Sitting Bull

1831 – He was born around this year near the Grand River in present-day South Dakota.

1863 – His first encounter with American soldiers occurred in June of this year, when the army mounted a broad campaign in retaliation for the Santee Rebellion in Minnesota, in which the Lakota had played no part.

1868 - He became head chief of the Lakota nation this year.

1876 – His people were driven from their reservation in the area, a place that the Sioux considered holy.

1877 – He refused to surrender and led his band across the border into Canada, where he remained in exile for many years, refusing a pardon and the chance to return.

1881 – He had his son hand his rifle to the commanding officer of Fort Buford, telling the soldiers they had come to regard them and the white race as friends.

1885 – He was allowed to leave the reservation to join Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West show.

1890 – He was arrested by 43 Indian Police by pre-empting the army, at the Standing Rock Agency. Shots were fired and Sitting Bull, who was hit in the head, and his son Crow Foot, were both killed.

1893 - Following his death, his cabin on the Grand River was taken to Chicago to become part of the Columbian Exhibition.