All language subtitles for The West - s01e09 - One Sky Above Us (1887-1914)

I HAVE SEEN THE WHITEFACE
AND THE SHORTHORN

TAKE THE PLACE OF THE BUFFALO,

WHEAT AND CORN AND ALFALFA
SUPPLANT THE BUFFALO GRASS.

AND THERE ARE HUNDREDS
OF PROSPEROUS TOWNS

AND EVEN CITIES
ON THE VERY GROUND

WHERE I HAVE KILLED BUFFALO
AND DODGED INDIANS.

IT WAS A WILD COUNTRY,
A WILD LIFE,

AND THEY WERE GALLANT MEN
THAT LIVED IT.

ALL OR MOST OF THEM ARE GONE.

BUT IT IS BETTER NOW,
BETTER ALL AROUND --

CHALKEY M. BEESON.

IF YOU TIE A HORSE TO A STAKE,
DO YOU EXPECT HE WILL GROW FAT?

IF YOU PEN AN INDIAN
ON A SMALL SPOT OF EARTH

AND COMPEL HIM TO STAY THERE,
HE WILL NOT BE CONTENTED,

NOR WILL HE GROW AND PROSPER.

I HAVE ASKED
SOME OF THE GREAT WHITE CHIEFS

WHERE THEY GET THEIR AUTHORITY
TO SAY TO THE INDIAN

THAT HE SHALL STAY
IN ONE PLACE,

WHILE HE SEES WHITE MEN
GOING WHERE THEY PLEASE.

THEY CANNOT TELL ME --

CHIEF JOSEPH.

[ NATIVE AMERICAN CHANTING ]

[ DRUM BEATS,
CHANTING CONTINUES ]

[ MORE VOICES
ADDED TO CHANTING ]

[ "STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER"
PLAYS ]

Narrator:
IN 1893, THE 400th ANNIVERSARY

OF COLUMBUS’
ARRIVAL IN THE NEW WORLD

WAS CELEBRATED IN CHICAGO.

IT WAS CALLED THE WORLD’S
COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION,

AND IT WAS SO LARGE,
SO AMBITIOUS,

SO SELF-CONGRATULATORY,

THAT IT TOOK AN EXTRA YEAR
JUST TO GET EVERYTHING READY.

TWENTY-FOUR MILLION PEOPLE
PAID THEIR WAY INTO THE FAIR,

MORE THAN HAD EVER
ATTENDED ANY OTHER EVENT

IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD.

ALL THE WESTERN STATES STRUGGLED
TO OUTSHINE ONE ANOTHER --

INCLUDING THE BRAND-NEW STATES
OF NORTH AND SOUTH DAKOTA,

WYOMING, MONTANA, IDAHO,
AND WASHINGTON.

THE CALIFORNIA PAVILION WAS
SHAPED LIKE A SPANISH MISSION.

ON DISPLAY INSIDE WERE A GODDESS
MADE ENTIRELY OF FIGS

AND A CONQUISTADOR
BUILT OF PRUNES.

FOR ITS EXHIBIT HALL,

MONTANA RECONSTRUCTED
A MOUNTAIN MAN’S CABIN.

KANSAS SHOWED OFF A GIGANTIC
MURAL MADE OF GRAIN,

AND AN ENTIRE HERD OF BUFFALO --
STUFFED.

IN A SPEECH GIVEN AT THE FAIR,
A YOUNG, UNKNOWN HISTORIAN

NAMED FREDERICK JACKSON TURNER
DECLARED FOR THE FIRST TIME

THAT THE FRONTIER
HAD FINALLY CLOSED.

THERE WERE
63 MILLION AMERICANS IN 1893.

SEVENTEEN MILLION OF THEM NOW
LIVED WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI.

ONLY 90 YEARS EARLIER,

WHEN THOMAS JEFFERSON PURCHASED
THE LOUISIANA TERRITORY,

HE HAD ESTIMATED
IT WOULD TAKE 100 GENERATIONS

FOR THE UNITED STATES
TO PEOPLE THE WEST.

AMERICANS HAD DONE IT
IN LESS THAN FIVE.

BUT BEYOND THE FAIRGROUNDS,
BEYOND CHICAGO,

IN THE REAL WEST,

FOR EVERY STORY
THAT WAS COMING TO AN END,

ANOTHER WAS ABOUT TO BEGIN.

Man: THE MYTH OF THE WEST
IS A VERY APPEALING ONE,

THE MYTH OF THE WEST IS THAT
THERE ONCE EXISTED A PLACE

WHICH WAS FREE FOR THE TAKING,

AND IN WHICH PEOPLE
WHO WERE WILLING TO WORK HARD,

PEOPLE WHO WERE WILLING
TO INVEST THEIR OWN LABOR,

COULD NOT ONLY
IMPROVE THEIR LIVES,

BUT THEY COULD
IMPROVE THE PLACE THEMSELVES.

THAT OUT OF THIS LABOR,
OUT OF THIS STRUGGLE,

WOULD COME PROGRESS,

WOULD COME A BETTER WORLD
THAN THEY HAD EVER IMAGINED,

NOT JUST FOR THEMSELVES
AND NOT JUST FOR THEIR CHILDREN,

BUT INDEED FOR THE WHOLE WORLD.

STATED THAT WAY, THE MYTH
HAS THIS EXTRAORDINARY APPEAL.

BUT, OF COURSE,
WHAT IT DOES IS MASK

AN INFINITELY MORE COMPLICATED
AND MORE TANGLED STORY.

Man: THE WEST
WAS SETTLED WITHOUT LOGIC.

PEOPLE SETTLED
WHERE THEY WANTED TO SETTLE,

WITH NO REGARD WHATEVER
TO THE ECOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES

OR THE ABILITY OF THE LAND
TO SUPPORT THEM.

LOS ANGELES IS PROBABLY
THE PRETERNATURAL EXAMPLE

OF A PLACE BEING WHERE
IT HAS NO BUSINESS BEING.

THERE’S ABSOLUTELY NOTHING
IN THE IMMEDIATE ENVIRONS

TO SUPPORT IT.

BUT PEOPLE WANTED TO LIVE
IN LOS ANGELES.

AND THEY DEPLETED
THE GROUND WATER IN LOS ANGELES

OVER SEVERAL DECADES,

TO THE POINT WHERE THEY HAD
TO GO ELSEWHERE FOR WATER

IN ORDER TO CONTINUE SUPPORTING

THE CITY THAT HAD NO BUSINESS
BEING WHERE IT WAS.

Narrator: BETWEEN 1890 AND 1904,

THE POPULATION OF LOS ANGELES
QUADRUPLED, TO NEARLY 200,000.

THERE WAS ALREADY
TOO LITTLE WATER IN DRY YEARS.

IT SEEMED CLEAR THAT LOS ANGELES
COULD NOT GROW MUCH FURTHER

WITHOUT SOME NEW SOURCE
OF SUPPLY.

AND LOS ANGELES HAD TO GROW --

ITS WHOLE ECONOMY WAS BASED
ON FRENZIED BOOSTERISM.

IF LOS ANGELES RUNS OUT
OF WATER FOR ONE WEEK,

THE CITY WITHIN A YEAR
WILL NOT HAVE A POPULATION

OF 100,000 PEOPLE.

A CITY QUICKLY FINDS ITS LEVEL,

AND THAT LEVEL
IS ITS WATER SUPPLY --

WILLIAM MULHOLLAND.

Narrator: BUT THE NEAREST WATER
WAS IN THE OWENS RIVER VALLEY,

233 MILES TO THE NORTHEAST.

AND IT WAS ALREADY
BEING USED BY SOMEONE ELSE --

SMALL FARMERS WHO WERE
IRRIGATING THEIR APPLE ORCHARDS

AND FIELDS OF HAY AND ALFALFA
WITH SNOWMELT FROM THE SIERRAS.

