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Crazy Horse/ William J. Fetterman (Bozeman Trail)
Crazy Horse was a Native American leader of the Oglala Lakota tribe who was known for fighting the government for the Lakota way of life. William Fetterman fought in the U.S army during the Civil and Red Cloud's War. On December 21, 1866 Crazy Horse and his tribe ambushed Capt. Fetterman and his men along the Bozeman Trail. This trail was a land route connecting the territory of Montana to the Oregon Trail. Fetterman and his men were killed off and this became known as the Fetterman Massacre. -
Trans-Continental Railroad
In 1862, Congress passed the Pacific Railway Act which authorized the building of the railroad that built west from Nebraska and east from California. This opened up the west to the country and was built even in bad conditions and with hostile Indians. The tracks ran through many tribal territories which created a conflict among Indians and depleted their food sources. On May 10, 1869, the "Last Spike" in Utah, established a network that changed the population and economy of the American West.
