"In grateful recognition of the valor and sacrifice of the soldiers killed in action fought on these grounds, between the United States Forces under General George Crook and Sioux and Cheyenne Indians under Chief Crazy Horse. June 17, 1876. 3rd U.S. . . . — — Map (db m148145) HM WM
On Little Bighorn Battlefield Road, on the right when traveling north.
On August 10, 1983 a prairie fire swept over the battlefield, burning nearly 600 acres of dense, thick vegetation. In May and June of 1984 the National Park Service began an unprecedented systematic archeological survey of the Custer Battlefield. . . . — — Map (db m86810) HM
On Little Bighorn Battlefield Road, on the right when traveling south.
In memory of enlisted men 2nd and 7th U. S. Cavalry and 5th U. S, Infantry killed in action near Bear Paw, Montana September 30, 1877 < Left Side of Monument : > 7th U. S. Cavalry Troop A 1st Serg’t Geo. McDermott Serg’t Otto Derglew . . . — — Map (db m86873) HM
Near Little Bighorn Battlefield Road, on the right when traveling south.
This monument was originally erected at Ft. Keogh in 1881 to honor U.S. Army casualties from the 1877 Nez Perce War. PLEASE NOTE: “Hostile Indians” is in historical context with a term used for Native American enemies of the United . . . — — Map (db m86865) HM
This position was held by Co. L commanded by Lt. James Calhoun. It may have been used to hold off Chief Gall and his Sioux warriors and thus protect Custer's advance. From here these soldiers could have attracted Capt. Benteen's column and the pack . . . — — Map (db m21643) HM
On Little Bighorn Battlefield Road, on the right when traveling north.
After separate skirmishing, Custer’s command reunites here. Company L, under Lt. James Calhoun, skirmishes with Gall, Crow King, Two Moons, and other warriors. From here these soldiers could have attracted Capt. Benteen’s column and the pack . . . — — Map (db m86838) HM
After the battle, Sioux and Cheyenne removed their dead and buried them in tipis, scaffolds, and adjacent hillsides in the Little Bighorn valley. Southern Cheyenne Chief “Ve’ho’enohnenehe” (Lame White Man) and Northern Cheyenne . . . — — Map (db m86860) HM
On U.S. 212 at Frontage Road, on the right when traveling west on U.S. 212.
Plagued with the loss of the great buffalo herds, the confinement to reservations, disease, famine, and poverty, Chief Plenty Coups led the Crow people through a painful transition. Gifted with vision, the power of impressive speech, . . . — — Map (db m85999) HM
The white markers on the knolls and in the ravines to the west and southwest show were the troopers of Co, C under Capt. Tom Custer and Co. E under Lt. Smith were found. The Indian encampment lay beyond on the flat across the river. — — Map (db m21645) HM
From this promontory 13 miles away in the Wolf Mountains, Custer's scouts observe the Lakota, and Cheyenne pony herd and evidence of a large village in the valley behind you. Convinced the Indians had spotted his regiment and would soon scatter, . . . — — Map (db m45580) HM
On Little Bighorn Battlefield Road, on the right when traveling south.
From the Crow’s Nest, a vantage point 14 miles away in the Wolf Mountains, Custer’s Crow and Arikara scouts saw evidence of the massive Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho encampment. Convinced that he was discovered, Custer abandoned plans for a . . . — — Map (db m86817) HM
On Little Bighorn Battlefield Road, on the right when traveling north.
After the brief encounter near the river, Custer’s two companies retreat up the ravine to your right known as Deep Coulee. The remainder of Custer’s command skirmishes with warriors on the high ridge ½ mile to your right. Seizing the . . . — — Map (db m86831) HM
Near Little Bighorn Battlefield Road, on the right when traveling south.
Deep Ravine (Crazy Horse Gully & Grey Horse Ravine) was the scene of fierce fighting during the battle. Crazy Horse, and other Sioux and Cheyenne warriors crossed the Little Bighorn River (in front of you) and rode up the ravine during the attack . . . — — Map (db m86800) HM
On Little Bighorn Battlefield Road, on the right when traveling north.
