Why was there so much bloodshed on the Plains, 1861-1877?

Timeline Key Terms and Concepts 1862 approves the Pacific Railroad Act. Abilene Famous cattle town which grew quickly with the railway 1862 Homestead Act promised 160 acres of Plains land to settlers and the cattle industry. who farmed the land for 5 years. Bought by the US Government for $6 million in 1875. 1862 Santee face starvation in their reservation. Little Crow’s leads many Lakota Sioux onto the reservation. War in Minnesota leads to the murder of 500 settlers. Little A route to gold mining areas of which ran Crow is killed by soldiers and 38 Santee Sioux are executed. straight through the Lakota Sioux hunting grounds. 1864 105 women and children were Buffalo Chips Dried animal waste burned for warmth and cooking. killed by Colonel Chivington and the ‘Bloodless Third’. 1866 Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving completed the first cattle Cheyenne Nomadic Plains Indians people who were allies of the drive from Texas to market on the Plains. Lakota Sioux. 1866 Fetterman Massacre committed by Lakota Sioux as part of Red Chinese Migrants 12,000 employed by the Central Pacific Railroad Cloud’s War. 80 US soldiers killed. Company to construct the line from . 1868 Second Treaty of Fort Laramie agrees the Black Hills belong to Cowboys Started as those who drove the cattle up from Texas. the Lakota Sioux. Often poor and third were Mexicans, ex-slaves or Indians. 1869 Transcontinental railroad completed. Dry Farming A technique to trap water in the dry soil of the plains. 1876 US Army camp at Rosebud River wiped out by and Homesteaders Families who settled on the to farm. . Indian Agents Appointed by the government to distribute money, 1876 Battle of Little Bighorn. 1800 Native American warriors defeat rations and supplies to Native Americans. Often corrupt. 210 US Army Cavalrymen in worst setback for US government in struggle for the Plains. Open Range The ranched which were kept on the Plains with no 1877 Crazy Horse killed by US soldiers, Sitting Bull flees to Canada fences. Led to increased competition with Plains Indians. and remaining Sioux forced to surrender. Pacific Railroad A commitment by the US government to provide money Act and free land for companies willing to build the railroad. Other Important Figures Reservation An area of land designated by the government for Native Chief of the Southern Cheyenne who tried to Americans to live. negotiate and make peace in Colorado. Sod Houses Houses built from dried grass on the plains where there General Custer Led the US Army expedition into the Black Hills which was no timber. was defeated at Little Bighorn, 1874. Wind Pump Used to bring water to the surface to farm the arid plains. Joseph Glidden Invented in 1874.

John Iliff Started keeping cattle on the Plains: the ‘open range’. Key Questions

Red Cloud Chief of the Lakota Sioux during the war 1865-68. “It was the actions of settlers and miners which were the main reason why Sitting Bull Lakota Sioux War Chief who led those who refused to there was so much conflict on the Great Plains 1862-77.” How far do you enter the reservation. agree with this statement? Give reasons for your answer. [18 marks]