History Continues To Echo Today....

It is possible to sometimes place past historic events into a type of vacuum, where all the people and events were simply plot in a story. History, however, does not live solely on the shelves of historians or archaeologists it reifies cultural identity, challenges accepted narratives, and serves as a nexus of pain, grief, triumph, glory, nationalism, traditionalism, and the whole host of human experience.

Perhaps in no more direct way the legacy of the Indian Wars of the late 19th century continues to shape current politics and society, and at all times the past pain and injustice flow in a ceaseless river into the present.

On December 26, 1862, 38 members of the Dakota tribe were hung in Mankata, Minnesota at the conclusion of the U.S.-Dakota War that swept through the Upper Midwest in the early days of the overshadowing Civil War. Only direct intervention by President Abraham Lincoln lowered the number of potential hangings from over 300 to the 38 comprising the largest mass hanging in U.S. history.  Since 2005, current members of the Dakota brave the frozen terrain of Minnesota in honor of their ancestors in a 300 mile horseback trek.

Past events not only shape the way our current life plays out through a domino chain of cause and effect, but deeply affects the very core of people who live personally with the consequences of history. This is a reminder to all of us who practice history, or archaeology, to never lose sight of the direct impact of history on current peoples of all backgrounds.

Please read more about this event and the history surrounding it here:

Archaeological Investigation of the Battle of the Rosebud

In 2009, the University of Montana's Department of Anthropology was approached by Montana State Parks Heritage Resources Coordinator Sara Scott, to initiate intensive archaeological investigations of the Rosebud Battlefield State Park. Graduate Student Thomas Milter, working with his advisor Dr. Kelly J. Dixon, began working on plans to conduct fieldwork at the site.

UM Master's Student Tom Milter (right), and MSP Archaeologist Sara Scott (Left) investigate the Kobold Buffalo Jump. Photo by N. Boyless.

Between the 1950s and the 1980s, avocational and amatuer archaeologists and historians investigated the site themselves, finding hundreds of artifacts relating to the June 17, 1876 engagement (Such as J.W. Vaughn's "With Crook at the Rosebud"). Unfortunately, these investigators lacked the precise technology to accurately map the locations of these finds, which would have allowed a much better understanding of the battle. While the work of these early investigators proved that intact archaeological materials remained, their investigations damaged the site by removing these artifacts without exact positions. Without maintaining control of the exact location of artifacts it becomes impossible to know where they found the cartridge casings or impacted bullets, which destroys the potential for scholars to interpret movements of people and units during the course of the battle.

Modern technology like the highly accurate backpack Global Positioning System (GPS) pictured here, helps archaeologists to map all artifacts within 3-4 feet of where it was found. Photo by T. Milter.

Milter's first step in initiating the renewed archaeological investigation of the Rosebud Battle, was to attempt to locate the artifacts from the earlier investigations. Sadly, the passage of time has left the original collections in disarray, spread to several different historical societies, museums, private collections, or simply disappeared. Tom has spent years relocating as many of these artifacts as possible and analyzed them for inclusion in his Master's Thesis.

A second step, involved planning the fieldwork to be conducted by teams of archaeologists, students, and volunteers. This stage brought in the involvement of Chris Merritt, a Ph.D. Student at the University of Montana who was wrapping up his dissertation work on the Chinese in Montana, and faciliated several field projects throughout the state. Merritt, Milter, Scott and Dixon began preparations for the fieldwork that occurred in 2011.

The 2011 fieldwork was created to 1) provide college students an opportunity to learn archaeological method and theory, 2) determine if the Rosebud Battlefield State Park still contained significant subsurface archaeological remains associated with the engagement, and 3) increase public and agency awareness of the significance of the battle, park, and the potenital for partnerships.

Also in 2011, the University of Montana received a grant through the American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) adminstered by the National Park Service. The grant is designed to not work solely on the State Park,  but to work with adjacent private landowners to increase protection of the entire battlefield, not only the portion managed by Montana State Parks (MSP). Thus, Milter and Dixon began to contact landowners around the park boundaries to touch base, negotiate potential fieldwork access, and to build bridges of cooperation that the MSP can use to better manage the park and battlefield.

Crew and students working with a private landowner to catalog and analyze artifacts from their land during the 2012 field school. Photo by K. Dixon.

