Blackfoot Warriors vs. Mountain Man : The Brutal Death of George Druillard 

Well...I think George's last words were probably something like "Well, shiit. That didn't work." which are the last words of many of us.

My dad's grandfather went west to see what was there as a young man. He was born in 1869 in Pennsylvania. He told dad about an experience he had in Montana. The story told to me by my dad goes like this. He was on horseback and came to a bend in a river and saw a canoe floating by. He talked about seeing 2 Indians in it that appeared to be dead. Dad said his grandfather described in detail how he saw one of the dead persons arm over the canoe side with the hand in the river just floating along calmly. After the canoe got out of sight a "mountain man" appeared out of the brush and asked Dad's grandfather if he saw some Indians floating downriver. He said "yes" and the mountain man asked if they looked dead and again answered "yes". Dad's grandfather asked why he was concerned about them being dead and the mountain man showed him his hands had only fingers with no thumbs. He said he was at a rendezvous and slapped a child that turned out to be the Chief's son. The punishment was being hung up by his thumbs. He told Dad's grandfather that he killed every Indian he saw after that. Dad's grandfather ended up working at a copper mine for a time in Montana. Dad's grandfather lived near the family and died in 1945 when dad was 17 years old. Dad had a great memory for family history, so I cannot doubt this happened. I have researched a little bit and so far have not found a "thumbless mountain man".

George Drouillard was the son of Pierre Drouillard. During the American Revolution, Pierre - who sided with the British - once saved the life of the famous American frontiersmen, Simon Kenton. Kenton was once a prisoner of the Shawnee, and they aimed to torture Kenton at the stake, but Drouillard - who had a lot of sway and prestige within the Shawnee tribe - convinced the Indians that the frontiersman was too valuable a prisoner to be burned. As a result, Drouillard, along with a few Shawnee warriors, British soldiers, and some traders, transported Simon Kenton to Fort Detroit where he was handed over to the British commander. The Shawnee warriors stuck around the fort thinking they'd eventually get their prisoner back (they still wanted to burn him), but this never happened. After about a month or so, Pierre sent the Shawnees back to the Ohio country. The warriors were sore disappointed; they wailed and complained like little children, so Drouillard - who was a trader - sent them away with a bunch of gifts and trinkets in order to appease them. As for Simon Kenton, he remained tight-lipped about the frontier defenses south of the Ohio River, and he revealed little information to the British commander at Detroit. Ostensibly, Kenton was a prisoner there, but no one really guarded him, and he wasn't placed in any kind of jail - he actually stayed at Drouillard's cabin. After some months passed, the rangy frontiersmen eventually made his way back to Kentucky. Simon Kenton and Pierre Drouillard became close friends, and Kenton owed the French Canadian a huge debt of gratitude for the rest of his long life. Historically speaking, it stands to reason Simon Kenton was probably good friends with George Drouillard as well.

My great grandmother was a Blackfoot orphan that was sent to a catholic orphanage in the east. She was born in the early 1880s.

George was my Great great Uncle, my fathers entire side of the family were all born and raised in Windsor Ontario. I am proud of our families heritage, when I hear how my uncle died I realize how brave he must have been to adopt such a dangerous daily routine.

I greatly enjoyed this video. I find the stories of the mountain men fascinating.

Drouillard was the best paid member of the L&C expedition. He received a monthly captain salary just the same as Lewis & Clark themselves. Included in his duties was to provide 300 lbs of meat every second day. He would hunt and kill every bear they encountered even if it meant slowing down the whole expedition. He also spoke Spanish on top of French, English and half a dozen indigenous languages. Sacajawea and him were both indispensable to the expedition.

I absolutely love this channel. Always a great story told by a great storyteller.

Lewis had a very high opinion of Druillard and said that he, (Druillard), was by far the best hunter on the expedition.

I cant wait! I've been fascinated be Georg Druillard ever since i was s seasonal at Lewis and Clark Wood River State Historic site. So many of the members met an early death either on the frontier or in the war of 1812. Pumped to learn more I dont know much about his death other than the basics!

This is a cool channel & very well narrated. Keep up the good work!

Trapping beaver in another man's territory is like digging for gold in another man's mine. Definitely going to provoke a reaction if he caught you.

If he ever ran across Del Gue, ol' Del could have told him how the Blackfeet hammered him into the ground up to his neck. He told Jeremiah Johnson that it twert Mormons that put there, he also added that he had a fine horse under him.

I knew a little of this history..... But your narration and historical accuracy - second to none. Thank you . Subscribed.

Thanks for sharing this story.

I'm a member of the female line of the Drouillard family, and I'm related to them by mother's maternal line. So this is a very personal one for me.

What a tremendous video! I would relate George Drouillard to an undefeated boxer that had become over confident in there own abilities and end up getting KO'd. Like Tyson vs Douglass. But this isnt boxing and their is no ref to step in and save the fighter. George was considered the best shot, and fastest runner in the Lewis Clark Expedition. He had been in several gunfights, been a bounty hunter, and escaped alive. He was one of only 30 some men in thet to transcontinentaly travel the country. It makes sense that he could get an inflated opinion of his skills. He was one of the greatest moutian to ever do it. I feels like i finally have complete picture of his life now thank you so much!

