In 1874, while on a military expedition, Custer’s men found gold in the Black Hills in South Dakota.
It didn’t take long for the word to get out and attract thousands of gold hunters to the area.
This led to a conflict with the resident Native American tribes, called the Black Hills War, in which the Native Americans defeated Custer and his troops at the Battle of Little Big Horn.
But the Native Americans were eventually forced out, and the gold mine called the Homestake began producing more gold than any mine in the United States.
