Crazy Horse was born Tashuncahuitco about 1841, on Rapid
Creek, East of the Blackhills. He was a Lakota or Teton Sioux. He was known as
light haired boy or "Curly" and his fathers name was Crazy Horse. His mother
was a Brule, sister of Spotted Tail. Go to Spotted
Tail She died when he was young and his sister took her place in the
lodge. As a boy he would hang around trading posts on the Oregon Trail where
he was mistaken for a captive white boy.

Conquering Bear was shot in a
dispute over a Mormon cow shot by a Miniconjou. He was summoned to Ft Laramie
and told him to turn over the shooter by Lieutenant Fleming. He refused saying
the Miniconjou was his guest and the solders would have to arrest him.
Lieutenant John L. Grattan, a 24 year old West Point graduate was sent to make
the arrest. The Lakota chiefs Conquering Bear, Man Afraid of his Horse,
Grand Partisan and Little Thunder tried to turn him back at the James Bordeaux
trading post outside of the Brule camp. Ignoring them Gratten shot into the
camp killing a warrier. Conquering Bear controlled his warriers but Gratten
fired another volley into the camp mortally wounding Conguering Bear. Spotted
Tails warriers rushed from a ravine and Red Clouds Oglala came fron the bluffs
and Gratten and his men were killed which ended the Horse Creek Treaty.

After Conquering Bears death, Thomas S. Twiss, a new agent from West point ordered
the Lakota to move south or be considered hostile. Gen. William Harney
See Photo led in 600 men from Fort Kearney.
Little Thunders camp which included Spotted Tail, Red Leaf, and Crazyhorse's
family waited to hunt buffalo. Their camp was attacked while Crazy Horse was away
and he returned to 86 dead including women and children. Harney marched 70 women
captives to Ft. Laramie where Spotted Tail surrendered. They were imprisoned on
the same day the Lakota signed another treaty at Fort Pierce. The Lakota moved
west into Powder River country.

In 1858 Crazyhorse, with High Back Bone,
Lone Bear and his brother Little Hawk, rode into central Wyoming where they fought
the Arapaho and Crazy Horse proved his bravery by charging into them and counting coup.
Two warriers rode out to meet him and he killed them and took their scalps. He became
a popular leader of war parties and respected by his people. In 1862, he was in the Oglala
camp and often stood beside Black Buffalo woman, niece of Red Cloud. After returning from a
war party he learned she was married to No Water, and rode away in anger.

He became a chief of the Oglala tribe of Sioux. He fought the US troops in
Wyoming under chief Red Cloud of the Oglala in the Sioux war of 1866-68. He
led raids against the Crow in the summer of 1869 east of the Bighorns. After
a battle with the Crow he retuned to find No Water away hunting, and he took
Black Buffalo Woman when he left the camp. No Water chased after them and
burst in on them, shot Crazy horse in the face, and fled. The Hunkatila
demanded that No Water be returned and Crazy Horses Uncles send Black Buffalo
Woman back to No Water to avoid more trouble. She later gave birth to a light
haired girl thought to have been Crazy Horses daughter. As Crazy Horse
recovered he took a new wife named Black Shaw. He also heard news that his
brother Little Hawk was killed by white miners. In 1871 Black Shaw gave birth
to a daughter who was named "They are afraid of her".

In 1875 he lead the
Oglala and Cheyenne resisting being forced to a reservation. The same year he
joined forces with Sitting Bull, chief of the Hunkpapa Sioux. Together they
fought settlers trying to hold the Black Hills of South Dakota from white
occupation. In 1875 he repelled General Crook See Photo
at the battle of Rosebud Creek in Montana. On June 25 he and Sitting Bull
wiped out a column of the 7th Cavalry commanded by Lt. Col. George A. Custer
in the Battle of Little Bighorn.

Crazy Horse was captured in 1877 and forced to surrender to troops in Nebraska.
He was killed in a scuffle with his captors.