“Rabbit Tail”, a Shoshone Tribe Member who worked as a U.S Army Scout, 1895
Although she was born in Frankfurt, Germany, her family moved several times, following the migration of the European settlers across America. By the late 19th century, several members of the Shoshone tribe were displaced from their homes in what we now know as Idaho and Wyoming. Despite clashes and battles with the US Army, the Shoshone tribe began working alongside them in 1878 during the Battle of the Rosebud, against the Cheyenne and Lakota.
During the joint partnership with the U.S. Army, people like Rabbit Tail, were employed as Army Scouts, people who could follow horse tracks and footprints to determine how many soldiers were in a camp or party. They played a key role in the expansion of the United States.