150 Years On: How Broken Treaties Fueled the Battle of the Little Bighorn
TL;DR Summary
On the 150th anniversary of the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn, Heather Cox Richardson links Custer’s defeat to a long history of broken treaties, massacres, and westward expansion—from the 1862 Santee uprising and Sand Creek to the Bozeman Trail and the Black Hills gold rush—dramatizing how federal aims to subdue Indigenous lands and protect rails and mines culminated in Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse’s rally and the Lakota defeat of a divided U.S. force (263 U.S. dead vs. about 40 Lakota).
- June 25, 2026 Letters from an American | Heather Cox Richardson | Substack
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- These Objects From the Smithsonian Collections Mark the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Little Bighorn Smithsonian Magazine
- For Heirs of Custer and Sitting Bull, a 150-Year-Old Battle Is Personal The New York Times
- Battle of the Little Bighorn 150th anniversary draws hundreds of riders to Montana KTVQ
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Read on Letters from an American | Heather Cox Richardson | Substack