Black Hawk, originally known as Black Sparrow Hawk, led a dissident band of Sauk and Fox Indians into the Rock River Valley of northwest Illinois in the spring of 1832 in an attempt to reclaim tribal lands from American settlers. This move precipitated the tragic Black Hawk War and led to the decimation of the band by the Illinois Militia and the U.S. Army. One of the main encounters was the Battle of Stillman Run, in present Stillman Valley, on May 14, 1832.