The trail that had been threatening their way of life was closed.

The soldiers who had been stationed in their country were gone.

For the Lakota people who had lived through the two years of resistance — who had watched family members die in engagements, who had managed the logistical challenge of sustaining a campaign across vast distances while also maintaining their communities, who had endured the uncertainty of fighting an opponent with nearly unlimited resources — the treaty represented a validation that their effort had been worthwhile.

Red Cloud himself was recognized within the Lakota world as the leader most associated with this achievement.