Sylvester “Three-Fingered” Smith was one of Idaho’s earliest pioneers—a mountain man, miner, merchant, and frontiersman who lived most of his life on the edge of civilization. From the first gold strikes at Florence to the remote valleys of the Salmon River country, Smith witnessed—and survived—nearly every danger the Idaho frontier had to offer, the Nez Perce War, the Bannock War & the Sheepeater War. His life intersected with boomtowns, Indian wars, violent ambushes, and the slow transition from wilderness to settlement.In this episode, we explore the documented history and enduring legend of “Three-Fingered” Smith, separating fact from frontier lore while following his journey through some of the most dangerous and unforgiving landscapes of the American West. This is not the story of a famous gunfighter or outlaw, but of a hardened pioneer whose life reflects the true realities of frontier survival.If you want to hear more true stories of the American West—forgotten pioneers, brutal conflicts, and legends rooted in real history—make sure to subscribe to Wild West Deep Dives.#frontierhistory #pioneer #oldwesthistory #wildwesthistory #idahohistory #wildwestdeepdivesSources for Research;Forgotten Tragedies of an Indian War“Three-Finger” Smith, a Lone Survivor By Aaron F. Parkerhttps://objects.lib.uidaho.edu/twrs/Parker__1968_Indian_Wars.pdf Wilderness Pioneer The Story of Sylvester S. “Three-Fingered” SmithBy Shelia D. Reddy https://objects.lib.uidaho.edu/taylorarchive/b10-073.pdf https://objects.lib.uidaho.edu/taylorarchive/b10-016.pdf (4)Condensed version of ‘Wilderness Pioneer The Story of Sylvester S. “Three-Fingered” Smith by WSDA Forest ServiceSources for PhotosFlorence, Idaho 1890s Western Mining History https://westernmininghistory.com/gallery/538320/historical/towns/Dreyse Needle Gun CC; 3.0: PHGCOMChinese Miners Western Mining History

High in the remote mountains of Idaho and the Greater Yellowstone region lived a little-known people called the Sheep Eaters, or Tukudeka — a group often misunderstood, misidentified, and nearly erased from history. For generations, they survived in the high country by hunting bighorn sheep, moving with the seasons, and avoiding contact with the outside world.

In 1879, that isolation came to an end. Accusations of murders, raids, and stolen livestock sparked Idaho’s last Indian war, drawing the U.S. Army deep into some of the most rugged terrain in the American West. What followed was not a traditional war, but a campaign of pursuit, ambushes, survival, and surrender — shaped as much by rumor and fear as by confirmed facts.

This episode explores who the Sheep Eaters really were, what we know from archaeology and firsthand accounts, and how a misunderstood people became entangled in a conflict that quietly ended an ancient way of life. It also asks an uncomfortable question historians still debate: were the Sheep Eaters truly responsible for the violence blamed on them, or were they convenient scapegoats in a region already on edge?

This is the story of the Sheep Eaters, their history, their war, and the unanswered questions left behind in the mountains.

Sources for Research

https://www.intermountainhistories.org/items/show/180

Article by Andy McGinnis, University of Idaho

The Sheep Eaters

By William Alonzo Allen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoMoGJClpTQ

The Sheepeaters, Mountain Indians of the Greater Yellowstone Region

Video by; This is Yellowstone

https://www.intermountainhistories.org/items/show/887

Article by Emmaretta Barnett, Brigham Young University

https://objects.lib.uidaho.edu/taylorarchive/b08-PayetteNationalForestLiterature10.pdf

Article by Michael H. Koeppen

Collection of Articles in One Link

Forgotten Tragedies of an Indian War, By Aaron F. Parker

The Sheepeater Campaign, By George M Shearer & Col. W.C. Brown

Moccasin Tracks of the Sheepeaters, By John Carrey

https://objects.lib.uidaho.edu/twrs/Parker__1968_Indian_Wars.pdf

The Sheepeater Campaign; An Archeological Perspective, by Ricky L. Roberts, Weber State College

https://objects.lib.uidaho.edu/taylorarchive/b08-PayetteNationalForestLiterature79.pdf

Sources for Photos

Drawings on Cliffs by the Sheep Eaters

Photo by Crest, Cliff and Canyon

https://frishmanphoto.wordpress.com/2021/07/27/sheepeater-art/

Rocky Bar Mines

https://idahohistory.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p265501coll1/id/507/

Captain Edward Farrow

https://www.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/fisher/items/fisher286.html

‘High in the Sawtooths’

CC; 2.0 Brent - DSCF1345

Photos of Soldier Bar Today (Airfield)

Private Eagan’s Grave Today

https://www.shortfield.com/listing/soldier-bar-usfs-id/

Private Eagan’s Grave

Region Map (Vinegar Hill)

https://objects.lib.uidaho.edu/taylorarchive/b4-NewsArticles-016.pdf

This episode is from the 3 Part Series I did on Indian Territory, so if you hear, in the last episode or next episode, that is why but it focuses on the Five Civilized Tribes — the Cherokee, Muscogee (Creek), Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Seminole. Each nation had its own customs, traditions, and ways of life, and to avoid confusion, we examine each tribe individually rather than blending their stories together.While many of their experiences followed similar patterns — treaties, land loss, and forced removal — this episode focuses on the unique hardships each tribe endured and the paths that ultimately led them west. Although some removals occurred before 1830, the primary focus is on the events following the Indian Removal Act and the forced relocation of these nations to what would become Indian Territory, present-day Oklahoma.After that, I dive into why Indian Territory became so lawless, some famous Gangs & Outlaws and the Lawmen tasked with bringing Law to the Lawless Frontier.#IndianTerritory #Cherokeehistory #Muscogeehistory #Chickasawhistory #choctawhistory #semniolehistory #fivecivilizedtribes