Custer’s command deploys in the current national cemetery area and advances into the basin across the road to your left before withdrawing to Last Stand Hill. Toward the conclusion of the battle, soldiers from Company E moved toward the Deep . . . — — Map (db m86839) HM
On Little Bighorn Battlefield Road, on the right when traveling north.
Warriors ascend the large ravine behind you pursuing Custer’s troops. Soldiers retreat through the area to your front and right. Indians position themselves along the ridge to your left knows as Greasy Grass Ridge. Archeologists discovered numerous . . . — — Map (db m86834) HM
On Little Bighorn Battlefield Road, on the right when traveling south.
Custer National Cemetery, like Arlington National Cemetery, provides a final resting place for many generations of those who faithfully served in the United States armed forces. Here, Americans of many races and beliefs rest side by side. Relive . . . — — Map (db m86846) HM
On Little Bighorn Battlefield Road, on the right when traveling south.
On June 25, 1876, approximately 7,000 Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho, including 1,500 – 2,000 warriors, encamped below on the Greasy Grass River (Little Bighorn). Under the political and spiritual leadership of Tatanka-Iyotanka (Sitting Bull), . . . — — Map (db m86814) HM
On Little Bighorn Battlefield Road, on the right when traveling north.
An Indian memorial to honor Native American participation in the Battle of the Little Bighorn, June 25-26, 1876, and change the name of Custer Battlefield National Monument to Little Bighorn National Monument, was authorized by Congress in 1991 . . . — — Map (db m86804) HM
On Little Bighorn Battlefield Road, on the right when traveling north.
The Indian charge shatters the Calhoun defense and crashes through the soldier position at right, held by Capt. Myles Keogh’s Company I, Crazy Horse and White Bull cut down the retreating soldiers who flee northwest along this ridge in an effort to . . . — — Map (db m86811) HM
On Little Bighorn Battlefield Road, on the right when traveling north.
This knoll was contested by Indians and soldiers. Some evidence indicates soldiers of Company C occupied this position since bodies of Sergeants Finckle and Finley were found here. Indian testimony suggests that Southern Cheyenne war leader Lame . . . — — Map (db m86836) HM
On Little Bighorn Battlefield Road, on the left when traveling north.
Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors surrounded this position near the climax of the battle. Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and approximately 41 men, shoot their horses for breastworks and fight to the death. Custer and several soldiers were . . . — — Map (db m86801) HM
On Little Bighorn Battlefield Road, in the median.
This area was occupied by troops A, B, D, G, H, K, and M, 7th. U.S. Cavalry, and the pack train when they were besieged by the Sioux Indians June 25th and 26th 1876. — — Map (db m21636) HM
(Bottom of Marker):
In memory of
Officers and soldiers who fell near this place
fighting with the 7th United States Cavalry
against the Sioux Indians
on the 25th and 26th of June,
A.D. 1876
(The rest of the marker includes . . . — — Map (db m7022) HM
On Little Bighorn Battlefield Road, on the left when traveling north.
Arikara “I shall not see you (sun) go down behind the mountains tonight . . .I am going home today, not the way we came, but in spirit, home to my people.”- Bloody Knife, Arikara (June 25, 1876) “These Old Scouts, . . . — — Map (db m87723) HM
Advancing down Reno Creek, Custer pauses at a tipi located behind this ridge. The tipi contains the remains of a Sans Arc warrior killed a week before at the Battle of the Rosebud. Indians flee toward the village, prompting Custer to order Reno's . . . — — Map (db m45581) HM
On Little Bighorn Battlefield Road, on the right when traveling north.
After leaving Cedar Coulee, Custer descends toward the Little Bighorn River in the ravine ahead known as Medicine Tail Coulee. Custer probably again divides his command: three companies likely ascend to the higher ridges beyond. Two companies . . . — — Map (db m86824) HM
On Little Bighorn Battlefield Road, on the right when traveling north.
As soldiers descend Medicine Tail Coulee, the Minniconjou and Cheyenne camps were on the western bank. Archeological evidence supports Indian testimony, that initial fighting took place on the flats near the river to your left and cutbank directly . . . — — Map (db m86827) HM
On Little Bighorn Battlefield Road, on the left when traveling north.
