Big Sky History

The Deveraux family originates from Normandy. Locational name from "Evreux" in Eure, Normandy. The place is so called from having apparently been the capital of the "Eburovices", a Gaulish tribe. This tribal name appears in turn to derive from the river name "Ebura" (now the Eure), which may perhaps be akin to a Celtic word for the yew tree. The Deveraux’s were first introduced into England after the Conquest of 1066. Our family line ended up in Ireland till the late 1800’s and they immigrated to the United States.[break][break]

Clovis Deveraux was a young boy when his parents immigrated here to America, and they settled in the mountains of Montana. Coming from old money they family never hurt in that department. Their range became one of the biggest ranches in Montana. Handed down generation to generation. Montana's Statehood began on November 8, 1889 when Clovis was sixteen. Four years later he was married to a beautiful Shoshone maiden, Morning Star, a granddaughter of Sacajawea, and starting a family. Barely having made it through eighth grade as he had to help on the ranch growing up he still went on to found Big Sky, Montana becoming the first mayor of the town. As the eldest son he inherited the ranch and lived there till the day he died having started a dynasty.[break][break]

Founding Families

Clovis and Morning Star Deveraux[break]
Soaring Sly Falcon and Golden Dawn "Sly"[break]
Justice Jacob and Margaret Ann Garard[break]
Asher Michael and Sarah Louise James[break]
Gideon Morgan and Esther Mae Morgan[break]
Woodston James and Clara Sue Moretti[break]
Fierce Heart and Morning Dove Thomas[break][break]

Descendants of the Shoshone Tribe [break]The Original Inhabitants

Deveraux Family-Great Great Grandmother a Shoshone, called Morning Star, married Clovis Deveraux.[break]
Falcon Family-Descend from the Great War Chiefs of the Shoshone.[break]
Thomas Family-Descend from the Medicine Men of the Shoshone.[break][break]

The Shoshone Tribe in Montana

The Shoshone, a nomadic people, traveled annually between the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana and the Unita Mountains of northern Utah along the western slopes of the Wind River Range in Wyoming. It is believed that the Shoshone in this area acquired horses in the early 1700’s from their relatives the Comanche giving them somewhat equal footing with their mortal enemies, the Blackfeet. Due to the isolation of their territory, the tribe was spared any contact with the whites until they met Lewis & Clark in 1803. Before the white men reached their homeland in the beautiful Rocky Mountain valleys, the Shoshone people lived for nearly 100 years in a life improved by the horse.[break][break]

In June of 1868, the government called the Bannock and Shoshone to Fort Bridger to propose a new treaty which would keep both tribes away from the Union Pacific railroad and the Oregon Trail. As the treaty talks continued, Washakie hoped for the land south of Fort Bridger. This area still had game on it and was close to Fort Bridger where Washakie felt secure. He soon realized the land the government had in mind was the Wind River Valley. The Bannock, however, insisted on being given a reservation of their own.[break][break]

On July 3, 1868 the Wind River Reservation was established, and on July 30, 1869, the Bannock were given their own reservation at Fort Hall. The Fort Bridger Treaty of 1868 turned out to be the last treaty in which the Indians took an active part.[break][break]

The Big Sky band of Shoshone though did not attend that gathering, and never went to the reservation. They were a small village that their descendents still live in Big Sky River today. They made friends with the White People that came in to settle the land. With the chief's daughter Morning Star joining the first white settler of Big Sky in marriage. That was Clovis Deveraux who adopted a lot of the Shoshone ways, and lived the white man's way building his ranch into the dynasty it is today with his descendants. [break][break]

Important Dates

November 8, 1889 Montana became a State[break]
November 20th 1893 Big Sky Founded by Clovis Deveraux

[break][break]

[break]
“Watching the Wagons” by Frank McCarthy

[break]

[break]
“First Snow” by Roy Kerswill

[break][break]