As Wyomingites gear up to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the Eastern Shoshone Tribe is celebrating another document: the Fort Bridger Treaty of 1863.
Tribes across the U.S. celebrate the day when original treaties were signed with the U.S. government. Over 800 treaties were signed with tribal nations, and around 400 were ratified by Congress.
“Every treaty ever made with a Native American Tribe has been broken or violated in some form or fashion,” said Eastern Shoshone member Jason Baldes, director of the Wind River Tribal Buffalo Initiative.
The Fort Bridger Treaty was signed 27 years before Wyoming became a state. It would have secured around 44 million acres for the tribe, including what’s now half of Wyoming, northern Colorado, eastern Idaho and northern Utah.
“It certainly is our responsibility to uphold our treaty, to promote it, to ensure that the federal government adheres to it and as well as the state,” said Baldes, during an interview on Facebook to commemorate the holiday. “More often than not, it’s as though the Tribes don’t exist. It’s a day of visibility. Local people here already know that Treaty Day is a thing.”
Over time, though, the Fort Bridger Treaty was broken as settlers moved into the Wind River area following the Oregon Trail. Now, the tribe has a little over two million acres.
Treaty Day is recognized as an official holiday and tribal employees get the day off.
