Montana’s Indians and Westward
Expansion
Note - Chapter 7 Study Guide #1-7 are answered in order by first 5
slides of this presentation; after that, individual slides are labeled to let
students know what study guide items each slide answers.
Learner Objectives
 By the end of this section of the Power Point, you
should:
 Understand basic legal terms & issues involving
treaties between Indian tribes and the U.S.
government (sovereignty, cede, annuities,
reservations, etc.).
 Know basic problems in negotiating treaties
between Indians and the government.
 Know arguments in favor of white settlement of
Indian lands.
 Know goals that both the government and Indian
tribes had when negotiating treaties.
Treaties That Changed Montana
History
 For a treaty to be put into effect it must be
ratified by the U.S. Senate.
 Two important facts about treaties
w/Indian tribes:
 By establishing reservations, the gov’t.
acknowledged that tribes were legal
owners of their own lands.
 The gov’t. recognized tribes as sovereign
(independent & self-governing) nations.
Treaties & Reservations
 Reservations: land that tribes
reserved for their own use through
treaties; often remnants of tribe’s
traditional territory.
 Native Americans are the only
ethnic group that the U.S.
government treats as sovereign
nations.
Annuities & Assimilation
 Treaties gave U.S. permission to build roads,
railroads, & towns on Indian land; in return,
tribes got to keep some land for reservations, and
received annuities (annual payments from the
gov’t.).
 Gov’t. goal was for tribes to assimilate into white
culture by settling into towns, becoming farmers,
converting to Christianity – and to cede tribal
land for white settlement.
 Most emigrants got along well with Indians –
some even married Indians.
Government wanted tribes to
cede (give up) land so nonIndians could build farms,
towns, roads, etc.
#13 of study guide:
The fact that the U.S. government
negotiated treaties with Indian
tribes the same way it did with
other nations (like France, Britain,
etc.), shows that the government
also viewed Indian tribes as
separate, sovereign nations.
Trouble With Treaties – 4 Basic Problems
(#14 of study guide partially answered by
this slide)
 Treaties were based on Euro-American
idea that land could be bought & sold
– tribes didn’t agree.
 Language difference – every idea had
to go through several translations; lots
of misunderstandings.
4 Basic Problems of Treaties (continued) –
rest of #14 of study guide answered here!
Gov’t. representatives misunderstood structure of
Indian tribes – assumed Indian chiefs could speak for
the whole tribe the way the president could for the
whole U.S.
U.S. gov’t. often didn’t live up to its agreements –
allowed whites to trespass on reservations, didn’t
make annuity payments, gov’t. agents stole tribal
money, etc.
 Sometimes the Senate refused to ratify treaties
that tribes had already agreed to – this happened
with Ft. Laramie Treaty of 1851.
Why did the U.S. government
need treaties with Indian tribes
even before settlers moved west?
(#15 of study guide)
Answer: To get permission to
build roads and railroads across
tribal lands.
Arguments for acquisition of
Indian lands for white settlement
(#20-21 of study guide):
 Because Indians didn’t build farms,
towns, etc., they weren’t “really” using
the land anyway – they just lived on it.
 Manifest Destiny: it was the moral duty
of the U.S. to expand its culture across
the continent.
3 goals of U.S. government in
negotiating treaties with tribes
(#16 of study guide)
Building roads & railroads
through tribal lands.
Get Indians to settle in villages
and farms.
Acquire land for settlers.
3 goals of tribes in negotiating
treaties (#17 of study guide)
 Maintain their traditional lifestyles.
 Preserve their territory and power.
 Have protection from settlers.
Objective Review
 What do these terms mean: sovereignty, cede,




reservation, annuities.
What were two or more basic problems in
negotiating treaties?
What was an argument for white settlement of
Indian lands?
What was a goal of the government when
negotiating treaties?
What was a goal that tribes had when negotiating
treaties?
Learner Objectives
 By the end of this section, you should:
 Be able to identify major treaties that affected
Montana tribes.
Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851
 Defined territories of several tribes,
including Lakota and Crow.
 Tribes had to make peace with each other.
 U.S. was allowed to build forts, roads,
railroads on tribal lands.
 U.S. gov’t. would pay $50,000 per year for 50
years to each tribe, AND protect tribal lands
from damage/losses caused by U.S. citizens.
Ft. Laramie
Treaty of 1851
This rare photo
shows government
representatives in
negotiations with
leaders from
various tribes. An
estimated 10,000
to 14,000 Indians
attended – the
largest gathering
of Indians ever on
the Great Plains.
Map of the
lands
reserved for
various tribes
by the Ft.
