The Arikara War was the first U.S. Army deployment west of the Missouri River and the only armed conflict between the U.S. and the Arikara nation.
Key Facts
- Year
- 1823
- Location
- Upper Missouri River, present-day South Dakota
- First U.S. Army operation
- First deployment west of the Missouri River
- Conflict status
- First and only conflict between U.S. and Arikara
- Historical characterization
- Worst disaster in Western fur trade history
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Arikara attacked U.S. citizens engaged in the fur trade along the Upper Missouri River, provoking a military response from the United States. This assault was considered the worst disaster in the history of the Western fur trade and created an impetus for the U.S. Army to intervene directly.
The United States Army was deployed west of the Missouri River into the Unorganized Territory — present-day South Dakota — to engage the Arikara in 1823. This was the first such Army operation on the Great Plains and the singular armed conflict between the two parties.
The Arikara War established a precedent for U.S. military operations on the Great Plains west of the Missouri River. It marked the definitive end of open hostilities between the Arikara and the United States, as it remained the only conflict between the two, and signaled expanding American military reach into the frontier.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent