What is the significance of the Black Hills Expedition?
The Black Hills Expedition was a United States Army expedition in 1874 led by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer that set out on July 2, 1874 from modern day Bismarck, North Dakota, which was then Fort Abraham Lincoln in the Dakota Territory, with orders to travel to the previously uncharted Black Hills...
Where did the Black Hills Gold Rush take place?
Black Hills Gold Rush. The Black Hills Gold Rush took place in Dakota Territory in the United States. It began in 1874 following the Custer Expedition and reached a peak in 1876-77.
Why did George Custer go to the Black Hills?
In the summer of 1874, Lt. Colonel George Custer led a large expedition including about 1,000 troops with scientists and reporters into the Black Hills, officially to explore and set up a military post to control the non-signed Indians. But the real purpose, as indicated by the presence of geologists, was to identify areas for gold mining.
What happened to the Black Hills in 1868?
Skirmishes between the U.S. government and the Native American populations grew increasingly frequent and brutal. In the Dakota Territory in April of 1868, the Treaty of Fort Laramie granted the Sioux nation ownership of the Black Hills, which were considered sacred grounds for the Sioux (also known as the Lakota) and Cheyenne Indians.
What wars did the Black Hills Expedition take place in?
Powder River Expedition. Red Cloud's War. Yellowstone Expedition. Great Sioux War. Ghost Dance War. The Black Hills Expedition was a United States Army expedition in 1874 led by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer that set out on July 2, 1874 from modern day Bismarck, North Dakota, which was then Fort Abraham Lincoln in the Dakota Territory, ...
When did Custer and his unit arrive in the Black Hills?
Custer and his unit, the 7th Cavalry, arrived in the Black Hills on July 22, 1874, with orders to return by August 30. The expedition set up a camp at the site of the future town of Custer; while Custer and the military units searched for a suitable location for a fort, civilians searched for gold, and it is disputed whether or not any substantial ...
What was the impact of Custer's discovery on the Sioux Indians?
The gold rushes that resulted from Custer's discoveries antagonised the Sioux Indians and provoked the war in which Custer was to lose his life.
How many men did Custer have on his wagon train?
Custer's wagon train passing through Castle Creek valley, by William H. Illingworth. Custer embarked on his expedition with 1000-1200 men, in 110 wagons with numerous horses and cattle of the 7th Cavalry, along with artillery and two months food supply.
What did Custer say about the existence of gold in the Black Hills?
Custer wrote in a letter of August 15, 1874 to the Assistant Adjutant General of the Department of Dakota that "there is no doubt as to the existence of various metals throughout the hills. ... [And] examinations at numerous points confirm and strengthen the fact of the existence of gold in the Black Hills.".
How long did Custer's troops travel?
The expedition returned on August 30, with the scouts returned to their reservations on September 10. In total, Custer and his forces had traveled for 60 days over 883 miles.
What did Custer find on the trail of Hardy's group?
En route to the Black Hills, Custer's party managed to locate the track of Hardy's group when they spotted two lines of sunflowers that had grown along the ruts of his passing wagons.
What did Lincoln do to investigate the possibility of gold mining?
Lincoln sent an expedition to look for suitable locations for a fort, find a route to the southwest, and to investigate the possibility of gold mining. The expedition set up a camp at the site of the future town of Custer; while Custer and the military units searched for a suitable location for a fort, civilians searched for gold, ...
What was the purpose of the expedition to Custer?
Lincoln sent an expedition to look for suitable locations for a fort, find a route to the southwest, and to investigate the possibility of gold mining. The expedition set up a camp at the site of the future town of Custer; while Custer and the military units searched for a suitable location for a fort, civilians searched for gold, and it is disputed whether or not any substantial amount was found. Nonetheless, this prompted a mass gold rush which in turn antagonised the Sioux Indians who had been promised protection of their sacred land through Treaties made by the US government, [2] and who were later to kill Custer at the Battle of the Little Big Horn in the Great Sioux War of 1876–1877 between themselves and the United States. [1]
Expedition
Custer embarked on his expedition with 1000-1200 men, in 110 wagons with numerous horses and cattle of the 7th Cavalry, along with artillery and two months food supply. The expedition also took a number of Native American scouts led by Bloody Knife and Lean Bear.
