Gold Discovery in the Great Sioux Reservation

Gold Discovery in the Great Sioux Reservation. . Who the first prospector was - and when and where gold was discovered in Deadwood Gulch is open to question. It is generally agreed that the Frank Bryant party found the gold in August 1875 on Whitewood Creek, probably 100 yards downstream from this spot. At that time, the Black Hills were a part of the Sioux Reservation, and whites were not permitted to live and work in Indian Territory. However, with the discovery of gold, miners quickly flooded into Deadwood Gulch, largely ignoring the order to keep out of Indian Territory. , Early prospectors kept their activities secret, which contributes to the mystery surrounding the Deadwood Gulch discovery. The military expedition of Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer triggered the Deadwood gold rush in 1874 with the confirmation of rumors of gold on the Sioux Reservation. , The proclamation at left illustrates a government attempt to keep prospectors out of Indian Territory. In spite of such laws, miners swarmed to the Black Hills. The miners' presence remained illegal until the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty was ratified in February 1877.