Walk a Mile in White Elks Moccasins A Native American View of American Settlement

White Elk: A Lakota Warrior l August 3rd, l Lakota male. l Age 43 years of age. l Little Bighorn, Montana.

Black Hawk Joseph BrantLittle Turtle Chief Joseph Black Kettle Gall

Pontiac Santanta Sequoyah Stalking Turkey The picture Native American leaders are excellent examples of the advanced culture and nobility of the native peoples.

The first recorded discovery of gold in the Black Hills occurred on July 27, A scout by the name of Horatio Nelson Ross and his mule stood beside a rushing stream bending to get a drink of crystal clear Black Hills stream water when he focused his attention on a scattering of bright colors that had caught his eye. Those colors proved to be gold. It was that gold strike that touched off a stampede for riches which was unparalleled in history. Solid Gold Bar

When gold was first discovered in the Black Hills in 1876 it was usually panned from streams or shaft mined. The technology shown in this picture was used about 1900 and has been preserved in the world mining museum near Butte, Montana.

This reveals tools and dress of a typical miner. On rainy days miners attended to domestic tasks. Reading, shoe repair and sewing were common. Mining technology: a sluice box and panning equipment.

Some times interactions with the locals were not always welcomed. Notice the tools, dress and primitive housing. This is an excellent illustration of the clothing of the time. Notice the men doing their own domestic duties. Why would this have been typical in a western mining camp?

This is a good example of miners housing, cooking methods, home furnishings, clothing and weapons. Notice the sidearm. More importantly the miners often lived in crowded conditions lacking in comfort. These homes were temporary and were abandoned as soon as the gold was exhausted.

Notice the cooking method, clothing, food in the tree, tent for shelter and the effect the miners have had on the environment. These miners are weighing their gold dust. This was the motivation for them to be where they were and the reason they were willing to endure hardships.

This vista reveals the beauty of the natural environment many of the gold miners experienced by the miners. Sometimes the mining boomtowns developed into permanent urban areas. This is what took place in Denver, Colorado and Helena, Montana. This development left no room for Native Americans to practice a nomadic lifestyle.