we had nothing else to do we thought we might risk it to go down to the creek and take a bath. So we went down to the creek safe and after taking our revolver out of the holster and laying them on the bank so as to be ready at any moment we went into the water and after about 15 minutes we were considerably improved as comfort was concerned and I no doubts as to looks also. Four o’clock in the afternoon the men have returned without the cattle. We are now moving on without them.
June 4
Last night we camped about 3 miles from Bear Creek. We had a very hard storm of hail and rain accompanied by the thunder and lightning was terrific. We have heard more Indian news. A train which was about 40 miles ahead of us had 96 mules taken from them and several men killed. The Indians which are going around committing these depredations are a band of Arrapahoes (sic) led by Big Mouth, one of the principle chiefs of the tribe. Yesterday evening a detachment of Negro Soldiers from Supply met us being sent out to es**rt us into the Post. We are now about 50 miles from it. (The road from Fort Dodge to Camp Supply was dangerous due to marauding Indians in the spring of 1870. Travelers needed military es**rt, if they could get it).
June 5
I have just come from the ranch where the Indians committed that horrible murder of 3 men. I was in the house and saw two men that were there at the time it occurred. The particulars are Big Mouth with about 30 warriors came to the place and asked for something to eat. The men of which there was five gave them all they could eat and some to carry away with them. They wanted their guns which of course they would not give them and somehow or other they got between them and their guns and suddenly made an attack instantly killed two of the men and wounded another one of the soldiers…cut one with an ax so they had to tie him on a pony. Another run a pitchfork into an Indians face. They then jumped on their ponies and went off in such a hurry that they left a lot of their things on the plains. The ranch is divided into three apartments. One for a sleeping room. One for a kitchen and one for a stable. It is now one of the best I have seen in this country. They have 10 men and they have it so fixed that all the Indians on the Plains ___ One of the men was in the ranch when the Indians made the raid was a nephew of Dr. Noble. His name is Franklin. I had quite a conversation with him. I also met a man who is in our es**rt by the name of Marshall from Carlisle. Just as we were camping last there was a very large jack rabbit jumped up a short distance away and I got out my rifle & shot him and found him good one. Another detachment of Soldiers from Supply have just passed and using their language the Indians have raised hell there within the last two or three days. They have killed several men around Camp Supply. About three days ago a band of Indians of about 60 dashed right through the fort firing as they went. Things are commencing to look rather ruff. We have just crossed Simmaron (Cimarron) Swamp. It is about a mile in length composed of sand with a stream of water running through. It is an awful place to cross. We had to double the whole way. We are now camped for dinner about 36 miles from Supply. (Soldiers from Fort Dodge and Camp Supply were regularly on the supply road providing es**rts to wagon trains. The Cimarron River consisted of a wide sandy bed with quicksand making crossing treacherous.)
June 6
We spent an awful night last night. We slept out on the ground and about 12 O’clock in the night a storm blew up. It rained as if it came down by the bucket fulls and blew as it usually does, hard enough to blow the hair off a man’s head and all we had was a pair of blankets under us and a pair over us and in this rig we were exposed to about four hours hard rain and after it had rained a short time the water run under us and soaked through the blanket. This morning when we were eating breakfast was bacon and coffee with a little short cake as usual, I heard some fellow remark Oh look at the flood coming down the creek. I jumped up and sure a flood caused by the night rain in the night must have broken a large Beaver dam up the Simerone Creek and the water was coming down with a mighty rush about 2 feet higher than the level water of the creek. A short time after I saw a steer get in and it was as much as he could do to get out. Last night a little while after we had rolled in the Lieutenant who has command or our es**rt wishing to have some sport fired his revolvers and scrambling for guns was never seen before. We all thought the Indians were on us. Three O’clock in the afternoon weather still very gloomy and looks as if we would have more rain. (The Lieutenant was John A. Bodamer, Tenth U.S. Cavalry.)
About 12 o’clock we came on a heard of Buffalo and four of our es**rt and our wagon master went after them and soon they all picked on one, and they would ride up to him, fire into him one after another and after all he got away with about 2 or 3 pounds of lead in him. While they were firing at the Buffalo a fine dog belonging to one of the officers of Supply was accidentally shot through his hind leg. We have just now crossed Snake Creek and camped for dinner.
June 7
We did not leave Snake Creek yesterday but remained there all night. Jim and I had a rather disagreeable time sleeping last night because our blankets were wet from the night before and as it rained nearly all day we could not lay them out to dry. We are now camped on Buffalo Creek for dinner, and it has commenced to rain again since we have been here we have much bad luck by the way of weather. Our wagon master has not had so much bad weather for years.
