Hardin — Gate to the Crow Indian Reservation
Hardin 15 miles west of Little Bighorn (Custer) Battlefield, organizes the Custer’s Last Stand Reenactment, and celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2007.
The Custer’s Last Stand Reenactment, June 22-24, 2012, sponsored by the Hardin Area Chamber
of Commerce and Agriculture, also features scenes from Lewis & Clark’s famous journey, the first forays of white mountain men and settlers into the
Montana Territories, and Sitting Bull’s legendary Sun Dance, which presaged the warriors’ victory over Custer at the Little Bighorn.
In a script written from notes by Crow Tribal Historian Joe Medicine Crow, the
Reenactment tells the tale of the Battle of the Little Bighorn from the Indian
perspective.
Group ticket rates are available. For more information, call toll-free (888)
450-3577, or order tickets online at www.custerslaststand.org.
Videos detailing the historic battle are also on sale at the Hardin Chamber
office, 665-1672.
Little Bighorn Days, June 20-24, is an event that surrounds the reenactment with a parade, art shows
and vendor booths. It features the Little Bighorn Symposium and a military
ball.
Big Horn County Historical Museum and State Visitor Center is easily accessible off I-90, or Exit 495 through downtown Hardin.
The museum is located on a 35 acre site, once a flourishing vegetable farm that
includes the original farmhouse and barn. Through the years 26 authentic
historic structures from throughout the county have been saved and moved to the
site. Each building features exhibits that represent that era. Along with the
historic buildings, three structures were built on site to provide exhibit
space for the horse drawn equipment, extensive collection of restored tractors
and farm equipment, and a main exhibit building that serves as a visitor
center, office and gift shop. Current restoration projects include the Will
James studio and a homestead house.
This living storybook of early Montana shows the diversity of items that were
used by early-day settlers.
A new 13,690 sq. ft. building is being constructed just west of the existing
building. The new facility will provide a climate controlled environment, a
larger gallery and proper archival space, a multi-media/educational room, a
larger gift shop and expanded restrooms.
Whether you are looking for local, regional or state information, the friendly
visitor center staff is eager to provide brochures and to assist with
directions.
Enjoy the gift shop and interpretive exhibits 8-6 daily May-Sept., 9-5 M-F
Oct.-April. Admission is $5A, $4Sr, $3St. 12+, 11 and under free.
Hardin’s Historic District starts near Railroad Street and Center Avenue through the 200 and 400 blocks,
plus buildings facing 3rd Street from Cheyenne Ave. to Crow Ave. The District
earned a listing on the National Historic Register in 1984.
The Hotel Becker is the anchor of the Historic District. Built on the third lot
sold in 1907, the front part of the hotel is 104 years old. The third floor was
finished in 1917. Check out the ghost signs on the north side and on the back.
Visitors can still stroll the streets and shop in buildings that were original
to the town site. Drive down Railroad Street to see the Best Out West Enriched
Flour sign on the Sheridan Elevator.
Call 406-629-0134 to schedule a walking tour with Historic Preservation Officer
Mary Slattery. The Historic Preservation Office is the place to find
information about businesses that have occupied the historic structures. Big
Horn County information is also on the National Register data base.
Crow Agency, just 1 mile west of Little Bighorn Battlefield, is the location of the Crow
Fair, held annually the third weekend of August. A Powwow is held in
conjunction with the fair and rodeo. The authentic Indian event features
colorful costumes made with feathers, rawhide, and millions of beads. Parades,
dancing contests, racing events and pari-mutuel betting are featured daily.
Visitors are always welcome.
Crow Agency has a hospital designed with unique Indian architecture. The Crow
tribe has its own government.
The Crow Reservation, covering about 2,500,000 acres in Big Horn County,
encompasses Lodge Grass, St. Xavier, Crow Agency, Pryor and Fort Smith.
encompasses Lodge Grass, St. Xavier, Crow Agency, Pryor and Fort Smith.
Custer Battlefield Museum at Garryowen, Montana, I-90 Exit 514, where the Battle of the Little Bighorn began, is open from
8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily through the summer and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Labor Day through
Memorial Day. Enjoy a 20-minute film offered hourly. Entrance fees are $4 per
person and $3 for seniors. Children 12 and under are free. The museum is closed
on major holidays.
