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.