As told to Elsie Odell Bennette by Beth Gowdy about her father, John Tucker Gowdy.
The summer of 1862, John T. Gowdy and a friend went north to Canada to hunt for gold. They had very little success, but John did bring home a very small amount of gold dust.
On the way home, somewhere in Idaho, they camped one night by a small stream of water, and near a large camp of Indians, several different tribes. Some of the yohg Indian men were friendly and visited the two white men, who went on their homeward way the next day.
On arriving home they learned that the Indians were at ware, and that the big Indian camp was the meeting place of all the tribes. One tribe was still on the way, and till it arrived the Indians would be friendly. Otherwise, John and his friend would probably never reached home.
The big tin cup that John carried in the top of his sack of flour, mixed his bread in, and drank out of, is still in the family.