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First horse encountered
Blackfeet attacked by Shoshone who are on horseback. First time Blackfeet have seen horses. -
Blackfeet get horses through trade
Blackfeet probably acquired their first horses in peaceful trade with their neighbors, the Flathead, Kootenai, and Nez Perce -
Blackfeet get guns through trade
Hudson Bay Company builds Buckingham House on the Saskatchewan River in Canada, reaching Blackfeet country. Blackfeet obtain guns through trade. -
Small Pox kills hundreds
Small pox epidemic sweeps through Blackfeet country, killing hundreds. -
Lewis kills two native americans near Badger Creek
Lewis (of Lewis and Clark) encounters Blackfeet at the junction of Two Medicine River and Badger Creek. Lewis kills one of them when they tried to steal a gun. -
Census finds a total of 5200 people in the Piegan, Blackfeet and Blood tribes
Trader Alexander Henry compiles a census of the Blackfeet, finding a total of 5,200 people among the Piegan, Blackfeet, and Blood tribes. -
Bureau of Indian Affairs is established
The Bureau of Indian Affairs established within the U.S. War Department. -
first peaceful trade between Americans and the Blackfeet
First peaceful trade between the Americans and Blackfeet by Blackfeet by Kenneth McKenzie. -
Lame Bull's Treaty is signed
"Lame Bull's Treaty is signed. As first such peace treaty between the Blackfeet and the US Government it defines the boundaries of "The Blackfeet Nation." -
Blackfeet sends letter of protest to Washington
Annuity payments from the US Government to the Blackfeet do not arrive. Blackfeet send letter of protest to Washington. -
Massacre on the Marias River
Massacre on the Marias River. U.S. Soldiers mistakenly attack the camp of Heavy Runner, a friendly chief, while looking for the murderers of Clark. Over 200 killed, 140 women and children captured. Blackfeet never face the U.S. Army in battle again. -
Reservation moved
By act of Congress, the Blackfeet reservation boundary moved northward to Birch Creek-Marias River line. The Blackfeet are not consulted -
Starvation Winter
Starvation Winter. Buffalo herds suddenly disappear. 600 Blackfeet starve during the winter and spring. The Blackfeet become sedentary people, dependent on government rations. -
Blackfeet sell land
Blackfeet sell the land that is to become Glacier National Park for the sum of $1,500,00 to be paid at $150,000 per year for ten years. -
reservation land is divided among individual Indians
U.S. policy to treat the Indian reservation as property of the entire tribe is reversed in favor of a policy of allotment. Blackfeet reservation land is divided among individual Indians, each receiving 320 acres, held in trust by the government. -
Census reports 2268 Indians on Blackfeet reservation
U.S. Census reports that 2,268 Indians are living on the Blackfeet reservation, about the same number that lived there in 1885 -
American Indians become citizens of the United States.
American Indians become citizens of the United States.
