Red Cloud Agency
Encyclopedia
The Red Cloud Agency was an Indian agency for the Oglala Lakota
as well as the Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho
, from 1871 to 1878. It was located at three different sites in Wyoming Territory
(present-day Nebraska
), before being moved to South Dakota
. It was then renamed the Pine Ridge Reservation.
in Wyoming Territory. The location was one mile west of the present town of Henry, Nebraska
.
. Constructed on a hill overlooking the White River
, the agency buildings included a large warehouse, offices, home for the agent, blacksmith
shop and stables for horses. A school house was later added. Two trading stores were also built adjacent to the agency.
Following the killing of agency clerk Frank Appleton, the government assigned US troops to the agency in March 1874. The military encampment was named Camp Robinson (later known as Fort Robinson
). The Red Cloud Agency was the center of much activity during the Great Sioux War of 1876-77. In May 1877, Crazy Horse and allied leaders came with their people to the Red Cloud Agency for surrender. Following the killing of Crazy Horse, the agency was moved further west.
The site of Red Cloud Agency No. 2 is included in Fort Robinson and Red Cloud Agency, a United States National Historic Landmark
.
in October 1877.
.
Oglala Lakota
The Oglala Lakota or Oglala Sioux are one of the seven subtribes of the Lakota people; along with the Nakota and Dakota, they make up the Great Sioux Nation. A majority of the Oglala live on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, the eighth-largest Native American reservation in the...
as well as the Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho
Arapaho
The Arapaho are a tribe of Native Americans historically living on the eastern plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Sioux. Arapaho is an Algonquian language closely related to Gros Ventre, whose people are seen as an early...
, from 1871 to 1878. It was located at three different sites in Wyoming Territory
Wyoming Territory
The Territory of Wyoming was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 25, 1868, until July 10, 1890, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Wyoming. Cheyenne was the territorial capital...
(present-day Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
), before being moved to South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
. It was then renamed the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Red Cloud Agency No. 1 (1871-1873)
As stipulated in the Fort Laramie Treaty (1868), the US government built Indian agencies for the various Lakota and other Plains tribes. These were forerunners to the modern Indian reservations. The Red Cloud Agency was established for the Oglala Lakota in 1871 on the North Platte RiverNorth Platte River
The North Platte River is a major tributary of the Platte River and is approximately long counting its many curves, It travels about distance. Its course lies in the U.S...
in Wyoming Territory. The location was one mile west of the present town of Henry, Nebraska
Henry, Nebraska
Henry is a village in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska, United States. It is part of the Scottsbluff, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 162 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Henry is located at ....
.
Red Cloud Agency No. 2 (1873-1877)
In August 1873, the agency was moved to the northwestern corner of present-day Nebraska near the present town of CrawfordCrawford, Nebraska
Crawford is a city in Dawes County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 997 at the 2010 census. It was incorporated in 1886 and was named for the late Captain Emmet Crawford who had previously been stationed at nearby Fort Robinson.-Geography:...
. Constructed on a hill overlooking the White River
White River (South Dakota)
The White River is a Missouri River tributary that flows through the U.S. states of Nebraska and South Dakota. The name stems from the water's white-gray color, a function of eroded sand, clay, and volcanic ash carried by the river...
, the agency buildings included a large warehouse, offices, home for the agent, blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
shop and stables for horses. A school house was later added. Two trading stores were also built adjacent to the agency.
Following the killing of agency clerk Frank Appleton, the government assigned US troops to the agency in March 1874. The military encampment was named Camp Robinson (later known as Fort Robinson
Fort Robinson
Fort Robinson is a former U.S. Army fort and a present-day state park. Located in the Pine Ridge region of northwest Nebraska, it is west of Crawford on U.S. Route 20.- History :...
). The Red Cloud Agency was the center of much activity during the Great Sioux War of 1876-77. In May 1877, Crazy Horse and allied leaders came with their people to the Red Cloud Agency for surrender. Following the killing of Crazy Horse, the agency was moved further west.
The site of Red Cloud Agency No. 2 is included in Fort Robinson and Red Cloud Agency, a United States National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
.
Red Cloud Agency No. 3 (1877-1878)
The agency was moved to a location on the upper Missouri RiverMissouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
in October 1877.
Pine Ridge Agency
In 1878, the Red Cloud Agency was relocated to southern South Dakota and renamed the Pine Ridge Indian ReservationPine Ridge Indian Reservation
The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is an Oglala Sioux Native American reservation located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Originally included within the territory of the Great Sioux Reservation, Pine Ridge was established in 1889 in the southwest corner of South Dakota on the Nebraska border...
.
Indian Agents
- James Wham
- Jared Daniels
- Dr. John J. Saville - a physician from Sioux City Iowa, arrived as agent in the fall of 1873. During his administration, the army established a post nearby. The first treaty negotiations for the Black Hills were held between the US government and the Lakota. Accused of graft, Saville resigned as agent in late 1875, although a commission investigation had cleared him of wrong doing.
- James S. Hastings
- Lieut. Charles A. Johnson
- Dr. James Irwin
Further reading
- George E. Hyde, Red Cloud's Folk: A History of the Oglala Sioux Indians (Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1937).
- James C. Olson, Red Cloud and the Sioux Problem, (Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1965).
- Catherine Price, The Oglala People, 1841-1879: A Political History, (Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1996).
- Roger T. Grange, Jr, Fort Robinson: Outpost on the Plains, Reprinted from Nebraska History, Volume 39, No.3, September 1958.
- Mari Sandoz, Crazy Horse: The Strange Man of the Oglalas, (Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1961).