Chief Plenty Coups speaks at the dedication of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery after World War 1.
Plenty Coups and Crow Nation only Plains tribe never to war with U.S.
When thinking of the history of American expansion and the volatile relations with Native American tribes of the West, names such as Geranimo, Sitting Bull, and Crazy Horse come to mind. They were all fierce leaders of their peoples in those turbulent years before reservations were established and Indians were subjugated. The Crow Nation, amazingly, was the only Plains tribe which never declared war on their white invaders. The peaceful attitude of the Crow was primarily the result of the influence of their chief, Plenty Coups.
Plenty Coups (pronounced “cooz”) was born in 1848 in an area of Montana near the present-day city of Billings. His youth was spent learning to hunt buffalo, sometimes stampeding the herd over a cliff to kill the giant animals. The Crow, like many Plains Indian people, depended in the buffalo for food, clothing, shelter, tools and weapons. No part of the buffalo was wasted. Plenty Coups grew into a strong hunter and warrior, named “Plenty Coups” by his grandfather. The name meant “many achievements,” and “counting a coup” meant doing a brave deed, such as stealing a horse tied to the lodge of an enemy. The young man impressed his elders with his strength, bravery, and leadership ability. After performing over eighty brave deeds in combat, Plenty Coups earned the name of War Chief of the Crow Nation.
Crow country was beautiful and filled with natural resources, such as meat and berries, so other tribes were a constant threat to the Crow. The Crow decided that the best way to protect their country was to invite other tribes to share their game and fruits, so long as they did not try to occupy the land permanently. The Crow were known as excellent warriors, so their plan for protecting their land was successful.
Many Native American nations believed strongly in visions, going out into the mountains and fasting for at least four days and nights in order to receive a vision. Plenty Coups frequently went on vision quests, but the vision which shaped his world view was a voice in a dream which told him, “Develop your body, but do not neglect your mind. It is the mind that leads a man to power, not strength of body.” Plenty Coups interpreted the message to mean that his people must study the white man’s ways, become educated, and learn to live peacefully with the whites in order to keep Crow land.
Plenty Coups welcomed the opportunity to forge a positive relationship with whites in 1876 when the United States Army asked the Crow to serve as scouts as the Army fought against the Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho. These tribes were already enemies of the Crow, so the scouting job with the Army was a perfect fit. They were assigned to work with the Seventh Cavalry under the leadership of Lt. Col. George Custer. Their first job was finding Sitting Bull and his Sioux. They warned Custer not to attack Sitting Bull and his tribe; however, the firebrand Colonel ignored the warning and dismissed the scouts. Failing to listen to the Crow led to Custer’s defeat at Little Big Horn.
After years of successful leadership as the Crow Chief on land which had become the Crow Reservation, Plenty Coups and several subchiefs of the Crow travelled to Washington, D.C., in 1917 to plead their nation’s case against a bill written by Montana Senator Thomas J. Walsh. Walsh was trying to pass a law to open the Crow Reservation to white settlement. A Crow spokesman and interpreter addressed a Senate subcommittee, explaining the tribe’s opposition to the bill. His speech was interrupted when committee members were called to Senate chambers to declare war on Germany. After World War I was declared, the committee returned to hear the Crows’ closing argument, voting in favor of the Crow Reservation. Plenty Coups encouraged young Crow men to join the armed forces to serve their country, as well as to gain experience as warriors.
Plenty Coups led his people on the Crow Reservation for many years from his two-story log home near Pryor, Montana, on a 320 acre tract of land deeded to him through the Allotment Act on 1884. He got the idea for his home after visiting Mt. Vernon, the Virginia home of George Washington. He built a general store near the border of the reservation and traded with white neighbors, encouraging intermingling of the two peoples. He frequently invited his white neighbors to Crow celebrations and festivals. Among the white dignitaries who visited Plenty Coups at his home was French General Marshal Foch, who met and liked the chief when the two met at the dedication of the Tomb of the Unkowns after World War I. When Foch made a tour of the United States, he had his train routed through Billings so he could visit Plenty Coups.
In 1928, four years prior to his death on March 3, 1032, Plenty Coups and his wife Strikes With Iron left 195 acres to the government, designating the land to be used as a public park. In 1970 the park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1999 it was named a National Historic Landmark. The park is located within the Crow Reservation 40 minutes south of Billings, Montana, on Edgar, Road, Prior, Montana.
Plenty Coups’ cabin is the central feature of Plenty Coups State Park.
The Crow Nation designated Plenty Coups the last traditional tribal chief. He is revered by his people for promoting peace and education in order to integrate their lives with the lives of their white fellow citizens. The old chief’s life is detailed in PLENTY COUPS, CHIEF OF THE CROWS, Frank Linderman’s biography.
Crow Chief Plenty Coups