Robert Yellowtail’s Failed Battle Against Bighorn Canyon Dam
In 1950, the U.S. government set its sights on sacred Crow land. They wanted to dam the Bighorn River and flood Bighorn Canyon, a place the tribe held dear.
Robert Yellowtail, the first Native American to run his own reservation, fought back hard. He pushed for $5 million instead of the $1.5 million offer and even tried for a 50-year lease deal. Yet despite his legal skill, the tribe split over the issue.
After years of pressure and bribes, the government won with a $2. 5 million payout.
When the dam was done in 1967, they named it after the very man who tried to stop it. Today, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area stands as a monument to this bitter struggle.
Roosevelt Signed the Law That Started It All
FDR signed the Pick-Sloan Flood Control Act on December 22, 1944.
This big law approved several dams throughout the Missouri River basin, including what later became the Yellowtail Dam. The government wanted to stop flooding and help farmers get water in the upper Missouri River area.
Federal officials first checked out the Bighorn River spot back in 1905 to see if a dam would work there.
The Government Set Its Sights on Sacred Crow Land
By 1950, federal officials moved ahead with plans to dam the Bighorn River and flood the canyon. They needed about 7,000 acres of Crow Tribe land to make it happen.
The Bureau of Reclamation drew up three different dam designs during the first half of the 1900s before picking the final plan.
They chose a spot for a 525-foot concrete arch dam because it would create the most water pressure for making power.
A Brilliant Legal Mind Stood Against Washington
Robert Yellowtail broke barriers in 1934 when he became the first Native American to serve as superintendent of his own reservation.
He got his law degree from the University of Chicago and spent decades defending Crow lands from outsiders. The Bighorn Canyon held deep spiritual importance for the Crow people.
Yellowtail stepped down from his role in 1945 to focus on fighting the dam project.
Money Talks But Couldn’t Bridge the Gap
The government started talks by offering the Crow Tribe $1.5 million for the 7,000 acres needed for the dam project.
Tribal leaders valued their sacred land at $5 million, pointing to both its spiritual meaning and money-making potential. Yellowtail showed his legal smarts by suggesting a different approach.
Instead of selling the land outright, he pitched a long-term lease where the government would pay $1 million yearly for 50 years, after which the land would return to the tribe.
Yellowtail’s Bold $50 Million Plan Got Shut Down
Yellowtail took his fight to the top, showing President Eisenhower’s team a big $50 million proposal. His plan included ways to share money that would help the Crow people for generations.
The government flatly said no to this offer, unwilling to pay such a high price or try the creative lease idea.
Federal officials kept pushing ahead with their plans, set on building the dam no matter what the tribe said.
Dirty Tricks Turned Tribe Members Against Their Leader
Dam supporters started a sneaky campaign to weaken Yellowtail’s opposition.
Government workers went door-to-door on the reservation, promising cash to tribal members who backed the dam.
False stories spread through the community about supposed benefits the dam would bring, while others attacked Yellowtail’s motives. These tricks successfully created splits in what had been unified tribal resistance.
The Crow Split Into Opposing Camps
The fight tore apart the normally unified Crow Nation into two groups.
The Mountain Crows stood firmly behind Yellowtail, believing the sacred canyon should stay untouched. The River Crows took the opposite view, thinking the dam would bring jobs and money to their struggling reservation.
This painful split created tensions between families and friends that lasted for generations, changing the social fabric of the tribe.
One Marathon Meeting Changed Everything
After hours of heated debate during a tribal meeting in 1956, the Crow people voted to sell the dam site for $5 million.
The 13-hour session ended with approval by less than 60 votes, showing how divided the community had become. President Eisenhower quickly vetoed this agreement, refusing to pay the $5 million price tag.
This rejection crushed Yellowtail and his supporters, who thought they’d finally reached a compromise everyone could accept.
Congress Forced a Raw Deal on the Tribe
In 1957, Congress stepped in and dictated their own terms: $2.5 million plus the right to sue for more money later.
This amount was exactly half of what the tribe had voted to accept just a year earlier. Despite Yellowtail’s continued protests and legal moves, the political pressure grew too strong.
The government even threatened to end the reservation’s special status and tax breaks if the tribe didn’t take the deal.
Concrete Started Pouring Despite Ongoing Protests
Construction giant Morrison-Knudsen broke ground on the Yellowtail Dam in 1961.
Workers poured the first concrete on March 16, 1963, while Yellowtail still fought through courts to stop it.
The building work gradually took over sacred sites and eventually flooded 72 miles of canyon that had spiritual and cultural meaning to the Crow people for centuries.
Yellowtail filed lawsuit after lawsuit but couldn’t stop the massive federal project.
The Final Insult Came With a Name
Workers completed the Yellowtail Dam in December 1967 after six years of construction. Officials held a formal dedication ceremony on October 31, 1968, revealing the dam’s official name: Yellowtail Dam.
The government had named the massive concrete structure after the very man who had fought hardest to prevent it from being built.
Robert Yellowtail, who had spent decades protecting Crow lands, now had his name permanently attached to the project that flooded his people’s sacred canyon.
Visiting Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Montana
You can learn about Robert Yellowtail’s fight against the dam that flooded sacred Crow lands at Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area with no entrance fees.
Start at Cal S. Taggart Visitor Center at 20 US Hwy 14A in Lovell, Wyoming.
Join free guided kayaking tours on Bighorn Lake during summer, or get caving permits for groups of 3-6 people. All watercraft need aquatic invasive species inspections before entering the water.
This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.
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