THEN, IN SEPTEMBER OF 1904,

TWO STRANGERS
ARRIVED IN THE OWENS VALLEY.

THEY WERE CAREFUL
NOT TO IDENTIFY THEMSELVES,

BUT ONE WAS FRED EATON,
A FORMER MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES.

THE OTHER
WAS WILLIAM MULHOLLAND,

THE IRISH-BORN HEAD OF THE
LOS ANGELES WATER DEPARTMENT.

HE BELIEVED RIVERS EXISTED
ONLY TO BE USED.

IF IT WERE LEFT UP TO HIM,
HE ONCE SAID,

HE WOULD HAVE
THE YOSEMITE VALLEY

CAREFULLY PHOTOGRAPHED
AND THEN "BUILD A DAM

FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER
AND STOP THE GODDAMNED WASTE."

MULHOLLAND BELIEVED
HE COULD BUILD

A SYSTEM OF AQUEDUCTS
AND SIPHONS AND TUNNELS

THAT WOULD
TAKE THE OWENS RIVER WATER

RIGHT THROUGH THE SIERRAS AND
ALL THE WAY INTO LOS ANGELES.

BUT THE BRAND-NEW
FEDERAL BUREAU OF RECLAMATION

HAD ALREADY PROMISED
TO IMPROVE THE IRRIGATION SYSTEM

FOR THE PEOPLE OF OWENS VALLEY.

EATON HURRIED TO WASHINGTON

AND QUIETLY
TALKED THE GOVERNMENT OUT OF IT.

THE WATER, HE ARGUED,
WOULD BENEFIT MANY MORE PEOPLE

IF IT COULD BE MOVED
TO LOS ANGELES.

Man: THEY WERE HELPED
BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

TEDDY ROOSEVELT HAD DECIDED
IT MADE MORE SENSE

TO HAVE A STRONG CITY
ON THE WESTERN FLANK OF AMERICA,

THAT CITY BEING LOS ANGELES,
THAN IT DID

TO HAVE 50,000 ACRES OF APPLES
GROWING IN THE OWENS VALLEY.

SO THEY ACTIVELY
HELPED LOS ANGELES

GET ITS HANDS ON THAT RIVER.

Narrator: POSING AS AN ECCENTRIC
BUT ENORMOUSLY WEALTHY RANCHER,

EATON WENT BACK TO THE VALLEY

AND BEGAN BUYING UP
LAND AND WATER RIGHTS.

WITH INSIDE INFORMATION,
HE AND SOME WEALTHY FRIENDS

ALSO QUIETLY BOUGHT UP
DESERT LAND AROUND LOS ANGELES,

KNOWING THAT ONCE
MULHOLLAND’S AQUEDUCT WAS BUILT

IT WOULD BE WORTH A FORTUNE.

THEN, MULHOLLAND AND EATON
PERSUADED THE CITY’S VOTERS

TO PASS THE LARGEST BOND ISSUE

IN THE HISTORY
OF THE UNITED STATES --

$23 MILLION.

THEY SET THEIR SIGHTS
ON THAT RIVER.

NO CITY IN HISTORY HAD EVER
DONE ANYTHING LIKE IT --

GONE 200 MILES ACROSS THE DESERT

AND IMPORTED AN ENTIRE RIVER BY
AQUEDUCT, BY SIPHON, BY TUNNEL.

THEY STOLE IT, BUT THEY
STOLE IT FAIR AND SQUARE.

Narrator:
AT LAST, WILLIAM MULHOLLAND

COULD GET TO WORK.

NEITHER PERSONAL PROFIT NOR
POLITICS EVER INTERESTED HIM.

ONCE, ASKED IF HE WANTED
TO RUN FOR MAYOR,

HE ANSWERED THAT HE’D SOONER

GIVE BIRTH TO A PORCUPINE --
BACKWARDS.

HE LIVED ONLY TO BUILD,

AND NOW FACED
AN ENGINEERING CHALLENGE

THAT RIVALED
THE SUEZ AND PANAMA CANALS.

FIFTY-THREE TUNNELS HAD TO BE
BLASTED THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS.

[ EXPLOSION ]

500 MILES OF TRAILS AND ROADS,
120 MILES OF RAILROAD TRACK,

5,000 TO 6,000 MEN HAD TO BE
FED AND HOUSED AND DOCTORED

WHILE THEY INCHED THEIR WAY
ACROSS THE MOJAVE DESERT.

THE 110-DEGREE HEAT SPOILED FOOD
MOMENTS AFTER IT WAS COOKED.

BLOWING SAND DESTROYED
28 CATERPILLAR TRACTORS

THAT HAD TO BE REPLACED
BY 1,500 MULES.

FORTY-THREE MEN DIED

IN THE SIX YEARS
IT TOOK TO FINISH THE JOB.

THE WEST
HAD SEEN NOTHING LIKE IT

SINCE THE BUILDING OF
THE TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD.

[ "STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER"
PLAYS ]

Watkins: AT THE RESERVOIR
IN LOS ANGELES IN 1913,

WILLIAM MULHOLLAND,
BEFORE A CROWD OF THOUSANDS,

TURNED TO ONE OF HIS ENGINEERS
AT THE LAST PUMP

AND GAVE THE INDICATION
TO TURN THE GREAT WHEELS,

OPEN THE FLOODGATES,
AND DOWN THE WATER CAME

DANCING AND SPARKLING
IN THE SUN,

AND STARTED
SPILLING INTO THE RESERVOIR,

AND MULHOLLAND TURNED
TO THE DIGNITARIES AND SAID,

"THERE IT IS, GENTLEMEN.
TAKE IT."

Narrator:
LOS ANGELES GOT ITS WATER,

AND BECAUSE OF IT,
SOON SURPASSED SAN FRANCISCO

AS THE BIGGEST AND MOST POWERFUL
CITY IN THE WEST.

THE OWENS VALLEY
NEVER RECOVERED.

Man: IF YOU GO TO
THE ANCIENT ANASAZI DWELLINGS

IN THE SOUTHWEST,

AND YOU STAND THERE,
AND TRY TO LISTEN TO THE WIND,

AND HEAR WHAT THE STORIES
MIGHT BE FROM THERE,

WHAT I HEAR IS THAT PEOPLE
DON’T ALWAYS ACCEPT

WHAT THE ENVIRONMENT TELLS THEM.

YOU WANT TO SAY,
"DIDN’T THEY GET IT?

"THIS IS A DESERT, YOU KNOW.

WHY WOULD YOU TRY TO BUILD
A HUGE CITY HERE?"

AND WHEN I SEE
A PLACE LIKE CHACO CANYON,

I THINK THAT MAYBE
2,000 YEARS FROM NOW,

SOMEONE’S GOING TO BE STANDING
IN WHAT WAS ONCE LOS ANGELES

OR PHOENIX, ARIZONA,

AND ASK THE SAME QUESTION.

AND IT’S THE SAME STORY

THAT ARCS FROM 500 YEARS AGO
TO 1,000 YEARS IN THE FUTURE.

DIDN’T THEY GET IT?

,
WHAT A DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN THE PRESENT TIME

AND THOSE
THAT PRECEDED THE AMERICANS.

IF THE CALIFORNIOS
COULD ALL GATHER TOGETHER

TO BREATHE A LAMENT,

IT WOULD REACH HEAVEN
AS A MOVING SIGH,

WHICH WOULD CAUSE FEAR AND
CONSTERNATION IN THE UNIVERSE!

WHAT MISERY --

MARIANO GUADALUPE VALLEJO.

Narrator: DURING HIS LONG LIFE,
MARIANO GUADALUPE VALLEJO

HAD FOUGHT CALIFORNIA INDIANS
ON BEHALF OF SPAIN,

COMMANDED CALIFORNIO TROOPS
FOR MEXICO,

AND WELCOMED THE AMERICANS
TO THE PACIFIC COAST.

