The Great Plains was once known as the Great American Desert due to the lack of rainfall and trees in the region. The region was once filled with over 20 million buffalo and numerous Native American tribes including the Lakota (Sioux), Arapa

Around 250,000 native peoples inhabited the Great Plains in 1850. The advent of the transcontinental railroad, the discovery of valuable minerals, and the actions of the federal government would lead to the increase of settlement on the Great Plains.