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In 1900 to 1904, the U.S. government sold up to 100,000 acres of land right out from under the Rocky Boy Band, an example of extreme malfeasance, that had been set aside for the former Monsomos Band, now Chief Rocky Boy's band. The allotting agent, James McLaughlin held a formal land sale of this land in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. Rocky Boy's people never received the sale of this land; the million dollars from this land sale was distributed as a per capita to the Red Lake Nation.
Rocky Boy lived primarily in southwestern and western Montana. He was fond of the [[Great Falls, Montana]], region. Rocky Boy led a band of about 130 men, women and children. Other Chippewa had settled on reservations of other tribes through no fault of their own. He worked to keep the Chippewa tribal identity alive in Montana, at a time when more whites were settling the land, and expected the Indians to disappear.
Many of Chief Rocky Boy's people failed to understand the implications of their true sovereign attributes and endured many decades with lack of access to an education. Ironically, this is the very reason Chief Rocky Boy petitioned for a homeland after the illegal sale of his 100,000 acres in Thief River, MN. In 1902, in a letter to President Theodore Roosevelt, he petitioned for a reservation and a chance to educate his people.<ref>{{cite book |first1= John C. |last1= Ewers |author-link= John C. Ewers |title= Ethnological report on the Chippewa Cree tribe of the Rocky Boy Reservation and the Little Shell band of Indians
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*Little Bear was a principal leader of some [[Cree]] people in western Canada, leading them to Montana as refugees after [[Riel's Rebellion]].
*Buffalo Coat was an important Chippewa leader in the Great Falls region, including the regions around [[Fort Shaw, Montana]], and to [[Fort Benton, Montana]]. In 1898 he asked for land and citizenship for the landless Chippewa in the Great Falls region. The United States refused to grant Buffalo Coat's people land and citizenship. The United States claimed they had no jurisdiction and, thus, were not capable of granting Buffalo Coat any land.
*''Ka-na-bay-zhic-um,'' or Long Hair, was the chief of the landless Chippewa who lived near the [[Marias River]], which is located north of Great Falls near present-day [[Loma, Montana]], and Fort Benton. It includes land near the [[Blackfeet Indian Reservation]] and the [[Sweet Grass Hills]].
*''Kah-keesh-ka-wash-chah-bay-wo'' was the principal leader of the landless Chippewas on the Crow-Northern Cheyenne Reservation and the immediate region around the [[Billings, Montana]], region. He may have played a role in the attempt by the Cheyenne to break off the [[Northern Cheyenne Reservation]] in 1897.
*Lucky Man was affiliated with Little Bear. He was probably native to western Montana or north central Montana. He fled up to Alberta and Saskatchewan around the time of the 1877 Nez Perce exodus with Little Bear. He returned to Montana with Little Bear.
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Rocky Boy could travel the following railroads for free: B.A. & P; [[Oregon Short Line Railroad|Oregon Short Line]]; [[Rio Grande Western Railway|Rio Grande Western]]; and [[Southern Pacific Railroad]]. Rocky Boy had letters of recommendation from the governor of [[Idaho]], as well as an Idaho District Judge, and several affluent citizens of [[Pocatello, Idaho|Pocatello]], which is next to the [[Fort Hall Reservation]]. He also had many letters of recommendation from many affluent people from [[Utah]]. He was obviously sought after in those locations to help the Chippewa living there, relocate to reservations.
In 1902, Rocky Boy commenced negotiating for a new Chippewa Reservation in Montana. He had several supporters among the whites, including Senator Dixon. Rocky Boy sent a letter to the [[President of the United States]] requesting a reservation. Rocky Boy's original band census, reflecting 139 men, women and children, was taken by Thralls B. Wheat at the order of the Secretary of the Department of the Interior. This roll was taken in 1908, and certified in 1909, Washington, D.C.
===Proposed 1904 Flathead Reservation===
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===The Valley County, Montana Chippewa Reservation===
In 1908, Frank Churchill met and negotiated with Rocky Boy. Rocky Boy told him that Chippewa were living all over Montana including on the [[Blackfeet Reservation]], [[Crow Indian Reservation|Crow Reservation]], Fort Peck Reservation, and the Flathead Reservation, and near white settlements such as Anaconda, [[Billings, Montana|Billings]], Butte, Deer Lodge, [[Garrison, Montana|Garrison]] ([[Ulm, Montana|Ulm]]), [[Havre, Montana|Havre]], [[Glasgow, Montana|Glasgow]], Great Falls, [[Helena, Montana|Helena]], [[Missoula, Montana|Missoula]] and many others. In an attempt to ease the fears of the Chippewa of western Montana and Idaho (Coeur d'Alene Reservation and the defunct [[Lemhi Reservation]]), Churchill requested from the government of the United States that all of [[Valley County, Montana]], be withdrawn from white settlement and a new Chippewa Reservation be set aside in the same said county, covering near 1.4 million acres. Both requests were granted. However, many of the Chippewa from western Montana and Idaho (Coeur d'Alene Reservation and the Lemhi Reservation), were not willing to make the journey and they were charged high rates by railroad owners apparently and that ended that quest. Churchill knew the problem was not over.
===The relocation to the Blackfeet Reservation===
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