Organization of the 7th Cavalry
The table of organisation for the 7th Cavalry for the Black Hills Expedition of 1874 was as follows.
Who led the Black Hills Expedition?
The Black Hills Expedition of 1874 was a massive entourage led by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer into Dakota Territory. The mission was multi-faceted: explore the previously uncharted Black Hills--the sacred land of the Lakota Sioux, scout for a suitable location for a new fort, assess the Indian threat, find a route to the southwest, and investigate the rumors of gold in the hills.
What did Custer capture?
Custer captured many exotic frontier animals, which he kept in ambulance wagons to later gift to the Central Park Zoo, as good will and good politics. Of course, very few survived. During their descent into a broad valley, the men spotted a young great white crane that they vowed to capture. They bagged the bird, which had a wingspan of seven feet, but it lived only two days. The nestling’s male parent followed the contingent two entire days, croaking and putting on a display of great anxiety until Custer finally shot the fretting father.
How many brass bands did Custer use?
And that’s not all. With a stroke of panache extravagant even for Custer, he employed a full 16- piece brass band mounted on white horses, plumed, corded and garbed in glorious red regalia to celebrate the occasion, inspire the troops and provide the requisite pomp for such an occasion.
What was the Black Hills mining situation?
It was a wild and violent situation, with Indians attacking miners, miners and settlers attacking Indians, and ransacking by outlaws against Indians and miners alike. The U.S. Government concluded that the only remaining option was to protect the U.S. citizens mining in the Black Hills for gold.
When did the Black Hills come to Washington?
In the Spring of 1875 , Red Cloud, Spotted Tail, and other chiefs were summoned to Washington to meet with President Grant and discuss the Black Hills. The U.S. wanted the Black Hills, and would send a commission later in the year to arrange a purchase price.
Why did the Sioux pay the Sioux a $400,000 annual rental?
The Commission also tried to get the chiefs to change the terms of the 1868 Treaty, and to pay the Sioux a $400,000 annual rental to allow safe passage for the prospectors and settlers. Of course, the chiefs refused this also, and indicated they would protect the Black Hills from this invasion if the U.S.
What did the Senate Commission do in 1875?
The U.S. Senate Commission visited the Nebraska agencies in 1875 to negotiate an outright purchase price for the Black Hills of $6 million. Red Cloud, Spotted Tail (the “agency” chiefs) and Crazy Horse and the non-settled warriors refused. The Commission also tried to get the chiefs to change the terms of the 1868 Treaty, ...
What was the purpose of the Black Hills?
But the real purpose, as indicated by the presence of geologists, was to identify areas for gold mining. This expedition discovered gold, and advertised this to the media and public. This led to a rush to the Black Hills by thousands of miners.
When did the Lakota get on the reservation?
On December 6, 1875, the U.S. Commissioner on Indian Affairs ordered the Lakota onto the reservation by January 31, 1876, threatening to treat them as “hostiles” and have them arrested if they did not meet this deadline.
When did the Sioux surrender?
On February 1, 1876 , the Secretary of the Interior relinquished jurisdiction over all so-called “hostile” (non-agency) Sioux – those Indians lawfully hunting in the non-reservation territory – to the War Department. The Army was ordered in.
What was the struggle for control of the Black Hills region?
The struggle for control of the Black Hills region is a story in itself. If one were to pick a defining moment in the story of the Black Hills coming under the control of the United States, it would likely be the Custer Expedition of 1874.
Who ordered the exploration of the Black Hills?
It has been widely speculated since that time that the Delano letter and other previous reports and rumors regarding the wealth of the Black Hills brought about the expedition of the following year. General Alfred H. Terry of the Headquarters of the Department of Dakota in St. Paul formally ordered the exploration of the Black Hills on June 8, 1874.
