Search Site Anishinabe | Algonquian Tribes | Ojibway Language

Shoshone Ojibwa's | Ojibwa Tribes

Battles of Mullan Road War Battle of Toppenish Creek Battle of Union Gap Cascades Massacre Battle of Pine Creek Battle of Four Lakes Battle of Spokane Plains Steamboat Chippewa Fiasco Battle of Lower Sioux Agency Battle of Redwood Ferry Battle of New Ulm Battle of Fort Ridgely Battle of Birch Coulee Siege of Fort Abercrombie Battle of Wood Lake Surrender at Camp Release Battle of Big Mound Battle of Dead Buffalo Lake Battle of Stoney Lake Battle of White Stone Hill Battle of Killdeer Mountain Fisk's Expedition Battle of Red Buttes Battle of Deer Creek Station Battle of Dry Creek Custard Wagon Train Fight Platte Bridge Battle Battle of Platte Bridge Station Battle of Bone Pile Creek Battle of Fort Rice Battle of Tongue River 1865 Powder River Expedition Sun River Stampede Battle of Crazy Woman Creek Battle of Peno Creek Fetterman Massacre Fort Buford Massacre Haystack Battle Battle of Fort Kearny Battle Near Fort Ellis Battle of Popo Aguie Marias River Massacre Battle of Miner's Delight Pryor's Fork Battle Second Battle of Tongue River Battle of Bighorn Battle of Powder River Battle of the Rosebud Custers Last Stand Battle of Snake Mountain Battle of Slim Buttes Battle of Cedar Creek Battle of Bates Creek Battle of Ash Creek Battle of Wolf Mountain Battle of Little Muddy Creek Battle of White Bird Canyon Battle of the Cottonwoods Battle of the Clearwater Battle of Weippe Prairie Battle of Big Hole Battle of Horse Prairie Battle of Birch Creek, Idaho Battle of Camas Creek Battle of Canyon Creek Battle of Cow Island Battle of Cow Creek Battle of Bear Paw Battle of South Mountain Battle of Silver River Battle of Birch Creek Battle of Clearwater River Battle of Clark's Fork Battle of Heart Mountain Massacre Near Yellowstone Lake Battle of Jackson Hole Battle of Careless Creek Battle of Milk River Battle of Big Creek Battle of Pumpkin Creek Battle of Poplar River

Sun River Stampede of 1866

I learned about this very suspicious event from a book i found using google. It's title is "Then and Now." Writer is Vaughn. According to Vaughn, a white man living in a mining camp in southwestern Montana near Helena, thought himself brave enough to prospect for gold in Sun River Valley near what is now Great Falls, Montana. He made a trek up to Sun River Valley in late 1865 and returned to Helena for supplies. While in Helena, he was heard to say that "he have got as good a thing as he want." Once that was heard, his sentence eventually became "dare to invade Sun River Valley." Those whites living in southwestern Montana, were very aware of a large Ojibway population living around Great Falls of Missouri River region. They were at war with them. Sun River Stampede was a part of Mullan Road War. A list of Mullan Road War battles is above. Sun River Stampede is better known as Powder River Expedition. American casualties were very heavy. A force of 600 American Soldiers came up from Helena and searched for Ojibway villages south of Great Falls to attack. Another force of American Soldiers sailed Missouri River in steamboats and reached Fort Benton. They numbered over 2,000. Another force of American Soldiers numbering 400 also participated in this failed American military campaign. American Soldiers possibly numbered over 3,000 during Sun River Stampede.

Once whites living in southwestern Montana got their courage up, they supposedly launched a stampede into Sun River Valley during dead of winter, or their favorite time of year, whites boasted of, to attack Indian villages. According to Vaughn, up to 1,500 whites invaded Sun River Valley in December 1865 and January of 1866, while temperatures reached as cold as 35 below. After those whites invaded Sun River Valley, they supposedly went a searching for gold in frozen water and frozen earth. Worse than what they had done in southwestern Montana obviously. Once those white invaders realized they had made a mistake, they had no choice but to return to southwestern Montana and Fort Benton.

According to Thomas Moran, at least 700 white men were camped near St. Peters Mission which was located adjacent to Rainbow Falls near Great Falls, Montana. Father C. Imoda was very willing to help those white invaders camped near St. Peters Mission. Moran said temperature reached a bitterly cold 40 below zero that night he was there. It rarely gets down to 40 below in Great Falls but it does occur. White casualties in this stampede were supposedly only four killed. Future historians will want to investigate this suspicious event. They will have better tools to learn exactly what happened. If it be a simple stampede, or an invasion of American Soldiers.

What really transpired was a large American military force of over 3,000 soldiers, was sent from southwestern Montana and Fort Benton, to near what is now Great Falls, Montana. Some as we know, requested to camp near St. Peters Mission. Ojibway leaders were outraged at St. Peters Missions staff and ordered them to leave. Fighting did happen yet they did not fully detail those battles. Read about Powder River Expedition above where that link is. Fighting happened at St. Peters Mission and was probably intense. A small peninsula is located adjacent to Rainbow Falls on it's east side. That's where an Ojibway village was located and St. Peters Mission was nearby. Ojibway People had lived at that village for centuries. They could view Rainbow Falls and Crooked Falls (aka Horseshoe Falls) from their village. Ojibway Soldiers killed more than a couple of whites at St. Peters Mission and possibly as many as 20 Indians who had converted to Christianity, and forced St. Peters Missions Staff to flee to Helena in April of 1866. Later in 1866 and not 1867, American Soldiers established Camp Reynolds which was renamed Fort Shaw a year later or in 1867. That also established Camp Cook in July of 1866. They did so from Fort Benton. Camp Cook was located 77 miles northeast of Great Falls. Camp Reynolds or Fort Shaw, is 25 miles west of Great Falls. Fort Benton is 37 miles northeast of Great Falls. Camp Cook (aka Fort Claggett) was closed in 1870. In 1865, Fort Benton became an official American military fort after it was sold to them by American Fur Company. Camp Baker was established on November 30, 1869. Later, it's name was changed to Fort Logan. It was located 56 miles south of Great Falls. After Fort Benton, Camp Reynolds and Camp Baker were established, American leaders had accomplished their goal of establishing forts around Great Falls. Bozeman Trail had nothing to do with their plans. In 1868, Fort Laramie Treaty 2, ended hostilies in northeast Wyoming and southeastern Montana. However, this war continued on between Fort Benton and Helena. Great Falls was their focal point of strategy.