The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1920-07-01

In the year 1865 nearly all of that
portion Of the northwest beyond the
states of Kansas on the south anc
Minnesota on the north, including
the Rockies and the western slope
was occupied by a score of powerful
savage Indian tribes, of whom the
widest and most warlike were the
Sioux, Blackfeet, Northern and
Southern Cheyennes, Crows, Chippe-
was, As%siniboines, eros Ventres, Ara
pahoes, Kiowas and Comanches.
Most of these tribes had been inter
mittently at war with n another
for many years, but in that year
formed a general alliance to conduct
a war against the advancing line of
settlers which had begun to move
westward in 1849, when gold was
discovered in California, and which
had been given impetus by new
strikes of the yellow metal in Mon
tana and Idaho in the early COS.
The strongest of the Indian ma
lions we're the Sioux and Cheyennes,
who formed an alliance and who, by
force of numbers, able leaders and
set purpose, were able to dominate
and control all the other tribes in
every council called for the purpose
of organizing a confederation of the
plains tribes against the whites.
In the spring of 1855 a council
was held at Fort Laramie, Wyoming,
between a party of United States
commissioners and certain represen-
tative chiefs of the plains tribes,
where the Indians were urged to
sign a treaty which gave the United
States government the right-of-way
for a railroad through what they
claimed as their country.
The Sioux and Cheyennes before
this treaty became allied under the
leadership of Red Cloud, the most
able and astute of the Sioux chiefs,
who positively refused to sign the
treaty. Some of the minor Indian
chiefs afterward signed this treaty,
but they were not powerful enough to
control even their own tribes, and as
soon as the Indians saw that the gov
eminent intended to protect the
builders of a railroad within the
limits of the disputed territory, most
of the tribes in the northwest began
a series of raids upon the settlers of
the exposed frontier, with the avow-
ed intention of driving them back
and compelling the government to
abandon all the country between the
104th meridian and the Big Horn
mountains and between the North
Platte and Yellowstone rivers. They
hoped to secure this territory for a
hunting ground forever. The area
involved contained between 100000
and 10000 square miles. There were
probably 10000 Indians within that
area.
Accept Sioux Challenge
The Sioux and C~heyennes, headed
by Red Cloud, sent a defiant mes
sage to the government, threatening
death to all whites who invaded their
territory. The war department was
quick to accept the challenge, and in
1866 a battalion of the Eighteenth
infantry, under command of Colonel
Darlington, set out from old Fort
Kearny in Nebraska and marched
600 miles through Sioux country to
Fort Reno, at the crossing of Powder
river, without seeing a hostile In
dian. Nevertheless, every step of
their way was watched by Sioux spies
dhQ cOOoIo5 wv hioh LII IhO
lion was counted, every wagon and
every mule numbered, and each
camp carefully located and
examined a few hours after their de-
p~arture from it.
The whole Sioux nation, as we'll as
the Cheyennes, were fully advised of
their advance, but decided to allow
the soldiers to get is far as possible
into the wilderness and away from
their base of supplies before attack
ing.
Early in July Carrington's COM
nand left Fort Reno and marched
northwest, across the Powder river
md Clear creek, to the foot of the
Big Horn mountains. On Piney
a beautiful mountain stream
hat threaded its way through the I'M