Following the battle, the Lakota and Cheyenne removed their dead and buried them in lodges, scaffolds, and the hillsides. Surviving members of the 7th Cavalry hastily buried the soldiers, Indian Scouts, and civilians on June 28, 1876. In 1877, . . . — — Map (db m86844) HM
This National Cemetery, established in 1886, is for interment of those who served honorably in the Armed Forces of the United States. their immediate families also have burial privileges.Many from indian battles of the northwest are buried here. . . . — — Map (db m45551) HM
On Little Bighorn Battlefield Road, on the right when traveling north.
Indian descendants of participants in the Battle of the Little Bighorn helped form the vision of the Indian Memorial. The “Peace Through Unity” theme was conceived by the late Enos Poor Bear, Sr. and Austin Two Moons. Together, they . . . — — Map (db m86806) HM
On Little Bighorn Battlefield Road, on the right when traveling south.
Under mounting pressure, Reno abandons the timber. His retreat disintegrates into a rout as pursuing warriors ride in amongst the troopers killing more than 30 soldiers. Indian casualties are few. Lakota and Cheyennes drive the cavalry across the . . . — — Map (db m86821) HM
On Little Bighorn Battlefield Road, on the right when traveling south.
After fording the Little Bighorn River one mile to your left, Reno’s battalion gallops down the valley below. Convinced he is vastly outnumbered, Reno dismounts, and forms a skirmish line across the valley floor, firing into the lodges. Warriors . . . — — Map (db m86819) HM
Reno's battalion of 175 soldiers, civilian personnel, and Arikara and Crow Scouts halt in the valley and form a thin skirmish line. Warriors race out from the village to oppose him. After 10 minutes of fighting Lakota and Cheyenne warriors outflank . . . — — Map (db m45583) HM
During Reno's retreat from the timber, Crazy Horse, Wooden Leg, Black Elk, and perhaps as many as 600 warriors chase the soldiers across the Little Bighorn River. Reno's casualties are 40 men killed and 13 wounded. The remnants of Reno's command . . . — — Map (db m45584) HM
After the battle, 39 cavalry horses that had been shot for breastworks during Custer’s Last Stand, were found among the dead on Last Stand Hill. In 1879, a temporary cordwood monument was erected by the Army on the crest of the hill. The area, . . . — — Map (db m45604) HM
June 25-26, 1876 - From the ridge to your right, Custer first views the village. Needing more information about the extent of the encampment, he moves further north. After witnessing the beginning of Reno's charge, Custer's five companies descend . . . — — Map (db m45587) HM
After an unsuccessful attack on the Indian camp in the valley, Major Reno and his battalion retreated to this vicinity where they were soon reinforced by Captain Benteen's battalion and the pack train. In an attempt to find and rejoin Custer they . . . — — Map (db m45554) HM
Reno occupies a defensive position in the timber. Determined to defend their village, warriors soon penetrate the woods, convincing Reno that the position is untenable. After fighting for 30 minutes, Reno retreats across the Little Bighorn River. — — Map (db m45585) HM
On Little Bighorn Battlefield Road, on the right when traveling north.
In an attempt to locate Custer, Company D under Captain Thomas Weir advances to this hilltop position without orders late on June 25. Weir may have witnessed the conclusion of the battle three miles ahead. He is later joined by Captain Benteen and . . . — — Map (db m86823) HM
This is the farthest point reached by Capt. Weir in his attempt to assist Custer. Minutes after arriving, his company was joined by Capt. Benteen's company and others. They remained about 45 minutes until mounting warrior pressure forced them back . . . — — Map (db m21640) HM
The hill in front of you was occupied by Lakota, and Cheyenne during the fight on Last Stand Hill. An unknown Sioux warrior wearing a warbonnet was killed here while firing his rifle at soldiers positioned behind a horse barricade on the crest of . . . — — Map (db m45593) HM
On Rosebud Road, 1.5 miles west of State Highway 314.
