In 1887, several Indian chiefs, probably Dakotas and Salishans, signed the illicit 1887 Sweet Grass Hills Treaty which supposedly established the present day 1.5 million acre (in 1887 what is now the Glacier National Park region was a part of the Blackfeet Reservation) Blackfeet Reservation, and eradicated the old over 21.5 million acre Blackfeet Reservation. They did so without Anishinabe (Chippewa) approval. American leaders tried to negotiate with ogima Little Shell III and ogima Little Bear to have them ratify the 1887 Sweet Grass Hills Treaty but they refused. Historians claim ogimak Little Bear and Little Shell III, refused to cede about 10 million acres in North Dakota but a white conspiracy is clouding the truth. Ogimak Broken Arm, Little Shell II, and other Anishinabe ogimak told white leaders after ratifying the 1863 Old Crossing Treaty on May 5, 1864, they would not cede anymore Anishinabe land. They went to their grave doing so. The Anishinabe land involved, was not only located in Montana but throughout western North America. We will focus on the huge Blackfeet Reservation however. A map of the 1887 Blackfeet Reservation is below.
As mentioned, several non Anishinabe leaders ratified the 1887 Sweet Grass Hills Treaty which eradicated the huge 1887 Blackfeet Reservation and carved several much smaller Reservations out of it but not the Anishinabe Nation. Between 1887-1892, the whites negotiated with ogimaK Little Bear and Little Shell III and the rest of the government of the Anishinabe Nation, to attempt to have them ratify the 1887 Sweet Grass Hills Treaty and others but they refused to ratify those treaties. What followed was a fraudulent ratification of the 1887 Sweet Grass Hills Treaty and other treaties. American leaders resorted to hiring 32 Chippewa's (16 from Canada which proves Anishinabe land in Canada was involved - and 16 in the United States) to ratify the 1887 Sweet Grass Hills Treaty. Afterwards, a huge Chippewa Reservation was set aside. The Chippewa's who did not sign the treaty were forced off Reservation rolls and became landless. They are the Ah-on-to-way, Little Shell, and Swan Creek & Black (River) Creek Chippewa's.
Chief Rocky Boy became the principle Chippewa leader of Montana by 1902. Chief Little Bear reluctantly began to follow ogima Rocky Boy. He had no choice. The whites commenced to negotiating with ogima Rocky Boy in 1902 about the knife in the back. Chief Rocky Boy likely played a major role in the rip off year of 1904, by agreeing to sign away that dear to the Chippewa people and accepting the knife in the back. In 1904, ogima Rocky Boy commenced negotiations with Montana Congressman Joseph Dixon. Dixon, Montana (it is located on the Flathead Reservation) is named for Congressman Dixon. It was through Dixon, that the United States delivered the knife in the back. Dixon may have tried to help the Chippewa's but the government of the United States became deaf. They broke the 10 cent an acre treaty! For the next four years, chief Rocky Boy and Dixon carried on a friendship which escalated in 1908. Ogima Little Bear became so upset about the knife in the back in 1904, he contacted Canadian leaders in 1905, to request to have the Chippewa's in Montana directly under his leadership, the opportunity to relocate to Canada. Canadian leaders agreed to help.
In 1908, ogima Rocky Boy and Dixon increased their contacts for they knew the Land Acts were about to take hold. They knew the United States was going to steal the Flathead Reservation and soon. They feared Chippewa reprisals! It was probably in early 1908, when an agency farmer on the Flathead Reservation made contact with Senator Dixon (by 1908 Dixon had been voted in to be a Senator of Montana) about the Chippewa's. Both Rocky Boy and Dixon knew something had to be done to stop the terrified Chippewa's from releasing their great rage. In 1908, Senator Dixon made an effort to stop what everyone knew would occur but he was ignored. They began to prepare for an exodus! Indian Inspector Franch C. Churchill arrived in September of 1908. Serious problems were already occurring in the Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming region. In 1906, the Ute Exodus had occurred. It was really a large number of Chippewa's who most likely fled the Crow-Northern Cheyenne Reservation. They were caught a few miles south of the Crow-Northern Cheyenne Reservation in October of 1906 and relocated to the Cheyenne Agency Reservation of South Dakota.
Ogima Little Bear could do nothing to stop what eventually occurred. White historians are so corrupted about Chippewa history, they have resorted to classifying ogima Little Bear and the Chippewa's under his leadership, as being Cree or a distinct tribe. Ogima Little Bear's father was Chippewa and he told an interviewer his mother was a Chippewa from Wisconsin. You only need to read William W. Warrens 19th century book "History of the Ojibway People" to learn that the northern most Chippewa's were named the O-ma-ski-goes or Swampy People. The whites corrupted the important information by changing "Swampy People" to "Swampy Cree." As expected, the exodus off the Flathead Reservation did occur. Major violence was avoided as a result of the early preparations.
