Opinion: Why Little Bighorn Battlefield artifacts must be moved

Monday, April 4, 2011  

"As I stand in the dingy basement of Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument’s 1950s-era visitor center, a chill runs down my spine — not because of the temperature, but because of what surrounds me.

I gently touch Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer’s buckskin hunting pants. I gaze at one of Cheyenne warrior Wooden Leg’s ledger drawings of his battle experience. Then I glance up at an exposed water pipe and shudder at the thought that it could rupture and flood the room, destroying these precious artifacts.

Unbeknownst to most of our visitors, a national treasure is stored in that cramped, inaccessible basement. It contains most of the monument’s 149,000 documents and objects, items that bring to life the story of the battle and its participants. Because exhibit space is so inadequate, few of them have ever been displayed.

Unfortunately, the basement has been a woeful home for these treasures for decades, and the years are taking their toll. Lack of humidity control is degrading leather objects. Overcrowded uniforms are packed in drawers, risking damage. The basement has no fire protection.

I lie awake at night worrying about irreversible harm or catastrophic loss. We do the best we can, but it is not enough."

Get the Story:
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Superintendent Kate Hammond: Battlefield artifacts will be protected, then returned (The Billings Gazette 4/4)