The problem is, the trail crosses through prime buffalo land guaranteed to the Sioux Nation, and they will fight to protect it. Montana was awarded Territory status on May 26, 1864. In so doing, the U.S. Congress moved the territory’s western boundary deeper into Idaho Territory. The Idaho gold fields discovered in 1863 were now in Montana Territory and there had been a new strike in Emigrant Gulch in the southwest corner. Those hoping to strike it rich were streaming into the area.
There were multiple trails used by the miners to access the gold fields in the west. The primary route to the now Montana gold fields was to follow the Oregon Trail west to Fort Hall, in Oregon Territory, then turn straight north into the heart of the strike. As all the pathways West, it flowed directly through Indian land, some identified as reservation land, other non-ceded land used for centuries by the Crow, Cheyenne, Arapahoe, and Sioux nations.
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Thank you for visiting my website and following my blog— Digging Deeper, for stories behind my writings. Here I will be sharing insights into the writing life and particularly the many discoveries made while researching material, much of which is absent in the storylines of my books.
While research is vital to historical fiction, the majority of it is peripheral to the story, yet often essential to set the stage for bringing the reader into the action. While my first novel, The Thirty-Ninth Man, spoke of the disastrous treaty system and how it was used to control and eventually defeat the native population, the sequel novel, Tears Of Sorrow, focuses on personalities and characteristics of real people as they deal with historically accurate situations. Red Cloud, Sitting Bull, and Crazy Horse were each revered by the people, yet they differed significantly in their outlooks, in fact in some circumstances, almost opposites when dealing with white expansion. One thing they all shared was a deep love and commitment to Oyate - The People. |
AuthorAt seventy-seven, I’m at the beginning of a new chapter in a life filled with blessings from above, adventure, love of family, and kinships reaching into the heavens and to God himself. —AND— I love to tell a story. Archives
February 2020
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