Box Elder Treaty

On this episode of Dave Does History, we travel back to 1863 and uncover the story behind the Treaty of Box Elder, a forgotten agreement born from bloodshed and broken under the weight of legal fine print. Signed just months after the Bear River Massacre, this treaty promised peace and relief to the Northwestern Shoshone, a people left destitute after U.S. troops slaughtered hundreds of their kin. But what seemed like a gesture of goodwill quickly unraveled into one of the most egregious betrayals in federal Indian policy. In this episode, we explore the events leading up to the treaty, the legal double-cross that followed, and the century-long fight for recognition and justice. This is not just a story of land and law. It is a story of survival. Stay with us as we dust off the forgotten pages of western history and give voice to those long denied their place in the record.