After Fort Kearny - A Momentary Peace

Fresh army troops on the Bozeman Trail didn't intimidate the Sioux.  In June 1867, Red Cloud felt strong enough to try an attack on Fort Kearny.  With over 1000 warriors, they rode toward the fort.  Along the way they encountered a 36 man army work detail under Captain James Powell.  The army men were armed, fearing such an attack, and 32 of the men made it to shelter behind wagon boxes.  For four and one half hours, they fought on until reinforcements arrived.  The "Wagon Box Fight" as it was called, took place on August 2nd, after which Red Cloud decided to postpone the attack on Fort Kearny.

As it turned out, the attack never happened as growing opinions in Washington wanted to abandon Bozeman Trail.  The coming of the railroad made it unnecessary.  Red Cloud was willing to talk peace only if the government agreed to leave the outposts in Sioux country.  The government yielded and in spring of 1868 the forts were ordered abandoned.  Red Cloud burned Fort Kearny to the ground.

In November, Red Cloud rode to Fort Laramie to sign a peace treaty which gave the Sioux the Black Hills and the right to hunt in the Powder Ridge region.  Both regions would be forbidden to white exploitation.  This seemed satisfactory to both sides...at least for the moment.

By the end of 1868, the Union Pacific Railroad had intruded into Wyoming and new towns were springing up along the tracks.  Six years later, Custer and his 7th Cavalry rode into the Black Hills reportedly to seek a site for a military post, but in reality to check out rumors of gold in the area.  That led to a rush into Indian Territory and once more the treaty signed was worthless. 

In a last effort to protect their lands, the Sioux and a few northern Cheyenne began to gather warriors - for the last stand.  Not only for Custer but for the Indians as well.

Next time...The Last Stand
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Today in Pioneer History:  "On December 18, 1778, the English explorer Captain James Cook becomes the first European to discover the Hawaiian Islands when he sails past the island of Oahu. Two days later, he landed at Waimea on the island of Kauai and named the island group the Sandwich Islands, in honor of John Montague, who was the earl of Sandwich and one his patrons.