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Great Plains Reservation
The federal government passes an act that designates the entire Great Plains as one enormous reservation. -
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Reservation Change
The government changed its policy and created treaties that defined specific boundaries for each tribe. Most Native Americans spurned the government treaties and continued to hunt on on traditional lands. -
Massacre at Sand Creek
Most of the Cheyenne had peacefully returned to Colorado's Sand Creek Reserve for the winter. General S.R. Curtis sent a telegram to militia colonel John Chivington that read, "I want no peace until the Indians suffer more." Chivington attacked Sand Creek at dawn killing over 150 inhabitants, mostly women and children. -
Fetterman Massacre
The Bozeman Trail ran directly through Sioux hunting grounds in the Bighorn Mountains. The Sioux chief, Red Cloud, had unsuccessfully appealed to the government to end white settlement on the trail. The warrior Crazy Horse ambushed Captain William J. Fetterman and his company at Lodge Trail Ridge. Over 80 soldiers were killed. -
Treaty of Fort Laramie
In this Treaty, the Sioux agreed to live on reservation along the Missouri River. The Treaty was forced on the leaders of the Sioux. Sitting Bull never signed it. The government agreed to close the Bozeman Trail. -
Black Hills Gold Rush
Within the 4 years of the Treaty of Fort Laramie, miners began searching the Black Hills for gold. Tribes protested the encroachment on their lands to no avail. Colonel George A. Custer reported that the Black Hills had gold "from the grass roots down," a gold rush was on. -
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Red River Wars
The U.S. Army responded by herding the people of friendly tribes onto reservations while opening fire on all others. General Phillip Sheridan gave orders "to destroy their villages and ponies, to kill and hang all warriors and to bring back all women and children." With such tactics the army crushed resistance on the southern plain. -
Custer's Last Stand
The Sioux and Cheyenne tribes had a sun dance, during which Sitting Bull had a vision of soldiers and some Native Americans falling from their horses. When Custer and his troops arrived at Little Bighorn River, the Native Americans were ready for them. Led by Crazy Horse, Gall, and Sitting Bull the warriors outflanked and crushed Custer's troops. Within the hour Custer and his men were dead. Soon the Sioux were defeated anyways, and Sitting Bull surrendered. -
Dawes Act
Congress passed the Dawes Act aiming to "Americanize" the Native Americans. The act broke up the reservation and gave some of the reservation land to individual Native Americans-160 acres to each head of household. The government would sell the remainder of the reservation to settlers, and the resulting income would be used by the Native Americans to buy farm implements. Whites took about 2/3rds of the land, and Native Americans received no money. -
Battle of Wounded Knee
The Seventh Cavalry rounded up about 350 starving and freezing and took them to a camp at Wounded Knee Creek. The next day, the soldiers demanded that the native Americans give up all their weapons. A shot was fired; from which side was unclear. The soldiers open fired with deadly cannon. Within minutes, as many as 300 mostly unarmed Native Americans were slaughtered. This event brought the Indian Wars to a bitter end.