A mystery it may be but in fact the United States did attempt to set aside a small Chippewa Reservation within the Flathead Reservation in 1904. They really wanted to allot over 4,000 acres evidently. The rip off year of 1904! What the United States did in 1904, was ratify the so called ten cent an acre treaty, which had its origins back in the time period between 1887 and 1892, when the United States tried to coerce ogimak Little Bear, Little Shell III and other Anishinabe ogimak, into signing away their land. They refused and the United States hired 32 Chippewa leaders to sign the illicit treaty. The Crow Reservation lost the northern part of their Reservation in 1904. The Red Lake Reservation lost much of their Reservation in 1904. The Rosebud Reservation lost much of their Reservation in 1904. The Wind River Reservation lost much of their land in 1904. The Shoshone leader who signed the agreement was murdered.
What really occurred in 1904, was the Flathead Reservation Land Act. It forced the Chippewa's and other Indians living on the Flathead Reservation, to accept land allotments which ranged in size from 80 to 160 acres. The Chippewa's under ogima Charlo's leadership, became enraged. They knew what that meant. They knew the Flathead Reservation's surplus land would be sold to the whites and the Indians could eventually sell their allotments to the whites. The Chippewa's protested strongly. After ogima Charlo died in 1910, the United States opened up the Flathead Reservation to white settlement. The Flathead Reservation was destroyed excepting the mountainous terrain. An event occurred in 1908 which could have led to an Indian War on the Flathead Reservation.
A group of supposed Pend d'Oreilles (they were really Chippewa's who fled the Flathead Reservation), were caught off Reservation hunting in the Swan Valley which borders the Flathead Reservation on the east slopes of the Mission Mountains. The 8 Chippewa's had supposedly purchased hunting permits which they showed to the game warden and a few deputized citizens who accompanied him. They supposedly went off on their hunting trip in September of 1908. They were not the only Chippewa's hunting in the Swan Valley or Seely Valley, at the time. Many others were doing likewise. Chippewa ogimak were aware of the intentions of the whites and knew the Flathead Reservation would soon be destroyed. Ogima Charlo may have played a role in this tragedy. He claimed in an interview, that he rather relocate to the plains of Montana than to the Flathead Reservation. He was still alive in 1908. By October, the whites had realized something else had transpired. Charles Peyton (the Game Warden) and the deputized citizens, went looking for the Chippewa's who were now using the Swan Valley for hunting. They found one of their camps in the Swan Valley. He demanded the proof they had permits to hunt which they did. However, Peyton returned the next day in the mood for killing.
Peyton told the Chippewa's to leave the Swan Valley by the next day when he warned he would return again. The Chippewa's supposedly agreed to pack their belongings but before they could get everything ready, Peyton returned as he warned. He enterred their camp shooting his gun. He meant to kill which means historians are not being honest about this historical event. In the first moments, two of the Chippewa's were shot and eventually died. A third Chippewa man was killed after he tried to reach for his gun. The 13 year old son of one of the Chippewa men killed, got his gun and shot Peyton in the stomach. A deputy then shot and killed the 13 year old boy. One of the wifes of the Chippewa's killed, got her a gun and finished off Peyton. She killed him dead on. This event led to the following.
At the time (1908), the United States was having all kinds of problems with the Montana Chippewa Indians. They sent Indian Agent Frank Churchill to Montana to negotiate with ogima Rocky Boy in 1908-1909. Churchill requested from the government of the United States, to withdraw all of Valley County, Montana from white settlement and to have a 2,160 sq. mi., Chippewa Reservation set aside in the same said county, for the Chippewa's from western Montana (Flathead Reservation) and southwestern Montana, and Idaho (the Couer d'Alene Reservation). The government of the United States agreed. The Chippewa's from western and southwestern Montana and Idaho, could not reach their new Reservation in Valley County because the railroad owners charged too much. Many didn't want to relocate. What likely occurred was a forced relocation of the Chippewa's who fled to the Swan Valley, to Helena, soon after the Swan Valley Massacre. They were held as POWS at Fort Harrison until November of 1909. In November of 1909, upwards to 200 Chippewa's were forced to relocate to the Blackfeet Reservation, where they were set aside a new Reservation between where St. Mary, Babb and the Canadian border are located. It covers around 20 sq. mi. It is located in a thin valley between St. Mary and the Canadian border. It is about one mile or more in width in some locations, and about 16 miles in length, between St. Mary and the Canadian border.
