Sunset After a Snowfall by John Paul Strain ~ It was a time when immense herds of Buffalo ranged across the American Frontier, and the great tribes of the Plains Indians made up a thriving civilization.  By the 1840’s the Plains Indian culture, based on horse-mounted warriors and hunters, had spread across the American West.

The Blackfeet Indians were thought of as one of the most cultured of the Plains Tribes, adorning their clothing and personal items with beautiful ornate quill and beadwork.  The tribe also painted their tepees with distinct beautiful designs.  Early explorers and fur traders who visited the frontier were very impressed at how beautiful the Indians were with their colorful clothing, fringe, and feathers blowing in the wind.  The horsemanship of the Indians was unmatched, and the Blackfeet were known as the fiercest of the tribes.  

           As the season changed to winter, the tribes settled into their winter encampments and rested from their migrations with the buffalo herds.