Born in 1822 near North Platte, Nebraska, Red Cloud became chieftain of the Ogallala Sioux Indians and led a successful campaign to halt the use of the Bozeman Trail, which crossed a popular Sioux hunting ground. He protested that it would destroy the buffalo and, thus, the livelihood of the Sioux. Red Cloud died in 1909.
The courage and leadership of American Indian tribal chiefs such as Red Cloud provided the foundation for negotiations between the United States government and native populations.
The Postal Service honored Red Cloud with the 38th issue in its Great Americans Series. Robert Alexander Anderson of Lexington, Massachusetts, designed the stamp.