Montana has three groups of Chippewa's who are not recognized by the government of the United States. The Little Shell are the most widely known but there are two other groups. One is the Ah-on-te-way and the other who are from western (the Flathead Reservation) and southwestern Montana, are the Swan Creek & Black (River) Creek Chippewa's of Montana. At first when i learned about the Swan Creek & Black River Chippewa's of Montana, i thought they were the Swan Creek & Black River Chippewa's who relocated to Kansas, from Michigan, in 1838-1839. However, after learning that a creek just south of the Bitterroot Valley has the name Black Creek and another creek about 20 miles south of Bozeman, has the name Swan Creek, i have changed my opinion. The Montana Swan Creek & Black Creek Chippewa's, are obviously the Native Americans mentioned in the 1855 Hellgate Treaty. Of course, i'm referring to the proposed Reservation to be set aside if found to be desirable. It all makes sense when you put the puzzle together. Ogima Rocky Boy claimed he was born between Anaconda and Butte. It is what ogima Little Bear told the whites in Butte about 100 years ago that stands out. He claimed his father, ogima Big Bear, lived along the Snake River in Idaho and relocated up to southwestern Montana. That probably occurred during the 1862-1868 Snake River War.
In 1909, nearly 150 Chippewa's were gathered near Helena (Fort Harrison which was holding the Chippewa's as POWS) to relocate on to a new Reservation supposedly located on the Blackfeet Reservation. Those Anishinabe people who relocated to the new Reservation were supposedly set aside a small Reservation on the Blackfeet Reservation near where Babb and St. Mary are. Ogima Rocky Boy and the Chippewa's from Helena, arrived at Browning on November 13, 1909 and were not at all pleased about their predicament. They supposedly numbered 118 in all. Including those under ogima Little Bears leadership, they may have numbered close to 200. They had to accept land allotments. Rocky Boy and Little Bear did not take kindly to the thought of having direct land allotments handed out to individual Chippewa's because they knew the whites would allow them to sell the land to whites.
In 1909, around 11,500 acres was supposedly allotted to the Chippewa's on the Babb Chippewa Reservation. The land allotments were obviously around 40 to 80 acres each. After the news about land allotments being mandatory, concerned Chippewa leaders reacted by following prophecy. Groups of Chippewa's commenced an exodus off the Reservation. That occurred in 1910 and continued up to 1912. They were eventually established the Rocky Boy Reservation in 1916. Ogima Rocky Boy continued to live on the Babb Chippewa Reservation, after the Chippewa's commenced the exodus off the Reservation. He, along with ogima Little Bear, demanded that the United States government set aside a new closed Anishinabe Reservation for the Chippewa's who fled from the Babb Reservation. The whites, who were tired of the constant Anishinabe diasporas, gave in and established the closed Rocky Boy Reservation which may be a part of the 2,160 sq. mi., Chippewa Reservation Franck Churchill helped get established for the Chippewa's of Montana, in Valley County, Montana. In 1909, the Fort Belknap Reservation was located partially in Valley County, Montana. It was probably enlarged to include what is now the Rocky Boy Reservation.
About the land allotments! The area between Babb and St. Mary, is tucked between the mountains of Galcier National Park and the high hills to the east. A narrow mountain valley is situated between Babb and St. Mary and Lower St. Mary Lake is between the two settlements and covers a good deal of land. The lake is over 5 miles long and in some spots about a mile in width. Very little farm land was available between the two settlements which means land to the north of Babb and south of St. Mary, had to be involved. About 20 sq. mi., was allotted to individual Chippewa's in order for them to farm. Even now there is a lack of farms in the area north of Babb where the Canadian border commences, down to St. Mary. Besides the 20 sq. mi., allotted, the remaining part of the Reservation was left alone. Where is it? The map below is a map of the Babb zip code area. About three miles east of Babb is Duck Lake. It has up to 100 housing units around the lake. Many are owned by non Indians. Many are used as cottages by vacationers. The Indian population around Duck Lake is difficult to calculate for many reasons. A white population lives around Duck Lake but most whites who live around Duck Lake do so only temporarily. The lake is famous for its fishing. Babb is where ogima Little Bear returned to his native country (Montana) in 1885, after the 1885 Northwest Rebellion. Babb is also where a great many of the Chippewa's who were deported in 1896, settled down to live in 1896. The Indians who live on the Babb Chippewa Reservation, have probably lost their Chippewa Tribal Identity.
Babb Chippewa Reservation
Covers: 198.5 sq. mi.
Population: 2010 census 460. Native Americans including Hispanic, 329.
Settlements include the following:
Babb
Duck Lake
Peigan Crossing
St. Mary