Trails Through Western Woods — Reading Companion

The Selish and the Flathead Reservation

The catalog lists 'Salish Indians' as a subject, but the excerpts consistently use the term 'Selish' (a variant spelling) and situate them specifically on the Flathead Reservation in Montana. Sanders writes of 'the lessening tribes' and 'the passing of the Flathead Reservation,' indicating a focus on a particular community rather than a generalized treatment. The preface names individual informants—Duncan McDonald, Henri Matt, and Chief Charlot—suggesting that the book draws on oral testimony. The excerpts do not mention Dakota Indians or Catholic missions, though the catalog includes them; the missions subject may appear in later chapters not included here. The evidence points to a work centered on the Selish people of the Flathead region, with an elegiac tone about cultural loss.

The Buffalo as Symbol and Subject

Chapter VI, 'The Passing Buffalo,' uses the buffalo skull and obsidian arrowhead as emblems of a vanished past. Sanders describes 'a brave chase when wind-swift Indians pursued mad, hurtling herds' and notes that the Selish used the 'method of the stockade' before horses arrived via the Nez Percé Kayuses. The catalog lists 'American bison' as a subject, and the excerpts confirm that buffalo hunting is a central theme, but the treatment is more symbolic than naturalistic. The buffalo becomes a figure for the 'tragedy of progress,' with the White Race driving both herds and tribes 'toward the great abyss.' This elegiac framing aligns with the dedication's lament for 'the brave, free life of the Wilderness.'

The Role of Oral Tradition and Informants

Sanders explicitly credits her sources: Duncan McDonald and Henri Matt told her 'many of the myths and chronicles,' while Edward Morgan secured 'the legend of the Flint' from Chief Charlot, translated by Michel Rivais. The preface also mentions that Morgan gave her 'the account of Charlot's meeting with Joseph at the LoLo Pass,' verified by David Whaley. This reliance on named informants suggests that the book is partly a record of oral tradition, not merely a travelogue. The catalog's 'Dakota Indians' and 'Catholic Church -- Missions' subjects are absent from these excerpts; the missions may appear elsewhere, but the evidence here emphasizes indigenous voices and the Flathead Reservation context.

Readers approaching Trails Through Western Woods should note that the catalog subjects provide a broad framework, but the excerpts concentrate on the Selish people of the Flathead Reservation, the symbolic use of buffalo, and the preservation of oral tradition through named informants. The book's elegiac tone—evident in its dedication and preface—colors its descriptions, making it as much a lament as a record. Pay attention to the specific sources Sanders acknowledges, as they ground the work in a particular time and place.

Reading that Sanders captures so much by letting the trails speak for themselves, I was reminded of another quiet voyage. There’s a similar patience in floating past icebergs with only a painter’s eye, letting the coastline unfold. That book, After Icebergs with a Painter A Summer Voyage to Labrador and Around Newfoundland. — Reading Companion, holds the same gentle wonderment at how a place slowly reveals its own story.