The treaty of Fort Laramine was signed in 1851, September and it was between the western U.S.A and the representatives of many Indian nations also known as American Nation Natives. The nations include Cheyenne, Shoshone, Mandan, Assiniboine, Crow, Arikara, and Sioux. The treaty was signed and the nations that lived on the Black Hills were told that the land would be in their control. This land was the territory of the Native Americans. They were told that they would control the land as long as there was the presence of eagles flying and the river flowing. The Indians who settled there in turn agreed that the passage of the settlers would be safe and that they would require some amount of money totaling to fifty thousand dollars for a period of fifty years.1 They also allowed the building of infrastructures such as forts and roads. The signing of this treaty ensured that there was peace among the western United States and the American Native Nations although the treaty was not fulfilled.
The American Natives fought with the United States and the Europeans who came to settle on the Black Hills for the purpose of exploring and settling. The western Americans wanted to expand their territories and the American natives did not want anybody on their land. This caused a lot of wars and skirmishes in the land as the Native Americans defended their land. This was the period between the 1860s and 1870s. There was a committee that was set up in order to study the wars that the Indians were fighting in 1865. The report was later released in 1867 and the United States started to establish ways in which the Indians would live in peace with the other communities around them. There was another treaty that was signed in 1868 and it was signed for the purpose of civilization. The reason why the Indians were fighting was that the land they lived in was sacred and they could not allow any stranger to come and live in their midst. As they signed the treaty the sacred land was recognized and reserved.2
In 1874 there was gold was found in the area and miners were led in that area by General George Custer. More miners moved into the area and they demanded the protection of the Army from the United States. The army was ordered to take the land that was reserved and they took control of the land in 1877. The land is still in dispute today between the government of America and the Sioux about the ownership. The Sioux moved to court over the ownership of the land and in 1980 they won the case. The government wanted to provide them with compensation but they refused and said that they wanted their territory back. This land has been a tug of war between the Sioux community and the government of the United States.
The treaty served to bring peace for the communities that were invading the land of the Indians and those who wanted to explore the land. The treaty was signed so that both parties would benefit but this has not been the case as only one party benefited.
Bibliography
- Mac Alpine, K.F., and Millard, Harper, Report on the recovery of gold from oxidized ore of the Rattlesnake Jack Mine with the redesign of the existing mill, Rapid City, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology B.S. thesis. 1932.
- Mac Cary, L.M. Apparent water resistivity, porosity, and ground-water temperature of the Madison Limestone and underlying rocks in parts of Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming, U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 81-629, 43 p. [GD I 19.76:81-629] 1981
- Mallory, R.W., and Jones, C.T. Second day of field conference, Rapid City to Hot Springs [road log], in Kansas Geological Society, Western South Dakota and eastern Wyoming, Kansas Geological Society, 14th Annual Field Conference Guidebook, p. 27-35. [MBC/QE/113/.K25]1940
Footnotes
- Mac Alpine, K.F., and Millard, Harper, Report on the recovery of gold from oxidized ore of the Rattlesnake 1932
- Mallory, R.W., and Jones, C.T. Second day of field conference, Rapid City to Hot Springs, 1940