Last Days of Red Cloud Agency: Peter T. Buckley’s Photograph Collection, 1876–1877 by Thomas R. Buecker (review)

One of the reasons we study the past is to get a glimpse of a world that once existed but has since vanished. Typically, historians are restricted by sources that offer only partial views into the past and must endeavor to recreate a visual image from the written page. Last Days of Red Cloud Agency offers a unique window into one of the most storied periods in the American West. Thomas R. Buecker, in a posthumous publication, marshaled his knowledge developed over nearly forty years working as a public historian for the state of Nebraska, alongside publishing four books and over seventy articles. Buecker served as the curator for the Fort Robinson Museum for twenty-six years, and is uniquely qualified to author this masterpiece of microhistory. Based on a series of images assembled by frontier photographer Peter T. Buckley, who set out to narrate the pivotal year of 1876– 1877 at Red Cloud Agency, this book will delight and enlighten anyone who picks it up. In particular, military historians will find dozens of views of Camp Robinson, Fort Laramie, and several other temporary cantonments that bolstered the troops assigned to Camps Robinson and Sheridan.

The images collected for this magisterial publication follow the chronological development of both Red Cloud and Spotted Tail, each image carefully annotated with rich detail. Also included are Arapahoe and Cheyenne men and women, and what appear to be either Ho Chunk or Omaha Indians. Life for Indians around the agencies is captured in stunning resolution, from the very messy shots of cattle issue day, to the unexpected view of Spotted Tail having breakfast in the home of the camp trader. The mining camps of the Black Hills are featured prominently in the middle of the book, with incredible detail of an individual miner’s tent, to an uncommon view of Custer, Lead, and Deadwood during the peak of the 1876 Black Hills gold rush. Crazy Horse and his final days are featured, and a photograph of his grave is part of the collection as well. Despite the focus on a single year of images, the scope of this book will reward the scholar and buff in equal measure.

History Nebraska deserves high praise for realizing the completion of this singularly impressive work. The combination of the historic collection of images and first-rate scholarship makes for a perfect gift for anyone interested in the early history of the Nebraska Panhandle and surrounding region.