Blackfoot Warriors vs. Mountain Man : The Brutal Death of George Druillard
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- Опубликовано: 29 ноя 2024
- A legendary mountain man ventures out alone into Blackfoot Territory...only to meet a terrible fate.
MUSIC
"Waltz For Zachariah" by Blue Dot Sessions
Link to Patreon:
/ hokc
Link to Sources:
"A Life Wild and Perilous" by Robert M. Utley
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Thanks for sharing this story.
I knew a little of this history..... But your narration and historical accuracy - second to none. Thank you . Subscribed.
Found your channel around a week ago, been binge watching since. Love it, appreciate your work
I absolutely love this channel. Always a great story told by a great storyteller.
George was my Great great Uncle, my fathers entire side of the family were all born and raised in Windsor Ontario. I am proud of our families heritage, when I hear how my uncle died I realize how brave he must have been to adopt such a dangerous daily routine.
I greatly enjoyed this video. I find the stories of the mountain men fascinating.
I cant wait! I've been fascinated be Georg Druillard ever since i was s seasonal at Lewis and Clark Wood River State Historic site. So many of the members met an early death either on the frontier or in the war of 1812. Pumped to learn more I dont know much about his death other than the basics!
New fort or old fort at Wood River? Helped build the old fort years back. Had a lot of fun there.
I worked at the one right one the wood river by the confluence tower right outside of Hartford. The fort was built in the early 2000s along with the settlers cabin. Was that the one??
The one we built was along RT 3 by the lagoons in Wood River. The river used to come out just below the new lock n dam at Skinny Island till the earthquake hit n it changed the rivers channel to the Hartford site. I used to hunt arrowheads on the site your talkin about back in the 70’s across from Chemico plant.
@@geraldrector6170 gotcha! I belive that sight might still have a sign up but no buildings. All of the staff had been wondeing as well so that explains that! And that must have been fun i bet there was a quite a few.
Drouillard was the best paid member of the L&C expedition. He received a monthly captain salary just the same as Lewis & Clark themselves.
Included in his duties was to provide 300 lbs of meat every second day. He would hunt and kill every bear they encountered even if it meant slowing down the whole expedition.
He also spoke Spanish on top of French, English and half a dozen indigenous languages. Sacajawea and him were both indispensable to the expedition.
Lewis had a very high opinion of Druillard and said that he, (Druillard), was by far the best hunter on the expedition.
Excellent as always 👏👏👏 Keep up your fantastic work 👍
My great grandmother was a Blackfoot orphan that was sent to a catholic orphanage in the east. She was born in the early 1880s.
great channel, love the narration and music, looking forward to more!!
Fun Fact
Beaver are the most Sacred animal to the Blackfoot and there are lots of stories like this.
I am Blackfoot and we still hold our ceremony
If he ever ran across Del Gue, ol' Del could have told him how the Blackfeet hammered him into the ground up to his neck. He told Jeremiah Johnson that it twert Mormons that put there, he also added that he had a fine horse under him.
you know how to skin griz?
@@z-z-z-z You sure are a cocky pilgrim to be so hungry. Thar she be, go on get warm in the cabin. Get something to eat. Now,l have a chore to finish. You say you can skin grizz? Just as fast as you can catch 'em.
That next scene always has me a laughing. Skin that 'en, and l'll get cha a nother!
I think he was just overconfident in his abilities and stubborn enough not to consider safety in numbers.
I enjoyed hearing about this sad account, thank you!
This is a cool channel & very well narrated. Keep up the good work!
Thank you very much!!
100% agree these stories and narrative is amazing keep it up, i also need a daily dose lol
And beautiful illustrations.
Pretty work. I love it
I second that, very interesting stuff.
The artwork in this video is awesome!❤
Reminds me of the photographer/ painter who wondered too far off the the Bozeman Trail during Red Cloud's War and was found beheaded.
That reminds me to boycott the RUST movie
I love this channel. You're educating me and that's important because we were never taught the truth when I was young and in school. Thank you 💛 for your excellent work.
You are so welcome
If you ran into Blackfeet back then, you better turn and run as fast as you can in the other direction.
