Oral tradition plays an important role in the reconstruction of history of Altai Urianhais, where the literary tradition was of a limited function. Our research tries to reveal how does this ethnic group view its own past and express its attitude to the past through the oral narratives. An oral historical account about a wedding of a Urianhai nobleman with a Torgud princess in 1920s is widely known among Western Mongols and plays an important role in the oral genealogy of the clan of governors of the Banner of Western Amban, as well as in the whole local oral tradition of Bulgan river basin. The article brings nine oral versions and analyzes how the account was used by the local oral tradition as means of explaining causes of difficulties experienced by Altai Urianhais and Torguds in 1920s–1930s: natural disasters, geopolitical and social changes, and subsequent migrations.