Laramie
Treaty of 1851
Note that each
reservation is MUCH
larger than any
modern reservations!
Hellgate Treaty of 1855
 Kootenai, Salish, & Pend d’Oreille tribes
agreed to live together on Jocko Reserve in
Flathead Valley.
 U.S. promised to pay tribes $120,000 per year
for 20 years.
 Salish chief Victor didn’t want to leave
Bitterroot Valley – only signed treaty after new
section was added to temporarily reserve part
of it for the Salish (but he thought this was
permanent, not temporary).
Salish Chief
Victor
This photo was
taken when Victor
was part of an
Indian delegation
that traveled to
Washington, D.C.
Lame Bull Treaty of 1855
 Large part of central Montana set aside as
common hunting ground for Blackfeet and
several other tribes.
 Tribes had to share hunting ground without
warfare & allow U.S. to build roads, railroads
across Indian lands.
 U.S. agreed to pay each tribe $20,000 per
year for 10 yrs. and protect tribal territories
from white settlement for 99 yrs.
Objective Review
 Identify two treaties that affected Montana tribes.
Learner Objectives
 By the end of this section, you should:
 Know what and where the Bozeman Trail was.
 Know why the Bozeman Trail angered several
tribes.
 Know at least two historical figures important to
events on the Bozeman Trail.
 Know key events in and the outcome of Red Cloud’s
war.
The Bozeman Trail and Red Cloud’s War –
answer to study guide #19 on this slide!
 Montana gold rushes began in 1862 – white
settlement violated treaty promises to
tribes.
 Bozeman Trail branched off from Oregon Trail
at Ft. Laramie & traveled north/northwest to
Montana gold camps – passed through
hunting grounds promised to Lakota,
Northern Cheyenne, & Arapaho tribes by Ft.
Laramie Treaty of 1851.
Map of the
Bozeman Trail
This was the
fastest, cheapest
route to Montana’s
gold fields – but
also the most
dangerous, as the
Sioux and
Cheyenne did
their best to fight
off any white
travelers through
their best tribal
hunting grounds.
John Bozeman,
founder of the
Bozeman Trail
Bozeman, originally
from Georgia,
established the trail
to bring prosperity
to the Gallatin
Valley and the new
town of Bozeman.
He was killed in 1867
by hostile Indians –
or maybe by his
business partner.
Bozeman Trail & Red Cloud’s War
(cont.)
 Lakota (Sioux) & N. Cheyenne began
attacking travelers on Bozeman Trail –
U.S. Army built forts along trail to
protect travelers.
 Red Cloud’s War: Sioux led by Red
Cloud fought several battles against
army – greatest victory was Fetterman
Fight (all 81 U.S. troops killed) in 1866.
Sioux Chief
Red Cloud
Red Cloud stands
alone as the only
Plains Indian
leader to win a war
against the U.S.
government. As
he grew older, he
realized that his
tribe could never
win a war against
the U.S. in the
long run, and
counseled for
peace.
Map of the
Fetterman
Fight –
December 21,
1866
Captain Fetterman
was ambushed &
wiped out after
violating orders not to
pursue the hostiles
over Lodge Trail
Ridge.
Painting of the Fetterman Fight: Until the Battle of Little Big Horn ten
years later, this was the most famous defeat the U.S. Army ever suffered
during the Plains Indian Wars.
The Fetterman Fight Memorial – 49 of the
81 white men killed in the fight fell near
the site of this marker.
Another famous battle on the Bozeman Trail was the
Wagon Box Fight (fought a few miles from the site of
the Fetterman Fight) on August 2, 1867.
Soldiers at the Wagon Box
Fight were saved by their
superior firepower – the new
“trap door” breech-loading
Springfield rifles that they
used weren’t yet available at
the Fetterman Fight.
Bozeman Trail & Red Cloud’s War
(continued)
 Crow allied w/U.S. because Sioux &
Cheyenne were old enemies of the
Crows.
 1868: Bozeman Trail was closed by army
– victory for Red Cloud, but partly due to
completion of transcontinental railroad
(trail was no longer needed).
Cheyenne (left) and Crow (right) warriors. Many
considered Crows to be the most handsome Indians
and the best horsemen as well (along with the
Comanches to the south). Their enemies, the
Cheyennes, were also great horsemen and known as
the tallest Indians of the Plains.
Objective Review
 Approximately where was the Bozeman Trail?
 Why were the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho
angry about the trail?
 Identify two people important to the Bozeman
Trail’s history and describe their contributions.
 For almost 10 years afterward, what battle on the
Bozeman Trail was the army’s most famous loss of
the Plains Indian Wars?
