Custer’s 1874 expedition that stole sacred Sioux land for gold seekers

Custer’s Gold Rush Discovery That Doomed the Black Hills

Bear Butte State Park holds the key to understanding how one gold discovery destroyed a nation’s sacred lands.

In 1874, George Custer led 1,000 soldiers into the Black Hills, breaking a treaty that promised the Sioux these lands forever.

When miner Horatio Ross found gold along French Creek, Custer sent word racing back to civilization. Newspapers screamed “GOLD!”

and 15,000 prospectors flooded into forbidden territory within a year. The sacred mountain became Custer’s landmark on his way home, but the damage was done.

This single expedition sparked America’s last great gold rush and set the stage for the tragedy at Little Bighorn two years later.

The Army Sends Custer Into Sacred Sioux Territory

General Alfred Terry told Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer on June 8, 1874, to lead a trip into the Black Hills. Custer needed to check if Bear Butte would work for a new fort.

These orders broke the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty that promised to keep white folks out of Sioux holy lands.

Custer got together a huge group for this job: 1,000 soldiers, 110 wagons full of supplies, and several experts to map and study the area.

Custer’s Big Parade Heads West

The group left Fort Abraham Lincoln on July 2, 1874, with a 16-piece brass band playing “The Girl I Left Behind Me.” Custer wore buckskin clothes and rode his horse Dandy at the front of nearly 1,000 men.

The crowd looked like a small moving town with 660 mules pulling 110 wagons, 700 horses, and cattle for fresh meat. Four newspaper writers came along, while photographer William Illingworth brought his camera.

Two miners joined to look for valuable rocks. Sarah Campbell became the first non-Indian woman to enter the Black Hills.

The Forbidden Paradise Welcomes Its Invaders

Custer and his men reached the Black Hills on July 22 after traveling 330 miles over three weeks.

The men felt amazed by what they saw – tall trees, steep cliffs, clear streams, and colorful flowers in the nice summer weather.

The group found few signs that Indians lived in the area, though the land held deep spiritual meaning for many tribes.

The trip soon felt more like a vacation than a serious mission, with soldiers picking flowers as they rode through meadows.

Custer Climbs the Highest Peak

Custer took a small group of men to climb Harney Peak, the highest point in the Black Hills, on July 31. They didn’t make it back to camp until 1 a.m. the next morning.

While Custer and his climbing group explored the mountain, his officers threw a champagne party back at camp.

The group set up a main base they called Custer Park at the foot of the mountain, giving them a central spot to explore the area.

Gold Flakes Change American History

Miners Ross and McKay found gold flakes along French Creek on August 2.

They tested the soil and figured a miner could make about $150 per day working in the area – a huge amount back then. Custer quickly wrote to the New York Times that they found gold “right from the grass roots.”

This find happened near what later became the town of Custer, South Dakota. The discovery would soon trigger events that changed the West forever.

A Dangerous Ride Spreads the News

Custer quickly got word out about the gold. On August 3, he gave courier Charley “Lonesome Charlie” Reynolds official Army papers mentioning the gold discovery, along with reports from the newspaper men.

Reynolds made a risky 115-mile ride to Fort Laramie, hiding during daylight hours to avoid hostile Indians. The trip took four nights of hard riding.

Once Reynolds reached Fort Laramie, telegraph operators sent the news across America, starting gold fever nationwide.

A Bear Hunt Boosts Custer’s Ego

Custer shot and killed a bear on August 7. Photographer Illingworth took a famous picture of Custer posing with his trophy.

Custer’s scout Bloody Knife knew it wasn’t actually a grizzly but just a big cinnamon bear – a brown-colored black bear. He kept quiet about it, letting his boss enjoy the moment.

Custer used hunting stories like this to build his image as a fearless frontier fighter.

The Expedition Leaves Paradise Behind

The group started heading back to Fort Lincoln on August 13, moving north along the eastern edge of the Black Hills. They crossed Boxelder Creek and made their way through what became known as Custer Gap.

The journey turned sad when Private James King died of dysentery. The men buried him the next morning before continuing their march.

The group turned northward, following the eastern side of the hills toward home.

Sacred Mountain Becomes Military Landmark

The group camped five miles south of Bear Butte on August 14-15.

This mountain stands separate from the Black Hills and holds deep spiritual importance for the Cheyenne, Lakota, and other tribes.

A small group of scientists and officers climbed the formation that rises 1,200 feet above the prairie. The army used Bear Butte as a navigation point for their final push eastward.

By treating this sacred site as just another landmark, the group further stepped on Native American rights.

The Band Plays as Destiny Unfolds

After traveling 883 miles, Custer’s group returned to Fort Abraham Lincoln on August 30 with the band playing “Garryowen.”

Newspaper writer William Curtis noted that “the mules of the wagon train lifted up their voices and wept for joy. ” By the time they got back, news about gold had spread across the country.

The Bismarck Tribune’s headline simply shouted “GOLD!” The rush had already begun, with gold seekers heading toward the Black Hills from every direction.

Thousands Rush Into Forbidden Land

Over 15,000 miners flooded into the Black Hills by fall 1874, despite the area being off-limits under the Fort Laramie Treaty.

Newspapers called the region “the El Dorado of America,” comparing it to legendary cities of gold. The Army tried to keep miners out at first but couldn’t stop the flood of people.

This massive invasion of treaty-protected land led directly to the Great Sioux War of 1876, where Custer met his end at the Battle of Little Bighorn – killed by the very people whose land he had helped to steal.

Visiting Bear Butte State Park

Bear Butte State Park is at 20250 Highway 79, six miles northeast of Sturgis. You’ll pay $8 daily at the cash drop box.

The Education Center runs May through September, 8am to 6pm. Take the 1.85-mile Summit Trail to 4,426 feet elevation, open 8am to 7pm daily. Dogs, bikes, and horses aren’t allowed on the trail.

Free-roaming buffalo live at the butte’s base, so keep your distance from them.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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