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