These interesting land features were used by many people. Some used rocks, hills, mountains, waterways and other objects to identify important locations. Ojibway People used "Trees" to identify important locations to them. To Ojibway People "Tree Trail Markers" were locatives! They used their word for "tree" which is "tig" as a locative! Examples include "Baa-wi'tig" which means "Rapids Place" in Ojibway Language. In other Ojibway Dialects it's pronounced "Paa-wis-tic" which also means "Rapids Place." Another is "Ga Minis'tig Wiia" which means "Island Place Body" in Ojibway Language. Whites write it "Kamanistiquia." It's the Ojibway word for "Isle Royal." By far the most important reason for Ojibway People using "Tree Trail Markers" was to define territories! Even Ojibway People living out on the treeless plains used "Trees" to identify boundaries and other important locations. Ojibway People living at what is now Great Falls, Montana in the 19th century, shrewdly presevered a message for Ojibway People of this time. Below are photos from the 1880's of Black Eagle Falls and Giant Springs. Ojibway People used both "rocks" and "trees" to preserve a 19th century message for Ojibway People of this time or 2020. The first photo has what appears to be Ojibway Syllabics. They look like the numbers "75" and "57." It may identify a year they signed a treaty with the United States. The second photo is much more important. It defines a territory (map) of their Reservation. The photo is from 1884. You'll notice the directions the trees are bent. The 3 trees to your right are bent looking down river. The other 8 trees seem to be bent looking up river. I take that to understand the 3 trees pointing east down river represent the 3 forks of Missouri River (Mississippi River). It's located where Marias River enters Missouri River (Mississippi River) and Teton River enters Marias River. So Teton River is a north boundary and Missouri River (Mississippi River) is an east and south boundary. The 8 other trees represent major creeks and rivers. Beaver Creek is the 8th one. The trees in the 1884 photo can't be more than 10 years old. In June, July and August of 1805 Lewis and Clark were in Great Falls. Either they were captured or they were stalled in negotiations with leaders of Ojibway Nation. I suspect they agreed with Ojibway leaders to set aside the entire Rocky Mountains to be an Ojibway Reservation. In return, Ojibway leaders agreed to sell some of their land from Louisiana to Illinois. The Rocky Mountains commence just north of Helena, Montana and extend north to Alaska and the Arctic Ocean (Beaufort Sea). Ojibway leaders were shrewd! Those photos detail treaties and a map! Since the "trees" were located at Giant Springs, it means Giant Spring and the canal to it's north are within the Ojibway Reservation. White leaders of those times (1880's) knew what "Tree Trail Markers" were. Paris Gibson made a terrible mistake in destroying the "Tree Trail Markers" and planting 100's of trees to cover-up. However, probably by not having a clue, they took photos of those locations before they built settlements there. Ojibway People had a village at Black Eagle Falls and a large town at Giant Springs!

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