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Period: to
1780 to 1920
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Homestead act of 1862
The Homestead act was passed in 1862 by Congress. It gave 160 acres of free land to any settler (except married women although widows and single women had the same rights as men) who was willing to pay a filing fee and live on the land for five years. The act attracted thousands of settlers and immigrants who were eligible to file for land, to settle on the newly accuired plains. -
Fetterman Massacre
U.S. troops were gaurding a fort on Bozeman Trail, which was important for prospectors trying to reach gold mines in Montana. Crazy Horse, a Sioux military leader acted as a decoy, which led to the forts commander sending a detatchment of 80 men to pursue Crazy Horse (who was leading them into a trap). The battle ended with the troops being slaughtered by hundreds of Sioux, Cheyanne, and Arapaho warriors. -
Treaty of Fort Laramie
The Spring of 1868 had a conference held in Wyoming at Fort Laramie. It eventually led to a treaty which was meant to end all conflicts with whites and Native Americans, and had the Sioux tribe to live in the reservation boundries of the Black Hills in the Dakota Territory. This actually led to more conflicts because the Black Hills were sacred to the tribe. It disturbed them when the U.S. military started constucting outposts on the reservation. -
Discovery of 1874
In !874, Lieutenant Colonel Custer led an expedition to confirm rumors of an extreme amount of gold in the Black Hills of North and South Dakota. The rumors found to be true and the area flooded with prospectors. However, the Sioux indians owned that land and the U.S. government (instead protecting the Sioux's righs) tried to by the land. The Sioux refused. This event was the prelude which is what then turned into the Battle of Little Bighorn. -
Battle of Little Bighorn
After the discovery of 1874, the Native americans stayed near the Little Bighorn River (Cheyenne and Sioux). The U.S. Army had orders to gather the Indians and move them to reservations. George Custer had orders to scout the Indians' camp, and on June 25, 1876, Custer attacked the Cheyenne and Sioux at the Little Bighorn River with a force of 250 soildiers. To Custer's suprise, the Indians had a force of thousands which slaughtered Custer and his entire command. -
Ghost Dance
The Ghost Dance was simply a way for the Sioux Indians to regain their culture. They consulted one named Wovoka who claimed to be a prophet.
The reservation's officials were disturbed and banded the dance and believed Sitting Bull was the cause for dance. When they went to arrest him he was shot. -
Wounded Knee
After Sitting Bulls' death, the other Lakota fled to Wounded Knee creek in South Dakota. The U.S. Army was sent there to collect weopons. When a pistol shot rang out the soldiers fired; the battle ended, and so did the Native American and white conflict, this day with over 200 Sioux and 25 soldiers dead.