Great narration. His refusal to stay together killed him.
Thank you!
Stupidly stubborn.
He died a free man great story for a great man hats off to all those men
@@williamsnyder4890 if only we could all be as free as those mountaineers
perhaps, but its also the reason you know his name
Read French Canadian historian Serge Bouchard, he did extensive research on Drouillard and he wasn’t alone when he died fighting, he was with two young warriors and they were going to avenge the murder of one of their own.
Engines did alot of that….gettin’justice for kilt and skelped relatives…
@@mariedelozier2530 spelling and grammar!!! Holy
Mike, your grammar ain't any better with all those "!!!" at the end of the sentence. Hahaha
@@Kickyourass484 you are incorrect
@@mariedelozier2530 They lived by the law of vendetta.
I'm a member of the female line of the Drouillard family, and I'm related to them by mother's maternal line. So this is a very personal one for me.
Awsome
If true. Very cool and interesting
That’s extraordinary!
It's tough at the top..a hard job but someone's gotta do it. We have the bravest people in life to commit to most difficult missions . Bless you George.
Métis from Alberta here. You have a great channel and well narrated videos! Perhaps his fault was due to the mythology of the time (that certain individuals had supernatural powers) combined with that confidence that comes from hundreds of safe days in the field.
There’s strength in numbers and in the western frontier it seems it was either weapons tech or numbers that survived.
Hello Alberta! Thank you so much! And thank you for watching !
There's strength in numbers?
Well, Canada's immigration rate has been 3x it's birth rate for 10 years.
im metis from mantioba my ancestor we all know is louis riel believe it or not lol
My dad's grandfather went west to see what was there as a young man. He was born in 1869 in Pennsylvania. He told dad about an experience he had in Montana. The story told to me by my dad goes like this.
He was on horseback and came to a bend in a river and saw a canoe floating by. He talked about seeing 2 Indians in it that appeared to be dead. Dad said his grandfather described in detail how he saw one of the dead persons arm over the canoe side with the hand in the river just floating along calmly. After the canoe got out of sight a "mountain man" appeared out of the brush and asked Dad's grandfather if he saw some Indians floating downriver. He said "yes" and the mountain man asked if they looked dead and again answered "yes". Dad's grandfather asked why he was concerned about them being dead and the mountain man showed him his hands had only fingers with no thumbs. He said he was at a rendezvous and slapped a child that turned out to be the Chief's son. The punishment was being hung up by his thumbs. He told Dad's grandfather that he killed every Indian he saw after that. Dad's grandfather ended up working at a copper mine for a time in Montana.
Dad's grandfather lived near the family and died in 1945 when dad was 17 years old. Dad had a great memory for family history, so I cannot doubt this happened. I have researched a little bit and so far have not found a "thumbless mountain man".
Whoa!!! We will look into this! Such a cool story. Thank you so much for sharing this! You come from hardy stock!
@@historyattheokcorral I also know my grandmother's cousin was John Turnow from western Washington. Dad told me what he heard about the Wild man of the Wynoochee
Brules, in the tradition of Louis L'Amour and Zane Gray, Harry Combs has crafted a sweeping novel of the Old West that is rich in the detail that fans of the genre have grown to love. Set in Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico between 1867 and 1876, Brules is the story of a young gunslinger and mountain man seeking his fortune in the Rockies. "great read, a sharpshooter, hat avenges his friends death. "
Why not refer to your father's "grandfather" as your "great grandfather"?
@@ku7p I never really gave the word "great" a lot of thought when I revealed what Dad told me. I probably should have used the that term. I have nothing but pride for my familial roots. Thank you for making me think a little more this morning.
What a tremendous video! I would relate George Drouillard to an undefeated boxer that had become over confident in there own abilities and end up getting KO'd. Like Tyson vs Douglass. But this isnt boxing and their is no ref to step in and save the fighter.
George was considered the best shot, and fastest runner in the Lewis Clark Expedition. He had been in several gunfights, been a bounty hunter, and escaped alive. He was one of only 30 some men in thet to transcontinentaly travel the country.
It makes sense that he could get an inflated opinion of his skills. He was one of the greatest moutian to ever do it.
