Paha Sapa

Paha Sapa means "Black Hills". To the Sioux Indians, it was a sacred place, the center of the world, and the place of the gods. Warriors would visit Paha Sapa for visions and to speak with the Great Spirit. A treaty was signed in 1868 granting Paha Sapa to the Sioux forever. However, when gold was discovered in the area, the US Army ordered a reconnaissance mission without notifying the Sioux. George Armstrong Custer, leading the Seventh Cavalry, reported that the hills were filled with gold “from the grass roots down.” After this announcement, miners flooded in. The track cut by Custer’s supply train became known as the Thieves’ Road. The leaders of the Sioux, Red Cloud, Spotted Tail, Sitting Bull, and Crazy Horse protested to the government and were called to talks to discuss the purchase of Paha Sapa. It was eventually decided to force the purchase for an amount deemed equal of the hills. This eventually led to the Battle of the Little Bighorn.