Spring 1860
Kiowas and Comanches go on warpath against Texans in Indian Country (present Oklahoma panhandle) and Texas. Union Army engages in minor skirmishes with militant bands, ranging north from Texas panhandle to Solomon River.
May 1860
The Reverend John Milton Chivington moves to Denver City to establish the city’s fist Methodist Church.
Silas Soule moves to Colorado to try his luck at gold mining.
September 8, 1860
Commissioner Greenwood travels to Bent’s Fort with relatives and government officials to open treaty talks with Cheyenne and Arapahos.
Arapahos and their chiefs Little Raven, Storm and Left Hand are present, but Cheyenne leaders, Black Kettle, White Antelope and several sub-chiefs must be located at their camps, and do not arrive until September 18. According to Cheyenne law, all Council of Forty-four Cheyenne chiefs must be represented in treaty council, and treaty ratification may not be consummated without consultation with leaders of the military bands, Kit Foxes, Bowstrings, Elkhorn Scrapers and Red Shields. Because the Cheyenne have divided into two factions, the northern bands are camped more than 250 miles north of Bent’s Fort. Although Black Kettle and White Antelope insist that the northern chiefs must be present, Greenwood refuses due to time constraints and appointments to treat with other tribes. Treaty negotiations ensue, and Greenwood offers up one-third of annuities and gifts proposed to Cheyennes and Arapahos as a good-faith offer, providing the chiefs agree to a treaty immediately.
In Greenwood’s proposal, approximately two-thirds of the land given the joint tribes in the Fort Laramie treaty will be relinquished to the government in return the Cheyennes and Arapahos will be given all land forming a triangular area, bounded by the Big Sandy (Sand Creek) on the west, and the Arkansas River on the south. Annuities of $30,000 per year for fifteen years will be allotted for the Indians to purchase livestock and supplies. Greenwood also promises a sawmill and workshops, and assistance from whites to help the Indians learn to cultivate the land. Each member of the tribe are offered 40 acres of land.
Although the proposal is far too small to accommodate the combined Cheyenne and Arapaho nations, all chiefs present agree to Greenwood’s terms. Black Kettle, however, stipulates that he will not sign the treaty until all Cheyenne leaders are allowed to vote on the proposal.
September 1860
Near Bent’s Fort, Union Army begins construction of Fort Wise (later renamed Fort Lyon).
February 18, 1861
Treaty of Fort Wise is signed by Black Kettle, White Antelope, Lean Bear, Little Wolf, Tall Bear, Lone Bear, and Left Hand* (Cheyenne), Little Raven, Storm, Shaved Head and Big Mouth (Arapahos). *Southern Arapaho Chief Left Hand was not present. The treaty, carried out by Indian Affairs commissioner Albert Burton Greenwood, amended the original Treaty of Fort Laramie of 1851, reducing Cheyenne and Arapaho lands by nearly 90%. The reduction would corral the Cheyenne and Arapahos to the most barren and infertile portion of their original reservation.
The Fort Wise Treaty would forever remain a matter of controversy, for it later became a major contributor to the Sand Creek Massacre. Although the treaty was clearly a land swindle perpetrated by the U. S. Government bent upon reclaiming valuable Colorado land, the Cheyenne and Arapaho chiefs clearly represented their respective nations when they signed the agreement. Although Black Kettle had insisted upon gaining approval of the Cheyenne Council of Forty-four, only six of its members signed the treaty, suggesting a serious breach of Cheyenne political protocol. The treaty not only drove deeper the wedge of Cheyenne dissatisfaction with their leadership - it enraged many warriors who were appalled at the participation of one of their own - Dog Soldier Chief Lean Bear.
Documentation of the treaty negotiations leave many unanswered questions as to why the Cheyenne and Arapaho leaders would have submitted to one of the most egregiously exploitative treaties perpetrated by the United States government. For a thorough deep dive into these questions, read Louis Kraft's Sand Creek and the Tragic End of a Lifeway (Chapter 6, "Welcome to the White Man's World")
Refer to p. 807, Kapler's Indian Affairs