THEN HE HAD WATCHED IN DISMAY

AS THE NEWCOMERS
DISPOSSESSED HIM OF HIS LAND

AND DISMISSED THE ROLE
HE AND HIS ANCESTORS

HAD PLAYED
IN THE HISTORY OF THE WEST.

VALLEJO WORRIED
THAT THE LEGACY OF HIS PEOPLE

WAS BEING FORGOTTEN.

HIS FATHER HAD BEEN
ONE OF THE FIRST SETTLERS

OF SAN FRANCISCO.

YET NOW, THE CITY’S SCHOOLS
TAUGHT FRENCH AND GERMAN,

BUT NOT SPANISH.

IMMIGRANTS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES,
HE COMPLAINED,

WERE "FAWNED UPON WHILE
WE CALIFORNIOS ARE DESPISED."

HIS VAST ESTATE --

ONCE A QUARTER
OF A MILLION ACRES --

WAS REDUCED TO FEWER THAN 300.

NOW HE WAS HOUNDED BY LAWYERS,
PLAGUED BY DEBTS.

WITH HIS WIFE BENICIA,

VALLEJO LIVED IN
A LITTLE COTTAGE WHICH HE CALLED

"LACHRYMA MONTIS" --
TEAR OF THE MOUNTAIN.

BUT SOMETIMES HE VISITED
WHAT WAS LEFT

OF HIS OLD ADOBE RANCH HOUSE
NEAR PETALUMA.

Vallejo: I COMPARE THAT
OLD RELIC WITH MYSELF --

RUINS AND DILAPIDATION.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN THEN AND NOW.

THEN, YOUTH, STRENGTH,
AND RICHES.

NOW AGE, WEAKNESS, AND POVERTY.

Narrator:
FRIENDS PETITIONED CONGRESS

FOR A PENSION FOR THE OLD MAN,

BUT BEFORE ANY ACTION
COULD BE TAKEN,

VALLEJO DIED
ON JANUARY 21, 1890.

AT THE TIME OF VALLEJO’S DEATH,

THOUSANDS OF MEXICANS
WERE CROSSING THE BORDER

INTO THE UNITED STATES.

MOST CAME NORTH
FOR THE SAME REASONS

THAT AMERICANS WENT WEST.

"MY INTENTION IS TO GET
A GOOD JOB, TO SAVE SOME MONEY,

AND START OUT FOR MYSELF,"
SAID ONE,

"FOR ONE CAN MAKE GOOD MONEY
IN AMERICA,

AND THERE IS ALWAYS WORK."

Man:
TO ME, THE FACT THAT THE MEXICAN

CAME NORTH
IN SEARCH OF A BETTER LIFE

IS A TREMENDOUS EPIC
THAT HASN’T BEEN WRITTEN.

IT’S AN ODYSSEY
THAT WE KNOW NOTHING ABOUT.

AND THEY CAME WITH A DREAM
FOR A BETTER LIFE.

THE REALITY IS VERY DIFFERENT.

THEY LEFT BEHIND A CULTURE
IN WHICH THEY FELT SAFE,

AND THEY HAD
TO RECREATE THAT HERE.

Narrator: THEY FOUND JOBS
IN THE MINES, ON THE RAILROADS,

AND LABORING IN THE VAST
NEW AGRICULTURAL FIELDS

OF THE SOUTHWEST.

DESCENDANTS OF THE OLDEST
EUROPEAN CULTURE IN THE WEST,

THEY WERE NOW OFTEN GREETED
AS UNWELCOME NEWCOMERS.

STILL, OVER THE NEXT 30 YEARS,

1 1/2 MILLION MEN,
WOMEN AND CHILDREN --

10% OF THE POPULATION
OF MEXICO -- WOULD COME NORTH,

FOLLOWING MANY
OF THE SAME ROUTES

ONCE TAKEN BY THE CONQUISTADORS.

[ WHISTLE BLOWS ]

Man: MY GRANDPARENTS’
HOMETOWN IS GUERRERO.

WHEN IT WAS FOUNDED,
IT WAS THE ORIGINAL TEXAS.

MY GRANDMOTHER WAS BORN THERE,
AND HER FAMILY WAS BORN THERE,

AND THEY GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL
SETTLERS OF THAT TOWN,

BACK IN THE 1750s.

BECAUSE OF A DECISION
TO DAM THE RIVER

AND BUILD
THE FALCON DAM RESERVOIR,

THE TOWN WAS FLOODED.

WHEN THE FALCON WATERS RECEDE,
THE PEOPLE COME TO THE PLAZA

AND THEY DANCE ON THE PLAZA.

THEY PLAY THEIR MUSIC
AT MIDNIGHT THERE.

THEY WALK AROUND THE CHURCH
AND TOUCH IT.

THEY CLEAN UP THE YARD
OF THE CHURCH

AND THE OLD CEMETERIES.

THEY WALK OVER
TO FLORES’ GROCERY STORE.

THEY WALK OVER TO THE HOTEL
THAT WAS ONCE THERE.

THEY WALK AROUND THE RESIDENCE.

IT IS REALLY A MOMENT
WHEN THE WHOLE COMMUNITY

COMES TOGETHER
AND TAKES PRIDE IN IT,

AND THEY TAKE CARE OF IT

AS IF IT WERE STILL
A LIVE AND THRIVING TOWN.

I THINK AS LONG
AS GUERRERO LIVES,

OUR HISTORY LIVES,
OUR COMMUNITY LIVES.

IT SPEAKS FOR THE FACT THAT
NO MATTER ALL THE TRAGEDIES

AND THE WARS AND EVERYTHING
THAT’S HAPPENED TO US,

WE’RE STILL THERE.

ALL IN ALL,
MY YEARS ON THE TRAIL

WERE THE HAPPIEST I EVER LIVED.

THERE WERE MANY HARDSHIPS
AND DANGERS, OF COURSE,

THAT CALLED ON ALL A MAN HAD
OF ENDURANCE AND BRAVERY,

BUT WHEN ALL WENT WELL,

THERE WAS NO OTHER LIFE
SO PLEASANT.

MOST OF THE TIME WE WERE
SOLITARY ADVENTURERS

IN A GREAT LAND AS FRESH
AND NEW AS A SPRING MORNING.

AND WE WERE FREE AND
FULL OF THE ZEST OF DARERS --

CHARLES GOODNIGHT.

Narrator: BY 1916, FEW AMERICANS
HAD SEEN MORE OF THE WEST --

OR HELPED MAKE
MORE OF ITS HISTORY --

THAN CHARLES GOODNIGHT.

HE HAD LIVED IN TEXAS

WHEN IT WAS STILL
AN INDEPENDENT REPUBLIC,

BLAZED ONE OF THE FIRST
CATTLE TRAILS

ACROSS THE GREAT PLAINS,

AND STARTED HIS OWN BUFFALO HERD
TO HELP THE SPECIES SURVIVE.

NOW, STILL VIGOROUS AT AGE 80,

GOODNIGHT WANTED
TO LEAVE SOMETHING BEHIND,

TO SHOW AMERICANS PART
OF THE WEST THAT HE REMEMBERED.

HE DECIDED TO MAKE A MOVIE.

IN GOODNIGHT’S WESTERN, THERE
WERE NO SALOONS OR BANDITS,

COWBOYS NEVER HAD A GUNFIGHT,

AND INDIANS WERE AS LIKELY
TO BE FRIENDLY AS HOSTILE.

NEAR THE END OF THE FILM,
THERE WAS A BUFFALO HUNT.

GOODNIGHT INVITED HIS NEIGHBORS,
THE KIOWAS,

TO KILL ONE JUST AS THEY HAD
IN THE OLD DAYS.

