Near Milford in Seward County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Standing Bear and the Ponca Tribe

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 12, 2021

1. Standing Bear and the Ponca Tribe Marker

Inscription. In 1877 the Ponca Tribe and Chief Standing Bear were forced from their Nebraska homeland along the Niobrara River to an Oklahoma reservation. Hardships followed them during the more than 500-mile trek. Standing Bear’s daughter Prairie Flower died June 5 as the tribe traveled south through Seward County following the Big Blue River. A tornado hit the camp June 6 and fatally injured a grannddaughter. Milford citizens buried them in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, one-half mile north of here.

Nearly one quarter of the tribe died in Oklahoma, including Standing Bear’s son, Bear Shield, whose dying wish was to be buried along the Niobrara River. In 1879, Fort Omaha soldiers captured and imprisoned Standing Bear and 25 others after their desperate return to Nebraska.

Represented by Omaha attorneys, Standing Bear sued for a writ of habeas corpus in U.S. District Court. Judge Elmer S. Dundy ordered the Poncas’ release on May 12, 1879, ruling for the first time in U.S. history that an Indian was a person within the meaning of the law, a landmark in the struggle for Native rights.

Erected 2017 by Seward County Friends of Standing Bear;

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Ponca Tribe of Nebraska; Seward County Visitors Committee; and Nebraska State Historical Society. (Marker Number 535.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Civil Rights • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Law Enforcement. In addition, it is included in the Nebraska State Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1877.

Location. 40° 49.277′ N, 97° 3.621′ W. Marker is near Milford, Nebraska, in Seward County. It can be reached from Interstate 80 at milepost 381, 2 miles east of Exit 379 (State Highway 15), on the right when traveling east. Marker is located in the Interstate 80 East Rest Area. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Milford NE 68405, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Eastern Nebraska and in Greater Lincoln.

It is also in the American Midwest,

in the Corn Belt,

and on the prairies.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 12, 2021

2. Standing Bear and the Ponca Tribe Marker

least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Tall Grass Prairie (within shouting distance of this marker); The Big Blue River (within shouting distance of this marker); Purple Heart Trail (within shouting distance of this marker); Farming in Nebraska (within shouting distance of this marker); Historic Milford (approx. 3.4 miles away); Big Blue River, Seward (approx. 5.8 miles away); Plum Creek Prairie Historic Site (approx. 5.8 miles away); Seward, 4th of July City (approx. 6.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Milford.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Chief Standing Bear

Also see . . . Chief Standing Bear.

Excerpt: From his birth on the banks of the Niobrara River in Nebraska until his death in 1908, Chief Standing Bear spent his life in constant struggle to gain equality and justice for our nation’s Native Americans. In 1877, Chief Standing Bear and the Ponca Tribe were forced by a federal treaty to leave their homeland in Nebraska for Indian Territory in what is now Oklahoma. Chief Standing Bear
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became the first Native American to be recognized as a person in a federal court decision.

(Submitted on August 13, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 8, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 13, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 843 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 13, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.