Found your channel around a week ago, been binge watching since. Love it, appreciate your work

I think he was an intruder who underestimated his enemy---- Since the Blackfoot, Cheyenne, and Comanche never adopted an agrarian lifestyle, and were reliant on the bison, and other game of the plains, they were very protective of their hunting grounds--- They didn't tolerate the mountain men, or the settlers that followed them-----

Great narration. His refusal to stay together killed him.

Excellent as always 👏👏👏 Keep up your fantastic work 👍

great channel, love the narration and music, looking forward to more!!

Reminds me of the photographer/ painter who wondered too far off the the Bozeman Trail during Red Cloud's War and was found beheaded.

What? Trespassing on land they new not to be in and alone because of personal hubris and conceit? What could possibly go wrong?

Thank you for a well thought out, background loaded narrative. Seems the Blackfoot did not like their lands trespassed upon, just like any of us wouldn't.

He knew that he was going against the local Indian's rules and he was in dangerous territory. So, he only had himself to blame for his misfortune. The Indians were only trying to protect their resources and their way of life.

Métis from Alberta here. You have a great channel and well narrated videos! Perhaps his fault was due to the mythology of the time (that certain individuals had supernatural powers) combined with that confidence that comes from hundreds of safe days in the field. There’s strength in numbers and in the western frontier it seems it was either weapons tech or numbers that survived.

We're called savages for a reason. I like to refer to it as early Castle Doctrine or Stand Your Ground. Settlers and Trappers were merely thiefs on a land occupied and inhabited by us for thousands of years and needed to be dealt with like farmers and ranchers deal with pest and predators that destroy their livelihood. Great narration and stories here.

Averest and lust for money knowing full well what the consequence would some day be. Much appreciation for the story. New subscriber.

The Blackfeet were equal opportunity haters.

Very well done documentary, I am sure that many mountain men and plainsmen had a similar end over the decades. These were very tough and determined men, some with families that had to be fed, obviously disappointed with the big fur companies stranglehold over their meagre income, probably some of these men decided to get better paid for the danger and work involved. The rest as they say, is history. RIP George.

The artwork in this video is awesome!❤

I love this channel. You're educating me and that's important because we were never taught the truth when I was young and in school. Thank you 💛 for your excellent work.

Read French Canadian historian Serge Bouchard, he did extensive research on Drouillard and he wasn’t alone when he died fighting, he was with two young warriors and they were going to avenge the murder of one of their own.

In old times the country of the Blackfeet was a dangerous place for men to go, now it is Chicago.

Like any other seasoned local hunter, operating deep within the wilderness, he took calculated risks. Which he largely based upon a rather optimistic cost/benefit assessment. He could just as easily have suffered a riding accident, or been attacked by other non human predators. His luck just ran out that day but he still managed to fall like any true Brave!

It's tough at the top..a hard job but someone's gotta do it. We have the bravest people in life to commit to most difficult missions . Bless you George.

"There are old men, and there are bold men. But there are no old bold men"

since we hear that he was with lewis and clark, he should have known better than to be anywhere around there, alone or not after lewis killed a blackfoot, they made it a point to take out every trapper and voyager they encountered, and they were good at it

I love your videos. Sounds like he was well aware of the risks. It’s sad how he died, but he chose to go it alone.

Sad fate, but there's something to be admired about being able to live in the wild.

Very well done

It was just life in the wild. Civilized people have a hard time "getting it". Somedays you eat the bear, somedays the bear eats you. We are not far from those days and ways, and we're sliding towards them now. Tribalism is returning. It's basically, "No one is coming to save you. You must fend for yourself".

He’s all of the above and he’s the best example of fate for these guys they were braver than anyone else and they took chances

When so many of your colleagues turned up dead, and you've been warned many times --possibly even breaking contract by not trapping and surveying in a group of four--it's hard to say that you died of anything but your own hubris. You've made a subscriber of me with your well researched and impeccably written narration.

Enjoyed your historical account of how one Mountain Man. Met he demise at the hands of the Blackfoot Native Tribe. To be honest the Blackfoot probably didn't appreciate strangers hunting and trapping without permission on their land. It would be thought of as stealing from them I would assume. Hence they made an example of George. Leaving his headless body to be discovered mutilated. The native tribes probably had enough of people taking Beaver etc from their land. They decided to push back to hopefully stop those trespassing on Blackfoot land. 💪🏻🙏🏻✨

I think he was just overconfident in his abilities and stubborn enough not to consider safety in numbers. I enjoyed hearing about this sad account, thank you!

thanks for the video, don't know as much about this tribe as I'd like,....

I just love this old history I'm fascinated by it love hearing about these brave men & women of the frontier, awesome channel glad I found it!

They are never called a black foot, even one person of the tribe is called a Black Feet.

Fun Fact Beaver are the most Sacred animal to the Blackfoot and there are lots of stories like this. I am Blackfoot and we still hold our ceremony

He lived by his terms. On another given day he might have fared better, just takes once unfortunately.

