The Crow lived along the Yellowstone River at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in present-day southern Montana and northern Wyoming. Until a tribal dispute with the Hidatsa in the 18th century, they had lived along the upper Missouri River.
For the most part the Crow were hunters—the only crop they cultivated was tobacco. They were regarded as the premier horse thieves of the plains. In July 1806 Clark took a small expedition to explore the Yellowstone River region and, under cover of darkness, Crow succeeded in snatching half of the Americans' horses.
By the end of the 19th century, the Crow had given up most of their land to white settlers and moved to the Crow Reservation in south-central Montana. About 9,000 Crow lived in the United States as of 1990.
WILLIAM CLARKNovember 12, 1804
"The Ravin [Crow] Indians have 400 lodges & about 1200 men, & follow the Buffalow, or hunt for their Subsistance in the plains & on the Court Noi [Black Hills] & Rock Mountains, & are at war with the Siaux [and] Snake Indians."
Painting of Crow Indians by Karl Bodmer/Historical Picture Archive/Corbis