Be silent, close you eyes, and listen to the breeze as it rustles through the prairie grasses. To many, the whispering sounds make this a spiritual place. Hunans have defined this lans by its uses and the emotions it stimulates.
First . . . — — Map (db m189806) HM
Near Rosebud Road near State Highway 314, on the right when traveling west.
"They made us many promises, more than I can remember, but they never kept but one: they promised to take our land and they took it." - Chief Red Cloud, Oglala Sioux
Major Conflicts of the Plains Indian War
August 19, 1854 Gratten . . . — — Map (db m189765) HM
Near Rosebud Road near State Highway 314, on the right when traveling west.
The words of those engaged in the Battle of the Rosebud, and the people still affected, tell a narrative of the conflict's significance.
Kase'eetsevo' estanevosehaesta'tanemo
(The Fight Where The Girl Saved Her Brother) . . . — — Map (db m189804) HM
Near Rosebud Road, 1.5 miles west of State Highway 314, on the right.
Throughout time, the value of this place has been connected to its rich resources.
Indian families, area landowners, the State of Montana, heritage groups, and conservation organizations, each from their own perspective, acknowledge the . . . — — Map (db m189835) HM
On Garryowen Road, on the right when traveling south.
Garryowen, the old Irish tune, was the regimental marching song of the 7th U.S. Cavalry, General Custer's command.
The Battle of the Little Big Horn commenced in the valley just east of here June 25, 1876, after Custer had . . . — — Map (db m67897) HM
On Frontage Road (Interstate 90 at milepost 514), on the left when traveling south.
Where the Battle of Little Big Horn Began
June 25, 1876
(map of battlefield)
(showing Custer’s column, Reno’s column, Indian camp, Last Stand Hill)
Custer Battlefield Museum — — Map (db m98277) HM WM
On I-90 Frontage Road, on the left when traveling south.
On this site in 1876 the historic Battle of the Little Big Horn began. “When we stand side by side in the circle of no beginning and no ending, the first maker, creator of all things, is in the center. He hears the words of supplication and . . . — — Map (db m86022) HM
On North Custer Avenue near Fifth Street West when traveling north.
Building contractor Ernest Adler constructed these attached, flat roofed storefronts between 1914 and 1920. A German immigrant, Adler was one of Hardin’s most prolific builders. Situated on the edge of the business district, the one-story brick . . . — — Map (db m189252) HM
On West Third Street (Old U.S. Highway 87) at North Crow Avenue, on the right when traveling west on West Third Street (Old U.S. Highway 87).
Hardin women began raising money for a library in 1909. Numerous fundraisers followed, and in 1912 a hundred-book library opened in the home of Walter and Ella Fearis. After the city passed a mill levy in 1914, Walter Fearis wrote library benefactor . . . — — Map (db m189329) HM
On North Custer Avenue at 5th Street West, on the right when traveling north on North Custer Avenue.
Hardin women began raising money for a library in 1909. Numerous fundraisers followed, and in 1912 a hundred-book library opened in the home of Walter and Ella Fearis. After the city passed a mill levy in 1914, Walter Fearis wrote library benefactor . . . — — Map (db m189254) HM
On East Railway Street near North Central Avenue, on the right when traveling east.
Hardin’s first railroad depot was moved from Fort Custer after being cut into small sections and transported by train over the Big Horn Bridge. That depot was expanded in 1909, but was deemed inadequate after the homestead boom dramatically . . . — — Map (db m189370) HM
Captain Edward Ball, leading two companies of the Second Cavalry from the Montana Column, was ordered to scout along the Bighorn as far south as the 1868 ruins of Fort C.F. Smith. The detachment was then to cross over the divide to the Little . . . — — Map (db m189447) HM
On Grant Marsh Loop (Road 147) near State Highway 47.
Captain Grant Marsh (1834-1916), one of the most skilled riverboat pilots on the Upper Missouri
during the steamboat era, figured prominently in both the events leading up to the Battle of the Little
Bighorn and its aftermath.
The steamboat . . . — — Map (db m189458) HM
On West Third Street (Old U.S. Highway 87) near North Chouteau Avenue, on the left when traveling west.
