The history of Salt Creek began in Indiana 1992 to bring awareness and help put a stop to the Native American ancestral graves that were being drug up and looted by grave robbers throughout Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio. Lakota Medicine man Elmer Running of Rose Bud South Dakota was staying at the home of Chief Steve McCullough during this time and became concerned about the grave looting taking place at the Slack farm in Uniontown Kentucky. Elmer Running filled a sacred pipe and offered it to Steve McCullough to help him bring a Sundance to Indiana to bring a halt the grave digging and to soothe the spirits of the dead. This was before there were any laws to protect Native graves from being looted.
Before the Sundance began Chief Steve McCullough meet with AIM officials in Kentucky at the home of Sgt. Miles Heart with Dennis Banks, Kenny Erwin, Tom Montezuma, Chico Dulak, Bill and John Thomas (Oklahoma Shawnee tribe) and told them that Elmer Running wanted to bring a Sundance to Indiana. They all had a sweat lodge ceremony and all came to a agreement for Chief Steve McCullough to work with Elmer and to go ahead with the dance and that they would like to be a part of it.
Before the Salt Creek Sundance it was forbidden for Native Americans to have any spiritual gatherings such as Sundance’s with a permit on National Parks in America. Salt Creek Sundance set the precedent in North America as the very first Sundance to be held at a National Park. Hawaii senator Daniel Inouye a activist for Native issues he seen the history of what Salt Creek had accomplished, then passed law in Washington D.C. and opened all National Parks across America that Native people can have ceremonies and social gatherings legally. Salt Creek Sundance was the first Sundance in American history to be granted a permit to hold a Sundance on National Park service land. Up and until this law was passed even the National Parks in the Black Hills of South Dakota was forbidden for Natives to hold any gatherings or sun dances. Today thanks to precedents Salt Creek Sundance set it opened all National Park services across America for American Indians.