THE FINISHED MOVIE WAS SHOWN

TO A CATTLEMAN’S CONVENTION
IN DENVER

AND A CAMPFIRE CLUB DINNER
IN NEW YORK.

BUT IT NEVER CAUGHT ON
WITH THE PUBLIC.

PEOPLE ALREADY PREFERRED

A DIFFERENT VERSION
OF THE WEST --

FULL OF ACTION, VIOLENCE,
AND ABOVE ALL, HEROES.

Watkins:
MUCH OF WHAT IS WRONG

WITH HOW WE LOOK AT THE WEST
AND ITS HISTORY

IS THE FACT THAT WE HAVE,

IN ALL OUR FORMS
OF ENTERTAINMENT,

LOOKED UPON IT
AS PRE-DIGESTED FOLK DRAMA.

VERY SIMPLE STORIES
ACTED OUT VERY SIMPLY

TO PROVE VERY SIMPLE THINGS.

YOU GOT YOUR GOOD GUYS,
YOU GOT YOUR BAD GUYS.

YOU GOT YOUR INDIANS,
YOU GOT YOUR COWBOYS.

AND THE TRUE COMPLEXITIES
OF WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THE WEST

ALMOST NEVER HAVE BEEN THE
SUBJECT OF FILM IN HOLLYWOOD.

ONE OF THE DANGERS IN LOOKING
AT THE AMERICAN WEST, OUR PAST,

IS TO PAINT EVERYTHING
IN BLACK OR WHITE,

TO MAKE THINGS SIMPLE,
TO CREATE THEIR POLARITIES.

I THINK THAT WE DO THAT AT
OUR OWN PERIL, AT OUR OWN RISK.

IT MAY BE THAT THE REAL STORY
OF THE AMERICAN WEST

IS A STORY OF SPIRIT,

THE CHALLENGE TO LIVE AND LOVE
WITH A BROKEN HEART.

Man: I’M ONE OF THE FEW
WHO DIDN’T GET INTO

A BOARDING SCHOOL SYSTEM
TILL I WAS 16,

I GREW UP
WITH A LOT OF THE OLDER PEOPLE,

LISTENED TO THE STORIES.

AND THOSE STORIES
WERE INSIDE OF ME.

AND I WENT INTO A
BOARDING SCHOOL SYSTEM, AND

THEY KILLED THOSE STORIES
IN THAT SYSTEM.

I CAME OUT OF THERE

TOTALLY ASHAMED OF WHO I AM,
OF WHAT I AM.

IN THE LATE ’60s I WENT BACK
TO THE CULTURE ON MY OWN.

I LET MY HAIR GROW,
I START SPEAKING MY LANGUAGE,

AND IN ONE OF THOSE TIMES,
I FASTED.

I DID THE VISION QUEST
FOR FIVE YEARS.

AND ONE OF THOSE YEARS,
I...IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL NIGHT,

THE STARS WERE OUT,
AND IT WAS CALM, JUST BEAUTIFUL.

AND IT WAS AROUND MIDNIGHT
AND I GOT UP AND I PRAYED.

AND I SAT DOWN
AND SAT THERE FOR A WHILE

AND THEN ALL
OF A SUDDEN I HAD THESE,

LIKE FLASHBACKS
OF SAND CREEK, WOUNDED KNEE,

AND EVERY POLICY, EVERY LAW
THAT WAS IMPOSED ON US

BY THE GOVERNMENT
AND THE CHURCHES

HIT ME ONE AT A TIME --
ONE AT A TIME.

AND HOW IT AFFECTED MY LIFE.

AND AS I SAT THERE,
I GOT ANGRIER AND ANGRIER,

UNTIL IT TURNED TO HATRED.

AND I LOOKED
AT THE WHOLE SITUATION,

THE WHOLE PICTURE, AND THERE
WAS NOTHING I COULD DO.

IT WAS TOO MUCH.

THE ONLY THING I COULD DO TO ME,
WAS WHEN I COME OFF THAT HILL,

I’M GOING TO GRAB A GUN,
AND I’M GOING TO START SHOOTING,

AND GO THAT WAY, MAYBE THEN
MY GRANDFATHERS WILL HONOR ME,

IF I GO THAT ROUTE.

I GOT UP, AND I CAME AROUND,
AND I FACED THE EAST DIRECTION,

AND IT WAS BEAUTIFUL,
I MEAN...IT WAS DAWN, LIGHT,

ENOUGH LIGHT TO SEE
THE ROLLING HILLS OUT THERE,

AND RIGHT ABOVE THAT BLUE LIGHT
IN THAT DARKNESS

WAS THE SLIVER OF THE MOON
AND THE MORNING STAR.

AND I WANTED TO LIVE.

I WANT TO LIVE.
I WANT TO BE HAPPY.

I FEEL I DESERVE THAT.

BUT THE ONLY WAY
THAT I WAS GOING TO DO THAT

WAS IF I FORGIVE,

AND I CRIED THAT MORNING
BECAUSE I HAD TO FORGIVE.

SINCE THEN, EVERY DAY
I WORK ON THAT COMMITMENT.

NOW, I DON’T KNOW
HOW MANY PEOPLE FELT IT,

BUT EVERY ONE OF US,
IF YOU’RE LAKOTA,

YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH THAT
AT SOME POINT IN YOUR LIFE,

AND YOU HAVE TO ADDRESS THAT,
YOU HAVE TO MAKE A DECISION.

IF YOU DON’T, YOU’RE GOING
TO DIE ON A ROAD SOMEPLACE,

EITHER FROM BEING TOO DRUNK,

OR YOU MIGHT TAKE A GUN
TO YOUR HEAD,

IF YOU DON’T
HANDLE THOSE SITUATIONS.

SO, IT JUST, THIS ISN’T HISTORY.

I MEAN, IT’S STILL WITH US.

WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST
WILL NEVER LEAVE US.

THE NEXT 100, 200 YEARS,
IT WILL BE WITH US,

AND WE HAVE
TO DEAL WITH IT EVERY DAY.

MY OLD GRANDFATHER,
NAMED MISSOURI RIVER,

TAUGHT ME
OF THE SPIRIT GUIDES.

"NOT ALL THE SPIRITS
ARE GOOD," HE SAID.

"SOME SEEK TO HARM US.

"THE GOOD SPIRITS
SEND US BUFFALOES,

"AND RAIN
TO MAKE OUR CORN GROW.

"BUT IT IS NOT WELL
TO PROVOKE THE SPIRITS.

"MY LITTLE GRANDDAUGHTER
SHOULD NEVER LAUGH AT THEM

OR SPEAK OF THEM LIGHTLY" --

BUFFALO BIRD WOMAN.

Narrator: AMONG THE HIDATSA
OF THE UPPER MISSOURI

LIVED THE EXTENDED FAMILY
OF BUFFALO BIRD WOMAN

AND HER BROTHER, WOLF CHIEF.

THEY WERE GRANDCHILDREN
OF AN IMPORTANT HIDATSA ELDER,

THE KEEPER
OF A SACRED MEDICINE BUNDLE --

TWO HUMAN SKULLS
WRAPPED IN A BLANKET,

PASSED ALONG FOR GENERATIONS

AND USED
THROUGHOUT HIDATSA HISTORY

TO INVOKE THE HELP OF SPIRITS
IN WAR, HUNTING,

AND ESPECIALLY IN BRINGING RAIN
FOR THEIR CROPS.

BUFFALO BIRD WOMAN’S MOTHER
HAD TAUGHT HER

THE SPECIAL CEREMONIES
FOR MAKING AN EARTH LODGE --

A SKILL THAT EARNED HER
MANY BUFFALO ROBES

FROM OTHER FAMILIES.

BUT NOW THE GOVERNMENT
INSISTED THAT HER PEOPLE

LIVE IN SQUARE CABINS.

