Pictured above is General George "Long Hair" Custer's wagon train making
its way through the Black Hills of South Dakota in 1874; the wagon can be
seen in the distance, in the upper left-hand corner.  The presence of
whites there was a chief cause of the Sioux war of 1876, which led to
Custer's defeat and death at Little Bighorn.  The Black Hills, a sacred
hunting ground for the Sioux, was part of their reservation, as specified
and guaranteed in the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868.  Although the aim of
the B lack Hills Expedition was ostensibly military reconnaissance, the
soldiers were also exploring for gold in the region, having heard reports
that it was discovered there by prospectors.  Two miners accompanied the
wagon train.  Soon after, hordes of miners flocked to the area, and the
government did little to stop them despite the terms of the 1868
agreement.