 What feat was Red Cloud the only Plains Indian
leader to ever accomplish?
Learner Objectives
 Which tribe was the “winner” (and which was the
“loser”) in the 1868 Ft. Laramie Treaty?
 What area was sacred to many tribes?
 What problem did Indian warriors pose for army
troops sent to defeat them?
 What method of warfare did the army find most
effective (and what was a famous example of this
method as used in Montana)?
1868 Fort Laramie Treaty
 Half of North & South Dakota designated as
Sioux land.
 Much land taken away from Crow and given
to Sioux (answer to #18 on study guide!).
 Both tribes accepted schools, farm
equipment, gov’t. agencies – seen by gov’t. as
way to get tribes to assimilate into white
society.
Map of Ft.
Laramie
Treaty of 1868
Tribal reservations
were made much
smaller than in the
1851 Ft. Laramie
Treaty, but the Sioux
were the clear
winners: they got the
largest reservation,
and they got the Black
Hills, which were
sacred to many tribes.
Two Ways of Life Collide
 Settlers assumed that Indians weren’t
really using the land because they didn’t
build towns, farms, etc.; also expected
gov’t. protection from Indian attacks,
even if they trespassed on Indian land.
 Many settlers still got along well with
Indians – some even married them.
Shifting Strategies of Survival and Defense
- #22 of study guide on this slide
 Government often changed treaties to shrink
reservations; the army was sent in to deal with
Indians who refused to move.
 Army troops moved slowly – easily evaded by
Indian warriors on horseback.
 Army adopted strategy of “total warfare” used
in Civil War by attacking Indian camps at
dawn, burning tipis, food, etc. to destroy their
resources and force surrender.
1870 Massacre on the Marias #23 of study guide
 1869: Blackfeet from Mountain Chief’s band
killed rancher Malcolm Clarke near Helena.
 Tribe refused to turn murderers over to
gov’t.; 2nd Cavalry, led by Major Eugene
Baker, sent to attack Mountain Chief’s camp
in January 1870.
 Baker attacked wrong village – Heavy
Runner’s – and killed 173, including 53
women & children.
Top: site of the
1870 Baker
Massacre on the
Marias River
Bottom: Officers
at Ft. Ellis (near
Bozeman). Major
Eugene Baker is
the one with the
dark beard, head
tilted downward.
Objective Review
 How were the Sioux the “winners” in the 1868 Ft.
Laramie Treaty? How were the Crow the “losers?”
 Why was it important to the Sioux that the Black
Hills were part of their reservation?
 Why were Indian warriors difficult for the army to
apprehend?
 How did total warfare work, and why was it
effective against the Indians?
Learner Objectives
 By the end of this section, you should:
 Know the survival strategies of several different
tribes.
 Know how the discovery of gold resulted in violence
between the U.S. and the Sioux & Cheyenne tribes.
 Know the key events and individuals surrounding
the Battle of Little Big Horn.
Crow Strategy (#24 of Study
Guide)
Surrounded by enemies (Sioux,
Cheyenne, Assiniboine), Crow
tribe allied with U.S. gov’t. – but
still had reservation reduced to
1/20 of original size within 25
years.
Salish strategy: economic independence and
nonmilitary resistance (#27 of study guide)
 Planted crops, built dairies; still hunted
bison.
 Salish chief Charlot resisted pressure from
gov’t. to move tribe out of Bitterroot Valley
from 1871 until 1889, when he negotiated an
agreement for the gov’t. to buy out Salish
land in the Bitterroot.
 Bitterroot Salish finally moved to Flathead
Reservation in 1891.
Sioux and Northern Cheyenne strategy:
armed resistance (#25-26 of study guide)
 1874: Gold discovered on Sioux land in
Black Hills of South Dakota.
 Gov’t. offered to buy Black Hills from Sioux;
Sioux refused; some left reservation – all who
didn’t return by 1876 were deemed “hostiles.”
 Army sent 3 forces to round up the hostiles:
Crook went north from Ft. Fetterman in
Wyoming; Gibbon went east from Ft. Ellis in
Montana; Terry (with Custer) went west from
Ft. Lincoln in North Dakota – plan was to trap
hostiles between their 3 armies & force them
back to the reservation.
Site of the Battle of the Rosebud
Map of the Battle of the Rosebud
June 17, 1876
Battle of the Rosebud
 June 17, 1876
 Sioux & Cheyenne fought General
Crook’s troops to a draw – Crook
retreated south instead of continuing
north to join Custer’s force.