As Hardin’s residential neighborhoods began to take shape during the 1910s and 1920s, the new Craftsman style emerged as a favored design. Its popularity was partly due to the ready availability and low cost of the machine-made, mass-produced . . . — — Map (db m189330) HM
"Fort Custer--Established as a military post November 1877 by order of President Rutherford B. Haynes and General Phil H. Sheridan. Garrisoned as one of the important Military posts in the Northwest until abandoned by the Government, September 1897. . . . — — Map (db m148124) HM
On North Crawford Avenue near West 6th Street, on the left when traveling north.
In 1900, John Svaren left his home in Bergen, Norway, to join family in South Dakota. There he learned English before homesteading to North Dakota in 1909. With his bride, Betsy, Svaren arrived in Hardin in 1917 to build a home. He applied his . . . — — Map (db m189331) HM
On North Central Avenue near West 3rd Street (Old U.S. Highway 87), on the right when traveling north.
Long before fur trappers entered the Bighorn Valley, Crows, Sioux, and Cheyennes vied for the area’s abundant game. In 1876, Sioux and Cheyenne warriors defeated the U.S. Army at the Battle of the Little Bighorn; the following year, the Army . . . — — Map (db m189333) HM
On North Central Avenue at 2nd Street West, on the left on North Central Avenue.
German immigrant Anton Becker had great faith in Hardin’s future. Becker bought this lot on May 30, 1907, the day town lots went on sale. He soon constructed a two-story brick building, in front of which he installed Hardin’s first cement sidewalk. . . . — — Map (db m189367) HM
On North Central Avenue near 2nd Street West, on the left when traveling north.
The elaborate corbelling on the front façade and the parapet above the transom evoke the glory days of this building, which long provided recreation for Hardin residents. German immigrant Anton Becker, owner of the hotel next door, constructed the . . . — — Map (db m189365) HM
On West 4th Street near North Central Avenue, on the left when traveling west.
Montana created twenty-six counties during its 1910 county-splitting craze. Among them was Big Horn County, carved from portions of Yellowstone and Rosebud Counties in 1913. Private entrepreneurs constructed the new county’s first courthouses. In . . . — — Map (db m189332) HM
On East Railway Street near North Central Avenue, on the left when traveling west.
A 30-car cross-country extravaganza, has been called "Montana's greatest publicity stunt". The Centennial Train, which commemorated creation of Montana Territory, also honored 75 years of statehood. The State commissioned Lyman Rice to paint 150 . . . — — Map (db m189445) HM
On North Central Avenue near Second Street West, on the left when traveling north.
Charles and Rushann Schneider built this two-story brick business block in 1910. Anticipating the arrival of electricity by four years, the Schneiders had their building wired during its construction. The exterior’s relative simplicity reflects the . . . — — Map (db m189363) HM
On North Custer Avenue near 8th Street West, on the left when traveling north.
St. Joseph’s Catholic Church of Hardin was founded by Jesuit missionaries to the Crow Indians. Fr. Thomas Grant of St. Francis Xavier’s Mission purchased three town lots for $425 in 1908. The Jesuits constructed a plain, gable-front wooden building . . . — — Map (db m189251) HM
On West Third Street (Old U.S. Highway 87) near North Central Avenue, on the left when traveling west.
On May 4, 1917, Hardin celebrated the “formal opening of the Gay block . . . with a grand ball in the south store room of this magnificent structure.” The storage area’s hardwood floor was perfect for dancing, and construction of the two-story brick . . . — — Map (db m189361) HM
On State Highway 47 at milepost 6 near 23, on the right when traveling north.
Once upon a time, railroads ruled Montana's transportation landscape. When the first railroad reached Montana in 1881, it began a process where, by 1916, over 5,200 miles of steel track criss-crossed the state. The railroad transformed some . . . — — Map (db m189446) HM
The great plains of eastern Montana was home to thousands of
buffalo before Euro-American hunters nearly wiped them out in the
early 1800’s. The animals were central to the Indian lifeway. In the
dog days, hunters herded buffalo into corrals . . . — — Map (db m99063) HM
