Buffalo

Conflict on the Great Plains

  • Homestead Act of 1862

    Homestead Act of 1862
    The important people in the Homestead Act of 1862 consisted of immigrants and U.S. citizens including women. When Congress passed the Homestead Act 160 acres of land was given to settlers for free on the Great Plains. The settlers would pay a fee in return and they were allowed to live on the land for five years. Married women did not have the same rights as men, only single women and widows did.
  • Fetterman Massacre

    Fetterman Massacre
    This massacre along the Bozeman Trail in Montana was the bloodiest incident between the Whites and the Sioux Indian Tribe. The U.S. Army troops were watching the Bozeman Trail when the Sioux's military leader distracted the troops. Into this trap the troops took their men. Hundreds of Sioux soldiers were waiting for the army troops to arrive.The winner of this massacre were the Sioux Indians.
  • Discovery of 1874

    Discovery of 1874
    In the Black Hills of Dakota the Whites and the Sioux Indians made a treaty. The U.S. Government promised that no one would be on their land, not even to travel through it. There was a rumor that the hills had gold and Custer led his men to find the gold. This was on the Sioux's land so the tribe protested against the troops being on their land. The leader of the tribe, Sitting Bull, would not sell the land he originally owned.
  • Treaty of Fort Laramie

    Treaty of Fort Laramie
    The Whites and Sioux Indians left to settle on a treaty at Fort Laramie in Wyoming. A treaty was held and it brought peace to all of the people. Both the Whites and the Sioux tribe agreed to settle in the Black Hills and the rest of the Dakota territory. The treaty was then fought over later by the U.S. Government and the indian tribe.
  • Battle of Little Bighorn

    Battle of Little Bighorn
    The U.S. Government and the Sioux Indians had a battle at the Little Bighorn River. Colonel George Custer scouted the indian camp. He and his troops attacked the Sioux tribe. Custer and his army went to battle against the Sioux and Cheyenne tribes. All of Custer's men, including himself, lost their lives in this battle. After this battle, all the indian tribes in this area were sent to reservations.
  • Ghost Dance

    Ghost Dance
    The Sioux tribe practiced a ritual called the Ghost Dance. On their reservation, the tribe believed in a prophet called Wovoka. The prophet claimed that in order for the tribe to regain their greatness they had to perform the Ghost Dance. This danced helped to express the tribe's culture. The ritual spread and U.S Official banned the dance. The Sioux's leader, Sitting Bull, was then arrested. As this was happening the police shot Sitting Bull and it was a wound that killed him.
  • Wounded Knee

    Wounded Knee
    The Lakota Sioux tribe and the Whites had a battle at the southwestern part of South Dakota. After Sitting Bull passed away, his tribe got scared and moved to a creek called Wounded Knee. The U.S. Army went to the creek to collect the tribes armory. A shot was fired and the battle was started. No one knows how exactly the fighting started. More than 200 Sioux Indians and 25 soldiers were killed at Wounded Knee. The U.S. Army won this battle against the Sioux Indian Tribe.