What happened to Low Dog

[shan]

I am in the process of writing a book in which the Oglala Low Dog features, and although I have managed to unearth some information on the man after his surrender in 1881, for instance he went to live on the Cheyenne river agency, and was regarded as one of the prime trouble makers before Wounded Knee, but, after that I seem to have hit a brick wall, can anyone help?

Shan

[Ephriam Dickson]

Shan:

Unfortunately, I do not know what ultimately happened to Low Dog, though I would like to! According to my research notes, after he surrendered in 1881, he lived on the Standing Rock Reservation (not Cheyenne River). He was still on Standing Rock as late as 1920, my last note about him.

Ephriam

[shan]

Hi Epriam,

I have a copy of a letter dated 1890, which tell of the arrest of Low Dog for supposedly trying to kidnap the young son of Big Foot, he did not want to attend school apparently, { some other notes hint that the two men may have been related,} as a result, he was subsequently and imprisioned at Fort Snelling. However, on the strenght of a letter from the local Indian agent, he was released a few months later and escorted back to Cherry Creek where, and here I quote the letter,' he was to be returned to his own people,'
As you probably know, Cherry Creek was on the Cheyenne River agency. a
Richard Hardorff mentions him in several of his books, but in two of them, he talks of him living and dying at Cherry Creek, but frustratingly, gives two very different years for his death, off the top of my head they were 1896 and 1910, quite a difference i think you'll agree.
I wrote to twice to Richard Hardorff asking if he could point me to his sour sources, but he failed to reply.
If you have any information on the man at all, I would be very grateful.
Shan

[Don Blake]

Isn't that a picture of Low Dog in Utley's book on Sitting Bull, where he is with Rain in the Face and Running Antelope? The caption names him as Crow King, possibly because he's wearing an army coat like the latter is in the oft-published photo, but it's clearly not him. It might be shortly after the surrender, because I'm sure I've read that the leaders were given jackets (and maybe hats?) to put on and two of them are dressed like that.

[shatonska]

Guest-Don said:

Isn't that a picture of Low Dog in Utley's book on Sitting Bull, where he is with Rain in the Face and Running Antelope? The caption names him as Crow King, possibly because he's wearing an army coat like the latter is in the oft-published photo, but it's clearly not him. It might be shortly after the surrender, because I'm sure I've read that the leaders were given jackets (and maybe hats?) to put on and two of them are dressed like that.

weren't they four in the photo ? there was Crowler , most probably is crow king , where all hunkpapas or maybe crawler was a shiosapa-blackfoot , anyway crow king ( the man with the hatchet ) is a bit different from another photo that i have seen of him

[shan]

Hi Don, yes that is Low Dog and not Crow King as labeled in Utleys book, I suppose the mistake was mainly due to the army jacket Low Dog wears, which looks very like the one Crow King wears in several photographs. There are two, maybe three clues as to it being Low Dog, 1 the distintive tomahawk he holds. which he also holds in the other 5 photos I managed to find of him, 2, he has a very low forehead and heavy hairline, which Crow King does not, and 3, Crow King has a far more Mongolian face than Low Dog.
I have found another photograph that was either taken just before, or just after the one in the book, in which there are 5 additional Indians, and three white men.
Epriam, could you let me know a little more about the information you have, which has Low Dog living at Standing Rocj and living there until to 1920. thanks, Shan

[Don Blake]

I'm assuming the photo was taken during the transfer of the surrendered Indians from the military to the Interior Dept, as referred to in the Custer Myth, pp74-5.

[Ephriam Dickson]

Good morning, Shan:

Hardorff, in his book, THE DEATH OF CRAZY HORSE, does say that Low Dog settled at Cheyenne River Agency and that he died in 1894 (p. 86). He cites two references: Graham's book CUSTER MYTH (which does not include this information) and a general reference to the Camp Collection at Indiana University (of which I do not have a copy to check). I assume that Camp's notes must be his source for this biographical information.

Low Dog is listed in the 1881 Standing Rock Census which shows the recently surrendered "hostiles" three months after their arrival at Standing Rock, including:

Sunka kucigala Low Dog M 34 [born c1847]
Pejuta Medicine wife F 35
Kokam corsica One Who Makes Disorder son M 11
Sunka kan Horse son M 2

I also have in my notes two references to a Joshua Low Dog (born about 1847-49) which I have assumed to be the same individual (though I might be incorrect here):

Low Dog, Joshua 52
Low Dog, Louise wife 53
Low Dog, Louise dau. 18
Low Dog, Luke son 15
Low Dog, Jessie dau 13

His wife, Louise's, Lakota name is given as Tiolutawin, which might translate as Red Lodge (I will have to check on that to be certain). This is from the 1900 Federal Census for Standing Rock Agency (p. 293).