From Garryowen, visitors can view the Tomb of the Unknown soldier and the most
famous locations associated with the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
Founded in 1995, the museum has been an additional tourism draw to the
battlefield area and features artifacts directly related to George Armstrong
Custer, Plains Indians, and one of the best western photography collections in
Montana.
Other highlights include the only photograph ever taken of Oglala Sioux Chief
Crazy Horse; Thomas Ward Custer's (George Custer's brother) revolver, a weapon
owned and used by one of only five soldiers in American history to be awarded
the Medal of Honor twice, George Custer's original West Point classroom roster,
and Elizabeth Custer's handwritten manuscript for her retrospective
autobiography, "Boots and Saddles."
Additionally, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is on the grounds, with sentinel
busts of Custer and Sitting Bull on either side of it. At this location, 50
years to the day after the battle, One Bull and General Edward S. Godfrey pledged peace between the formerly conflicting sides.
Contact the museum at 638-1876 or info@custermuseum.org.
Where the Battle of the Little Bighorn Began
By Tyler Baldwin
One hundred and twenty-nine years later, the land still yields up its
long-hidden secrets — a bead here, a button there, a flint, a piece of metal, a scrap of leather. One
hundred and twenty-nine years later, the tiny town of Garryowen honors those
who left these silent reminders on the battlefield at its feet.
In the summer of 1876, Garryowen, Montana, didn’t exist. That summer, the land along the Little Bighorn River served as a
temporary home to the largest Indian gathering ever recorded on the Northern
American continent — an enormous village of Northern Cheyenne and Lakota Sioux, led by the great
warrior chief Sitting Bull and hunted by a determined General Custer.
Sitting Bull made his camp at the upper end of the Sioux Village, where
Garryowen stands today. It was there that the first skirmishes of the fateful
Battle of the Little Bighorn took place. For two days, Indian warriors and
soldiers clashed along the length of the valley, and when the dust finally
settled, General George Armstrong Custer and all the soldiers of the Seventh
Cavalry that accompanied him were dead. News of the Army’s great defeat would astound the world and its repercussions would forever
change the face of the West and the lives of those that lived there.
One hundred and twenty-nine years later, that battle still shapes the land and
the lives of those that live nearby.
Honors Little Bighorn Last Stand Tribes
Completion of the Indian Memorial at Little Bighorn Battlefield National
Monument is the result of years of work. It was formally dedicated at the Peace
Through Unity ceremonies at the battlefield June 25, 2001.
In 1988, descendants of Indian battle participants protested the lack of an
Indian Memorial at the national monument. Congress authorized the memorial, and
President George Bush approved it in 1991. Public Law 102-201 renamed Custer
Battlefield as Little Bighorn Battlefield and called for construction and
maintenance of a memorial to recognize Indians who participated in the Battle
of the Little Bighorn.
Location of the memorial at an appropriate site on the battlefield involved
tribal elders Enos Poor Bear Sr., Oglala Sioux, and Austin Two Moons, Northern
Cheyenne. Design was by competition. From 554 designs, the committee selected
Colleen Cutschall’s outline of The Spirit Warriors. A 2002 Congressional Appropriations Bill
funded the memorial.
Dedication events were hosted by the National Park Service and tribes
historically affiliated with the world-famous Battle of the Little Bighorn — Fort Peck Sioux Tribe of Montana, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribes of South Dakota,
Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of North Dakota,
Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, Lower Brule Sioux Tribe of South Dakota,
Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Montana, Arapaho Tribe of Wyoming, Southern
Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, and Three Affiliated Tribes of North
Dakota, Arikara, Mandan, and Hidatsa.
The public was invited to the dedication events. Tribal spiritual and ceremonial
leaders conducted a private site dedication from sunrise until 9 a.m. The
official program, open to the public, ran from 10 a.m. until noon. Former
battlefield superintendents and tribal representatives opened the ceremonies.
Crow Tribe Chairman Carl Venne gave the opening address, along with Montana
Governor Judy Martz. Keynote speakers were U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell
of (D) Colorado, and former Montana Congressman Pat Williams (D).
Refreshments and lunch were provided. An open forum with speakers and
presentations was held from 1 p.m. to sunset. Events were free and entrance
fees were waived for June 24-26.
Crow Tribal Chairman Venne hosted a reception at 6 p.m. at the tribal complex,
and the tribe held a rodeo, horse races, and a powwow.