BUILDING A HOUSE, SHE WAS TOLD,

WAS NOW A MAN’S JOB
AND NO LONGER SACRED.

TO TRY TO PLEASE HER,
HER HUSBAND PLACED THEIR STOVE

IN THE CENTER OF THE HOUSE,

WHERE AN EARTH LODGE FIRE
WOULD HAVE BEEN,

BUT FOR BUFFALO BIRD WOMAN
IT WAS NEVER THE SAME.

Buffalo Bird Woman: I THINK
THE OLD WAY OF RAISING CORN

IS BETTER THAN THE NEW WAY
TAUGHT US BY WHITE MEN.

LAST YEAR, OUR AGENT
HELD AN AGRICULTURAL FAIR,

AND WE INDIANS COMPETED
FOR PRIZES FOR THE BEST CORN.

THE CORN WHICH I SENT TO
THE FAIR TOOK THE FIRST PRIZE.

I CULTIVATED THE CORN
EXACTLY AS IN THE OLD TIMES --

WITH A HOE.

Narrator: BUFFALO BIRD WOMAN
SPOKE ONLY HER NATIVE LANGUAGE,

AND SHUNNED
THE WAYS OF WHITE PEOPLE.

WHEN HER HUSBAND DIED IN 1906,

SHE MOURNED
IN THE TRADITIONAL WAY --

SHE CUT HER HAIR SHORT
AND WORE IT LOOSE,

AND SLICED OFF THE TIP
OF HER LITTLE FINGER.

OFTEN IN SUMMER
I RISE AT DAYBREAK

AND STEAL OUT
TO THE CORNFIELDS,

AND AS I HOLD THE CORN,

I SING TO IT AS WE DID
WHEN I WAS YOUNG.

NO ONE CARES
FOR OUR CORN SONGS NOW.

SOMETIMES AT EVENING
I SIT LOOKING OUT

ON THE BIG MISSOURI.

THE SUN SETS
AND DUSK STEALS OVER THE WATER.

IN THE SHADOWS, I SEEM AGAIN
TO SEE OUR INDIAN VILLAGE

WITH SMOKE CURLING UPWARD
FROM THE EARTH LODGES.

AND IN THE RIVER’S ROAR,

I HEAR THE YELLS
OF THE WARRIORS,

AND THE LAUGHTER
OF THE CHILDREN AS OF OLD,

AND IT IS
BUT AN OLD WOMAN’S DREAM.

AGAIN, I SEE BUT SHADOWS

AND HEAR ONLY THE ROAR
OF THE RIVER,

TEARS COME INTO MY EYES.

OUR INDIAN LIFE
I KNOW IS GONE FOREVER --

BUFFALO BIRD WOMAN.

MY PEOPLE OFTEN TALK
AGAINST ME AND LAUGH

AND SAY, "THAT MAN WANTS
TO BE A WHITE MAN."

BUT I WANT TO BE STRONG
AND GO FORWARD --

WOLF CHIEF.

Narrator: UNLIKE HIS SISTER,
WHO RESISTED ANY CHANGE,

WOLF CHIEF
WAS QUICK TO ADOPT NEW WAYS,

NOT JUST TO SURVIVE,
BUT TO SUCCEED.

AT AGE 30, HE HAD DECIDED TO
LEARN THE WHITE MAN’S LANGUAGE.

Wolf Chief: WHEN INDIANS COME TO
A WHITE MAN’S STORE FOR BACON

AND THINK
HE CANNOT UNDERSTAND THEM,

THEY MAKE SIGNS LIKE
A FLAT, CURLED-UP NOSE FOR PIG

AND GO "URR-URR" -- GRUNTING.

BUT WHEN I GO TO A STORE,
I SAY "BACON"

AND GET IT RIGHT AWAY.

Narrator:
SOON, HE OPENED HIS OWN STORE,

BUT WHEN
THE RESERVATION AGENT’S BROTHER

DECIDED TO GET
INTO THE BUSINESS,

WOLF CHIEF
WAS PRESSURED TO CLOSE IT.

INSTEAD HE WROTE TO WASHINGTON.

TO THE COMMISSIONER
OF INDIAN AFFAIRS.

MY DEAR SIR, THE PRESENT AGENT,
JOHN S. MURPHY,

BOTHERED ME IN EVERY WAY TO
KEEP ME FROM KEEPING A STORE.

HE DID NOT DO A SINGLE ACT
THAT WILL ENCOURAGE ME IN THIS.

I THINK IT’S AN HONORABLE WAY
OF MAKING MY LIVING.

YOURS RESPECTFULLY,
MR. WOLF C. CHIEF.

Narrator: A FEDERAL INSPECTOR
WAS DISPATCHED.

EVENTUALLY, THE AGENT’S BROTHER
HAD TO CLOSE HIS STORE.

WOLF CHIEF’S STAYED OPEN.

BUT HE KEPT WRITING LETTERS
TO WASHINGTON --

MORE THAN 100
BEFORE HE WAS THROUGH.

FORT BERTHHOLD, DAKOTA
TERRITORY, MARCH, 1882.

TO THE GREAT FATHER
CHESTER ARTHUR,

WASHINGTON, D.C.

MY NAME IS WOLF CHIEF.
I AM POOR.

MY AGENT IS BAD.
HE TELLS LIES.

HE SAYS I AM BAD
BECAUSE I WRITE...

DECEMBER, 1888.

DEAR GREAT FATHER,
GROVER CLEVELAND,

I WANT TO SPEAK FOR MY PEOPLE.

THE FROST CAME
AND NOW WE HAVE NO CROP AT ALL,

AND WE DO NOT KNOW...

APRIL 29, 1891.

PRESIDENT BENJAMIN HARRISON,

PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
AT WASHINGTON, D.C.

MY DEAR FRIEND, SIR,

OUR SCHOOLHOUSES
ARE VERY OLD INDEED.

NO GOOD WHITE MAN
WOULD KEEP CHILDREN

IN SUCH BAD
AND DANGEROUS BUILDINGS.

PLEASE, I WISH
TO HEAR FROM YOU SOON.

I AM YOUR FRIEND,
MR. WOLF C. CHIEF.

Narrator: WOLF CHIEF CONVERTED
TO CHRISTIANITY,

AND DONATED 10 ACRES OF LAND
FOR A CHAPEL CLOSE TO HIS CABIN.

BUT IN AN OLD EARTH LODGE
NEAR HIS HOUSE

WAS THE SACRED MEDICINE BUNDLE

THAT HAD BELONGED
TO HIS GRANDFATHER.

MISSIONARIES AND INDIAN AGENTS
HAD URGED WOLF CHIEF

TO DESTROY IT.

HE HAD REFUSED OUT OF RESPECT
FOR HIS ANCESTORS,

BUT HE ALSO WORRIED THAT
NEGLECTING THE MEDICINE BUNDLE

WHILE HE PRACTICED CHRISTIANITY

WOULD ANGER BOTH HIS OLD GODS
AND HIS NEW ONE.

IN 1907, HE SOLD THE RELIC
TO AN ANTHROPOLOGIST

WHO PLACED IT
IN A NEW YORK MUSEUM.

WOLF CHIEF KEPT WRITING LETTERS
TO WASHINGTON

FOR MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY.

HIS LAST ONE
DESCRIBED THE DROUGHT

THAT WAS TURNING THE PLAINS
INTO A DUST BOWL.

WHEN WOLF CHIEF DIED,

THE HIDATSA PETITIONED THE
MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIAN

FOR THE RETURN
OF THE SACRED MEDICINE BUNDLE.

IN 1938, THE BUNDLE
WAS SENT BACK TO THE TRIBE,

ONE OF THE FIRST SACRED
INDIAN OBJECTS EVER RETURNED

TO THE PEOPLE WHO REVERED THEM.

