Part 9 of a series that looks at the Great Indian Wars
The Black Hills were a treasure trove that both natives and whites wanted all to themselves. With both unrelenting in their pursuits, blood spilt across the landscape. The federal government opened Black Hills to gold mining in 1875 but Native Americans declined to leave the region because of its alleged sacred connotations. The United States military congregated to forcibly displace their warriors, but troops overlooked orders and attacked villages. These attacks were not the only misdeeds to committed. Buffalo was a major resource for its meat and hide. The millions of beasts roving the plains in the 1860s effectively vanished within two decades as hunters from across the United States and abroad drove the herds to near extinction. One source defined an 1877 horseback expedition that was so unrelenting “they had killed enough buffaloes to fill fifty carts with the meat.”[1] The threat of starvation moved both sides toward war.
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Ryan LancasterThe internet is a scary place. You don't know who to trust when it comes to information sometimes, especially when it involves history. Well weary traveler, look no further. Professor Lancaster has got you covered. After receiving my masters in American history, I wanted to put that rather expensive piece of paper to use and create a curriculum of my choosing to inform the unwashed masses of their history. Also, I want to be an internet celebrity. Archives
August 2018
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