The fieldwork accomplished by UM and MSP in 2011 and 2012 owes much to those individuals who cared and protected for the battlefield before creation of the State Park such as Slim Kobold and other families such as the Iekel, Huffman, Young, Kollmar, Lanham, and many others. In following posts I will describe the fieldwork and its results.

A Brief Tour of Rosebud Battlefield State Park: Part II

After the events of June 17, 1876, the area comprising Rosebud Battlefield State Park forever transitioned from the purview of Native American tribes to homesteading and ranching by Euro-Americans. By the late 1880s, many areas along Rosebud Creek and Tongue River were claimed by homesteaders looking for a new chance in the American West. Within the bounds of what is today the State Park, several homesteaders claimed significant acreage between 1890 and 1910s. Two of these left the most indelible marks on the landscape, two German families the Kollmar and Kobold.

The Kollmar's established a homestead in the western part of the State Park, straddling a small tributary of Rosebud Creek, now bearing the name of its first white inhabitants, Kollmar Creek. A ruined homestead, fallow fields, and a solitary grave overlooking Kollmar Creek are all that remain of the Kollmar's legacy at the Rosebud. Field research in 2012, identified a small itinerant campsite just upstream from the Kollmar Homestead, and might indicate either an isolated cow camp, or more likely, the possible first area where the family lived while constructing their home in the early 20th century. Identified through metal detecting by University of Montana staff and students, the rock-lined platform and associated domestic refuse, provides researchers with a glimpse into the first white settlers in the State Park boundaries.

2012 University of Montana Crew standing on three corners of a newly discovered tent  platform along Kollmar Creek.

A large piece of a cast-iron stove found near the tent platform during the 2012 Rosebud project.

By far, the Kobold family has played the most important role in shaping the historic landscape of Rosebud Battlefield State Park after 1900. Elmer "Slim" Kobold, first claimed 180 acres of land within the State Park in 1911-1912, and even left his name next to the centuries-old Native American inscriptions at the buffalo jump in his first year. The Kobold's constructed their frame home along the northern bank of Rosebud Creek in the 1910s-1920s, and the family lived through the hard years of the Great Depression, through World War 2, and finally abandoning the home in the 1970s when ownership was transferred to the State of Montana. During the mid-20th Century, Slim purchased and consolidated almost 3,100 acres of land adjacent to his original homestead, acquiring land claims from surrounding families including the Kollmars. Of these 3000 acres, it appears that Kobold tilled over 800 for production of hay, as evidenced by the tall grass fallow fields that dot the State Park today. Almost all of these original fields are still visible today from aerial photographs and on the ground, even 40 years after they were last tilled by Slim and his family.



Inscription of "Slim K. 1911" on the face of the Buffalo Jump in Rosebud  Battlefield State Park. Photo by N. Boyless.

 During the 2011 and 2012 field projects at the battlfield, crews continue to find more tangible remnants of the Kobold legacy, through abandoned tractor parts in and around the historic fields, and through identification of several small dumps throughout the property. A small dump on the edge of Crook's Hill, comprised of 1930s era ceramics and glass, provides a picture of perhaps a small family picnic by the Kobolds, while they enjoyed the expansive and pristine vista of natural beauty and decades of hard work. Closer to the Kobold Homestead (still in use today as the State Park's headquarters and housing for its employees and caretakers), is a massive 1920s-1940s era historic dump located on a small rise. This dump is impressive in its size, and its ability to tell researchers about the lives of the Kobolds during the mid-20th century. Historic trash within this dump includes Depression-era colorful "Fiesta-ware" ceramics, amber-colored Chlorox and Purex bleach bottles, food cans, equipment and parts from both automobiles and tractors, butchered animal bones, and any other manner of trash we would throw out today. This dump existed well before Rosebud County, Montana possessed any centralized landfill or garbage system, leading residents to take care of their  trash problem themselves. Placing the trash upon the top of this hill protected the water in Rosebud Creek from contamination, thus continuing clean drinking water for the Kobolds and all those downstream.

Domestic trash likely left by the Kobold's in the 1930s. Note the brightly colored Fiesta-ware, designed by its makers to bring a little brightness into  the depths of the Great Depression.

