Using the Medicine Wood

 Medicine Bow is one of the most impressive mountains in south eastern Wyoming. The Mountain, most often called, Medicine Bow Peak, is part of  a small range called the Medicine Bow's. Nearby is the tiny village of Medicine Bow and Medicine Bow River.

Took This Shot of Medicine Bow Peak Last Sunday

Where did the name Medicine Bow come from? Good solid birch trees that made terrific hunting bows for native peoples roaming and hunting the area. Many different woods and even the antlers of big horn sheep and elk were used in various parts of the west to make hunting bows. The Birch wood found along today's Medicine Bow River must have made exceptional bows. So good they said it was, “good medicine,” the medicine wood.

Powerful Animals Took a Powerful Bow

 See the town of Medicine Bow here - http://www.medicinebow.org

Sitting Bull - the name

Indian legends often tell the story of the high regard which native peoples held animals. Sitting Bull is a great example. Sioux oral history states that his father, after hearing a nearby buffalo bull bellowing took this as a sign. He chose this sign to made four names from, Sitting Bull, Lone Bull, Jumping Bull and Standing Bull.

Wyoming Buffalo

He then used the first and what he considered the most powerful name, Sitting Bull as his own name. But when his 14 year old son showed exceptional bravery counting his first coup, his father gave away that name to his son, who would become the great Sitting Bull of history books and the Wild West Show. Sitting Bull’s father lived out the rest of his life as another of his four names, Lone Bull.

Sitting Bull