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Act of 1834
The fedral government had passed an act that designated the enitre Great Plains as one enourmous reservation, or land set aside for Native American tribes. -
Policy change in 1850
Government changed it's 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. -
Sand Creek Massacre
Cheyenne, assuming they were under the protection of the U.S. government, had peacfully returned to Colorado's Sand Creek Reserve for the winter. But Genral S.R. Curtis, U.S. Army commander said he wants no peace. The attack at dawn on November 29, 1864, killed over 150 inhabitants, mostly women and children. -
Death on Bozeman Trail
The Bozeman Trail ran right through Souix's hunting grounds in the Bighorn Mountains. The Souix Cheif, Red Cloud, has appealed to the government to end white settlement on the trial. He was not successful. This was called the Fetterman Massacre. -
Fort Laramie Treaty
Provided only a temporary halt to warfare. -
Red River War
In late 1868, a war broke out yet again. After 6 years of this war it lead to the Red River War. The U.S. Army responded to this by herding the people of friendly tribes onto reservations while opening fire onto others. With such tactics, the army crushed resistance on the southern plains. -
Gold Rush
Within 4 years of the Treaty on Fort Laramie, miners began searching the Black Hills for gold. George A. Custer reported that the Black Hills has gold "from the grass roots down," a gold rush was on. Red Cloud and Spotted Tail, another Souix Cheif, vainly appealed again to government officials in Washington. -
Custer's Last Stand
In early June 1876, the Souix and Cheyenne held a sun dance, during which Sitting Bull has a vision of soldiers and some Native Americans falling from their horses. When Colonel Custer and his troops reached Little Bighorn River, the Native Americans were ready. Led by Crazy Horse, Gall, and Sitting Bull, the warriors outflanked and crushed Custer's troops and within an hour Custer and all his men of the Seventh Calvary were dead. -
The Dawes Act
In 1887, Congress passed the Dawes Act aiming to "Americanize" the Native Americans. The act broke up reservations and gave some of the reservation land to individual Native Americans. 106 acres to each head of household and 80 acres to each unmarried adult. -
Wounded Knee
The Seventh Calvary- 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 the Native Americans give up their weapons.