I feels like i finally have complete picture of his life now thank you so much!
I love your videos. Sounds like he was well aware of the risks. It’s sad how he died, but he chose to go it alone.
He knew that he was going against the local Indian's rules and he was in dangerous territory.
So, he only had himself to blame for his misfortune. The Indians were only trying to protect
their resources and their way of life.
I think he was an intruder who underestimated his enemy----
Since the Blackfoot, Cheyenne, and Comanche never adopted an agrarian lifestyle, and were reliant on the bison, and other game of the plains, they were very protective of their hunting grounds--- They didn't tolerate the mountain men, or the settlers that followed them-----
Very well done
George Drouillard was the son of Pierre Drouillard. During the American Revolution, Pierre - who sided with the British - once saved the life of the famous American frontiersmen, Simon Kenton. Kenton was once a prisoner of the Shawnee, and they aimed to torture Kenton at the stake, but Drouillard - who had a lot of sway and prestige within the Shawnee tribe - convinced the Indians that the frontiersman was too valuable a prisoner to be burned. As a result, Drouillard, along with a few Shawnee warriors, British soldiers, and some traders, transported Simon Kenton to Fort Detroit where he was handed over to the British commander. The Shawnee warriors stuck around the fort thinking they'd eventually get their prisoner back (they still wanted to burn him), but this never happened. After about a month or so, Pierre sent the Shawnees back to the Ohio country. The warriors were sore disappointed; they wailed and complained like little children, so Drouillard - who was a trader - sent them away with a bunch of gifts and trinkets in order to appease them.
As for Simon Kenton, he remained tight-lipped about the frontier defenses south of the Ohio River, and he revealed little information to the British commander at Detroit. Ostensibly, Kenton was a prisoner there, but no one really guarded him, and he wasn't placed in any kind of jail - he actually stayed at Drouillard's cabin. After some months passed, the rangy frontiersmen eventually made his way back to Kentucky. Simon Kenton and Pierre Drouillard became close friends, and Kenton owed the French Canadian a huge debt of gratitude for the rest of his long life.
Historically speaking, it stands to reason Simon Kenton was probably good friends with George Drouillard as well.
Yes we decided to cut that from this episide bc we want to do a Simon Kenton episode soon!
@@historyattheokcorral Why cut? Let the episodes mesh and intermingle. The way in which historical figures and historical events will sometimes connect with each other is one of the most fascinating things about history.
Thank you for all your hard work.
Averest and lust for money knowing full well what the consequence would some day be. Much appreciation for the story. New subscriber.
since we hear that he was with lewis and clark, he should have known better than to be anywhere around there, alone or not
after lewis killed a blackfoot, they made it a point to take out every trapper and voyager they encountered, and they were good at it
They went where the beaver were, and the Blackfoot country was full of mountain streams with beaver.
The Blackfoot controlled a large area and would defend it from all other indians and whites.. It wasnt untll the intro of small pox and the death of a large number did they lose their power to war with all.
Blackfeet didn't like anyone from everything I've read and heard...
@@tomsmith5216 true. They decided that it was a practical policy, which became enculturated.
I just love this old history I'm fascinated by it love hearing about these brave men & women of the frontier, awesome channel glad I found it!
Thank you very much!!
Fun fact beaver pelts were the original reason but in the revnents and other such times like the 1800's it was commercial hunting. Fur traders or traders worked with and allied themselves with native American tribes. In the Revenant and this story it would be mass hunting if buffalo to force Comanche and many more hostile teibes out of the plains.
Also you mention European trappers and native Americans you should research the Metis the very people you are talking about.
If you're outnumbered you can only last so long. Take as many of them as possible and don't get taken alive
As a descendant of George Drouillard thank you for this information. Gerard S Drouillard
Your channel is such a gem I always look forward to it, I’m glad I subscribed keep it up
Like any other seasoned local hunter, operating deep within the wilderness, he took calculated risks. Which he largely based upon a rather optimistic cost/benefit assessment. He could just as easily have suffered a riding accident, or been attacked by other non human predators. His luck just ran out that day but he still managed to fall like any true Brave!