[ THUNDER RUMBLES ]

THAT SUMMER,
RAIN FELL AGAIN ON THE PLAINS.

I START IN THE WINTER
WITH 11,500 SHEEP,

200 CATTLE, AND 100 HORSES,

BESIDES CATS, DOGS,
CHICKENS, GEESE, ET CETERA.

I AM ONCE MORE IN DEBT,

BUT IF MY SEASON OF BAD LUCK
HAS COME TO AN END

AND THE WINTER
IS NOT TOO SEVERE,

I WILL COME OUT WITH
FLYING COLORS IN THE SPRING.

I HOPE THIS YEAR
WILL SEE THINGS

ON THE RIGHT SIDE
OF THE LEDGER ONCE MORE --

JOHN G. LOVE.

Narrator: AFTER THEIR
RAIN-SOAKED HONEYMOON,

JOHN AND ETHEL LOVE MOVED INTO
THE HOUSE HE HAD BUILT FOR HER

ON MUSKRAT CREEK.

HIS RANCH WAS MORE REMOTE,
MORE BARREN

THAN ANYTHING ETHEL
HAD EVER SEEN BEFORE.

IN AN AREA
THE SIZE OF RHODE ISLAND,

THE LOVES
WERE THE ONLY INHABITANTS.

WE LIVE THE RANCHIEST KIND
OF RANCH LIFE.

THE SHEER ALONE-NESS
OF IT IS UNIQUE --

NEVER A LIGHT
BUT ONE’S OWN AT NIGHT.

NO SMOKE FROM ANOTHER’S FIRE
IN SIGHT --

ETHEL WAXHAM LOVE.

Narrator: JOHN LOVE’S DREAM

WAS TO BUILD A PROSPEROUS FUTURE
FOR HIS NEW WIFE --

BIG HERDS OF LIVESTOCK,
ABUNDANT ORCHARDS,

AND IRRIGATED FIELDS OF GRAIN.

BUT DURING
THEIR FIRST WINTER TOGETHER,

THE LOVES LOST 8,000 SHEEP
AND 50 CATTLE.

ETHEL LOST A BABY.

STILL THEY MANAGED TO COMPLETE

ONE IRRIGATION DAM
NEAR THEIR HOME

AND TO BEGIN WORK
ON A LARGER ONE DOWNSTREAM.

BUT THE NEXT WINTER
WAS THE WORST

SINCE THE GREAT DIE-UP
OF THE 1880s.

ETHEL, PREGNANT AGAIN,
HAD LEFT JOHN ALONE

AND GONE TO DENVER
FOR THE BIRTH.

SHE AND THE BABY,
A SON NAMED ALLAN,

HAD JUST RETURNED
WHEN THE SPRING FLOODS BEGAN.

Ethel: BLACK CLOUDS,
THUNDER AND LIGHTNING

SHOWED HEAVY RAINS
UP THE CREEK,

ALTHOUGH WE HAD ONLY SHOWERS
ABOUT THE HOUSE.

ALL THAT AFTERNOON
JOHN HAD BEEN CHANTING HAPPILY,

"ROLL, JORDAN, ROLL,"

IN ANTICIPATION OF WATER
TO FILL THE SMALL RESERVOIRS.

I FED THE BABY
AND WENT TO BED ABOUT 9:00.

THEN JORDAN ROLLED.

Man: THERE WAS A VIOLENT STORM

AND A LOT OF FLOODWATER
CAME DOWN MUSKRAT CREEK,

AND IT INVADED THE HOUSE
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.

AND MOTHER GOT UP OUT OF BED
AND TOOK THE BABY IN HER ARMS

AND STAGGERED THROUGH THE MUD
UP ONTO THE HILL

TO THE HONEYMOON SHEEP WAGON,

AND MY FATHER TRIED TO KEEP THE
FLOODWATERS OUT OF THE HOUSE,

BUT TO NO AVAIL,
AND THEY CAME IN

ABOUT 2 1/2 TO 3 FEET DEEP,
JUST SWIRLING THROUGH THE HOUSE.

Ethel: AT DAYLIGHT,
WE RETURNED TO THE HOUSE.

STENCH, WRECKAGE, AND DEBRIS
MET US.

THE FLOOD HAD BURST OPEN
THE FRONT DOOR

AND SWEPT
A TUB FULL OF RAIN WATER

INTO THE DINING ROOM.

CHAIRS AND OTHER FURNITURE
WERE OVERTURNED IN DEEP MUD.

MATTRESSES HAD FLOATED.

KITCHENWARE, GROCERIES,
AND SILVERWARE WERE FILTHY.

Narrator: BANKERS FROM THE TOWN
OF LANDER SHOWED UP,

SURVEYED THE DAMAGE,
AND BRUSQUELY ANNOUNCED

THAT THEY WERE FORECLOSING
ON LOVE’S LIVESTOCK LOANS.

Ethel:
THE AFTERMATH CAME QUICKLY.

BUYERS ARRIVED TO TAKE OVER

THE SHEEP, SHEEP WAGONS,
DOGS, AND EQUIPMENT.

JOHN PAID HIS OWN COWBOYS,
AND THEY DEPARTED.

BEFORE HE LEFT,
THE BANKER ASKED,

"WHAT WILL YOU DO
WITH THE BABY?"

I SAID,
"I THINK I’LL KEEP HIM."

AFTER THE FLOOD

MY FATHER WAS,
OF COURSE, DEVASTATED.

ALL HIS DREAMS
HAD GONE DOWN THE DRAIN.

AND SO HE TOLD MY MOTHER
THAT HE WOULDN’T BLAME HER

IF SHE LEFT HIM.

SHE SAID,
"I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU."

Narrator: THEY WENT BACK
TO LIVING IN A SHEEP WAGON

WHILE THEY CLEANED OUT
THE FLOOD WRECKAGE

AND BEGAN REBUILDING.

A SECOND SON, DAVID, WAS BORN,
AND BY THE NEXT YEAR,

THE BIG DAM DOWNSTREAM
WAS FINISHED.

Ethel: WE HAD A LULLING SENSE

OF SATISFACTION
AND ANTICIPATION,

AWAITING A REAL TEST
OF THE DAM’S STRENGTH.

THE SKY IN THE WEST WAS
BLACKENED BY A HAIL STORM.

IT FILLED THE DAM,
OVERFLOWING THE SPILLWAY.

UNDER THE PRESSURE,
THE DAM BURST.

[ WATER RUSHING ]

JOHN SALVAGED FIVE LOADS OF RYE
AND MORE OF WINTER WHEAT.

THIS WAS ALL HE HAD TO SHOW

FOR HIS YEARS OF EXPENSIVE
EFFORT ON THE DAM.

"LOVE’S LABOR LOST"
WAS HIS SUMMARY.

Narrator:
JOHN LOVE WAS 43 YEARS OLD.

ALL OF HIS WORK
HAD ENDED IN RUIN.

HE HIRED HIMSELF OUT
AS A COMMON SHEEPHERDER

FOR $40 A MONTH
AND STARTED OVER YET AGAIN.

Ethel: TO THE WELLESLEY
COLLEGE RECORD --

I HAVE BEEN BUSY TRYING
TO GET SOME RAW MATERIAL

IN SHAPE FOR YOU,

AND THIS REPORT IS LATE
BECAUSE THE RAW MATERIAL

HAS BEEN TEETHING.

Narrator: ETHEL CONCENTRATED
ON THE CHILDREN --

THREE, NOW THAT A DAUGHTER,
PHOEBE, HAD BEEN BORN.

Ethel: WE KEEP OPEN HOUSE
FOR ALL WHO PASS.

"WHEN DID YOU EAT LAST?"
IS THE CORRECT GREETING.