Within this dump there is significant information for archaeologists, historians,  and anthropologists. From the faunal (animal) bones we can determine if the Kobold's butchered their own cattle or went to a professional butcher. What types of meat cuts did the Kobold's preferred? Did they prefer beef, mutton, or  pig? Or a mixture of all three? From the bottles and cans we can see what types of foods and goods the Kobold's could not grow themselves and thus had to purchase from a store many miles away. Dozens of Mason jars and their lids scattered throughout the refuse pile reflects the common rural practice of canning and storing of foods grown themselves in a garden, an extremely common historical practice that is only now coming back into vogue during the 21st century. The distinct lack of liquor or beer bottles in this dump provides a personal image of abstinence from alcholic drinks by the Kobold family, or perhaps the dumping of these types of evidence somewhere as of yet out of view.

In 2011, archaeologists discovered a long-forgotten steel and chrome 1930s-1950s "Ford" emblem north of the Kobold Homestead in a road heading to a field worked by Kobold.

All the historic homesteading sites, whether homestead or trash dump are being recorded by archaeologists so that these interesting facets of the State Park's history can be protected alongside the materials of the 1876 engagement or the several thousand years of prehistoric occupations before that. Archaeological remains of historic homesteading can give researchers an important entrance into how the landscape of the State Park has been modified (fields, roads, ditches, etc.) and how these diverse peoples lived, and sometimes died, along Rosebud Creek. University of Montana staff and students are working on formally recording these dumps so that State Park managers can adequately protect and preserve these pieces of the area's legacy for future generations. Intentional looting or careless collection of artifacts will destroy these indicators of past peoples and hamper our ability to understand life that doesn't seem so far away (50 to 100 years ago) but in today's digital and electronic age these lives and activities are as important yet nearly forgotten as prehistoric peoples.

When you visit the Rosebud Battlefield State Park, take time to enjoy and reflect upon the entirety of the area's history from the nomadic tribes using the land for hunting and gathering, to the hardy German homesteaders who forged a life from themselves and posterity upon the rich and fertile landscape of Rosebud Creek.

A Brief Tour of Rosebud Battlefield State Park: Part I

To set the stage for understanding the battlefield as it was, it is important to know the area as it was and is today. This first installment of the tour begins with the original inhabitants of the area.

Currently, Montana State Parks manages just slightly over 3000 acres of the core battlefield, but the June 17, 1876 engagement is not the only significant part of this landscape.

For over an estimated 7,000 years, humans lived on this landscape and left indelible marks upon the landscape. The rich abundance of plant, water and animal resources near Rosebud Creek drew Native American groups for several millenia. A traditional part of the Crow and Northern Cheyenne territories, the area comprised within the State Park boundary contains significant remnants of prehistoric occupations. The central fixture of the prehistoric use of the State Park is a 200' long sandstone cliff that Native American groups used as a buffalo jump (similar to that at First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park and Madison Buffalo Jump State Park).  Native American groups would divert herds of buffalo from the east near Rosebud Creek's north-flowing path, up and westward over a natural terrace and over the edge of the jump. Dr. George Frison, archaeologist, of the University of Wyoming conducted limited test excavations underneath Rosebud Battlefield's State Park in the 1970s, and the jump is known as the Kobold Buffalo Jump.

A view of the Kobold Buffalo Jump, facing to the northeast. Photo by Nate Boyless.

2011 Students & Staff Checking out the Kobold Buffalo Jump. Photo by Nate Boyless.



Prehistoric peoples carved elaborate art into the rock face of the buffalo jump. This type of rock art is called petroglyphs, as it is inscribed into the rock, versus pictographs which is made with pigment (usually red ochre). The rock art on the Kobold Buffalo Jump are comprised of a relatively common motif on the Great Plains, shield-bearing warriors. These images usually show a human-esque form holding a round or oval shaped shield with only the head and arms showing (and sometimes legs). Before introduction of the horse to the Great Plains, most of the warfare was completed with shields, lances (spears), and war clubs, which are all depicted in this type of rock art. The shields usually contain some type of artistic pattern that likely represents a religious or clan symbol. Rock art is a popular research are in the region and more is yet to be learned.

  

A Shield-Bearing Warrior on the Kobold Buffalo Jump.



