United States Army General George Crook was sent west to quell Indian uprisings that had begun in 1848 when the Northern Paiutes, related to the Shoshone tribe, bitterly attacked and killed European-Americans.
While her husband's research focused on ethnobotany and language, hers focused on naming practices and ceremonialism, in a community composed of Sahaptins, Paiutes, and—the Frenches' specialization -- Wasco Chinookans.
This was a blow to the Paiutes, because that was an area important to the tribe for wada (Suaeda calceoliformis) seeds.
•
When U. S. Army units under the command of General Oliver O. Howard began moving towards their positions, the united Paiutes and Bannocks decided to flee into the Blue Mountains to the north of the Harney Basin.