If I remember right Druillard and Coulter were the two meat hunters on the core of discovery. These guys were used to being alone.
Colter nearly met the same fate. He was just a better runner :)
He was obviously highly experienced and a very brave man. But, probably took too many chances. Ever hear the old saying about 'Old Bold Pilots" ?
He’s all of the above and he’s the best example of fate for these guys they were braver than anyone else and they took chances
Trapping beaver in another man's territory is like digging for gold in another man's mine.
Definitely going to provoke a reaction if he caught you.
thanks for the video, don't know as much about this tribe as I'd like,....
Sad fate, but there's something to be admired about being able to live in the wild.
Great stuff dude 🎉
Wow! Just found your site. Excellent.
What? Trespassing on land they new not to be in and alone because of personal hubris and conceit? What could possibly go wrong?
The native americans deserved most of the invasion and violence. They killed each other for years before settlers and trappers showed up anyways. Pagans always get uprooted and destroyed. (Happening now too)
Right lol....
"There are old men, and there are bold men.
But there are no old bold men"
Of course their are. Ridiculous saying.
In old times the country of the Blackfeet was a dangerous place for men to go, now it is Chicago.
Still Blackfeet territory
Hence the "Buddy System" was validated!
Can you do more videos on the Blackfoot no one talks about them. We were right fucking solid, on both sides of my family my great great great grandfathers both fought in the Battle of the belly river.
Mountain men were aware of the dangers when it came to the Blackfeet. After the men returned to camp from checking traps they would report, especially if they discovered horse tracks or moccasin tracks. With no reports of indians in the vicinity I think Druillard probably felt the risk was low.
We're called savages for a reason. I like to refer to it as early Castle Doctrine or Stand Your Ground.
Settlers and Trappers were merely thiefs on a land occupied and inhabited by us for thousands of years and needed to be dealt with like farmers and ranchers deal with pest and predators that destroy their livelihood.
Great narration and stories here.
Would you apply that justification to all illegal incomers - say those crossing from Mexico?
I do agree
They also did it to each other, such as the Comanche driving the Apache from the plains.
He lived by his terms. On another given day he might have fared better, just takes once unfortunately.
This was my first video and love it. I've been buckskinning for many years and have books on the old mountain man but haven't heard this story. Looks like he gambled played out his hand and lost.
Thank you for watching!
When so many of your colleagues turned up dead, and you've been warned many times --possibly even breaking contract by not trapping and surveying in a group of four--it's hard to say that you died of anything but your own hubris.
You've made a subscriber of me with your well researched and impeccably written narration.
Thank you!!
How many people today would say no when their boss says go do something weird? 2, 20, 100 people before you have been ok. So, why not do it?
@@ironnerd8336 Ok, but we're talking the potential of death and possible torture. Plus, he was warned. I still say death by hubris.
@@MrW781 I have seen people in tennis shoes walk onto caustic, foamed floors because their supervisor told them they needed to.
Hubris or need?
Is it a question of blaming a trapping company or the employees?
@@ironnerd8336 Dude, the guy in question went out by his lonesome many, many times after being told to specifically travel in groups of 4. His employers told him not to trap alone, but he didn't listen. He was subsequently killed. Not sure I understand why you are blaming the company.
It was just life in the wild. Civilized people have a hard time "getting it". Somedays you eat the bear, somedays the bear eats you. We are not far from those days and ways, and we're sliding towards them now. Tribalism is returning. It's basically, "No one is coming to save you. You must fend for yourself".
you as a civilized person have a soft or hard time "getting it"?
That sounds like the opposite of tribalism.
Sometimes I feel like “Civilization” only exists because we collectively pretend it does. Life is always “in the wild,” as you say.
And I understand. Tribalism is a precursor to war and the hell that comes with it.
So I try to believe in Civilization while preparing for the worst case scenario.
I feel you. ✌️ watch your back 👍 👍
You have my subscription sir! Well done.
Much appreciated!!
He just got a bit to confident. The cutting up and mutilation was a form of terror and it had some spiritual significance. Black Elk a famous spiritual leader of the Lakota spoke about this practice of the native people with abhorrence.
