Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851
The Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851 was a significant agreement made between the United States government and various Native American tribes of the High Plains, including the Sioux, Cheyennes, and Arapahos. Convened at Fort Laramie, Wyoming, the treaty council aimed to address the escalating tensions resulting from increased westward migration by settlers, which disrupted the traditional lifestyles and hunting grounds of Indigenous peoples. The treaty sought to establish peace among the tribes and grant settlers unimpeded passage through their territories, while also allowing the government to construct military posts for protection.
In exchange, the government promised an annuity of $50,000 per year for fifty years to be used for goods and provisions, and it delineated specific territorial boundaries for each tribe. The gathering was marked by a strong sense of cultural exchange, with each tribe showcasing its unique heritage through songs, demonstrations, and attire. The signing of the treaty on September 17, 1851, was celebrated, and a subsequent distribution of goods fostered goodwill among the participants. However, the long-term effectiveness and implementation of the treaty remain complex and contentious issues in the history of U.S.-Native American relations.
On this Page
Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851
Date: September 1-20, 1851
Place: Fort Laramie, Wyoming
Tribes affected: Arapaho, Cheyenne, Crow, Shoshone, Sioux
Significance: In an unprecedented effort to promote peace during early western expansion, a treaty council was convened at Fort Laramie whereby ten thousand Indians of various nations gathered at one time to sign a peace treaty with representatives of the U.S. government
During the mid-nineteenth century the continuing rush of covered wagon immigrants across the Great Plains of the United States began to have an unsettling effect on American Indian tribes living there. Wild game was driven out and grasslands were being cropped close by the immigrants’ cattle and horses. U.S. government policy provided some reimbursement to Indians for losses of game, grass, and land caused by the continuing influx of white settlers. In 1847, Thomas Fitzpatrick was appointed the first U.S. government representative to the various nomad tribes of the High Plains. Aware of the mounting losses and the potential for Indian uprisings against the settlers, Fitzpatrick campaigned long and hard for congressional funding to help alleviate growing tensions.
In February, 1851, Congress appropriated $100,000 for the purpose of holding a treaty council with the tribes of the High Plains. D. D. Mitchell, superintendent of Indian affairs at St. Louis, and Fitzpatrick were designated commissioners for the government. They selected Fort Laramie as the meeting location and September 1, 1851, as the meeting date. Word was sent throughout the Plains of the impending treaty council. By September 1, the first arrivals included the Sioux, Cheyennes, and Arapahos. Later arriving participants included the Snakes (Shoshones), and Crows.
Because of the vast number of participants—more than ten thousand Indians and 270 soldiers—it became apparent that the forage available for Indian and soldier ponies and horses was insufficient. The council grounds were therefore moved about thirty-six miles south, to Horse Creek.
On September 8, the treaty council officially began. The assembly was unprecedented. Each Indian nation approached the council with its own unique song or demonstration, dress, equipment, and mannerisms. Superintendent Mitchell proclaimed that all nations would smoke the pipe of peace together. The proposed treaty asked for unmolested passage for settlers over the roads leading to the West. It included rights for the government to build military posts for immigrants’ protection. The treaty also defined the limits of territory for each tribe and asked for a lasting peace between the various nations. Each nation was to select a representative, a chief who would have control over and be responsible for his nation. In return, the government would provide each Indian nation an annuity of $50,000 for fifty years, the sum to be expended for goods, merchandise, and provisions.
After much discussion and conferencing, the treaty was signed on September 17 by the U.S. commissioners and all the attending chiefs. Adding to the festivities, on September 20, a delayed caravan of wagons arrived at the treaty council with $50,000 worth of goods and merchandise. These goods were summarily distributed to all the nations represented, and feelings of good will permeated the gathering. To further the sense of lasting peace, Fitzpatrick later took a delegation of eleven chiefs with him to Washington, D.C., where they visited with President Millard Fillmore in the White House.
Bibliography
Ellis, Richard N. The Western American Indian. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1972.
Hafen, LeRoy, and Francis Young. Fort Laramie and the Pageant of the West, 1834-1890. Glendale, Calif.: Arthur H. Clark, 1938.
Hedren, Paul L. Fort Laramie in 1876. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1988.