 Crook could have been wiped out, but
Crow warriors on his side helped drive
the Sioux & Cheyenne back.
Battle of the Little Bighorn
 June 25-26, 1876 near present-day Crow
Agency, Mt.
 Custer’s 7th Cavalry was supposed to wait
for General Terry & Colonel Gibbon’s
troops, but thought he’d been spotted by
Sioux & Cheyenne – attacked
immediately to prevent them from
escaping.
Map of the Battle of Little Big Horn
June 25, 1876
Battle of the Little Bighorn
 Custer divided his force into three columns to
surround Indian camp on Little Bighorn River,
but was overwhelmed by superior numbers of
Sioux & Cheyenne, who were led by Sitting
Bull and Crazy Horse.
 All 200+ men in Custer’s column were killed;
other two columns, led by Reno & Benteen,
survived but with heavy losses.
Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and
Oglala Sioux leader Crazy Horse (?)
Photo of Crazy
Horse is alleged –
most historians
say there are NO
photos ever taken
of him, and the
one shown here is
of another
warrior who may
have looked
similar to him.
Sioux Chief Sitting Bull and the Crazy
Horse Memorial in South Dakota
Sitting Bull (left) was a chief and holy man of
the Hunkpapa Sioux.
The Crazy Horse Memorial in the Black Hills of
South Dakota will be much larger than the
nearby Mount Rushmore sculpture (but critics
say it really doesn’t look much like Crazy
Horse). 
A Native American depiction of the
Battle of Little Big Horn
Two views of
soldiers’ graves at
Little Big Horn, and
the marker at the
place where
Custer’s body was
found.
The original Little Big Horn
monument (below & bottom
right) and the monument for
Indian warriors at Little Big Horn
(right)
Aftermath of Little Bighorn (#2830 of study guide on this slide)
 Public was shocked & angered by Custer’s
defeat – gov’t. sent more troops to attack
Sioux & Cheyenne.
 Total warfare strategy led to defeat of all
hostile Sioux & Cheyenne in 1877 – Sitting
Bull fled to Canada until 1881, then
returned & surrendered; Crazy Horse
surrendered in 1877 & was later killed
resisting arrest at Ft. Robinson, Nebraska.
Objective Review
 What was the survival strategy of the Crow tribe?




Of the Salish? Of the Sioux and the Cheyenne?
How did the discovery of gold in the Black Hills
lead to the Battle of Little Big Horn?
Name two leaders each from the U.S. Army and
from the Sioux at the Battle of Little Big Horn?
What did Custer do with his forces at Little Big
Horn that made them more vulnerable?
How did the Sioux & Cheyenne victory at Little Big
Horn actually hurt those tribes afterward?
Learner Objectives
 By the end of this section, you should know:
 How the Nez Perce War of 1877 began.
 At least one leader for the U.S. Army and one leader
for the Nez Perce at that time.
The Nez Perce War of 1877 - #3132 of study guide on this slide
 Chief Joseph’s Nez Perce followers didn’t want to
leave Wallowa Valley, Oregon, because their part
of the tribe hadn’t signed a treaty with the U.S.
 Finally agreed to move to new reservation at
Lapwai, Idaho – but some of their young
warriors got angry and killed a number of white
settlers.
 To escape military punishment, 700 Nez Perce
(led by Joseph and Looking Glass) fled to
Montana to take refuge with the Crow tribe.
Chief Joseph (below); Bear Paw Battlefield
Memorial (bottom right)
The memorial marks the site where
Joseph surrendered and gave his
famous “I will fight no more forever”
speech on October 5, 1877. The site is
about 16 miles from present-day
Chinook, Montana, near the Bear’s
Paw Mountains.
The Nez Perce War (cont.)
 Along the way, the Nez Perce defeated army troops
after being attacked at White Bird Canyon and the Big
Hole River; also evaded troops sent to stop them at
Lolo, Mt.
 Nez Perce turned north to escape into Canada when
they learned that the Crow were now helping the army
track them down.
 Stopped to rest near the Bear’s Paw Mountains, just 40
miles from Canada – and were caught by surprise by
troops led by Colonel Nelson Miles.
Map of the Nez Perce retreat (below);
Colonel Nelson Miles (below right)
Miles City,
Montana, is
named for
Colonel Miles.
The Nez Perce War (cont.)
 A few Nez Perce slipped away & escaped to Canada
w/help from some Metis.
 Eventually found Sitting Bull, who welcomed them to
live with his Sioux people, but could send no warriors
to help the Nez Perce surrounded back in Montana.
 Chief Joseph & rest of Nez Perce surrendered to Miles
on October 5, 1877 – Joseph gave his famous “I will
fight no more forever” speech at this time.
