:''This event should not be confused with the

Bannock War The Bannock War of 1878 was an armed conflict between the U.S. military and Bannock and Paiute warriors in Idaho and northeastern Oregon from June to August 1878. The Bannock totaled about 600 to 800 in 1870 because of other Shoshone peoples be ...

of 1878.'' The Bannock War of 1895, or the Bannock Uprising, refers to a minor conflict centered in

Jackson Hole Jackson Hole (originally called Jackson's Hole by mountain men) is a valley between the Gros Ventre and Teton mountain ranges in the U.S. state of Wyoming, near the border with Idaho, in Teton County, one of the richest counties in the Unit ...

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to t ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. During the early 1890s, Wyoming passed a state law prohibiting the killing of elk for their teeth, which led to the arrests of several Bannock hunters in 1895. The arrests and the death of one Bannock created wildly exaggerated rumors that the natives would

revolt Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

; at one point, the Eastern press reported that the Bannocks had massacred a large group of settlers in Jackson Hole. In response, the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

launched an expedition into the area- when troops arrived, it was found that the situation was peaceful and that the fears of uprising were unjustified.

Conflict

In the late 1800s elk populations in and around Jackson Hole declined. Fears arose that elk would become

extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

due to

poaching Poaching has been defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set a ...

. By 1895, Jackson Hole was becoming a popular destination for

big game hunter Big-game hunting is the hunting of large game animals for meat, commercially valuable by-products (such as horns/antlers, furs, tusks, bones, body fat/oil, or special organs and contents), trophy/taxidermy, or simply just for recreation ("s ...

s who felt the local Bannock hunters were interfering with their sport. Elk was a main food source for the Bannocks, who lived on Fort Hall Reservation across the border in

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Monta ...

, and whose treaty guaranteed a right to hunt "unoccupied lands." In July 1895 a party of Bannock hunters was arrested for poaching by a posse of 27 men led by

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

William Manning. As they were marching back to town, the deputies all suddenly loaded their rifles. Concerned that they would be killed, the Bannocks escaped. In the melee, an infant was swept off his mother's back, and never found. An elderly, unarmed, nearly blind Bannock was shot four times in the back.

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or '' puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the s ...

Frank H. Rhodes, in a

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...

report to the Wyoming governor, said; "''Nine Indians arrested, one killed, others escaped. Many Indians reported here: threaten lives and property. Settlers are moving their families away. Want protection immediately. Action on your part is absolutely necessary.''" Once news of the incident reached the public, exaggerated reports made their way to the East Coast, where a

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, spor ...

claimed that all of the settlers in Jackson's Hole had been massacred by the Bannocks. The headline on July 27 of the

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

newspaper "''

Baltimore Morning Herald ''The Baltimore Morning Herald'' was a daily newspaper published in Baltimore in the beginning of the twentieth century. History The first edition was published on February 10, 1900. The paper succeeded the ''Morning Herald'' and was absorbed b ...

''" read: ''"Butchered by Bannocks - An Awful Massacre at Jackson's Hole. - TROOPS ARE TOO LATE. - Men, Women and Children Killed. - NOT ONE ESCAPED.''" The newspaper went on to say that "'' ere is no doubt that the redskins have fired every home and cabin and by morning they will be repeating their work n Idaho''" The source for the claim was three fishermen who said that ''"every man, woman and child in Jackson's Hole asmurdered.''" In an earlier article the "''Baltimore Morning Herald''" stated that their source, a mail carrier from

Star Valley Star Valley is located in the United States between the Salt River Range in western Wyoming and the Webster Range of eastern Idaho. The altitude of the valley ranges from to . Three major Wyoming rivers, the Salt River, the Greys River and ...

, said that the Bannocks had blocked off the passes leading into Jackson Hole and that the residents within the area were all fleeing for their lives. In response to these claims, the

sent troops into the region with orders to occupy

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

. Most were unable to traverse

Teton Pass Teton Pass is a high mountain pass in the western United States, located at the southern end of the Teton Range in western Wyoming, between Wilson and Victor, Idaho. At an elevation of above sea level, the pass provides access from the Jackson H ...

, but one company of

Buffalo Soldier Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on September 21, 1866, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. This nickname was given to the Black Cavalry by Native American tribes who fought in th ...

s managed to descend the slopes on their wagons with ropes. However, when the soldiers entered they found no Bannocks, no dead citizens or fires, proving that the whole situation was far different from what the newspapers were reporting. The

Indian agent In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with American Indian tribes on behalf of the government. Background The federal regulation of Indian affairs in the United States first included development of t ...

at Fort Hall telegraphed the following; ''"All Indians absent from reservation has returned. Had big council. Requested me to telegraph you their hearts felt good. Had not harmed a white man, and would start haying, leaving their grievances to the justice of the white man.''" In the subsequent investigation, the United States Indian Service arranged for a test case regarding the Bannocks' treaty-reserved off-reservation hunting rights. A Bannock hunter named Race Horse was arrested for poaching, and taken to the District Court in Evanston (Jackson Hole was then in Uinta County, of which Evanston was the county seat). A ''habeas corpus'' case, Ward v. Race Horse, was then filed for his release. The case then went to the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

, which concluded that Wyoming statehood invalidated Bannock hunting rights. This decision was repudiated in the 2019 Supreme Court decision

Herrera v. Wyoming ''Herrera v. Wyoming'', No. 17-532, 587 U.S. ___ (2019), was a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that Wyoming's statehood did not void the Crow Tribe's right to hunt on "unoccupied lands of the United States" under an 1868 t ...

References

Who gets to hunt Wyoming's elk? Tribal Hunting Rights, U.S. Law and the Bannock 'War' of 1895
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bannock History of Wyoming History of Idaho 19th-century military history of the United States American frontier 1895 in Wyoming Bannock people Shoshone

Conflict

See also

References