Broken Treaties: United States and Canadian Relations with the Lakotas and the Plains Cree, 1868-1885

Acknowledgments

ix No author really writes alone. The interpretations offered here, the evidence as presented, and any shortcomings or oversights apparent in either are, of course, of my own making. But the fact that Broken Treaties is here at all owes much to the encouragement and support of a number of individuals and institutions. This book began its life as my doctoral dissertation in the History Department at the University of Calgary. There it was my great pleasure to work with Professor Sarah Carter and Professor Betsy Jameson. As my co-supervisors they were unstinting in their intellectual stimulation, encouragement, academic support, collegiality , and friendship. Committed to the development of studies in comparative U.S.-Canadian history, they worked assiduously to provide me with the lrmest scholarly foundations from which to pursue Broken Treaties. They made writing a doctoral dissertation an intellectual adventure and a lot of fun. I am pleased to acknowledge the steady support of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada throughout my doctoral studies. The Queen’s Fellowship, which I held during my lrst year at the University of Calgary, was a particular honor that furthered my research immeasurably. An sshrc Doctoral Fellowship sustained me in subsequent years. The University of Calgary and its History Department provided additional lnancial support that was always welcome. Individual scholars made signilcant contributions to my work in many ways. At the University of Calgary, Professor Donald B. Smith and Professor Doug Peers served on my dissertation comAcknowledgments x Acknowledgments mittee and offered valuable insights from which Broken Treaties benelted. At different times, Professor Jim Miller, University of Saskatchewan, and Professor Roger Nichols, University of Arizona , read the manuscript for Broken Treaties and made suggestions for its improvement, many of which have been incorporated into the lnal text. To these two men, gentlemen and scholars, I extend my thanks for their encouragement, advice, and professional example. In Ottawa I am, as always, grateful to Kerry Abel, fellow independent scholar and good friend. Over several years Kerry has listened patiently to and offered pertinent observations on the different aspects of Broken Treaties raised during our many dogwalking expeditions. She also extended critical assistance in the crucial editing process, which I appreciate very much. It is necessary here to thank Freya, too, for putting up with the rambunctious Siberians. Library and Archives Canada (Ottawa) and the National Archives and Records Administration (Washington) were the major repositories of the primary source materials used in Broken Treaties. The Canadian Museum of Civilization, which houses a microllm collection of documents in U.S. Native history, was also a vital source. I am grateful to the staff at these institutions for their assistance. At the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library (Fremont, Ohio), I found a small but valuable collection of relevant documents and am particularly pleased to acknowledge the assistance there of archivist Nan Card. The Hayes Library and its staff are academic treasures. Carleton University played an important role in all stages of Broken Treaties. The Interlibrary Loan Department of the MacOdrum Library secured dozens of items for me. I owe a great debt to the Government Documents Department, whose librarians repeatedly went out of their way to facilitate access to the vital oflcial sources I required, not hesitating to make special arrangements for that purpose. I offer a special thanks to Frances Montgomery. The History Department provided me with a Acknowledgments xi congenial environment in which to revise the manuscript, under the auspices of an sshrc Postdoctoral Fellowship. Professor Del Muise was, as always, interested in and enthusiastic about the project from the beginning. Joan White over several years has guided me in the completion of important but sometimes confusing scholarship paperwork, and I am thankful for her knowledge and patience. Thanks also to Christine Earl for the maps, which help so much to clarify the detail in Broken Treaties. For someone who disdains airplanes, regular travel between Ottawa and Calgary poses something of a challenge. Happily for me, there is via Rail (at least as far as Edmonton). Broken Treaties came together for me on several leisurely train rides, facilitated by comfortable circumstances, lne food, and the spectacular scenery of northwestern Ontario and the Prairie West in all seasons. For me the great North Saskatchewan River is an endless source of inspiration. The unrelenting pace of doctoral studies and scholarly research is always lightened (and enlightened) by association with others caught...