Fort Bridger Treaty Council of 1868 facts for kids

The Fort Bridger Treaty Council of 1868, also known as the Great Treaty Council, was a big meeting where the Fort Bridger Treaty of 1868 was created. This treaty is also called the Shoshone Bannock Treaty. The Shoshone (sometimes called Shoshoni or Snake) were the main Native American group involved. This event was very important because it was the last time a treaty was used to set up an Indian reservation. After this, special orders from the President were used instead.

Some members of the Shoshone and Bannock tribes who lived on the Fort Hall Reservation, which was created by this treaty, later took part in the Bannock Wars in 1878 and 1895.

The Fort Bridger Treaty of 1868

The Fort Bridger Treaty was signed on July 3, 1868, at Fort Bridger in Utah Territory. It was an agreement between the United States government and the Eastern Band of Shoshone and the Bannack tribes.

The main people who signed for the United States were Nathaniel G. Taylor, William T. Sherman, and others. For the Shoshone, Chief Wash-a-kie and Wau-ni-pitz signed. For the Bannack, Chief Tag-gee and Tay-to-ba signed.

What the Treaty Promised

The treaty had several important parts, called "articles," that laid out the rules for peace and how the tribes would live.

Peace and Justice

• Both sides promised to have peace forever.
• If white people harmed the Indians, the U.S. government would arrest and punish them. They would also pay the injured Indians for their losses.
• If Indians harmed white people or other Indians, the tribes agreed to hand over the wrongdoers to the U.S. government for punishment. If they didn't, money or goods owed to the tribes could be used to pay for the damages.

Land and Reservations

• The treaty set aside a specific area of land for the Shoshone Indians. This land was for their "absolute and undisturbed use." It was located in what is now Wyoming, around the Wind River Mountains.
• The U.S. government promised that no one else, except authorized government workers, would be allowed to live on or pass through this land.
• The Bannack tribe would also get a reservation later. It would include parts of the "Port neuf" and "Camas Prairie" areas. The Bannacks would have similar rights and benefits on their reservation as the Shoshone.
• In return, the tribes gave up their claims to other lands in the United States.

Buildings and Support

• The U.S. government agreed to build several important buildings on the Shoshone reservation. These included:
  • A warehouse for storing goods.
  • A home for the agent who worked with the tribes.
  • A home for a doctor.
  • Homes for a carpenter, farmer, blacksmith, miller, and engineer.
  • A schoolhouse for the children.
• They also promised to build a steam-powered sawmill, a grist mill (for grinding grain), and a shingle machine.

Living on the Reservation

• The tribes agreed to make the reservations their permanent homes once the buildings were ready.
• However, they still had the right to hunt on unoccupied U.S. lands as long as there was game and peace between everyone.

The Agent's Role

• The U.S. agent for the tribes would live on the Shoshone reservation.
• The agent's job was to oversee affairs on both the Shoshone and Bannack reservations.
• They would investigate complaints and make sure the treaty rules were followed.

Farming and Land Ownership

• The treaty allowed individual families to choose a piece of land (up to 320 acres) on the reservation to farm.
• Single people over 18 could choose up to 80 acres.
• Once chosen, this land would belong to that family or person as long as they farmed it.
• The U.S. government could survey the reservations later and create laws about how land could be passed down or sold between Indians.

Education for Children

• Both sides agreed that education was important for the tribes.
• The tribes promised to send their children, both boys and girls aged 6 to 16, to school.
• The U.S. government agreed to provide a schoolhouse and a teacher for every 30 children who attended school. This promise would last for 20 years.

Farming Supplies

• For those who started farming, the U.S. would provide seeds and farming tools.
• They would get $100 worth of supplies the first year and $25 worth for the next three years if they continued farming.
• Farmers would also get help and advice from the government-provided farmers. If many people started farming, a second blacksmith would be provided.

Annual Supplies and Clothing

• Instead of money from older treaties, the U.S. agreed to deliver certain items to the tribes every year for 30 years.
• These items included:
  • Clothing for men over 14 (wool coat, hat, pants, flannel shirt, wool socks).
  • Clothing for women over 12 (flannel skirt, wool hose, calico, cotton fabric).
  • Clothing for younger boys and girls.
• The U.S. would also give $10 annually for each Indian who roamed (hunted) and $20 for each Indian who farmed, for ten years. This money would be used to buy other needed items.
• An army officer would be present each year to make sure the goods were delivered correctly and were of good quality.

Providing Staff

• The U.S. government agreed to continue providing the doctor, teachers, carpenter, miller, engineer, farmer, and blacksmith each year.

Protecting Reservation Land

• No part of the reservation land could be given away or sold unless a majority of the adult male Indians living on or interested in the land agreed and signed the treaty.
• Also, no individual's right to their chosen farming land could be taken away without their permission.

Prizes for Best Farmers

• For three years, $500 would be spent annually on prizes for the ten people who grew the most valuable crops.

Temporary Agent Location

• Until the agency buildings were built on the Shoshone reservation, the agent would live at Fort Bridger. The annual supplies would also be delivered there each June.

Who Signed the Treaty

The treaty was signed by the U.S. Commissioners and the chiefs and headmen of the Shoshone and Bannack tribes.

U.S. Commissioners

• N. G. Taylor
• W. T. Sherman, Lt. Genl.
• Wm. S. Harney
• John B. Sanborn
• S. F. Tappan
• C. C. Augur, Bvt. Major Genl. U. S. A.
• Alfred H. Terry, Brig. Gen. and Bvt. M. Gen. U. S. A.

Shoshone Signatories

• WASH-A-KIE
• WAU-NY-PITZ
• TOOP-SE-PO-WOT
• NAR-KOK
• TABOONSHE-YA
• BAZEEL
• PAN-TO-SHE-GA
• NINNY-BITSE

Bannack Signatories

• TAGGEE
• TAY-TO-BA

The treaty was later approved by the U.S. Senate on February 16, 1869, and officially confirmed by President Andrew Johnson on February 24, 1869.