Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868)
Fort Laramie, Goshen County, Wyoming, USA
What happened
The US Indian Peace Commission, including General William T. Sherman, and leaders of the Lakota, Yanktonai Dakota and Arapaho nations, including the Oglala Lakota leader Red Cloud. Lakota and allied nations under Red Cloud had fought the US Army to stop forts being built along the Bozeman Trail through their hunting lands. In 1868 the two sides made peace at Fort Laramie. The United States agreed to close the forts and set aside the Great Sioux Reservation, including the Black Hills, for the Lakota.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It ended Red Cloud's War on terms that included closing the US forts. But the promises were broken within a decade, and the treaty is still at the centre of a land dispute today.
What came next
After gold was found in the Black Hills, war broke out in 1876, and Congress took the Black Hills in 1877. In 1980 the US Supreme Court ruled that the land had been taken illegally; the Sioux nations have refused payment and still ask for the land back.
Did you know?
Red Cloud was one of the last leaders to sign, on 6 November 1868.
Timeline
- April-November 1868The Treaty of Fort Laramie is signed.
- 1874An army expedition helps spark a gold rush in the Black Hills.
- 1877Congress takes the Black Hills.
- 30 June 1980The Supreme Court rules the Black Hills were taken illegally.