January-February 2021 • Nebraskaland 27
Pine Ridge helped them avoid the
cavalry soldiers.
Some made it as far as a hiding
sp ot on Antelope Creek 35 miles away
before soldiers caught up with them,
but all of the escapees were eventually
either killed or recaptured. The
tragedy resulted in the death of 64 of
the Native Americans and 11 soldiers.
While most historical materials
refer to the event as the Cheyenne
Outbreak, modern historians have
preferred the term Cheyenne Breakout,
as it provides greater respect to the
Native Americans and more accurately
portrays the event. "Outbreak," they
say, is a term often used to describe
disease and has connotations the
Cheyennes were the source of the
Fort Robinson visitors can step back to the tense moments of January 1879 at the
reconstructed barracks of the Cheyenne Breakout.
From atop the buttes, the grandeur of the Pine Ridge is accentuated by sunrise.
