Frank North

Frank Joshua North (1840-1885), was an American interpreter, United States Army officer and politician. He is most well known for organizing and leading the Pawnee Scouts from 1865 to 1877.

Early life
Frank Joshua North was born in Manhattan on March 10, 1840. In 1856, at the age of 16, he moved to Nebraska and worked as a transporter, moving goods between Omaha, Nebraska and Fort Kearny. During this time, North made contact with the Pawnee Indians, befriended them and learned the Pawnee language. In 1860, North was working as a clerk and interpreter at the Pawnee Agency trading post in Genoa, Nebraska.

Military
In 1864, General Samuel R. Curtis approached Frank North to have him organize a company of Pawnee scouts. In 1865, North organized and commanded the Pawnee Scouts. He was appointed the rank of First Lieutenant and then Captain. While commanding the Pawnee Scouts, Captain Frank North fought in the Battle of Crazy Woman's Fork, Battle of the Powder River and the Battle of Tongue River, all of which took place in the August of 1865 in Dakota Territory. On July 11, 1869, Frank North fought with his scouts at the Battle of Summit Springs in Colorado. After the battle, North claimed to have shot and killed the Cheyenne chief Tall Bull. Frank North was promoted to the rank of Major and mustered out of the Army.

Later life
Frank North served one term in the Nebraska State Legislature from 1871 to 1872. He was then a partner with William F. Cody in a cattle ranch in western Nebraska on the Dismal River. In the 1880s, North was the Indian manager in Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show. Frank Joshua North died on March 15, 1885, in Columbus, Platte County, Nebraska.