First the Powder Then the Ball

The area around our home on Hebgen Lake was known as “Burnt Hole” in the fur trade era. “Holes” were large parks or open areas popular with mountain men. Today some of these areas are Jackson Hole, Pierre’s Hole and Gardiner’s Hole. These valleys were scenic and favored hunting grounds. Even today we get less snow and wind here in the “Burnt Hole” than the town of West Yellowstone just 16 miles away. So that makes this area nearly tropical, but forget the tomatoes and bananas.

I’m very fortunate to live in this historic and scenic area, a crossroad for Indian tribes. Crow passed through here to visit Nez Percé’ tribes in Idaho and in turn Nez Percé’ passed through on their way to the buffalo plains. Blackfeet raided through here to the south and the well-known Bannock Trail crossed Targhee Pass. The Nez Percé’ retreated through Yellowstone Park in 1877 after the Battle of Big Hole and Blackfeet harassed trappers until small pox weakened them.

The admonition to load a “smoke hole” was “”First the powder, then the ball”. I can’t even imagine how many “pork eaters” and “pilgrims” had to worm a ball out of a riffle they had neglected to charge with black powder first. Let’s hope our character in painting has changed his piece before he seats the ball. Things could get dicey otherwise… and they need their horses.