This event should not be confused with the Bannock War

Bannock War

The Bannock War was a series of conflicts in 1878 between various Bannock, Northern Shoshone and Paiute tribes against the United States.- Background :...

 of 1878.

The Bannock War of 1895, or the Bannock Uprising, refers to a minor conflict centered around Jackson's Hole

Jackson Hole

Jackson Hole, originally called Jackson's Hole, is a valley located in the U.S. state of Wyoming, near the western border with Idaho. The name "hole" derives from language used by early trappers or mountain men, who primarily entered the valley from the north and east and had to descend along...

, Wyoming

Wyoming

Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...

, in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. During the early 1890s Wyoming passed a state law prohibiting the killing of elk

Elk

The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...

 for their teeth, which led to the arrests of several Bannock hunters in 1895. The arrests, and the death of one Bannock, created wildly exaggerated rumors that the natives would revolt, and the Eastern

Eastern United States

The Eastern United States, the American East, or simply the East is traditionally defined as the states east of the Mississippi River. The first two tiers of states west of the Mississippi have traditionally been considered part of the West, but can be included in the East today; usually in...

 press

Mass media

Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...

 reported that the Bannocks had massacred a large group of settlers in Jackson's Hole. In response the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 launched an expedition into the area, but when troops arrived it was found that the situation was peaceful and the fears of uprising were unjustified.

Conflict

In the late 1800s and early 1900s the use of elk teeth for jewelry became popular in the United States. This led to the belief that the elk in and around Jackson's Hole would become extinct due to poachers

Poaching

Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in...

 who would kill the animals solely for their teeth. So in the early 1890s the Wyoming Legislature

Wyoming Legislature

The Wyoming State Legislature is the legislative branch of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It is a bicameral state legislature, consisting of a 60 member Wyoming House of Representatives, and a 30 member Wyoming Senate. The legislature meets at the Wyoming State Capitol in Cheyenne...

 passed an act making it illegal to kill an elk wantonly. By 1895 Jackson's Hole was becoming a popular destination for big game hunters who felt the local Bannock hunters were interfering with their sport. Elk was a main food source for the Bannocks, who lived on Fort Hall Reservation

Fort Hall Indian Reservation

The Fort Hall Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation of the federally recognized Shoshone-Bannock Tribes in the U.S. state of Idaho. It is located in southeastern Idaho on the Snake River Plain north of Pocatello, and comprises 814.874 sq mi of land area in four counties: Bingham, Power,...

 across the border in Idaho

Idaho

Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

. In July of 1895 a party of Bannock hunters was arrested, for violating the poaching act, by a posse

Posse

Posse may refer to:* Posse comitatus , a group of men assembled to assist in law enforcement* Posse , starring Kirk Douglas* Posse , starring Mario van Peebles...

 of eight men led by Constable

Constable

A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...

 William Manning. A little later, near Cora

Cora, Wyoming

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 76 people, 38 households, and 25 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 14.1 people per square mile . There were 60 housing units at an average density of 11.1/sq mi...

, Wyoming, six more Bannocks were detained but they were released by the townspeople who couldn't afford to feed the prisoners. Shortly after that, an old blind native was killed in some way along Hoback Creek and nine others were arrested for poaching by Justice of the Peace

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

 Frank H. Rhodes. Rhodes, in his telegraph report, issued to Constable Manning, said; "Nine Indians arrested, one killed, others escaped. Many Indians reported here: threaten lives and property. Settlers are moving their families away. Want protection immediately. Action on your part is absolutely necessary."

Once news of the incident reached the public, exaggerated reports made their way to the East Coast where finally a New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 newspaper

Newspaper

A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...

 claimed that all of the settlers in Jackson's Hole had been massacred by the Bannocks. The headline on July 27 of the Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

 newspaper "Baltimore Morning Herald

Baltimore Morning Herald

The Baltimore Morning Herald was a daily newspaper published in Baltimore in the beginning of the Twentieth century.The first edition was published on February 10, 1900. The paper was absorbed by the Baltimore Evening Herald on August 31, 1904. On weekends, the Herald was known as the Baltimore...

" read: "Butchered by Bannocks - An Awful Massacre at Jackson's Hole. - TROOPS ARE TOO LATE. - Men, Women and Children Killed. - NOT ONE ESCAPED." The newspaper went on to say that "[t]here is no doubt that the redskins have fired every home and cabin and by morning they will be repeating their work [in Idaho]." The source for the claim was three fisherman who said that "every man, woman and child in Jackson's Hole [was] murdered." In an earlier article the "Baltimore Morning Herald" stated that their source, a mail carrier from Star Valley

Star Valley

Star Valley is located in the United States between the Salt River Range in western Wyoming and the Webster Range of eastern Idaho. The altitude of the valley ranges from to . Three major Wyoming rivers, the Salt River, the Greys River and the Snake River meet near Alpine Junction at Palisades...

, said that the Bannocks had blocked off the passes leading into Jackson's Hole and that the residents within the area were all fleeing for their lives. In response to these claims the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 sent troops into the region with orders to occupy Jackson

Jackson, Wyoming

Jackson is a town located in the Jackson Hole valley of Teton County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 8,647 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Teton County....

, Wyoming.

Most were unable to traverse Teton Pass

Teton Pass

Teton Pass is a high mountain pass located in the Teton Range in western Wyoming, between the towns of Jackson, Wyoming and Victor, Idaho. The pass provides access from the Jackson Hole valley to Teton Valley of southeastern Idaho, which includes the Grand Targhee Resort and the town of...

 but one company of Buffalo Soldier

Buffalo Soldier

Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the U.S. 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on September 21, 1866 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas....

s managed to descend the slopes on their wagons with ropes. However, when the soldiers entered they found no Bannocks, no dead citizens or a fire, proving that the whole situation was far different from what the newspapers were reporting. The Indian agent

Indian agent

In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with Native American tribes on behalf of the U.S. government.-Indian agents:*Leander Clark was agent for the Sac and Fox in Iowa beginning in 1866....

 at Fort Hall

Fort Hall

Fort Hall, sitting athwart the end of the common stretch shared by the three far west emigrant trails was a 19th century outpost in the eastern Oregon Country, which eventually became part of the present-day United States, and is located in southeastern Idaho near Fort Hall, Idaho...

 telegraphed the following; "All Indians absent from reservation has returned. Had big council. Requested me to telegraph you their hearts felt good. Had not harmed a white man, and would start haying, leaving their grievances to the justice of the white man." The Bannock hunter Race Horse, one of those arrested for poaching, was taken to the District Court

Wyoming District Courts

Wyoming District Courts are the state trial courts of general jurisdiction in Wyoming.The District Courts hears all felony criminal cases and civil cases with an amount in controversy in excess of $7,000. The District Courts also exercise exclusive original jurisdiction in all juvenile and probate...

 in Cheyenne

Cheyenne, Wyoming

Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...

 to be charged, but the court held that the poaching law was superseded by the Treaty of Fort Bridger

Fort Bridger Treaty Council of 1868

This Fort Bridger Treaty Council of 1868, was also known as the Great Treaty Council, was a council that developed the Fort Bridger Treaty of 1868 . The Shoshone, also referred to as the Shoshoni or Snake, were the main American Indian group affected by this treaty...

. The case then went to the Supreme Court which concluded that Bannock people were void of the poaching laws on reservation land. So the charges against Race Horse were dropped and he was released, marking the end of the second Bannock War.