Bannock War of 1895

Bannock War of 1895
Part of the American Indian Wars
Recent Uprising Among the Bannock Indians. A Hunting Party Fording the Snake River Southwest of the Three Tetons.
Date 1895 Location Jackson's Hole, Wyoming Result United States victory
Belligerents
United States	Bannock
Casualties and losses
none	1 killed

The Bannock War of 1895, or the Bannock Uprising, refers to a minor conflict centered on Jackson's Hole, Wyoming, in the United States. During the early 1890s Wyoming passed a state law prohibiting the killing of elk for their teeth, which led to the arrests of several Bannock hunters in 1895. The arrests, and the death of one Bannock, created wildly exaggerated rumors that the natives would revolt, and the Eastern press reported that the Bannocks had massacred a large group of settlers in Jackson's Hole. In response the United States Army launched an expedition into the area, but when troops arrived it was found that the situation was peaceful and the fears of uprising were unjustified.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s the use of elk teeth for jewelry became popular in the United States. This led to the belief that the elk in and around Jackson's Hole would become extinct due to poachers who would kill the animals solely for their teeth. So in the early 1890s the Wyoming Legislature passed an act making it illegal to kill an elk wantonly. By 1895 Jackson's Hole was becoming a popular destination for big game hunters who felt the local Bannock hunters were interfering with their sport. Elk was a main food source for the Bannocks, who lived on Fort Hall Reservation across the border in Idaho. In July 1895 a party of Bannock hunters was arrested, for violating the poaching act, by a posse of eight men led by Constable William Manning. A little later, near Cora, Wyoming, six more Bannocks were detained but they were released by the townspeople who couldn't afford to feed the prisoners. Shortly after that, an old blind native was killed in some way along Hoback Creek and nine others were arrested for poaching by Justice of the Peace Frank H. Rhodes. Rhodes, in his telegraph report, issued to Constable Manning, said; "Nine Indians arrested, one killed, others escaped. Many Indians reported here: threaten lives and property. Settlers are moving their families away. Want protection immediately. Action on your part is absolutely necessary."

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