Northern Great Plains Indian Wars, 1851 - 1891
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

The Northern Great Plains Indian Wars class will focus on the treaties, tensions, and violent clashes in the Northern Great Plains between the United States Army and the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Indians from the 1851Treaty of Fort Laramie to the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890. The Northern Great Plains region will be identified as well as the location of significant mountains, rivers, and valleys, major military posts, Indian camping sites, and the location of prominent events. Presentations will include important leaders such as Sitting Bull, Red Cloud, Crazy Horse, George Armstrong Custer, George Crook, and William Fetterman. While there will be no textbook for the course, major writings will be introduced from time to time, including Paul Hedren's 2025 publication "Sitting Bull's War: The Battle of Little Big Horn and the Fight for Buffalo and Freedom on the Great Plains." Special attention will be devoted to the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho points of view and lifeways as these tribes were slowly forced to move onto reservations.