Then, in the 1910 Federal Census for Standing Rock Agency (p. 78):

Low Dog, Joshua 61
Low Dog, Luke son 25
Low Dog, Regina dau-in-law 20
Low Dog, Louise dau 28
Low Dog, Willa gr-dau 5

In this census, Joshua Low Dog is listed as a widow, with the note that he had been married twice. Also, he lists himself as a Sans Arc, not an Oglala. (His first wife may have been an Oglala and he might have joined this tribe following their marriage, a common occurrence among the Lakota).

I could not find him in the 1920 federal census.

One way to document if this is the same Low Dog would be to follow him through the annual agency census records. I have access to those here, but have not gone through them looking for Low Dog. The first one for Standing Rock Agency begins in 1885 and continues into the twentieth century. According to my notes, there may not be census records for the 1894 to 1900 period for Standing Rock. When I have some time, I will go through them to see what I can find.

Also there is a later photograph supposedly of Low Dog:
ww2.glenbow.org/lasearch/photo.htm (and type in Low Dog to search).

Hope this helps.

Ephriam

[Ephriam Dickson]

P.S. I mistyped my first message -- I meant to say that the last reference I have of Low Dog is 1910 (not 1920).
e

[shan]

hello Epriam,

thanks for the information, I have some of it from the people at nara.gov. I can't make my mind up if we are dealing with two men called Low Dog here, especially as a man of that name, appears on a census role for the Cheyenne river agency 1892. He is much the same age as the man on the Standing Rock census , but this one has a wife with a different name who is a little older than him. William S. E. Coleman in his book Voices of Wounded Knee talks of a Low Dog heavily involved in the build up to the Ghost Dance, but he says the man was a Brule. I think he has got it wrong, but then who knows.
With reference to the photo on the website you so kindly told me of, I' m pretty sure the man they have labeled Low Dog, is in fact Long Dog, one of Sitting Bulls stauchest allies. I base this on a photo I have of Long Dog in Red Indian Experiences, by Decost Smith, and, on an unusual photo of Long Dog on the Sioux personalities page on that same website. Incidently, they have some rarely seen photographs in that section.
Shan

[Ephriam Dickson]

Shan:

I think your idea that there are two different men named Low Dog is a distinct possibility. I did receive today copies of two photograph books by Donovin A. Sprague, one on Standing Rock and the other on Cheyenne River.

In the Standing Rock issue, he includes a photograph from the Smithsonian of Low Dog, along with Crow King, Major Brotherton and George Fleury, taken in 1881. Sprague wrote the following about Low Dog: "Low Dog is always listed as an Oglala but is a Siha Sapa. His family went south and Cheyenne River Sioux tribal member Carideo Low Dog of Dupree, SD is the great grandson of Chief Low Dog." (p. 56)

In the Cheyenne River book, he reprinted the classic Barry photograph of Low Dog (p. 32) and repeated the comment about the great grandson.

Perhaps Sprague could put you in contact with this family member and the identity of the Low Dogs at these two agencies could be cleared up.

Ephriam

[Don Blake]

There's a photo in the Glenbow archives of a Lakota named Long Dog who looks like a younger version of the Low Dog Ephriam mentions above. Go to ww2.glenbow.org/lasearch/photo.htm and enter Long Dog in the search box.

[Don Blake]

That reminds me, is the Sprague book any good or is it ropy like the similar volume on Little Bighorn where a large percentage of the photos are from Fort Belknap?

[shan]

Hi Don,
Yes your right, the photo you talk of is an earlier photo of Long Dog, and that's him as an older man in the one they have labelled Low Dog. I have a couple of other photos of the man, and they have definately got the name wrong. Incidently, that's a fine war club he carries in both photos, given that there apears to be a number of years between the two photos, he must have been very attached to it.
Shan

[shan]

Hi Epriam, I am very interested in the two books you mention, as I like to collect as many images of the Indians involved the the last Sioux wars as I can lay my hands on. Tell me, are these books primarily photographic books, and if so, do they have the usual images one sees in dozens of such books on the West, or do they have any unusual images. Could you also let me know the publishers and prices?
Anything else you come across regarding Low Dog, I'd be grateful to if you would let me know. I am also interested in a man by the name of Runs Fearless, he gets a number of mentions in the magnificent Pictographic history of the Oglalal Sioux byHelen Blish, but I've never come across a photograph of him or indeed any other mention of other than his action at the little big horn.
Shan