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Great Plains Reservation
The federal government had passed an act that designated the entire Great Plains as one enormous reservation, or land set aside for Native American tribes. -
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Government Treaties
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 their traditional lands, clashing with settlers and miners-with tragic results. -
Massacre at Sand Creek
One of the most tragic events. Most of the Cheyenne, assuming they were under the protection of the U. S. government, had peacefully returned to Colorado's Sand Creek Reserve for the winter. Yet General S. R. Curtis, U. S. Army commander in the West, sent a telegram to militia colonel John Chivington that read, "I want no peace till the Indians suffer more." In response, Chivington and his troops descended on the Cheyenne and Arapaho and camped at Sand Creek killing over 150 inhabitants. -
Death on the Bozeman Trail
The warrior, Crazy Horse, ambushed Captain William J. Fetterman and his company at Lodge Trail Ridge. Over 80 soldiers were killed. Native Americans called this fight the Battle of the Hundred Slain. The Whites called it the Fetterman Massacre. -
Treaty of Fort Larmie
Skirmishes continued until the government agreed to close the Bozeman Trail. The Sioux agreed to live on a reservation along the Missouri River. Sitting Bull, leader of the Hunkpapa Sioux, had never signed it. Although the Ogala and Brule Sioux did sign the treaty, they expected to continue their traditional hunting grounds. -
Gold Rush
Colonel George A. Custer reported that the Black Hills had gold "from the grass roots down," a gold rush was on. Red Cloud and Spotted Trail, another Sioux chief, vainly appealed again to government officials in Washington. -
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Red River War
The U. S. Army responded by herding the people of friendly tribes onto reservations while opening fire on all others. General Philip Sheridan, a Union Army veteran, 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 plains. -
Custer's Last Stand
The Sioux and Cheyenne held a sun dance, during which Sitting Bull had a vision of soldiers and some Native Americans falling from their horses. When Colonel Custer and his troops reached the Little Bighorn River, the Native Americans were ready for them. Led by Crazy Horse, Gall, and Sitting Bull, the warriors-with raised spears and rifles-outflanked and crushed Custer's troops. Within an hour, Custer and all of his men of the Seventh Cavalry were dead. Later, the Sioux were beaten. -
The Dawes Act
Congress passed the Dawes Act aiming to "Americanize" the Native Americans. The act broke up the reservations and gave some of the reservation land to individual Native Americans-160 acres to each head of household an 80 acres to each unmarried adult. The government would sell the remainder of the reservations to settlers, and the resulting income would be used by Native Americans to buy farming implements. -
Wounded Knee
The Seventh Cavalry-Custer's old regiment-rounded up about 350 starving and freezing Sioux and took them to a camp at Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota. The next day, the soldiers demanded that Native Americans give up all their weapons. A shot was fired; from which side, it's unclear. The soldiers opened fire with deadly cannon. Within minutes, the Seventh Cavalry slaughtered as many as 300 mostly unarmed Native Americans, including several children. The battle brought Indian wars to end.
