Luther Kelly

Luther Sage "Yellowstone" Kelly (July 27, 1849 – December 17, 1928) was an American soldier, hunter, scout, adventurer and administrator.

[3] In either late 1864 or early 1865, Kelly entered the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary,[4] but his real interest was in joining the army and fighting in the Civil War; he would later write that he "deplored the fact" that his youth rendered him unfit for military service at that time.

After Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox his regiment was sent to Richmond and he marched towards Washington, D.C., encamping south of the Potomac River until after the Grand Review of the Armies.

During his free time at these forts, Kelly hunted game to provide fresh meat for his fellow soldiers.

[10] After leaving the army, Kelly embarked on what The New York Times later called "the most adventurous period of his life", establishing himself as "one of the greatest hunters, trappers, and Indian scouts" of the American West.

After meeting Sitting Bull with this group, Kelly headed alone toward the Missouri River, eventually reaching Fort Buford in the winter.

[12] The route between the forts was considered so dangerous, due to the presence of Sioux warriors, that mail carriers were generally accompanied by a cavalry escort, but Kelly set out alone.

[13] He arrived safely at Fort Stevenson then set out on his return journey, spending the night at the camp of Bloody Knife, an Arickaree chieftain.

[14] Kelly spent a few days at Bloody Knife's camp recovering from his wound, then rode back to Fort Buford, becoming "something of a hero and a local celebrity" for defeating his two assailants.

[15] (A lot left out here) By his own admission, in his memoirs Kelly noted that he roamed the Judith Basin of Montana for many years especially during that crucial period between 1870 and 1880 when the Indian Wars were heating up.

In fact, he adopted a baby antelope in the late spring of 1876 and was bringing it back to his ranch in the Basin when news of the Little Big Horn reached him.

[16] In 1898 the U.S. Army deployed three separate units under the commands of Captains Bogardus Eldridge, William R. Abercrombie, and Edwin F. Glenn to map a route from the Yukon, scout the Copper River Valley, and conduct reconnaissance.

[20] In accordance with President William McKinley's request for additional men for the war, Kelly was offered a commission as a captain in the U.S.

Captain Kelly's company aboard the vessel Venus departed Manila along with four other transports headed for the shores of San Miguel Bay.

In 1915, after a few years gold mining in Nevada, Kelly settled permanently in Paradise, California, where he died on December 17, 1928.

He was buried on a high bluff along the Yellowstone River just north of Billings, Montana,[27] with the sword he captured from Legaspi at LaLud.