A broken treaty brought Crazy Horse and Custer into conflict

The Black Hills in South Dakota were declared to belong to the Sioux by the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie, but only six years after it was signed, the agreement was broken because gold had been found there.

Native Americans and soldiers' relations deteriorated as the railroads moved farther west. Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull participated in a raid against 400 soldiers in 1872, and after making a careless sprint to meet the American Army, Crazy Horse's horse was shot out from beneath him.

General George Armstrong Custer entered Sioux country in 1873. Crazy Horse first saw Custer when he came across a group of sleeping soldiers somewhere along the Yellowstone River. When a fight, Crazy Horse retreated after the Sioux attempted to steal their horses but were unsuccessful.

General George Armstrong Custer was sent by the government to conduct a surveying team there in 1874. In violation of treaties, Custer's army entered the Black Hills in pursuit of gold, bringing with them civilian miners who outnumbered the Native population. The government moved the Sioux onto smaller reserves when they refused to relinquish their lands, but the Native Americans resisted. These incidents would trigger Crazy Horse's most important conflicts.