Rolling Rocks

When I was about ten I was riding through the mountain pass with my Dad and uncle.

I noticed some signs that said “Watch Out for Rolling Rocks”. Well, that kind of puzzled me for a while. So I finally asked them. What did that sign mean? They both turned to each other. Well should we tell him? About the little Indian brave, my uncle said. Dad replied he’d probably hear about it sooner or later.

Well it started a long time ago. It was about the time when the settlers were moving out west in their wagon trains. Stirring up dust, making noise and camping in the Indians prized hunting grounds. Once that group of wagons and settlers would go through another group of them would go through, doing the same thing to the Indians territory. By this time the Indians were getting madder as each month passed by. They would hold pow-wows of how they were going to deal with these trespassers tromping in their mountains.

After several get togethers of all the other surrounding Indians tribes, they felt there wasn’t much they could about it. None of them knew what could be done; they didn’t want to talk to them. They weren’t quite sure what to expect. So they just hope the settlers would just go away.

Well they didn’t! Now they would wander off the trail and hunt their wild animals, cut down their trees for firewood and other things.

There was this one little Indian brave. What I mean by little was, he was full-grown but he is smaller than all the other braves of his age.

He decided one day to take it upon himself to do something about it. After all the rest of other braves were afraid to confront them.

The little brave went up on the top of the mountainsides and set rocks on top. So when a group of wagons would go that way again he would roll the rocks in front of them.

After all he didn’t want to hurt anyone he just wanted to scare them so they wouldn’t go through there anymore. He made sure no one ever seen him, he was small after all, and was good at hiding and getting away.

After a few times of this going on, the word started to spread back east where they would set out with the wagon trains to head west, that those mountains may be haunted or something.

To the rest of the other Indians they were amazed that the brave little Indian plans were working. The settlers didn’t seem to come by as often. The word traveled fast to the other Indian tribes camps in other mountain passes.

His tribe was so excited about his bravery and contribution. And it was one of they’re own. They would eventually make him a chief. From that day forward he was known as “Chief Rolling Rocks”.

Well sorry to say, some good things are known to come to an end. The settlers found it to be necessary to keep pushing out west to settle the new lands. The stories of how great the hunting, fishing and fertile lands were. They started to come that way again.

He still carried out his campaign of trying to scare the westward bound settlers, but it wasn’t having much effect anymore.

Eventually time went on and the west was becoming more developed. Highways were put through the mountain passes for easier traveling for the modern day cars.

What about the little Indian brave turned chief. He latter went on in spirit to his favorite hunting grounds.

To this day when you go through the mountain passes you will find those warning signs that say “Watch Out for Rolling Rocks” I sometimes had found some over the years where, someone had wrote in chief on some those road way signs.

Anytime you hear that rocks had rolled down the mountainside on to the road. That just may had been the spirit of that little brave turn chief, still trying to get his message across to the unsuspecting travelers that he is still around even though in spirit

Rest in peace little brave Indian chief, rest in peace…