I have been reading a book, To Have This Land: The Nature of Indian/White Relations : South Dakota : 1888-1891, by a writer named Phillip S. Hall, and I have come to the conclusion that the Rapid city Journal was involved in instigating and promoting the Wounded Knee Massacre on December 29, 1890. This book documents the gradual land-grab by non-Indians and their quest to steal as much land from the Indians as possible. Their daily gripes to the U.S. Government to keep the Indians confined to the reservations by all means, including and not limited to shooting them on site if they left the reservation — and this included men woman and children.
When the Ghost Dances started around 1890, the non-natives were filled with unrest because they were afraid of an Indian uprising, so they begged the military to send more troops for better protection and the military didn't seem to see an imminent danger. Military officials had been in contact with all the reservations and although the Indians were assembling and dancing, as these military leaders saw things, there was not a threat of an Indian uprising.
During this same time Richard F. Pettigrew (who was the first U.S. Senator from South Dakota) had become a high-ranking leader in the state’s politics and started removing all the Indian Agents who had been here and were somewhat trusted and excepted by the tribes. But his agenda was to replace them with his own friends and people who would start cutting back rations and start back-tracking on government commitments to the tribes.
Sen. Pettigrew was also building his own group of Indian fighters, a vigilante group named " the frontiersmen". Every non-native town and community had their own private army and anytime someone saw an Indian — no matter what reason — this vigilante army would ride out shoot and kill, then ask questions later. There is (still on the books) a law in Spearfish, S.D., that states "If three or more Indians are walking down the street together, they can be considered a war party and fired upon" and this mandate was supported by South Dakota leaders and promoted and supported by Joe Gossage, who was then the editor of the Rapid City Journal.
[The Rapid City Journal began publishing on Jan. 5, 1878, under the name The Black Hills Journal. Publisher Joseph P. Gossage produced the first edition of the Black Hills Journal, which was four pages and had 250 subscribers. This paper was at first printed in a log cabin on Rapid Street in Rapid City.
The first editor of this newspaper, Joseph P. Gossage, was extremely racist and was a known Indian hater, his paper promoted vigilante groups and other hired hands to attack Indians and keep them away from Rapid City. On many occasions, Gossage instigated situations that led to many killings and many of these executions were nothing less than murders of innocent people.
Gossage also provided guns and ammunition to groups to control the Indians and to make them stay on the reservations. Here is a quote from the book: "For its part, the Rapid city Journal kept the citizenry well informed about the Indian Uprising (Ghost Dance). Anything and everything that dealt with the Indians was printed, including far-fetched, patently inaccurate rumors. Home guards searched the paper for stories that fueled their imaginations. They found plenty."
This type of hate from Gossage and the power and influence he had through The Rapid City Journal by over-writing, over-dramatizing, and even creating pure fiction for the sake of a good story fueled by his hatred for Native Americans instigated and manipulate the U.S. 7th Calvary Regiment for the attack at Wounded Knee.
According to the Indian agents at that time, they were not in fear of being attacked. it was instigated by those who wanted all Indians dead and they wanted all the land. Here is another quote from Hall’s book, a paperback first published in 1981: "Rumors began to spread, the kind of rumors that made good reading and sold papers. Joe Gossage ,editor of the Rapid City Journal, printed the story of the suspected uprising without bothering with verification."
Now, doesn't this sound familiar? Here is another quote, taken from Chapter 3, which is subtitled “Drumming Up an Indian Scare”: "Rumors were flying thick and fast yesterday that an Indian outbreak had occurred on the reservation, near the mouth of Spring Creek, and that the Indians were raising cane, in general. One report was to the effect that Charley Francis and Pat Connelly had been killed".
This story, which appeared in the Rapid City Journal in 1890, was patently untrue. No Indian outbreak was underway and no settlers had been killed. The story was an indication, however, of the growing unease of the white population about the seemingly inexplicable activity among the Sioux on the reservations.
There are so many more documented facts about Joe Gossage creating false stories, false reports, and outright lies to keep the white community on edge and in defense-mode all the time - including manipulation and blatant lies against Native Americans. I am no fan of this paper, and to this day, I honestly feel Gossage’s evil spirit continues to possess those who lead the Rapid City Journal. This same mentality exists today — but not just against Native Americans, but also the Rapid City community as a whole. I feel the ownership of the Rapid City Journal is interested in nothing more than simply selling its newspaper. They don’t care one iota about our community! And it’s always been the same. Originally, Joe Gossage used this print weapon to influence the settlers and military in South Dakota to eventually attack and kill our people at Wounded Knee. This is why it was said that tensions were high among the white solders. The underlying underpinning and reason for it all was that the white dominant culture only wanted ownership of our land.
Do you want more proof? Well, let’s just let this newspaper give this, as they reported it in the late 1800’s. This was posted in the news in the Rapid City Journal in regard to employment of killers to protect the whites: "It was firmly resolved that no halfway measures could be adopted. The Indians must be killed as fast as they make an appearance and before they can do any damage. It is better to kill an innocent Indian occasionally than to take chances on goodness. To exterminate them it will be necessary to employ first-class killers, regardless of experience. This has been done!”
“Everyone on the committee turned to the Deadwood Rifle Club, noted crack-shots who resided all over the Black Hills. They were communicated with, and although we are not permitted to tell all we know, we can assure the valley people that their defenses are in good hands."
This was the mentality just before Wounded Knee. They wanted an excuse to drop our Lakota Nation to its knee! and they did! Our sacred hoop has been broken ever since.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
About the Guest Author: James Magaska Swan, an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, is the founder and leader of the United Urban Warrior Society, based in South Dakota. The UUWS has more than 30 chapters throughout the USA and Canada. Swan served in the U.S. Navy where he traveled throughout the world and got a good look at how people in other lands live. He works a full-time job in the automobile servicing trade. Mr. Swan is one of the leading activists fighting for the rights of Native Americans and is a prolific writer who focuses all his commentary and discourse on issues and concerns of Native Americans and the indigenous people of Turtle Island.