David: ONE OF THE RIDERS
WHO CAME THROUGH

WAS A CHAP NAMED BILL GRACE,

AND HE HAD BEEN RATHER LIVELY
AS A YOUNG MAN,

AND HAD KILLED SOMEBODY,

AND HAD BEEN SENT
TO THE PENITENTIARY FOR IT.

BUT HE WAS, HE WAS A DECENT SORT
AND AS MY FATHER SAID,

THE MAN NEEDED KILLING ANYWAY.

BUT WE LITTLE BOYS, WE WERE
ABOUT 10 OR 11 YEARS OLD,

AND WE WERE KIND OF AWED

TO BE IN THE PRESENCE
OF THIS MURDERER.

AND IT JUST HAPPENED THAT THAT
DAY THAT HE WAS AT THE RANCH

WE HAD BEEN OUT
IN THE CASTLE GARDENS

AND HAD FOUND
AN ENORMOUS RATTLESNAKE.

IT WAS 5’ 9" WITHOUT THE HEAD,
AND THAT’S A BIG RATTLESNAKE,

AND IT WAS BEAUTIFUL
AND WE SKINNED IT OUT

’CAUSE WE WANTED THE SKIN.

AND THEN WE SAW
ALL THIS BEAUTIFUL MEAT,

AND WE THOUGHT, "WELL, IT WILL
MAKE A GOOD SUPPER"

SO, WE BROUGHT IT IN AND MOTHER
TOOK THE BONES OUT OF IT,

AND CREAMED IT,
AND SERVED IT ON TOAST.

AND IT WAS GOOD AND EVERYBODY
WAS DELIGHTED WITH IT,

ESPECIALLY BILL GRACE, WHO
HADN’T HAD ANYTHING LIKE THAT

PROBABLY IN HIS LIFE.

WE BOYS WERE TOLD
NOT TO SAY ANYTHING

ABOUT THIS BEING
RATTLESNAKE MEAT,

’CAUSE IT MIGHT OFFEND BILL.

SO, WE DIDN’T.

BUT WE COULDN’T REALLY QUITE
STAY AWAY FROM THE THOUGHT,

AND SO WE WERE TALKING
ABOUT RATTLESNAKE MEAT

AND HOW GOOD IT COULD BE.

AND BILL GRACE STRUCK HIS
FIST ON THE TABLE, AND HE SAID,

"IF ANYBODY FED ME
RATTLESNAKE MEAT

I WOULD KILL ’EM."

AND THERE WAS A DEAD SILENCE,

AND THEN MOTHER PASSED THE PLATE
OF RATTLESNAKE MEAT

AND SAID,
"HAVE SOME MORE CHICKEN, BILL."

Narrator: AS THE YEARS PASSED,
THERE WERE STILL MORE SETBACKS.

FIRE DESTROYED
ONE OF THE RANCH BUILDINGS.

A WYOMING OIL BOOM
PASSED THEM BY.

ONE YEAR,
SHIPPING CATTLE TO OMAHA

ENDED UP COSTING LOVE $27 MORE
THAN HE SOLD THEM FOR.

DISEASE TOOK ANOTHER SHEEP HERD.

A BANK FAILED, AND WITH IT
WENT THE FAMILY SAVINGS.

JOHN AND ETHEL LOVE STAYED ON
AT MUSKRAT CREEK FOR 37 YEARS,

AND WATCHED THEIR CHILDREN GROW,
GO OFF TO COLLEGE, AND SUCCEED.

PHOEBE BECAME A CHEMIST,
ALLAN A DESIGN ENGINEER,

AND DAVID A GEOLOGIST.

David: WHEN THEY LEFT THE RANCH
FOR THE FINAL TIME,

THEY REALLY HAD NO CHOICE.

THEY WERE BOTH SICK,
THEY COULDN’T GET ANY HELP,

THE CATTLE BUSINESS
WAS BEING BUREAUCRATISIZED,

AND THEIR FUTURE ON THE RANCH
WAS NOTHING.

SO, THEY WERE
RESIGNED TO THEIR FATE,

KNOWING THAT THEY WEREN’T GOING
TO LIVE MUCH LONGER.

MOTHER, PARTICULARLY,
WHEN SHE LEFT SHE SAID THAT,

"AT LEAST I LEFT IT CLEAN
FOR THE NEXT PEOPLE."

Narrator:
JOHN LOVE DIED IN 1950.

ETHEL JOINED HIM IN 1959.

David:
I THINK A LOT ABOUT MY FATHER,

AND IN MANY WAYS
HE IS TYPICAL OF THE SURVIVORS.

AFTER THE 1919 WINTER
THAT PRETTY MUCH WIPED US OUT,

HE AND I BOTH HAD TO LEARN
TO WALK AGAIN,

’CAUSE WE HAD SPANISH INFLUENZA,
AND WE WERE SICK ALL WINTER.

I CAN STILL REMEMBER US
STANDING TOGETHER,

EACH LEANING ON THE OTHER,

THIS 6-YEAR-OLD BOY
AND THE 50-YEAR-OLD MAN,

AND HIS SAYING,
"WELL, LADDIE, WE CAN MAKE IT."

SO, OF COURSE, WE DID.

Chief Joseph:
WHENEVER THE WHITE MAN

TREATS THE INDIAN
AS THEY TREAT EACH OTHER,

THEN WE WILL HAVE NO MORE WARS.

WE SHALL ALL BE ALIKE --

BROTHERS OF ONE FATHER
AND ONE MOTHER,

WITH ONE SKY ABOVE US
AND ONE COUNTRY AROUND US,

AND ONE GOVERNMENT FOR ALL.

THEN THE GREAT SPIRIT
WHO RULES ABOVE

WILL SMILE UPON THIS LAND,

AND ALL PEOPLE
MAY BE ONE PEOPLE.

HIN-MAH-TOO-YAH-LAT-KEKHT
HAS SPOKEN

FOR HIS PEOPLE.

[ NATIVE AMERICAN CHANTING ]

Man: I THINK OF CHIEF JOSEPH
AS THE PEACEMAKER.

HE’S A MAN OF PEACE.
HE ABHORS VIOLENCE.

HE DOESN’T WANT TO FIGHT --
"I WILL FIGHT NO MORE FOREVER."

HE WAS ALWAYS A PEACEMAKER,
AND LORD KNOWS HE WAS PROVOKED.

ANOTHER KIND OF MAN
COULD NOT HAVE REMAINED

IN CONTROL OF HIMSELF,
IN POSSESSION OF HIMSELF.

AND ONE OF JOSEPH’S
GREAT CHARACTERISTICS

IS THAT HE WAS ALWAYS
IN POSSESSION OF HIMSELF.

Narrator: TWENTY-FIVE YEARS
AFTER FIGHTING HIS RELUCTANT WAR

WITH THE UNITED STATES,

CHIEF JOSEPH
WAS STILL LONGING TO RETURN

TO HIS BELOVED WALLOWA VALLEY
IN EASTERN OREGON.

TWICE HE WENT
TO WASHINGTON, D.C.,

AND MET WITH PRESIDENTS

RUTHERFORD B. HAYES
AND WILLIAM McKINLEY.

WHENEVER HE SPOKE,
HE IMPRESSED PEOPLE

WITH HIS ELOQUENCE
AND HIS SIMPLE PLEA FOR JUSTICE.

THE SOLDIERS WHO HAD FOUGHT
AGAINST HIM BECAME HIS FRIENDS.

BUFFALO BILL CODY
INVITED HIM TO THE CEREMONIES

DEDICATING GRANT’S TOMB
IN NEW YORK CITY,

AND CALLED HIM "THE GREATEST
INDIAN AMERICA EVER PRODUCED."

THE WHITE SETTLERS
OF THE WALLOWA VALLEY

EVEN NAMED A TOWN FOR HIM.

BUT HIS PEOPLE’S LAND
WAS NOT RETURNED.

