The Arvada enterprise. (Arvada, Colo.) 1908-1970, 1923-07-26

Inc sioux VIII nEht the white
man in the United States Court Of Claims, and le
gal documents and the oratory Of lawyers instead
Of war club and lance will be his weapons For the
great Dakota nation has filed suit against the
United States for II total Of nearly S22O.OOO,OOO
which the Indians say Is due them for lands seized
by the government. Added to this amount Is
enough interest to bring the total up to nearly
three quarters OF billion Of dollars, making 1t
OF the largest suits ever filed In my court In this
country.
The biggest Item In the bill which the Sioux are
trying to collect from Uncle Sam is for sl5GOOO,.
uo In payment for the Black Hills OF South Dakota
which they say were taken from them by force of
arms ana In violation Of all sacred treaty obga-
lions. SO they are going TO make one last fight
for their beloved "rnhsappah" (Blnck Hills), for
which such tribal heroes Red Cloud and Crazy
Iiorse Gall and Spotted Tall once fought so vail.
unity and so unavailingly.
Back Of this legal action Is n story through the
fabric OF which runs n shining thread OF gold. To
pick NJ TINT thread you must go back to Fort
Laramie, the old Fort Laramie OF the American
Fur company. the Laramie Of Jim Bridger and Kit
Carson and the other old.tlme long.hnired noun.
tain men. Past this famous post ran the Oregon
trail and over II In 1870 were hurrying thousands
OF men with their faces set toward the West to-
ward the gold fields Of California
The reckless slaughter Of Rnme by the Aryonauts
melted To fury the Ogalala and Brule Sioux When
the Indian depredations became unhcnrnble IL
grand council Of all the tribes In that reglor,-
Sioux, Cheyenne. Arapahoc. Crow, Gros ventre
NInndan ana Ariknrn-was called ut Laramie by
the government. There In 1851 the tribes signed
treaty guaranteeing undsturbcd passng. for
cmigrant trains. The lands guaranteed to the
Sioux included the Black Hills
but ms the tide OF emigration flowed on and con-
tihucd to frightcn away the buffalo. the TrrIc
Sioux renewed their attacks on wagon trains
Then Gen. william s. Harvey appeared on the
scene with 900 soldiers. At the Battle OF Ash
Hollow. Neb. he won II victory which many con
slider little more than n massacre Of Indians who
were trapped md would have surrendered II given
the chance. Hut he did his work so thoroughly
that the Sioux were willing to sign n treaty Mt
Fort Pierre In March. 1850, In which they ayain
promised To allow the gold seekers TO travel I'm
peace.
The Sioux then left In undsturb.d posscs
sion OF the Hills for nearly decade In the mean
time Spotted Tall and his Brules had renewed
their dcpredntions along the Oregon trail and they
nearly put both the Overland Stag. lin. and the
Pacific telegraph out Of commission. The govern.
in"nf was too busy with the civil war to rrpcnt
IInrncys measures however. and "Old Spoi' was
pretty much boss OF the whole trims lssour
country.
In 1866 the thread OF gold appears again This
time the gold was In Montana and Idaho and the
rush OF miners there led to demand for n better
authorized III" construction OF n road from Fort
Laramie on the Oregon trail To Bozcinn Mont
I" run dlng"nnlly across the country west OF the
Hack Hills ana skirt the Mig Horn mountains In
Montana and Wyoming Incidentally. II ran
through the heart Of the Ogulna Sioux buffalo
range.
Red Cloud, n young Ognlaln chief who had risen
To the position Of the greatest leader OF the Sioux
actively resisted this violation of the treaty OF
1Sil. The government sent out n commission TO
'ren, for right.of.wny. Al first. neither Red
Cloud nor Spotted Tail would treat. but In June
1868, they We're persuaded 10 come into Fort La.
rnmc for council. In the mlIsi ~ the council
Col II, H. Darlington, with n force OF 200 soldiers
arrived NJ Laramie under orders TO build forts
along the road.
Red Cloud holly denounced the white men for
"trylnr to steal the road before the Indians had n
chance to say yes or no" Are we To give up
the sacred graves 81 our ancestors to In plowcd
UP for CORN he demanded Of his iribesmen "Dn.
ko'as. ASA Tor war;" So ne withdrew from the
cmrvl spotted Tail. however. was won over and