Tribal Wars of the Southern Plains

by Stan Hoig

Tribal Wars of the Southern Plains is a comprehensive account of Indian conflicts in the area between the Platte River and the Rio Grande, from the first written reports of the Spaniards in the sixteenth century through the United States-Cheyenne Battle of the Sand Hills in 1875. The reader follows the exploits and defeats of such chiefs as Lone Wolf, Satanta, Black Kettle, and Dull Knife as they signed treaties, led attacks, battled for land, and defended their villages in the huge region that was home to the Wichitas, Comanches, Cheyennes, Arapahos, Kiowas, Osages, Pawnees, and other Indian nations.

Genres: Nonfiction, History

356 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

1924-2009

Reviews

[Christopher]

When it comes to Indian Wars west of the Mississippi, the southern plains often get overlooked in favor of the northern plains or the deserts of the southwest. The big exception to this is of course the Comanche, who deserve their spot on the very top of rankings of tribal power and influence. But the Comanche tend to crowd out the Kiowas, Pawnee, Osage, and others in this era.

This book is a great corrective to that. Every southern plains tribe who participated in a war gets coverage. Not only that, but the whole first third of the book is pre-US settlement and talks about inter-tribal war and conflicts involving raiding the Spanish and Mexicans.

[Brendan Cane]

If you liked Empire of the Summer Moon, this one is a great companion peice, as it covers perspective from tribes other than the coaches at around the same mid-1800s period of time.