LET ME BE A FREE MAN --

FREE TO TRAVEL,
FREE TO STOP, FREE TO WORK,

FREE TO TRADE WHERE I CHOOSE,

FREE TO CHOOSE MY OWN TEACHERS,

FREE TO FOLLOW
THE RELIGION OF MY FATHERS,

FREE TO THINK AND TALK
AND ACT FOR MYSELF,

AND I WILL OBEY EVERY LAW,
OR SUBMIT TO THE PENALTY --

CHIEF JOSEPH.

Narrator: HE STEADFASTLY
PRACTICED HIS DREAMER RELIGION

INSTEAD OF CHRISTIANITY,

KEPT TWO WIVES,
LIVED IN A TEPEE,

AND TOLD ANYONE WHO WOULD LISTEN

THAT THERE WAS NO JUST REASON
HE SHOULD NOT GO HOME

TO WHERE HIS ANCESTORS
WERE BURIED.

ON SEPTEMBER 21, 1904,
STILL IN EXILE,

CHIEF JOSEPH --
HIN-MAH-TOO-YAH-LAT-KEKHT,

THUNDER ROLLING
FROM THE MOUNTAINS --

DIED FROM WHAT
THE ATTENDING PHYSICIAN

CALLED A "BROKEN HEART."

Momaday: THERE WAS A LIEUTENANT
NAMED ERSKINE WOOD,

WHO WAS THE DIARIST
OF THE NEZ PERCE RETREAT,

AND HE CAME
TO ADMIRE JOSEPH GREATLY.

AND AT THE END OF THAT CAMPAIGN,
WHEN JOSEPH WAS IMPRISONED,

THE TWO MEN
BECAME VERY FAST FRIENDS.

AND ERSKINE WOOD
SENT HIS SON TO LIVE WITH JOSEPH

FOR TWO SUMMERS.

AND I MET ERSKINE WOOD JR., WHO
WAS AN OLD MAN WHEN I MET HIM,

AND HE TOLD ME THIS STORY,

WHICH I HAVE A HARD TIME
RECOUNTING.

THE SECOND SUMMER
HE WAS WITH JOSEPH,

HIS FATHER WROTE TO HIM,
THROUGH THE INDIAN AGENT,

AND HE SAID,
"YOU WON’T BE GOING BACK

"TO LIVE WITH JOSEPH ANYMORE.

"THE TIME HAS COME FOR YOU
TO GO OFF TO SCHOOL.

"YOU MUST CHANGE YOUR LIFE,

"AND TELL JOSEPH
THAT YOU WON’T BE COMING BACK,

"AND TELL HIM THAT I WOULD
LIKE TO GIVE HIM A PRESENT,

"A TOKEN OF MY APPRECIATION
AND ESTEEM.

ASK HIM WHAT HE WOULD LIKE."

AND THE BOY KEPT THE LETTER

UNTIL IT WAS TIME FOR HIM
TO LEAVE,

AND JOSEPH AND THE BOY
WERE RIDING OFF TO

THE BLUFFS OF THE COLUMBIA,

WHERE HE WAS, THE BOY WAS GOING
TO RETURN TO PORTLAND,

AND ON THE WAY HE SAID,

"WELL, I’VE RECEIVED A LETTER
FROM MY FATHER,

"AND HE WANTS ME TO TELL YOU
THAT I WON’T BE COMING BACK,

"AND HE WANTS
TO MAKE YOU A GIFT.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE?"

AND AT THIS POINT,

IN ERSKINE WOOD JR.’S EYES

THERE APPEARED TEARS,

AND HE SAID THAT
AFTER A LONG MILE, SILENT MILE,

JOSEPH SAID, "TELL YOUR FATHER
TO GIVE ME A HORSE."

AND THE BOY WAS SO DISAPPOINTED

THAT HE SHOULD ASK
FOR SO PALTRY A THING,

AND HE NEVER TOLD HIS FATHER.

AND THE TWO MEN DIED WITHOUT,
YOU KNOW.

AND ERSKINE WOOD JR., SAID,

"I DIDN’T KNOW
WHAT THE GIFT OF A HORSE WAS."

[ NATIVE AMERICAN CHANTING ]

Man: THERE ARE MANY STORIES
IN THE WEST,

AND THERE ARE MANY STORIES
IN THE UNITED STATES,

AND NONE IS MORE AMERICAN
THAN ANY OTHER.

BUT WHEN WE TRY TO THINK
OF A COMMON STORY,

OF A STORY WHICH WE INVENT
ABOUT AMERICA,

WE LAY THAT INVENTION
IN THE WEST.

THERE’S NO SECTION
IN THE UNITED STATES

WHICH IS LESS AMERICAN
THAN ANY OTHER SECTION,

BUT THERE ARE STORIES
THAT BECOME MORE AMERICAN

THAN OTHER STORIES
BECAUSE WE TELL THEM

AS STORIES
WHICH CAN INCLUDE ALL OF US.

IT’S THIS SENSE
THAT IN A COUNTRY

WHERE THERE’S SO MUCH
THAT DIVIDES US,

THERE CAN BE SOME EXPERIENCE
WHICH OUT THERE WE ALL SHARE.

IT MAY BE AN ILLUSION.

IT PROBABLY IS AN ILLUSION.

THERE IS NO SINGLE EXPERIENCE
IN THE WEST OR ANY PLACE ELSE.

BUT WE FIGHT SO MUCH
ABOUT THOSE STORIES

BECAUSE THOSE STORIES
DEEPLY MATTER --

NOT BECAUSE
OF WHAT HAPPENED IN THE WEST,

BUT WHAT HAPPENS RIGHT NOW,
WHAT MATTERS RIGHT NOW.

THAT’S THE IMPORTANT THING.

Williams: IF YOU THINK ABOUT
ALL OF THE VARIOUS STORIES

OF BETRAYAL
IN THE AMERICAN WEST,

THEY WILL BREAK YOUR HEART.

BUT IN THESE STORIES
OF BROKEN HEARTS,

THERE IS ALSO A HEALING --
A JOY.

AND THAT JOY AND THAT HEALING
HAS COME FROM THE LAND ITSELF.

AND I DON’T THINK
WE CAN FORGET THAT --

THAT THE LAND
LITERALLY BRINGS US BACK

TO A REVERENTIAL STATE OF MIND

WHERE WE REALIZE
THE HEALTH OF THE LAND

IS THE HEALTH OF THE PEOPLE.

IT IS ABOUT SPIRIT, AND
IN THAT SPIRIT ARE SEEDS OF JOY,

AND THAT’S WHERE
I STAKE MY CLAIM IN THE FUTURE.

Watkins: THE WESTERN LANDSCAPE
IN ALL ITS VARIETY AND DRAMA

AND SENSE OF WIDE-OPEN SPACES,

CARRIES
AN ENORMOUS EMOTIONAL WEIGHT --

I THINK WITH NOT ONLY AMERICANS,
BUT WITH MUCH OF THE WORLD.

THERE’S ALWAYS BEEN A PLACE,

ALWAYS BEEN
A PLACE IN HUMAN HISTORY

THAT BECAME THE REPOSITORY,
IF YOU WILL,

OF ALL THE DREAMS, HOPES,
AND ASPIRATIONS OF PEOPLE.

SOME PLACE THAT WAS
ALWAYS GOING TO BE BETTER

THAN WHERE THEY WERE.

THE WEST
STILL HAS THAT CHARACTERISTIC.

IT IS PROBABLY
THE ONE SINGLE THING

THAT MAKES IT UNIQUE
IN AMERICAN HISTORY.

THAT A PLACE
SO WIDE AND LARGE AND VARIOUS

COULD AT THE SAME TIME
BE A SINGLE REPOSITORY

OF SO MUCH HOPE.

[ NATIVE AMERICAN CHANTING ]