The Song of the Bitterroot

Reed, Leda

A box layed on a shelf in my home for many years. I knew what it contained, but the time was not just right for it to spur myimagination. On a trip to the battle grounds of the Big Hole with my husband in 1985, I talked with the curator of the museum. He was most interested in gathering more information of the volunteers that foughtunder John B. Catlin in the battle. I was given a list of those volunteers, and knowing what was in the box, upon returning home, dusted it off and started digging. I discovered a wealth of information of historical value, not only to my family, but western history buffs as well. My father had gathered all of this together through the years. His several visits to Montana with my mother, had uncovered, for instance, the manuscript by Amos Buck on the Battle of the Big Hole,the bear stories and others by the "old timer" who was my father'suncle, James Mitchell, and A. C. Mitchell's history of the battle,etc. Also, I have to give credit to Glenn Chaffin for his delightful book "The Last Horizon" telling the story of the Chaffin andMitchell families. Olive Chaffin Peterson, although not a relativeof mine contributed a fine genealogy of the Chaffin Clan, and was kind enough to include the Mitchells and Summers in the works.(More on them later) It has taken six months of sifting and re-sifting to out together this portfolio of the Mitchell, Summers, and Chaffin families. The human interest stories add a special touch. These families endured many hardships to make their dreams come true. Most of them had many children and many lived to be intheir nineties. As of this writing, Nett Johnson, the daughter of John and Juda (Chaffin) Summers, has reached 100 years of age; is still living alone, and her mind is as sharp as ever. This would not be complete without my fathers' poetry, Epecially the one written to his mother, Nancy (Summers) Mitchell on her 80th birthday. I have felt my father looking over my shoulder throughout this project encouraging me on. There is many a tale untold and missing links in the genealogy, but to the best of my knowledge, what is written here is factual.