Background
William Thomas Hamilton was born on December 6, 1822, in the north of England, and his parents brought him to the United States when he was two years old. He was of mixed Scotch and English ancestry.
(In his concise, richly detailed memoir My Sixty Years on ...)
In his concise, richly detailed memoir My Sixty Years on the Plains fur-trapper W. T. Hamilton - also known as ‘Wildcat Bill’ - gives the reader a first-hand account of life outdoors in the Old West. From trailblazing to trading with Indians, Hamilton relates how a mountain man relied on his wits and specialized knowledge in order survive the inhospitable environments.
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(In 1900, famous mountain man William Thomas Hamilton publ...)
In 1900, famous mountain man William Thomas Hamilton published an article in the journal, Contributions to the Historical Society of Montana, No 3, about his 1858 expedition among the Indians, which proceeded from Fort Walla Walla to the Blackfoot Country of Montana and return. This article has been reprinted here for the convenience of the reader who may not have time to acquire and read the entire journal volume. As Hamilton introduces the article, "I received an appointment as secret Indian detective with pay as scout, and was ordered to proceed through the different tribes of Indians to the Blackfoot Nation, east of the Rocky Mountains and report on the condition and disposition of the different tribes visited..." William Thomas Hamilton (1822—1908) had spent nearly all his life on the plains and mountains as mountain man, Indian fighter, trapper, and trader, having originally gone west at age 20 with legendary mountain man Bill Williams. In 1858 he joined the US Army forces against the Indians in the Yakima and Spokane War, rendering special services as a scout. At the conclusion of the war, the commander of the United States forces at Fort Walla Walla was desirous of learning the attitude of the tribes to the east of Walla Walla and beyond the Rocky Mountains to the famous buffalo ranges of the Missouri, and engaged Hamilton as a scout to make a trip among them and report any information on this point which could be ascertained. The following pages deal almost exclusively with the experiences of this expedition. On this journey it was often necessary to travel incognito, as Hamilton relates: “In order to save our pack outfits I had McKay fix up like an Indian which pleased the Kootenai warriors. A young buck assisted me in transforming myself into a Kootenai warrior. McKay swore I was the best looking warrior in the village and many of the leading warriors were taken back at my appearance.” When Hamilton first suggested the expedition Sheridan and others thought it would be a fool-hardy undertaking under the present state of affairs. Hamilton replied "Yes for any person not acquainted with the Indians and who could not converse with them." Hamilton was then credited with being the most expert sign talker among the Indians. The knowledge of the sign language is necessary to mountaineers and scouts. It assists them in extricating themselves from many difficult dilemmas. These skills would indeed turn out to be very necessary in the councils, negotiation, skirmishes, and horrors he would encounter on this harrowing and epic journey through territories inhabited by numerous hostile tribes. Friendly Indians had tried to warn Hamilton against continuing the journey, stating that "we must be very careful from now on, as Blackfeet, Piegans and Snake Indians were liable to steal our stock, if they did not take our scalps." Hamilton had replied in typical mountain man bravado telling them that "taking scalps was a two handed game."
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William Thomas Hamilton was born on December 6, 1822, in the north of England, and his parents brought him to the United States when he was two years old. He was of mixed Scotch and English ancestry.
William grew up in St. Louis and went to school there.
William's health was delicate and in 1842 with hopes of improving it his father sent him to the Northwest with a band of "free” trappers. Bill Williams, a shrewd and clever trader and a man of courage and prestige on the frontier, headed the party. They traded first with the Cheyennes on the North Platte and later crossed into the Green River country. As “free” traders they were continually opposed by agents of the large fur companies, but by superior skill they obtained all the fur for which they could pay. The years from 1842 to 1845 determined Hamilton’s career.
In 1849 Hamilton went to California, but found no gold. He soon joined in attacking various Indian tribes that had been killing and robbing the miners and his party wiped out all the neighboring hostiles. He fought in the Rogue River War of 1855 and the Modoc War of 1856 and then traveled northeast to Walla Walla, where Colonel George Wright was fighting the Yakima, Spokane, and other tribes. Wright wished to learn the disposition of the eastern Indians and Hamilton volunteered to ascertain it. He visited the Nez Percés, the Piegans, the Blackfeet, the Crows, and the Kootenai, traded with them, and secured the information desired. On his return in company with some Kootenai his party was attacked by Blackfeet, but after several desperate engagements the enemy was badly defeated. Hamilton then returned safely to Walla Walla with a fine collection of furs and presented his report to Colonel Wright.
Having noted the confluence of Indian trails between the mouth of the Bitterroot and Hellgate Canyon, he moved there to trade. In 1864 he removed to Fort Benton and in 1869 went to the Yellowstone. In 1873 he was appointed marshal for the Crow Indians and at the outbreak of the Sioux War became a scout for General George Crook. His services received praise, but accounts of them are vague. After the war he went to Columbus, Montana, where he lived the remainder of his life.
During his later life Hamilton engaged in trapping and in guiding tourists and entertaining them with stories of his exploits. He was versed in the mysteries of nature and knew when fish would bite and where to look for game. To the end his body was active, his eyes keen, and his mind alert. He kept diaries and was fond of recounting his experiences.
Hamilton wrote: “A Trading Expedition among the Indians in 1848 from Fort Walla Walla to the Blackfoot Country and Return, ” which was published in Contributions to the Historical Society of Montana (1900); and “Trapping Expeditions 1848-1849, ” which was printed in the Contributions to the Historical Society of Montana (1910), after his death. In the Montana Historical Library are two unpublished manuscripts by him, “An Incident when Scouting with General Crook” and “My Experiences in Montana. ” His writings are highly colored and sometimes contradictory.
(In 1900, famous mountain man William Thomas Hamilton publ...)
(In his concise, richly detailed memoir My Sixty Years on ...)
Hamilton grew to know the Indians and how to trade with them or to fight them as enemies. He learned the sign language so well, according to his own account, that he could use it better than any other white man and as well as any Indian. In later years he interpreted the pictures on the cliffs near Flathead Lake and no one disputed his explanations.
Hamilton married in 1850, while in California, but his wife died the next year. Thereafter he lived alone.
