Burials At Whirlwind Cemetery

This monument at the Whirlwind cemetery is engraved on three sides with the names of persons buried in the cemetery. Here are the names listed:



Denison Whirlwind: June 4, 1901
Mrs. Standing Twenty: June 24, 1901
Infant Turkey Legs: Sept. 12, 1901
Hookla Turkey Legs: Sept. 20, 1905
Carrie Red Shin: Sept. 4, 1905
Big Belly Woman: Sept. 13, 1905
Chancey Sun Maker: Sept. 14, 1905
White Bird: Sept. 17, 1905
Bessie Pendleton: Sept. 18, 1905
Lizzie Pendleton: Sept. 19, 1905
Little Bear Cook: Sept. 21, 1905
Child of Mack Shortneck: Mar. 4, 1906
Mrs. Mack Shortneck: Sept. 11, 1907
Mother of Turkey Legs: Oct. 31, 1907
Infant of Mrs. Shortneck: Nov. 10, 1907
Mrs. Elk River: Aug. 1899
Child of Moore Van Horn: Aug. 5, 1899
Child of Howling Crane: Aug. 12, 1899
Little Woman Bobtail Wolf: Jan. 27, 1900
Fanny Hill (Crooked Nose Black): Feb. 2, 1900
Child of Mack Shortneck: Mar. 17, 1900
Child of Lewis Blun: Mar. 1900
Blanche Warpath: Apr. 27, 1900
John Shortman: May 18, 1900
Mabel G. Oakerhater: 1 months June 4, 1900
Short Nose: July 29, 1900
Mary Antelope Skin: Aug. 27, 1900
Mrs. Howling Crane: Sept. 18, 1900
Della Black Owl: Mar. 26, 1901
Elizabeth Tall Meat
Harriet Riggs
Burnet Rising Elk
Nistro Herald
Thomas Smith
Harriet Antelope Skin
Red Wolf
Perfumery Blue
Leroy Whiteshield
Killing Before
Sarah Lucy Good Bear
Little Woman Mohea
Charlie Big Nose
Mary Apache
David Herald
Susie and Mary Stanton, twins
Edward Riggs: age 1 Apr. 7, 1898
Ralph Rising Elk: Oct. 1898
Child of Blackowl: Jan. 3, 1899
Mrs. Star: Feb. 9, 1899
James Rouse: May 20, 1899
Mrs. Sun Maker: May 23, 1899

Mrs. Thomas Turkey Legs 1866 – 1922
Infant daughter of S & M Riggs 1908 – 1910

Whirlwind Cemetery

This book "The Peace Chiefs of the Cheyennes" by Stan Hoig is an excellent source of information. Two particular Cheyennes are discussed in detail:

"At the end of October, 1873, a delegation of Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho chiefs from the Cheyenne agency, headed by Little Robe and Whirlwind and escorted by Agent John D. Miles, arrived in Washington, D.C.....Little Robe answered that the Cheyenne and Arapaho chiefs were for peace....."

This web site decribes the Whirlwind Cemetery west of Watonga, Oklahoma: "This is an old cemetery 1/2 mile north of the site of the Whirlwind Mission and school (named for the Cheyenne Chief Old Whirlwind…..)" Here is a photo of the entrance:

In 1885, Chief Whirlwind visited the school at Carlisle, Pennsylvania with a delegation of Cheyennes. He was also part of a delegation visiting Washington D.C. in 1895. Other members of the delegation were Southern Cheyennes Little Wolf, Little Chief, Cloud Chief, White Horse, plus Arapaho chiefs Row of Lodges and Left Hand. Interpreters were Robert Burns and Clever Warden.







This is a photo of the historical marker in the Whirlwind Cemetery. The marker is engraved with "In memory of the people of Whirlwind Episcopal Church and the Rev'd. David Pendleton Oakerhater, Deacon.

Duncan's Crossing

Two different historical markers are located at Duncan's Crossing of the Pawnee Fork River on the military road from Fort Hays to Fort Dodge. A marker (see this web site) was placed in 1929 by a local ladies aid society in honor of George Duncan and John O'Loughlin, who established a trading post at the location beginning in 1869.

A second marker can be seen at this web page. Duncan's Crossing is located in Hodgeman County, which adjoins Ness County.

Nearby in Ness County, the site of the Cheyenne village (described in the previous post) is now the property of the support group called The Fort Larned Old Guard: "One of the most exciting projects the Old Guard has undertaken is that they have purchased the Cheyenne-Sioux Indian village site northwest of Fort Larned in Ness County, the same site when in April of 1867 General Winfield Scott Hancock burned this village to start what was later called "Hancock's War". Living history activities are being held on the site, see this web page.

1867 Cheyenne village, Pawnee River

This 1870 map of Kansas represents the area along the Pawnee Fork river near Fort Larned. Ness County is the green area of the upper left portion of the photo.

In 1867, the 7th Cavalry marched west out of Fort Larned on an expedition "designed to give the central plains Indians a lesson and to provide a response to the Fetterman Massacre that took place the previous year." This web site describes the Hancock Expedition which resulted in the destruction of the Cheyenne village. Here is part of the story:

"On the expedition was a half French, half Cheyenne scout by the name of Edmund Guerrier. He reported to General Hancock on the evening of Sunday, April 14, 1867, that the Indians were leaving the camp on the Pawnee. Hancock gave the order to Colonel George Custer and the 7th to surround the village. Custer's surgeon, Isaac Coates, described the scene..........On April 19, Hancock's order to destroy the "nest of conspirators" was carried out. Three companies of the 37th Infantry gathered the lodges, Buffalo robes, and the camp equipment into great piles and set everything ablaze."

Over 100 years later, two researchers discovered the location of the Cheyenne village: "George and Earl were able to pinpoint the village, along with every stop and feature on the route taken by the Army. In their search, they had worked east along the river to within a mile of the site from the west. From the east end going west, they had just gotten to the place called Duncan's Crossing. With this new information and map in hand, they began exploring the village site and discovered it was rich in artifact material. Most of what the two found was found with metal detectors. George and Earl found iron trade items that were used to trade with the Indians, kettle parts, gun parts, tin cups, and cartridge cases. There were also iron objects altered by Indians for uses such as awls, scrapers, points, and knives. They also excavated non-iron items; stone points, pot shards, rubbing stones, clay pipes, glass, and beads. They noted that material was often in groupings or piles of similar items. There were many burned areas."

The history and location of Duncan's Crossing is described by a web site from Santa Fe Trail Research: "Duncan's crossing was originally founded by John O'Loughlin, a young Irish immigrant who had come west to find his fortune. It was his work as a teamster for the Army Quartermaster Department that probably led him to this spot in the trail that linked Fort Dodge to Fort Hays. After the railroad reached Hays City in 1867, the army shipped their supplies by rail to Hays City and used wagons to transport them on the Fort Dodge. Thus, the trail between the two forts was established by the Army. O'Loughlin chose his location well. It was half way between the forts of Hays and Dodge in Kansas, and located on the Pawnee River. It was difficult to cross, even in the dry season, because of the high banks, so he built a bridge to aid both the Army and civilians as they came this way."

Thus, Guerrier and Hancock and Custer were present at the Cheyenne village on the Pawnee Fork in Ness County near Duncan's Crossing. The location of the village has since been discovered. This is definitely someplace I would love to visit!