Jerry Potts facts for kids
Jeremiah “Jerry” Potts (born around 1840 – died July 14, 1896) was a very important person in the history of the American and Canadian plains. He was also known by his Indigenous name, Ky-yo-kosi, which means "Bear Child." Jerry Potts was a skilled plainsman, bison hunter, horse trader, interpreter, and scout. He had a mixed heritage, being part Kainai (Blood) and part Scots.
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Early Life and Growing Up
Jerry Potts was born around 1840 near Fort McKenzie, which is in modern-day Montana. His mother, Namo-pisi, was from the Kainai and Cree peoples. His father, Andrew R. Potts, was a Scottish fur trader. After his father passed away in 1840, Jerry's mother gave him to Alexander Harvey, a trader with the American Fur Company.
Sadly, Harvey did not treat young Jerry well and left him in 1845. But then, a kind man named Andrew Dawson adopted Jerry. Dawson was also a trader at Fort Benton, Montana. He was known as "the last king of the Missouri." Dawson taught Jerry to read and write. He also let Jerry spend time with the Native Americans who visited the trading post. This helped Jerry learn their customs and languages.
As a teenager, Jerry chose to live with his mother's people. He learned their ways and traditions. He even took part in the Sun Dance, a very important ceremony. This ceremony showed a young person's bravery and strength. Jerry Potts also joined several secret warrior societies of the Blackfoot nation. Even though he learned Indigenous ways, he often wore Euro-American clothes, including a stylish hat.
Life as an Adult
Jerry Potts worked for the American Fur Company for several years. From 1869 to 1874, he hunted for people who traded whiskey. He became well-known for his bravery and skills as a warrior. Because he had mixed heritage, he had to prove himself in both Indigenous and Euro-American cultures. He was very clever, brave, and skilled with a knife, a revolver, and a rifle.
Jerry Potts married two sisters from the Piegan Blackfeet (Aamsskáápipikani) people, named Panther Woman and Spotted Killer. They had several sons and daughters. One of his sons was named "Blue Gun" after Jerry's favorite rifle. Many of his family members still live in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Montana today. Some of his descendants even became Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers.
A Wealthy Horse Trader
By the time he was 25, Jerry Potts was quite wealthy because he was a successful horse trader. He usually owned more than 100 horses, making him one of the wealthiest First Nations people in the area. He was careful to have papers for most of his horses. If a horse didn't have papers, he would sell it in a different country to avoid problems. For example, American horses without papers were sold in Canada.
He often carried a lot of cash, sometimes as much as a thousand dollars, when he traveled to Montana to buy horses. People knew he carried money, but they also knew he was a skilled fighter, so he was usually left alone.
A Respected Guide and Interpreter
Around this time, Jerry Potts became a minor chief with the Kainai. This was because of his bravery, his leadership skills, and his deep knowledge of the prairies. People said he knew every trail from Fort Edmonton to the lands of the Cheyenne and Apache peoples. He could always find animals for hunting, even when others came back empty-handed. He spent a lot of time in what is now Montana, working as a guide and trading horses.
Jerry Potts always earned more money than other guides or interpreters. As a guide, he was unmatched. As an interpreter, he could speak all the Indigenous languages of the Prairies. He was very good at explaining things between different groups. For example, he would make long speeches from Indigenous chiefs short and clear for English speakers. But when he spoke Indigenous languages, his interpretations were long and full of emotion. He did this because he understood that long speeches showed respect in Indigenous cultures, while English speakers preferred shorter, direct messages.
Once, a Blackfoot chief gave a very long and passionate speech to officials from Ottawa. These officials had come to sign an important treaty. After the chief finished, Potts stayed silent for a moment. When asked what the chief had said, Potts simply replied, "He says he's damned glad you're here."
He spoke American English, Blackfoot, and Crow fluently. He was also good at Plains Cree and could speak some Lakota-Sioux and Assiniboine. He understood the different ways of life between Indigenous peoples and the North-West Mounted Police. He even taught the police how to properly greet a Chief.
His Appearance and Skills
From a distance, Jerry Potts looked like a Euro-American trapper. He was stocky and had bow legs. He wore buckskin clothing and a Stetson hat. He always carried two .44 pistols on his gun belt and a Henry rifle by his side. He also had a long skinning knife strapped to his leg. He even kept a small gun hidden in a secret pocket, which saved his life many times.
The Battle of the Belly River
In 1870, some bands of Plains Cree and Plains Assiniboine started a war. They hoped to defeat the Blackfoot, who had been weakened by smallpox. A group of Cree and Assiniboine warriors, led by Chiefs Big Bear and Piapot, found a Peigan camp near Fort Whoop-Up. They decided to attack.
Just in time, Jerry Potts arrived with a group of Peigans and two Blood bands. They had powerful repeating rifles. In a battle that lasted all day, on October 25, 1870, near present-day Lethbridge, the combined Cree-Assiniboine force was defeated. More than 300 warriors were lost. Jerry Potts later said, "You could fire with your eyes shut and be sure to kill a Cree."
The next winter, hunger forced the Cree and Assiniboine to talk with the Blackfoot. In 1873, Crowfoot, Chief of the Siksika (Blackfoot People), adopted a man named Poundmaker, who was of mixed Cree and Assiniboine heritage. This created a lasting peace between the Cree-Assiniboine and the Blackfoot. The Battle of the Belly River was the last major conflict between the Cree and the Blackfoot Confederacy. It was also the last major battle between First Nations in Western Canada.
Working with the North-West Mounted Police
In September 1874, Jerry Potts was trading horses in Fort Benton, Montana. He was then hired by the North-West Mounted Police as a guide, interpreter, and scout. He worked for them for 22 years. He was paid $90 per month, which was much more than a regular guide and three times a police officer's salary.
Jerry Potts stopped working for the police when he was 58 years old because he was very ill. He passed away a year later, on July 14, 1896, at Fort Macleod. The Macleod Gazette and Alberta Livestock Record newspaper wrote that he helped a small police force succeed in a challenging country. They said that if he had not been who he was, the history of the North West would have been very different.
Jerry Potts is buried at Fort Macleod. He is recognized with the rank of Special Constable in the North-West Mounted Police.
Remembering Jerry Potts
Many places are named in honor of Jerry Potts:
- The city of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, and the town of Fort Macleod have boulevards named after him.
- There is a Jerry Potts Elementary School in northwest Calgary.
On September 8, 1992, Canada Post released a stamp called "Jerry Potts, Legendary Plainsman." It was part of their Folklore, Legendary Heroes series.
Jerry Potts' life also inspired characters in books and movies:
- In the 1965 western film, Major Dundee, the scout Samuel Potts, played by James Coburn, was partly inspired by Jerry Potts.
- A fictional story about his life is in the book, The Last Crossing, by Guy Vanderhaeghe.
Jerry Potts' Firearms
The last remaining parts of Jerry Potts' firearms came from the Fort Whoop Up rifle collection. Many people thought Jerry Potts had a Henry Rifle. However, pictures of Jerry with his rifle show it had a side loading port, which the Henry Rifle did not have. It is believed that Jerry Potts' rifle was actually an 1866 Winchester Lever Action YellowBoy. The last part of this rifle found with his name on it was made for a .44 Henry (Rimfire) cartridge.
Jerry Potts also had a Top Break Auto Eject Revolver. This was a Smith & Wesson Double Action Frontier Model that used .44-40 Win cartridges. Interestingly, the rifle in his photograph looks like an 1873 Winchester, which also used the .44-40 cartridge, matching his revolver.
Images for kids
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Jerry Potts, a famous scout and interpreter.
