Big Sky Times

The National Park Service (NPS) announced on July 26 that a total sum of $1,212,066.50 in Preservation Planning Grants was awarded through the American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP). These grants are intended to support the preservation of battlefields and other sites of armed conflict across the United States, ranging from the east coast to Alaska's Aleutian Islands. The funds will be utilized to conduct archeological site surveys, interpretive planning and community outreach initiatives, as detailed in the NPS statement.

"The diverse grants provided through American Battlefield Protection Programs help our preservation partners study and protect hundreds of years of conflict history," NPS Director Chuck Sams said in the release.

Among the ten recipients of the grants, the American Battlefield Trust was granted $121,000 for their significant undertaking entitled "Documenting American Indian Battlefields of the Great Sioux War of 1876-1877." This project is slated to take place in Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming—the regions that witnessed intense conflicts during the late 1800s.

In an NPS article detailing the American Battlefield Trust, the NPS sheds light on the historical significance of the Great Sioux War, also known as the Black Hills War, which unfolded in the northern Great Plains. The conflict, triggered by the discovery of gold in the Black Hills, led to an influx of prospectors into the hunting grounds and "unceded lands" of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Dakota and Lakota tribes, in direct violation of the Treaty of Fort Laramie of 1868.

In response, the federal government established the Great Sioux Reservation, spanning present-day Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wyoming, with the aim of avoiding further conflicts between the United States and the Sioux people and their allies, according to the report. However, the NPS pointed out that the promise to respect Indian sovereignty over the reservation was quickly broken, resulting in the exploitation of its natural resources and sparking armed resistance among a significant portion of the Sioux population.

The NPS highlighted the efforts of Sioux chiefs Red Cloud and Spotted Tail to persuade the U.S. Government in Washington, D.C., to uphold the Fort Laramie Treaty, which ultimately proved unsuccessful, according to the article. This division within the Sioux tribes led to two groups: those willing to relocate to smaller reservations in exchange for federal aid, and the "non-reservation" Sioux, who were determined to fight for control of the Black Hills.

The Great Sioux War significantly altered the landscape of the northern Great Plains. Eventually, it came to an end when a combination of U.S. military occupation and harsh government policies compelled the last members of the Sioux and their allies to surrender in late 1877, according to NPS.

Sams emphasized, "By supporting these localized efforts, all Americans gain the opportunity to learn from these conflicts and understand their impact on the foundation and growth of this country."