Why did Delano explore Dakota Territory?
Delano states the major reasons for an exploration in his letter: Americans and representatives in Dakota Territory felt that there was too much land allotted for too few Sioux (estimated to number from 15 to 25,000 in 1872); and the existence of mineral and natural resources in the area.
What was the meaning of Delano's remarks?
Delano’s remarks were in direct contradiction of terms defined in the l868 Laramie Treaty that states: “…no persons except those designated herein … shall ever be permitted to pass over, settle upon, or reside in the territory described in this article.”
When did the Custer expedition leave?
The expedition departed on July 2, 1874. The mile-long procession was lead by a buckskin-clad Custer on his favorite bay thoroughbred at the head of ten Seventh Cavalry companies, followed by two companies of infantry, scouts and guides.
Who was the commander of the Custer Expedition?
Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer was given command of the expedition from Fort Abraham Lincoln, Dakota Territory. The Custer Expedition was given orders to explore the region and evaluate possible sites for a fort in or near the Black Hills. The expedition departed on July 2, 1874.
Who set the stage for the expedition to the Black Hills?
In 1872, Secretary of the Interior Columbus Delano, in part, set the stage for the expedition to the Black Hills. In a letter written on March 28, l872, Secretary Delano, responsible for the Sioux territorial rights in the region, said:
When did the Black Hills become a part of the Sioux?
The United States government recognized the Black Hills as belonging to the Sioux by the Treaty of Laramie in 1868. Despite being within Indian territory, and therefore off-limits, white Americans were increasingly interested in the gold-mining possibilities of the Black Hills. Prospectors found gold in 1874 near present-day Custer, South Dakota, ...
Where did the Black Hills gold rush begin?
The Black Hills Gold Rush began in 1874. The first to arrivals were a force of 1,000 men led by George Armstrong Custer to investigate reports that the area contained gold, even though the land was owned by the Sioux. They found small amounts of gold in present-day Custer, South Dakota, and looked for better-paying locations. They moved north, establishing the towns of Hill City, Sheridan, and Pactola. At each spot, they found flakes of gold, but not the bonanza they sought. Things changed when the miners stumbled across Deadwood and Whitewood Creeks in the northern Black Hills. For the initial discoverers, each spade of earth revealed a veritable fortune in gold. By 1876, miners had claimed all the land around the creeks. Although all the land was claimed, thousands more flocked in, hoping to find a missed spot. The gold the miners had found was placer gold, loose gold pieces that were mixed in with the rocks and soil around streams.
What was the only gold mine in the Black Hills?
For many years, the Homestake operated as the only major gold mine in the Black Hills. Chlorization and smelting were seen as two methods that could remove gold from the refractory ore in the 1890s. More rock mining regions opened up around Lead and Deadwood because of this discovery.
How did the Black Hills mine gold?
The workers crushed the rock to release the gold, concentrated the gold by gravity methods, and then exposed the concentrate to mercury that would amalgamate or mix with the gold. Miners call this kind of gold extraction free milling. Gold existed elsewhere in the Black Hills, but it was not in a state suitable for free-milling. In these conditions, gold was chemically bound to the rock, and very difficult to remove. It was called refractory gold ore. For many years, the Homestake operated as the only major gold mine in the Black Hills. Chlorization and smelting were seen as two methods that could remove gold from the refractory ore in the 1890s. More rock mining regions opened up around Lead and Deadwood because of this discovery.
What was the gold found in the creeks?
The gold the miners had found was placer gold, loose gold pieces that were mixed in with the rocks and soil around streams.
What is the background of Deadwood?
The Black Hills Gold Rush forms the background of the HBO series Deadwood .
Where did they find the gold in Deadwood?
On April 9, 1876 Fred and Moses Manuel, Hank Harney and Alex Engh discovered a gold outcropping near Lead, South Dakota; they claimed their find and named it the Homestake.
