Frontier County, Stockville

In spring 1872 Whistler, leader of the Oglala Lakota band on the Medicine, sent his people's requests to the Army through Col. J. J. Reynolds at Fort McPherson; the New York Times printed them on April 25. The three Cut-off bands, his, Black Bear's and Pawnee Killer's, wanted to be placed together under an agent of their own, the request Whistler called most important. The letter said the band had camped there nearly two years without trouble. Late that year Whistler and two of his men were killed, probably by white bison hunters; by 1874 the band had left.

What the plaque says

Frontier County Stockville When Frontier County was organized in 1872, Stockville became the county seat. During its first decade no real town existed, it being only a trading center for the ranchers of the region. It was not until the middle-eighties, when the county filled with homesteaders, that the town began to grow. Near here is Medicine Creek, one of the most important waterways of the region. It served as a natural highway between the Republican and Platte rivers, first for the Indians, then for the whites. With the establishment of Fort McPherson, the Medicine route was regularly used by the military as they protected the frontier. In the heart of the buffalo country, the Sioux were partial to the Medicine Valley. In 1870, a band of former hostiles -- the Whistler band of Cut-off Oglala, settled near here, living in peace with the early settlers for several years. Among the notable frontiersmen of the region were outstanding figures Hank and Monty Clifford, John Y. Nelson, and Doc Carver. Regular visitors were Buffalo Bill Cody and Texas Jack Omohundro, as they guided the wealthy on buffalo hunts. Stockville Federated Women's Club Historical Land Mark Council

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Senator George Norris State Historic Site — 26 mi
  The McCook house George W. Norris kept as his home base for forty-two years, given to the state with its furniture by his wife Ellie, by the senator who wrote the lame-duck amendment.

More markers nearby

• Ingham — 13 mi
• Mallalieu University — 20 mi
• Pawnee Woman's Grave — 21 mi
• Indianola POW Camp — 21 mi