Great Sioux Reservation

Indian reservation for the Sioux in the Dakota Territory and a part of Nebraska, established by the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie.[1]

The area within the boundaries, included the Black Hills east of the Wyoming Territory border, had been land claimed by the U. S. government, but ceded to the Sioux in an effort to curb hostilities between them and the encroaching western expansion of white settlers. As agreed upon in the treaty, all natural resources found on the land was considered the legal property of the Sioux, which they protected with their lives, and were not opposed to killing for it.[1]

Stage West: In June of 1875,[3] Sam Harris discovered a pocket of free gold in the Black Hills. Shot by Wes Fallon in July of 1875 and left for dead, Harris was found the next day by Bret Maverick, who helped him all he could, to know avail. Before he died, he showed Bret the location of the Harris Mine and asked him to take the gold to his wife at the Packsaddle Station[4] in Nebraska.[3] Bret buried Harris at the mine and was chased across the Great Sioux Reservation by angry Indians until he lost them[4] near the Nebraska border.[3]

As more gold seekers and settlers invaded their land, the Sioux reciprocated, leading to the Great Sioux War of 1876. In the meantime, mining camps such as Deadwood and Lead were booming.[2]

In retaliation for Indian hostilities, and to gain undisputed access to the rich resources of the Black Hills, the U. S. government rescinded the Treaty of Fort Laramie with the Act of February 28, 1877. The Sioux were removed to smaller parceled reservations around the former Reservation boundaries.[2]

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