Medora in Billings County, North Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
American Indian Leaders
Three prominent leaders among the Lakota and Dakota Sioux who called this region home and resisted encroachment by white Americans were Tatanka Iyotake (Sitting Bull), Pizi (Gall), and Inkpaduta (Red Point).
Sitting Bull, born in 1831, became an international figure when his coalition of native tribes defeated Lt. Col. George Custer and his Seventh Cavalry at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in Montana in 1876. Sitting Bull retreated to Canada in 1877. Facing starvation in 1991, Sitting Bull and the last of his followers returned and surrendered.
Sitting Bull toured with Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show in 1885 and was killed in 1890 on the Standing Rock Reservation in South Dakota during an arrest attempt.
Gall was born in 1840. He followed Sitting Bull to Canada but returned in 1880 to surrender. He settled on the Standing Rock Reservation, where he became a tribal judge. Gall died in 1894.
Red Point was a Dakota from Iowa and Minnesota. Born about 1810, he fled that area in 1857 after leading his small band in an uprising against white settlers near Spirit Lake. Red Point moved west of the Missouri River and allied himself with Sitting Bull and Gall. Red Point retreated to Canada, where he died about 1879.
These men and other equally influential leaders are recognized today for their courage and leadership in the tragic collision of cultures.
(Marker Number 1.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Native Americans.
Location. 46° 54.763′ N, 103° 31.396′ W. Marker is in Medora, North Dakota, in Billings County. Marker is at the intersection of Pacific Avenue and 4th Street, on the right when traveling west on Pacific Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Medora ND 58645, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Western Entertainment (here, next to this marker); CCC Camp (here, next to this marker); Law Enforcement (within shouting distance of this marker); Billings County Courthouse (within shouting distance of this marker); Medora Education (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Margaret Roberts (about 400 feet away); Hunting and Trapping (about 500 feet away); Custer Trail (about 500 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Medora.
More about this marker. Portraits of Sitting Bull, Gall, and Sitting Bull with William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody appear on the marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on August 27, 2015, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 480 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 27, 2015, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.