Between 1825 and 1892 in Nebraska, there were a series of 18 different treaties between Native American tribes and the U.S. government in which Indians gave up their land. Nationally, there were hundreds of treaties. These treaties were important because each made it legally possible for the United States to make land available to settlers. The treaties of the early 1800s (and later) make the settlements of the 1870s possible.

The map below is linked to the actual text of the treaties, or a summary of the U.S. Congressional act, that ceded land to the United States. These treaties and agreements make fascinating reading. The terms under which tribes gave up their land are remarkable, even for a time when a dollar bought a lot. Well-known political figures in Nebraska were among the negotiators who signed the documents.

Click on the individual treaty labels to read the text of the actual treaty or a summary of the law that ceded land to the U.S. Map of Native American land cessions via treaties in what became Nebraska. From the 1899 paper, "Indian Land Cessions in the United States," complied by Charles C. Royce.

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