Blackfeet Tales of Glacier National Park

Description

James Willard Schultz, or Apikuni was a noteworthy writer, discoverer, Glacier National Park guide, fur trader and historian of the Blackfeet Indians. He formed a fur trading post at Carroll, Montana and settled in the Pikuni tribe from 1880 to 1882. He was suggested the name Apikuni by the Pikuni chief, Running Crane. Apikuni in Blackfeet is translated as Spotted Robe. James is best known for his 37 books, primarily of the life of Blackfoot, and for his inputs to the designation of important features in Glacier National Park.

James was born to affluent parents, Frances and Philander Bushrod Schults, as it was indicated during those times. The residence where he was born is streaked with a plaque as a New York State Historic Landmark. In his younger days, he reveled in the outdoors and his father ascertained that he was guided by professional outdoorsmen and hunters in the Adirondacks in camping and hunting excursions. He was a skilled hunter at a very young age.

In the middle of 1880s, James started to spend much time in the Two Medicine and Saint Mary Lakes region of what is known today as Glacier National Park channeling and equipping resident hunters. In 1885, he wrote an article on the St. Mary Lakes to Forest and Stream, a few of his first literary works. During that time, George Bird Grinnell was the editor of the magazine, and he came to be interested with James and the Glacier region. George solicited James to equip and channel him on a hunting excursion in Glacier in September 1885. However, the excursion was not a huge feat for George, he did shoot a Bighorn ram on a mountain nearby the Upper Saint Mary Lake with only one shot.

James swiftly called the mountain Singleshot Mountain to honor George’s victory. Therefore, commenced years of James designating features in the Glacier regions for clients and friends, and to honor customary Indian names. Montana State University Library has a digital library of papers and photographs
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