The Frontier Scout Who Intercepted Chief Joseph
Obituary of a Montana Scout
Louis Shambo
"LOUIS SHAMBO, PRIEND OF PERSHING, HITS LAST TRAIL IN THIS CITY Special to The Record-Herald."
“HAVRE, Nov. 7.—Louis Shambo, one of the pioneer scouts of the northwest, is dead here. The late scout was born in Graceville, Minn., in 1846, and he was one of the greatest scouts blazing the trail to civilization known to the west. He was a government scout and guide with General Miles during the time of the capture of Chief Joseph in the Bear Paw mountain district in 1876. After this he served in the capacity of scout and interpreter for the government. He was a special friend of General Pershing in the early '90s at Fort Assiniboine in his official capacity as interpreter and government scout.
Shambo was very reticent in his demeanor, silent and reserved, friends only in his reminiscent mood could get him to divulge his experience of the early days. Volumes could be written of private history related in his personal experience. He lived as a boy among the Chippewas of Minnesota, grew to manhood among the manners and customs of the aborigines, graduated in the school of frontier life, thus becoming a valuable servant to the government in later years as one of the most valiant and reliable scouts that this country has ever known. He is survived by his daughter, Mrs. Maggie Burch, and a son, Edward Shambo, both of Dodson area.
NOTE: Before he became a scout for Col Nelson Miles, Shambo apparently worked for General George Crook in the Department of the Platte during the 1870’s. His fellow scout, Luther “Yellowstone” Kelly recommended him to Miles as Miles set out in pursuit of the Nez Perce. Shambo was familiar with the area as he had previously lived among the French and Indian Metis along the Milk River. After the Bear Paw Battle, Shambo worked as a scout, packer, interpreter and messenger at Fort Assiniboine. By the time it closed in 1911, he had moved to Havre. In his later years he alternated his time between cowboying in the summer and bartending in the winter. Two years before he died, he took up a homestead south of Havre. The area around today’s Beaver Creek Park was once referred to as the Shambo township. Shambo was married to a Gros Ventre woman from Fort Belknap. They had five children and some of their descendants still reside on the reservation.
Reference: findagrave.com Memorial No: 85691425
For additional information on Louis Shambo, a.k.a. Louis Shambeau, see:
Grit, Guts and Gusto: A History of Hill County. Hill County Bicentennial Committee; (1976). Pages 308-311. (To view online see mtmemory.org (Same Title, Pages 319-322.)
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