 Joseph & his followers were sent to Indian Territory
(Oklahoma) and later to Colville, Washington – he
never returned to the Wallowa Valley again.
Objective Review
Why didn’t Joseph’s part of the Nez Perce tribe want
to move to Lapwai, Idaho?
What tribe did the Nez Perce hope to find safety
with?
Why did the Nez Perce decide to escape to Canada
instead?
What army officer caught the Nez Perce before the
could make it to Canada?
Who was the most famous leader of the Nez Perce?
Learner Objectives
 By the end of this section, you should know:
 Which Cheyenne chiefs led their tribe’s escape to
Montana during the “Cheyenne Autumn.”
 Why they decided to escape from Ft. Reno.
 The impact on Montana of Louis Riel’s rebellion in
Canada.
 Key factors in the demise of the bison.
 How the demise of the bison changed the Indians’
way of life.
The Cheyenne Autumn (1878)
 Northern Cheyenne who surrendered
after Battle of Little Bighorn were sent to
Ft. Reno in Oklahoma in 1877.
 Chiefs Dull Knife and Little Wolf
decided to take their people and escape
to their old home in Montana – would
rather die in attempt to return to
Montana than continue life in captivity.
Cheyenne chiefs Dull Knife (left) and
Little Wolf (right)
Cheyenne Autumn (cont.) - #33 of
study guide on this slide
 Little Wolf’s followers made it to Ft. Keogh
near present Miles City, Mt.;
 Dull Knife and followers were captured in
Nebraska & taken to Ft. Robinson –
escaped 7 days later, but many died; about
50 made it to join Little Wolf in Montana.
 Colonel Miles supported Northern
Cheyennes’ request for a reservation in Mt.
– reservation was granted in 1884.
Louis Riel and Metis Resistance
 Riel led Metis in southern Canada to set up
own territorial gov’t. in 1860s.
 1870: Canadian gov’t. took over Metis farms &
towns, claimed Metis lands for Englishspeaking Canadians; Riel led rebellion against
Canadian gov’t. for 15 years.
 1885: Riel captured and hanged by Canadian
gov’t. – many of his followers fled to Mt. and
became “landless” Indians.
Metis leader
Louis Riel
A World Comes to an End
 Bison population shrunk from 13 million in 1860
to less than 200 in 1883.
 Four factors in demise of bison:
Disease from cattle
 Changes in ecology of Great Plains
 Drought
 Wholesale slaughter by hunters.
End of bison ended hunter-gatherer way of life.
Army troops now kept Montana’s Indians on
reservations; every tribe had to adapt to the new reality.

Plenty Coups,
Chief of the
Crow Tribe
You can visit
Plenty Coups’
house at Chief
Plenty Coups State
Park in Pryor,
Montana.
“WHEN THE BUFFALO WENT
AWAY, THE HEARTS OF MY PEOPLE
FELL TO THE GROUND, AND THEY
COULD NOT LIFT THEM UP AGAIN.
AFTER THIS NOTHING HAPPENED.”
--PLENTY COUPS, CHIEF OF THE
CROWS
Objective Review
 What did Dull Knife and Little Wolf do?
 Why did they leave Ft. Reno?
 What happened to Louis Riel’s followers who
came to Montana?
 Identify two things that caused the demise of the
bison?
 What Indian way of life ended with the demise of
the bison?
Native American Leaders & What
They Were Known For
 Chief Charlot: Economic independence for
the Salish tribe; tried to keep Salish in
Bitterroot Valley.
 Chief Joseph: Led Nez Perce in attempt to
escape from Oregon to Montana (and then to
Canada).
 Chief Red Cloud: Lakota/Sioux leader who
fought successfully to close down the
Bozeman Trail.
Native American Leaders & What
They Were Known For
 Chief Plenty Coups: Crow leader
who allied with U.S. government to
protect his tribe.
 Chief Dull Knife: Northern
Cheyenne leader who led his people
in escape from Oklahoma to
Montana.
Survival Strategies of Key Tribes
 Crow: Cooperation – allied with U.S. government
against their common enemies (the Sioux,
Cheyenne, and Assiniboine).
 Sioux and Cheyenne: Armed resistance against
U.S. government – fought the army when ordered
to move to smaller reservations.
 Salish: Economic independence & nonmilitary
resistance. Tribe had lots of farms and dairies –
wanted to stay in Bitterroot Valley, but was
eventually bought out & forced onto Flathead Res.
Answers to Chapter 7 Study
Guide #’s 34 and 35 are on a
separate transparency!!!