Sitting Bull at Grand River
Indian Country
Quite possibly the most famous Lakota of all time, Sitting Bull, a Hunkpapa Lakota was primarily known to his people as a leader, spiritual visionary, sundancer, and medicine man. Sitting Bull was the quintessential Lakota patriot who fought valiantly for his tribe's way of life. After Custer's defeat at the Little Bighorn, the Lakotas were confronted with a culture clash of forced assimilation on appropriated reservations. Sitting Bull resisted and crossed the medicine line (international border) with a large band to Wood Mountain, Saskatchewan, Canada where he was welcomed by Major James Walsh of the Northwest Mounted Police. After a number of years Sitting Bull returned to the United States and surrendered at Fort Buford in July of 1881. He was then imprisoned at Fort Randall in Dakota Territory for twenty months before being resettled on the Standing Rock Reservation. Sitting Bull built a cabin on the Grand River and adapted to a new way of life. He was asked to join Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show in 1885 and toured Europe and the United States. Returning to his cabin Sitting Bull lived out the rest of his days at Grand River.
On December 15, 1890 Sitting Bull was arrested at his cabin by a contingent of Indian Police who where working in conjunction with the U.S. Army. They had received intel on Sitting Bull's anticipated plan to flee to the badlands after Indian Agent James McLaughlin had alerted the government about trouble at Sitting Bull's village with the outlawed practice of the Ghost Dance. Sitting Bull complied with their orders and initially went peacefully with the Indian Police force. However, Sitting Bull's son Crowfoot objected to what was happening and this caused Sitting Bull to resist arrest. Members of Sitting Bull's village protested and a scuffle broke out resulting in Catch the Bear (a friend of Sitting Bull) shooting Lieutenant Bullhead who in turn shot Sitting Bull in the chest. Another Indian Police Officer named Red Tomahawk at the same time shot Sitting Bull in the head instantly killing him. By the time it was all over, six of the Indian Police and seven ghost dancers had been killed before Captain Fetchet and the cavalry had arrived to assume control of the situation. News of Sitting Bull's death spread quickly resulting in many fleeing Standing Rock for Pine Ridge as well as The Stronghold.
