Montana Indian Battles

Battle of the Little Bighorn, by Charles M. Russell, 1903

Battle of the Little Bighorn, by Charles M. Russell, 1903

 

Nez Perce Chief Joseph

Nez Perce Chief Joseph

Battle of Big Hole – August 9-10, 1877, Nez Perce War, Nez Perce

Battle of Alkali Creek – September 1, 1865, Powder River War, Sioux

Battle of Dry Creek – September 8, 1865, Powder River War, Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapaho

Hayfield Fight –  August 1, 1867, Red Cloud’s War, Cheyenne, and Sioux

Battle of Sixteenmile Creek –  April 7, 1869, Blackfoot

Marias Massacre – January 23, 1870, Blackfoot

Battle of Bighorn River – August 11, 1873, Sioux

Battle of Powder River – March 17, 1876,  Great Sioux War of 1876, Cheyenne and Sioux

Battle of the Rosebud – June 17, 1876, Great Sioux War of 1876, Cheyenne and Sioux

Battle of the Little Bighorn – June 25–26, 1876, Great Sioux War of 1876, Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapaho

Battle of the Cedar Creek – October 21, 1876, Great Sioux War of 1876, Sioux, Shoshone, Crow

Battle of Wolf Mountain, Montana

Battle of Wolf Mountain, Montana

Battle of Wolf Mountain – January 8, 1877, Great Sioux War of 1876, Cheyenne and Sioux

Battle of Little Muddy Creek – May 7, 1877, Great Sioux War of 1876, Cheyenne and Sioux

Battle of the Big Hole – August 9–10, 1877, Nez Perce War, Nez Perce, and Palouse

Battle of Canyon Creek – September 13, 1877, Nez Perce War, Nez Perce, and Crow

Battle of Bear Paw – September 30 – October 5, 1877, Nez Perce War, Nez Perce

Battle of Pumpkin Creek – February 7, 1880, Sioux

Battle of Milk River – July 17, 1879, Sioux

Battle of Poplar River – January 2, 1881, Sioux

Battle of Crow Agency – November 5, 1887, Crow

Before the state of Montana was carved into vast ranches, it was the last great hunting ground of the Northern Plains and called home to numerous Indian Tribes. With Westward Expansion, the territory was threatened by new settlers, and the Native Americans fought back.

Hayfield Fight, Montana

Hayfield Fight, Montana

Montana’s Indian Wars can mostly be condensed into three groups: The Blackfeet Wars of northwestern Montana, the Nez Perce’s 1,170-mile march from eastern Oregon to Canada, and the well-chronicled Great Sioux War of 1862, the battles of which were led by Chiefs Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Dull Knife, Two Moons and others against the likes of Generals George Custer, Nelson Miles, George Crook, Alfred Terry, and other cavalry leaders. These bands of Sioux and Cheyenne were the last holdouts in the northern plains against white incursion.

© Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated November 2022.

Also See:

Indian War Photo Gallery

Indian War Timeline

Indian Wars, Battles & Massacres

Winning The West: The Army In The Indian Wars