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The Northwestern
Shoshone appealed to the Mormon Prophet Brigham Young after years
of struggle to recover from the massacre. Brigham Young sent George
Washington Hill, in the capacity of missionary, to aid them. George
W. Hill seemed to be a natural contact for the Northwestern Shoshone
seeking to affiliate with Mormonism. He was well known to the
Shoshone, having worked with them extensively as a missionary
in the Salmon River mission at Fort Lemhi between 1855 and 1859
and occasionally thereafter as a translator. At Hill’s assignment
at Salmon River, Hill mastered the Shoshone language and gained
a great understanding and respect for the Shoshone people and
their culture. The Shoshone honored Hill by acknowledging one
of his physical traits in a special name they gave him Inkapompy,
meaning “Man with Red Hair.”
At Brigham City, Mormon Bishop Alvin Nichols was also doing his
duty by the Indians, distributing beef and other supplies "on
a liberal scale" to the encampment of Shoshone. This was
in November 1874. The Mormon Church started baptizing Shoshone
in the spring of 1875 and set them up farming just a few miles
north of Corinne. By August 1875, over 600 Northwestern Shoshones
were baptized. |
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