July 22, 1874 Custer Arrives

On July 22, 1874 General George A. Custer arrived in the Black Hills with a military expedition whose mission it is to establish a military base in the region, but also carried with it the hidden agenda of trying to verify whether or not the probable gold reported by the Warren Expedition is to be found within the Black Hills.

The region's gold deposits are confirmed when gold is found within a creek near Custer's campsite. When Custer reports this fact to President Grant, the public takes great interest and thousands of white settlers and would-be prospectors begin to flock to the Black Hills.