If accurate, this adds another specific physical hardship to the documented catalog of what she endured.

The Walla Walla’s response to her arrival was active and specific.

Some accounts say they sent men back to find her sons when they learned children were still somewhere in the mountains.

Whether the boys were with her at the moment of first contact with the Walla Walla or were located separately afterward is not entirely consistent across the sources.

What is clear is that they were united and that they survived the winter.