Snake War The Snake War ( 1864 – 1868 ) was a war fought by the United States of America against the " Snake Indians " , the settlers ' term for Northern Paiute , Bannock and Western Shoshone bands who lived along the Snake River . Fighting took place in the states of Oregon , Nevada , and California , and in Idaho Territory . Total casualties from both sides of the conflict numbered 1 , 762 dead , wounded , or captured . Background . The conflict was a result of increasing tension over several years between the Native tribes and the white settlers who were encroaching on their lands , and competing for game and water . Explorers ' passing through had minimal effect . In October 1851 , Shoshone Indians killed eight men in Fort Hall Idaho . From the time of the Clark Massacre , in 1851 the regional Native Americans , commonly called the " Snakes " by the white settlers , harassed and sometimes attacked emigrant parties crossing the Snake River Valley . European - American settlers retaliated by attacking Native American villages . In September 1852 , Ben Wright and a group of miners responded to an Indian attack by attacking the Modoc village near Black Bluff in Oregon , killing about 41 Modoc . Similar attacks and retaliations took place in the years leading up to the Snake War . In August 1854 , Native attacks on several pioneer trains along the Snake River culminated in the Ward Massacre on August 20 , 1854 , in which American Indians killed 21 people . The following year , the US Army mounted the punitive Winnas Expedition . From 1858 at the end of the Spokane - Coeur d ' Alene - Paloos War , the US Army protected the migration to Oregon by sending out escorts each spring . Natives continued to attack migrant trains , especially stragglers such as the Myers party , killed in the Salmon Falls Massacre of September 13 , 1860 . As Federal troops withdrew in 1861 to return east for engagements of the American Civil War , California Volunteers provided protection to the emigrants . Later the Volunteer Regiment of Washington and the 1st Oregon Cavalry replaced Army escorts on the emigrant trails . As settlers ' searching for gold started to move west , they competed more for resources with the Native Americans . They lived on the land longer and consumed more game and water . Many isolated occurrences resulted in violence , with the result that both sides were taking to arms . The influx of miners into the Nez Perce reservation during the Clearwater Gold Rush raised tensions among all the tribes . The Nez Perce were divided when some chiefs agreed to a new treaty that permitted the intrusion . As miners developed new locations near Boise in 1862 and in the Owyhee Canyonlands in 1863 , an influx of white settlers descended on the area . Western Shoshone , Paiute and other local Indians resisted the encroachment , fighting what was called the Snake War from 1864 to 1868 . About the war . The Snake War was not defined by one large battle but was a series of guerrilla skirmishes by the Indians , and American patrols from many small camps , taking place across California , Utah , Nevada , Oregon , and Idaho . Unlike other Indian Wars , the Snake War lacked notable leaders on either side . Probably the most well - known Indian leader was Chief Paulina and the most well - known U . S . Army commander in the Snake War may have been George Crook . He later led operations in the Apache Wars . He also played a significant role for the Union in the Civil War . Many of the U . S . troops fighting in the beginning of the war were volunteer regiments from the states of Oregon and California . The regular US Army called the period of their involvement in the Snake War , the " Campaign against Indians , Oregon , Idaho , and California ( 1865 – 1868 ) " . Conclusion . The Snake War wound down after peace talks between George Crook and Snake chief " Weahwewa " had taken place . The Snake War has been widely forgotten in United States history . One reason was that the Paiute and Western Shoshone did not have notable reputations as warriors , unlike the Apache . Few reporters covered the war , and Joe Wasson was one of the first . More significantly , much of the nation was concentrating on the American Civil War and its aftermath . Despite its being overlooked , the Snake War was statistically the deadliest of the Indian Wars in the West in terms of casualties . By the end , a total of 1 , 762 men were known to have been killed , wounded , and captured on both sides . By comparison , the Battle of the Little Bighorn produced about 847 casualties .