George likely coined the phrase- " no risk, No reward! :)

100% profit, got him 100% dead!

This was my first video and love it. I've been buckskinning for many years and have books on the old mountain man but haven't heard this story. Looks like he gambled played out his hand and lost.

Thank you for all your hard work.

The tribe name was Blackfeet, not Blackfoot, of which I am 1/4 blood.

If you ran into Blackfeet back then, you better turn and run as fast as you can in the other direction.

Why does the person always get disemboweled and beheaded and not just live happily ever after?

Your channel is such a gem I always look forward to it, I’m glad I subscribed keep it up

If I remember right Druillard and Coulter were the two meat hunters on the core of discovery. These guys were used to being alone.

It's Blackfeet,not Blackfoot

Wow! Just found your site. Excellent.

The Blackfoot seemed to have been the strongest of the northern most First Nations. Kinda like the Comanche, they seem to be more brutal than their neighbors. Perhaps brutality was key to which tribes were able to gain supremacy on the plains. Granted it was also possible he was killed by Gros Ventre. Druillard had lived an extraordinary life. I fear he may have gotten too cocky, hence committing the mistake of trespassing

Great stuff dude 🎉

Lost his head

I like the Voice it is easy for an Aussie to understand. and doesn't have the horrible vocal fry. that seems to be infiltrating every English speaking country.

Never knew a guy from my hometown was part of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Good stuff.

I have a bastardized version of his last name, and have always been fascinated. I don't know why it took me so long to see if someone had done some work on YT about him, but I'm glad I finally did. If there's any chance you might be willing to share sources, please let me know. Thanks for being interested in such minute but wild details of history.

Just a poor bastard that got caught up in some bull shit he was probably right most days but for what ever reason we will never no there was no talking his way out and what happened, happened

Who got the money if the trapper died in the field? Did they send it to next of kin, or did the fur company keep it, or did the other trappers take it?

Today's society portrays American Indians as not savage and barbaric, yet, when you look at actual history, the opposite is true.

Mountain men were aware of the dangers when it came to the Blackfeet. After the men returned to camp from checking traps they would report, especially if they discovered horse tracks or moccasin tracks. With no reports of indians in the vicinity I think Druillard probably felt the risk was low.

It was foolish to enter Blackfeet lands without first asking permission with all due respect. The results were tragic and appalling. They could not be worse, but we are more saddened still to know that the Shawnee and Blackfeet were both Algonquian-speaking peoples--- distantly related. Perhaps if Drouillard had been more humble and diplomatic he could have been more successful.

I got the impression that he was killed while on the trek with Louis and Clark. Maybe I missed something, but the Corps of Discovery had only one casualty who died from appendicitis

Won't do that again😵‍💫

He was an invader just like the Greezers on our Southern border.

He was obviously highly experienced and a very brave man. But, probably took too many chances. Ever hear the old saying about 'Old Bold Pilots" ?

As a descendant of George Drouillard thank you for this information. Gerard S Drouillard

He was all of the above he was the beginning of all things to come🤔

If you're outnumbered you can only last so long. Take as many of them as possible and don't get taken alive

He was a combination of cocky, greedy and a fool.

Fun fact beaver pelts were the original reason but in the revnents and other such times like the 1800's it was commercial hunting. Fur traders or traders worked with and allied themselves with native American tribes. In the Revenant and this story it would be mass hunting if buffalo to force Comanche and many more hostile teibes out of the plains.

You have my subscription sir! Well done.

I suspect that a man who choose to live free, no tax man, no one to tell what he cannot do or what he must do had few regrets.

It is spelled Drouillard in French.

Hey yo, Fuckin excellent. Well done. Much obliged.

It really didn’t matter if he was by himself or with a group of 4. Chances of survival was pretty much null. These fur companies have been ripping off everyone in the fur trade since the beginning of time. And the only way to get ahead was to do alone. Cool story but, too short😊

Even a great fighter can't overcome three men, in most cases

All of the above!

Sandwich Town Windsor Ont...had many pints there

Great job love Early American History.

That was awesome. Was he any different from Houdini,Evel Keneivil, Dale Earnhardt, or Steve Irwin? Nope! He was that good, and he knew the risks. He . set the bar 300 yrs ago. No retreat, no surrender. Die a warriors death or stf down.

Subscribed

Great channel. Like many here I've always been facinated by the American frontiersmen and mountain men. Thanks to the movies of the 70's. Druillard is an example of over confidence. It'll bite you in the ass every time.

Thanks for revealing the truth, not the sanitized version of history.

Such a sad story. George either underestimated the Blackfoot or was blinded by greed. Maybe both.

Hence the "Buddy System" was validated!

Hey could u do tombstone next ?????? Wyatt Earp was nothing but a criminal with a badge he went down there to take there guns then back shoot unarmed men ! And the cowboys said nope we will stand and fight that stupid worthless drunk dentist kicked that whole thing off 🔫😳 he was dieing anyway he was just trying to quicken it

Hey that's right where I live, Olde Sandwich Towne/LaSalle/Windsor Ontario Canada🇨🇦