FORT LARAMIE, WYOMING TERRITORY — 1868
Big news is coming out of the Western frontier, and it could change the future of the Great Plains.
After years of fighting between the United States Army and Native American nations, a new peace treaty has been negotiated at Fort Laramie.
At the center of the story is Red Cloud, the formidable Oglala Lakota leader whose resistance helped force the United States to abandon its military forts along the Bozeman Trail.
The treaty promises to protect the Black Hills as part of the Great Sioux Reservation and recognizes additional territory where white settlement will be prohibited.
For the Lakota, this represents an important victory in the struggle to defend their homeland.
But the big question remains: Will Washington keep its promises?
Meanwhile, Across the Frontier…
Railroad crews are pushing westward, cattlemen are looking toward new opportunities, and the American West is changing faster than ever.
The old frontier is entering a new era, and nobody knows quite what tomorrow will bring.
A Look Back From Today
We now know that the promises made in 1868 would not last. Gold discoveries and continued expansion into Lakota territory would help bring renewed conflict in the 1870s.
What appeared to be a moment of peace became another turning point in the long struggle over the American West.
That's the news from 1868. Join us next time as The Cowboy Report rides into another remarkable year in Western history.