We have many visitors tell us stories about birds of prey. Some tell us about their collections of owl figurines or eagle paintings. Some have more unusual stories.
Recently a gentleman stopped by the World Bird Sanctuary to show us a family heirloom and share an interesting story. His grandfather, Fred Roscoe Smith, had been a homesteader out near Billings, Montana, between 1900 and 1916.
Homesteaders could get large tracts of farmland for free, as long as they lived on the land. Some homesteaders built their homes on skids so that they could move the homes and claim even more acreage. During one very rough winter, Mr. Smith was running low on supplies. He had only a bucket of beans and some dried meat to get him through the last month of winter.
Mr. Smith showed kindness during these last winter months that bestowed upon him a gift that has been handed down through his family since. During the last month of winter, with his supplies very low, and barely able to see himself through the winter, Mr. Smith was visited by a group of Native Americans from the Crow Nation. They were starving. Mr. Smith shared his last food with these men, who stayed for a few weeks.
Mr. Smith admitted that he was alone and unsure of the intentions of these men, who had stayed so long. He moved to a neighbor's homestead for the last few weeks of winter, leaving the remaining food for his visitors.
A prized possession left by a grateful band of Crow warriors
Mr. Smith returned when the weather warmed. The men were gone, but had left behind a gift of a full feathered headdress and a buffalo hide warrior's shield. The shield had a rough stain drawing of an eagle on it, along with a vulture and turkey feather.
We took some photographs of this shield, which Mr. Smith's grandson came to show us. You can see the profile of an eagle's head, wing, body and feet.
It was a great pleasure to meet Mr. Smith's grandson and hear his positive story of people struggling together to overcome a harsh environment.
Submitted by Joe Hoffmann, Sanctuary Manager
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