The 1700s
In 1742-1743, French explorers
enter the region and lay claim to it for France. This is the first recorded
intrusion into the area by Europeans. The Spanish take the area from France
in 1762, but the Spanish expend most of their efforts in the New World
further to the south.
1803
The fledgling nation of
the United States gains control of the region (and many more areas) through
the Louisiana Purchase. Certain critics wonder about the value of the lands
purchased, but the majority see great benefits from expansion. The seeds
of Manifest Destiny are planted.
1856
The United States builds
Fort Randall, an outpost for fur trading and defense of the region. This
is among one of the first permanent European settlements in the area.
1868
The United States signs
the Fort Laramie Treaty with several of the Indian tribes, gifting areas
to each. Much of the region and all of the Black Hills are given to the
Sioux. The Sioux are pleased, because they see the Black Hills as a sacred
place of great power, which they call Paha Sapa. The Sioux hold the Hills
in such respect that they enter them only for important rituals.
1872-1874
In these few short years,
European hunters decimate the buffalo herds killing a staggering FOUR million
buffalo. This loss is crippling to the plains tribes (including the Sioux)
that depend on the buffalo for survival. Even worse is the fact that most
of these buffalo were killed for trophies and left to rot, robbing the
plains tribes of valuable food and materials.
1874
For years, rumors of hidden
wealth in the Black Hills have circulated. Several Europeans illegally
entered the area to search for this wealth. After a few minor incidents,
the United States decides to resolve this rumor once and for all. It sends
a military expedition into the Hills with some geologists and cartographers.
The idea was to stop these 'false' rumors and map the area at the same
time. Instead, the expedition led by George Custer found traces of gold.
The government attempted to keep it quiet, but word quickly leaked out.
Within weeks several prospectors entered the Hills, though most were still
lured further west to the California gold rush.
1875
A small mining community
forms in the Black Hills. The community is named Deadwood, and this small
community is destined to grow rapidly in the next few years. And eventually
it becomes one of the more famous sites in the Old West. Meanwhile, George
Custer leads his 7th Calvary into the Little Bighorn and is massacred,
to a man.
1876
Several large discoveries
of gold cause a gold rush to finally strike the Black Hills. The timing
is 'good', as the California gold fields either play out or get overcrowded.
A community is formed near the Hills to support the miners. This community
grows rapidly, and is ironically named Rapid City. Meanwhile, in Deadwood,
Wild Bill Hickok is shot and killed. Hickok, one of the legends of the
West, was shot in the back by a stranger while playing cards. His hand,
two black aces, two black eights, and a red ten, is now known as the 'Deadman's
Hand'.
1890
The last of the Indian Wars
is effectively ended at Wounded Knee, South Dakota. U.S. Cavalry troops,
escorting 'renegade' Sioux back to a reservation, massacre 200 men, women,
and children. Both sides, just before the massacre heard gunshots. The
cavalry claim the Sioux fired on them first, the Sioux claim the cavalry
opened fire on them. The truth is contested to this day, and lost to the
mists of time. Whoever started the shooting, the result was the same. Two
hundred Sioux died and were left in a blizzard for days to freeze solid
before being buried in a mass grave. (The WoD is a brutal place, but so
is reality.) The last of the Native Americans are herded onto the reservations.
1890-1972
The main cities of the Black
Hills area grow and prosper, while the reservations sink into an almost
Third World environment. The government tries to break the Native Americans
of their traditions and culture for many years. They are successful, to
a point, but enough carry the traditions in their hearts that they eventually
make a return. Ellsworth Air Force is built near Rapid City, giving the
area a considerable economic boost. The base was built initially for heavy
strategic bombers and a significant series of silos for ICBMs.
1972
Disaster strikes Rapid City.
Heavy rains upstream erode a dam and the resulting flood hits the town
with great fury. When the water drains away, over 200 townspeople lie dead;
over 3000 are injured and dozens are missing and NEVER found. The city
itself received approximately $165 million in damage. Rapid City mourns
this loss for some time; in fact some residents still bear the scars of
that day.
1980
The U.S. Government finally
admits wrong doing in it's dealings with the Sioux and agrees to some financial
settlements. These settlements total about $122 million to the members
of the tribe. In the same year, the 'last' brothel in the Hills is shut
down. Federal law enforcement raided the Green Door in Deadwood, putting
it out of business, not because it was illegal, but because the government
feared that organized crime was using the brothel as a foothold in the
region.
1987
Early on April 14th, an
explosion rocks the hangars of Ellsworth. After a few days of silence,
the government finally issues a press statement. The base's flight line
and hangars were heavily damaged in an accident while refueling one of
the base's B-1B bombers. The government decides that the cost of repairing
the flight line to be prohibitive at the time of cuts in military spending,
but doesn't want to lose such a valuable location for a base. Thus, the
base is put on 'caretaker status', shut down with a minimal staff to keep
the base maintained until needed. And in this case, to repair the base
over the course of several years, thus reducing the one-time cost.
1988
With the base all but gone,
Box Elder dried up and blew away. Box Elder was the town that had grown
up around the gates to Ellsworth and lived to supply services to the base.
Rapid City went through a severe economic crisis, as much of its income
came from the base as well. The future for Rapid looked grim. Unemployment
began to spiral and property values began to erode. Worse yet, the gold
veins in the mines in the Northern Black Hills began to play out.
1989
A new vein of gold is struck
in the Northern Hills, allowing the mines to remain open. In fact, the
veins are richer than ever - allowing the Northern Hills to prosper. The
Southern Hills continue to suffer economically until early March, when
a computer manufacturer moves into Rapid City. The company enjoys the available
job force and low property values. The company simply prospers - low overhead
and high profit. Other high-tech companies take note and several others
move into the area.
1995
The current day. The Black
Hills and surrounding region are undergoing an economic boom, unlike anything
else in their history. Most of the wealth stays in the hands of the few,
of course, but most of the normal people are living better than they can
remember. But even here, not all share the wealth. It is the forgotten
and the lost that lie outside the light that most people see. And something
else, something dark, lies there in the shadows, something that seeks the
prosperity of the Hills. A darkness has come to this place, and it hungers.