The economic calculation of maintaining these posts was unfavorable from almost the beginning.

The cost of the military operations required to supply and protect the forts, measured against the actual civilian use of the trail (which had essentially ceased), produced a negative return that was difficult to justify to a Congress already focused on post-Civil War fiscal pressures.

The Multiple Nations and Their Specific Interests

The coalition that sustained the resistance against the Bozeman Trail forts was not monolithic, and understanding the different interests and perspectives of the various nations involved adds important nuance to the story.

The Oglala Lakota, Red Cloud’s people, had the most direct connection to the Powder River Country and the most concentrated interest in keeping the trail closed.