(426) AFTER THE CIVIL WAR . . .

When Grant was elected President, a small amount of gold was discovered in the Black Hills. It was not another Sutter’s Mill, but the discovery of gold attracted thousands of eager miners. General Phillip Sheridan was busy forcing the Indians onto a reservation, however, he noted, “We took away their country and their means of support, broke up their mode of living, their habits of life, introduced disease and decay among them, and it was for this and against this they made war. Could anyone expect less?” However, his understanding of the situation did not keep him from forcing the Indians onto a reservation or annihilating them.

Sheridan ordered Custer into the Black Hills to survey the region, to find a location for a fort. The fort was to protect the construction of a second continental railroad. However, gold was Custer’s unofficial agenda. Unfortunately, he reached the Little Big Horn in 1876 and you know the end of that story.

Even though the Sioux had rights to the land pursuant to the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868, the Yankton Press & Dakotan called the Treaty, “an abominable compact” and said it was a barrier to improvement and development. Improvement and development to whom? The radicals said that Indians behaved like animals and refused to cultivate the fertile soil. Just another deal made by the United States that was broken or breached when necessary.

Respectfully submitted,
Donald M. Heavrin,
A displaced Indian