I wonder what the homicide rate was, within the native cultures. And what their internal justice system was.
The willingness to prey on humans surely must have been manifest within their own nations occasionally.
Thank you for a well thought out, background loaded narrative. Seems the Blackfoot did not like their lands trespassed upon, just like any of us wouldn't.
If you’re an American then you still are😂
Trespassing that is!
@@JaEDLanc false, the so called native Americans are not native because they killed the people that were here before them.
And they were constantly fighting with each other, there were well over five hundred different tribes and they all fought with each other all the time, the land was not settled.
Also before the Europeans showed up no one stayed in one place the so-called native Moved around all the time like nomads.
@@JaEDLanc No it's been taken by force permanently.
Natives supposedly didn’t believe in land ownership
@jaymac2277 they didn't have deeds, if that is what you are talking about. That doesn't mean a tribe had no interest in maintaining the resources that sustained them. It's a European fantasy that the Native Americans were just wondering savages who didn't occupy any area for long. Most had been on the same land for hundreds, if not thousands of years before European contact. It was the disruptions that contact caused and the depopulation from disease and war that started the mass migrations of the 18th and 19th centuries. The 'wandering tride' theory fit into the European idea of an 'empty land' just waiting for white people to take it. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
Today's society portrays American Indians as not savage and barbaric, yet, when you look at actual history, the opposite is true.
Did you ever hear of the Sand Creek Massacre?
American soldiers were responsible.
They were extremely savage and barbaric, it was their way of life, survival. The tribes very often warred amongst each other. Taking slaves was also a way of life for them.
They say the same about white men , BUT, no indigenous native ever started two world wars ... 🤔
Very well done documentary, I am sure that many mountain men and plainsmen had a similar end over the decades.
These were very tough and determined men, some with families that had to be fed, obviously disappointed with the big fur companies stranglehold over their meagre income, probably some of these men decided to get better paid for the danger and work involved. The rest as they say, is history. RIP George.
Well...I think George's last words were probably something like "Well, shiit. That didn't work." which are the last words of many of us.
Why does the person always get disemboweled and beheaded and not just live happily ever after?
Once you've been disemboweled and beheaded, it's not easy to live happily.
For one, it sends a message to the dead men's companions.
Two, it is a spiritual act. When a warrior is killed in battle he will go to the next life without his hands, feet and head. Without your hands, feet and head you can not make war against your enemy. Also taking of the head could be it is a memento of the battle or proof of a coup.
For the most part enemy tribes gave no quarter to one another.
The happily ever after aren't as interesting.
I have a bastardized version of his last name, and have always been fascinated. I don't know why it took me so long to see if someone had done some work on YT about him, but I'm glad I finally did. If there's any chance you might be willing to share sources, please let me know. Thanks for being interested in such minute but wild details of history.
Who got the money if the trapper died in the field? Did they send it to next of kin, or did the fur company keep it, or did the other trappers take it?
Enjoyed your historical account of how one Mountain Man. Met he demise at the hands of the Blackfoot Native Tribe. To be honest the Blackfoot probably didn't appreciate strangers hunting and trapping without permission on their land. It would be thought of as stealing from them I would assume. Hence they made an example of George. Leaving his headless body to be discovered mutilated. The native tribes probably had enough of people taking Beaver etc from their land. They decided to push back to hopefully stop those trespassing on Blackfoot land. 💪🏻🙏🏻✨
The Blackfoot seemed to have been the strongest of the northern most First Nations. Kinda like the Comanche, they seem to be more brutal than their neighbors. Perhaps brutality was key to which tribes were able to gain supremacy on the plains. Granted it was also possible he was killed by Gros Ventre. Druillard had lived an extraordinary life. I fear he may have gotten too cocky, hence committing the mistake of trespassing
You aren't wrong about the Blackfeet. Siksikas and Piegans were treacherous. All my Crow, Shoshone, and Cheyenne friends agree with you.
@@enemy5971 Never! Sorry I forgot Piikani.. A'ho.
@@enemy5971 My friend Sonny is Gro Ventre. RIP. Rez life is usually short.
Lost his head
100% profit, got him 100% dead!
