Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-02-17
BY ELMO

gwmwase the United States had
eaRRareed Observance by les citizens
a. she treaties made with the In
aaans dmring the 1885. What
wo@Ad have been the trend OF west
era his9@Ey daring the pass three
t9we@kkng field for speculation
PrebahSy n0t one person IN hun
areA today stops to realize that the
EymakeM States government IN treat
mag wfkh the Indians, was dealing
wSgh sovereign nations. A treaty
rma@e wf&h the chiefs and head
maem Of the tribes should have been
f@4 as sacred an obligation as one
made with world power
But the westering pioneer considered
&aRt a dead Indian was the only good
@dian. While he respected the Indians
msdlity as q warrior, the frontiersman
held In contempt the Indians claim
30 territory and his interference with
SAe white mans desire 20 exploit the
s0mnkry
Il is OF record that the Indians in
tawfered but little with early immigra-
ton across the country to the Pacific
coast. Until white men assumed an
Overlooking attitude and mistreated the
Indians right TO his own country, the
red man WIS tolerant.
Higtory-much OF It obscure, 1t Is
kue-records incidents of Indian help
fulneSs along the great pioneer trails.
Is was only when white men came 70
regard the Indians country as a land
to be appropriated to his own profit
With little or no regard for the In
dAan's rights or desires, that the In
cans became definitely and rrevoc-
II was inevitable, OF course, that the
waite man should yield to the dictates
of his own greed. 1t mattered not that
he was exploiting the land Of foreign
p@ople. tn the sense that 1t was the
ages-old home Of another race. II was
equally inevitable that under such cir
esnnstances the red man would fight
with every means at his command TO
protect his home, his people ana ms
Difficulties between the whites and
the Indians had reached a critical
mosnt when the treaty of 1867 was
signed at Fort Laramie between ennis
aaries OF the United States and the
head men OF the Plains tribes.
The treaty guaranteed to the IN
dams, free Of trespass, vast area m
Guiding the Black Hills and the land
extending to the Yellowstone and the
Tsss > Horn mountains Army forts along
NE Bozeman trail we're diSmantled IN
compliance with the treaty's provisions.
Troops were assigned to duty along
the borders of the area 10 maintain
taoe integrity of the Indian country.
They were also set at exploring certain
areas to determine their resources;
General Custer explored the Black
Hills In 1874. he reported finding golo
at the grass roots. That winter ven
tzTresome prospectors slipped into the
They we're driven about by the
trnorg alHKf~ &f1eW held ON.
In 1875 a more thorough exploration
Yves made. and the glowing reports
brought q new influx OF miners. AZ
CHEYENNE the demand for supplies ana
for transportation to the Black Hins
on trails through the indian LANDS
l1arnuered General Crook IN the OUT
fitting OF his troops for his campaign |
in the Indian country, by now a pro
xram of subjugating the Indians rath- |
n than keeping the white man out.
They TooM what They Wanted
The American frontiersman recog-
Rlzed no barriers. III riches were IN /
prospect, he grabbed what he wanted,
and then looked to his government TOT
The Cheyennes had their corn fields
along the Belle Fourche. They went
INTO frenzy as a result OF reports
hat their country was TO be taken
nom them. whether they liked II or
Rot
The Sioux, watching the violation OF
aeir country, refused to permit the
agent at their reservation headquar-
ers to fly the American flag.
No phase of the Treaty Of 1857 had
Seen kept by the white man. A school
or each 30 Indian children was to
rave been established This was never
tone.
Attempts to get the Indians to re-
main ON the reservations, except In
Ane hunting season, gave the miners
safe Journey into their country. The
rfbes decided they would fight before
hey would see their lands cut down
Without liberal compensation.
After General Crook had failed, IN
Us late winter campaign Of 1875, to
trike hard at a large band Of Indians
n the open country with q view to
reaking their morale. efforts were
made again to treat with the tribes. A
commission headed by Senator VIII
am B. Allison of Iowa and Maj. Gen.
AIfred H. Terry met the chiefs and
lead men at point In the Black
ILLS.
The Indians threw up to the COM [
lission all the violations of the prevt- [
us treaty and plainly indicated their q
dstrust of the United States govern {
S