Besides the buffalo jump, Rosebud Battlefield State Park contains nearly 100 other areas of prehistoric occupations including small campsites, tipi rings, rock cairns, sweat lodges, and eagle-catching sites. During the 1980s, archaeologists conducted a detailed survey of the State Park, locating most of these significant sites. All of these sites and the information within them, are preserved for future generations of Montanans due to the protection of Cultural Resources (archaeological materials of any kind from projectile points to historic tin cans) by Montana's Antiquities Act.

It is clear that Native Americans occupied this region for millenia, and many tribes continue to have strong spiritual and cultural ties to this landscape. Thus, the Rosebud Battlefield State Park transcends the importance of June 17, 1876, though this event adds to the significance and sacred aspects of this beautiful landscape.

Why Do Archaeology at the Rosebud?

Why conduct archaeology of the Rosebud Battlefield is a an easy question to answer. Archaeology provides a unique and personal glimpse into the affairs of the battle derived directly from the artifacts themselves. After the battle many of the participants recounted perspectives on the battle, many of which provide vague locations of important events, or in some cases even give contradictory accounts. Artifacts do not forget, lie, or mis-remember, they are the direct result of human activity.

Since the 1876 battle, many visitors and scholars identified the key areas of the engagement from Crooks' Hill to Mills' First Charge. Slim Kobold erected concrete or steel monuments at key features of the battle throughout the 1920s-1950s, forever immortalizing these events and providing the baseline for these areas. These monuments, however, focus on landscape areas not individuals.

Crook's Hill Monument Erected by Slim Kobold. Photo by S. Propp.

Cartridge cases, bullets, and other battle-related artifacts provide direct information on the location of shooters (cartridge cases) and their intended targets (where the bullets landed). While we know the location of Crook's Hill or Packer's Rocks, what is lacking from that discussion is where individual soldiers, warriors, or civilians were stationed during the critical hours of the battle.  Archaeology is the only means of recovering these important facts about the battle, and through the use of highly accurate Global Positioning Systems, we can track the location of artifacts within only a few feet.

Archaeologist Jono Mogstad sporting the GPS Antenna at the Rosebud in 2011.

As seen at the Little Bighorn Battlefield through the work of Doug Scott and Richard Fox and their cadre of volunteers and staff, archaeology has shed new light on the battle and its participants. What has been already accomplished at the Rosebud Battlefield State Park in 2011 and 2012 is changing our views of the battle.

An Introduction to the Rosebud Battlefield Archaeology Project

On June 17, 1876, General George Crook and over 1300 U.S. Army soldiers, Native American scouts, and civilians engaged a combined Lakota and Cheyenne force of possibly 2000-2500 along the banks, ridges, and bluffs surrounding Rosebud Creek. The events that transpired on that day shaped the events that followed on June 25, 1876 along the Little Bighorn, but also had significant repercussions for the United States and the Native American tribes involved. While the battle is known to most Americans as the Rosebud Battle, or Crook's Fight on the Rosebud, Native peoples refer to the area and events on that day as "Where the Girl Saved Her Brother". We'll cover that history more in later posts!

A view of the Rosebud Battlefield State Park in June 2011, Crooks' Hill is in the distant right.

Elmer E. "Slim" Kobold, who homesteaded and ranched most of the original battlefield since the 1910s, transferred much of the lands involved in the June 17 engagement to the State of Montana, where it was designated as a Montana State Park in 1978. Montana State Parks was able to list the Rosebud Battlefield as a National Historic Landmark in 2008.

Since 2010, Montana State Parks (MSP) and the University of Montana's (UM) Department of Anthropology have partnered to begin the first professional archaeological investigation of the battlefield. Students and staff from the UM and MSP, have now accomplished two successful field seasons at the Rosebud Battlefield State Park, and have begun to also build strong ties with the private landowners that surround the park and protect other significant battle-related features.

 

The Rosebud 2011 crew, that helped make this project possible.



This blog is dedicated to sharing the history, archaeology, environment, and scholarship of the Rosebud Battlefield, or Where the Girl Saved Her Brother, with the interested public and professionals. We will be providing posts detailing the history of the battlefield, the archaeological investigations and findings, the people involved (both in research and history) and also the outgrowth of scholarly research through master's students and educators. The Rosebud Battlefield State Park is a wonderful and serene place, much different the hectic and bloody events of 148 years ago. Step back into 1876 with a visit to the Rosebud Battlefield.

Thanks for reading!

Chris