George likely coined the phrase- " no risk, No reward! :)
You got your good days, and your not so good days.
Great job love Early American History.
He was a combination of cocky, greedy and a fool.
He was all of the above he was the beginning of all things to come🤔
He was an invader just like the Greezers on our Southern border.
Never knew a guy from my hometown was part of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Good stuff.
Hey yo,
Fuckin excellent. Well done. Much obliged.
I like the Voice it is easy for an Aussie to understand. and doesn't have the horrible vocal fry. that seems to be infiltrating every English speaking country.
I got the impression that he was killed while on the trek with Louis and Clark.
Maybe I missed something, but the Corps of Discovery had only one casualty who died from appendicitis
It really didn’t matter if he was by himself or with a group of 4. Chances of survival was pretty much null. These fur companies have been ripping off everyone in the fur trade since the beginning of time. And the only way to get ahead was to do alone. Cool story but, too short😊
We're working longer episodes! Check out our most recent!
@@historyattheokcorral will do, thanks 😊
Good vid , interesting thanks!
I suspect that a man who choose to live free, no tax man, no one to tell what he cannot do or what he must do had few regrets.
Actually, he got shown and told what not to do, and he was taxed his life as payment for it ..
They are never called a black foot, even one person of the tribe is called a Black Feet.
Tomatoes tomatos
Blackfoot is an indigenous tribe in Alberta, Canada.. it’s a completely different tribe than Blackfeet..
@@ZippetyZoppetyZopnot really.
Actually the Blackfoot/Blackfeet tribe is made up of 4 tribes/bands. (1) Siksika (Blackfoot) (2) Kainai (Many Chiefs) (3) Piikani (Skinny Robes or scabby robes) (4) Aamskapipiikani (Across the border piikani) *called Blackfeet by the US*
All 4 tribes/bands are collectivity known as Siksikaitsitapi (Blackfoot-Speaking People) or Niitsitapi (real people)
@@juiceman104 I know many Blackfoot and they do not consider themselves to be the same as the pikanii or Blackfeet. They consider themselves to be very different. What do you mean not really?
We are Blackfoot and not Blackfeet
Blackfeet are Amskapii-Piikani but still Piikani
We are the Blackfoot confederacy
We Banded with no one we never took Sides
But Siksikaitsitapi was Ultimate and there is a Reason why we were the Last to be found on this continent.
We still hold all of our Warrior Societies and Dances
The Sioux (Sitting bull) came here and still reside here on our Territory after they killed General Custer
That's a historical Fact
We are aware of the Blackfoot/Blackfeet distinction, but many seem not to be. We sincerely thank you for watching and hope this story did your peoples history justice.
@@historyattheokcorral this comment was for the Know it all in your comments.
I liked this story
Thank you!!
Subscribed
Even a great fighter can't overcome three men, in most cases
Sandwich Town Windsor Ont...had many pints there
Are you planning to do a video on Bill Williams? He's another trapper that spent a lot of time out by himself.
Oh ABSOLUTELY we are!
@@historyattheokcorral I can't wait!
Le vrai nom ou the real name de Druillard est is Drouillard en Francais!!!
Those were tough men. They knew the risks, and were willing to take them for the chance at getting rich...which few, if any, achieved. Most went in groups, or hired on to fur companies.
Won't do that again😵💫
All of the above and what hasn't been said or thought of
Just a poor bastard that got caught up in some bull shit he was probably right most days but for what ever reason we will never no there was no talking his way out and what happened, happened
It's Blackfeet,not Blackfoot
It was foolish to enter Blackfeet lands without first asking permission with all due respect. The results were tragic and appalling. They could not be worse, but we are more saddened still to know that the Shawnee and Blackfeet were both Algonquian-speaking peoples--- distantly related. Perhaps if Drouillard had been more humble and diplomatic he could have been more successful.
Gros Ventre, Cheyenne and Arapaho are also Algonquian.
I'm a little "Native American" nerdy. It bothers me a little when people say Blackfoot. My buddy laughs and says "We have two".😂😂
Your comment is very long for such an ignorant opinion. Perhaps if you knew more than you think you do, it might be halfway intelligible.