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JUNE 25, 2001

Today is the 125th anniversary of the Battle of Little Bighorn, an historic event being marked by commemorations in Montana and by a number of media accounts.

The Billings Gazette writes about the events that unfolded on June 25, 1876. Details are sketchy on exactly how Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer died at the battle but the general facts are known.

About 600 Army troops were met by as many as 2,000 Cheyenne and Sioux warriors grouped under the leadership of Sioux Chief Sitting Bull. The warriors were coming off the success of the Rosebud battle just days earlier and killed more than 260 members of the 7th Calvary.

The Army's defeat led to a backlash of anti-Indian sentiments. But Indian and non-Indian alike urged reconciliation at the dedication of a "Peace Memorial" yesterday near the battlesite. The memorial, privately funded, features busts of Custer and Sitting Bull.

The land where Sitting Bull camped on the eve of the battle has been purchased by the Custer Battlefield Preservation Committee, a non-profit organization. The group has been purchasing sites around the Little Bighorn National Monument to prevent them from being developed.

The monument itself was renamed by Congress ten years ago, losing the "Custer" moniker. But funds for an Indian memorial have never been appropriated.

The Lincoln Journal Star today begins a three-day series on the battle with profiles on Custer and Sitting Bull.

Get the Story:
The battlefield at the Little Bighorn was filled with bravery and bad decisions (The Billings Gazette 6/25)
Calls for peace at memorial dedication (AP 6/25)
Bragg: Herewith a tale of a horse’s tail (The Billings Gazette 6/25)
This river runs through Crow veins, U.S. history (The Denver Post 6/25)
At Little Bighorn, retelling history helps heal tensions (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 6/25)
Land: To die for (The Lincoln Journal Star 6/25)
Custer: Larger Than Life (The Lincoln Journal Star 6/25)
The spirit of his people (The Lincoln Journal Star 6/25)
Custer sealed fate of the Hills (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 6/24)
Kemmick Column: Little Bighorn battle details still a mystery (The Billings Gazette 6/24)
Many interests at work to preserve parts of historic battle (The Billings Gazette 6/24)
Gall: The picture of a warrior (The Billings Gazette 6/24)
Martin’s ride into history (The Billings Gazette 6/24)
Little Bighorn Remains Without Memorial to American Indian Dead (Gannett News Service 6/24)
125 Years After Little Bighorn, Mistrust Lives On (Gannett News Service 6/24)

Relevant Links:
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument - http://www.nps.gov/libi

Related Stories:
Death came for many Custers (6/22)
Crow scouts have long history (6/21)
After Bighorn win, American outlash (6/20)
Custer admired for his charisma (6/19)
Rosebud battle draws little interest (6/18)
Little Bighorn legacy lives on (6/18)
Editorial: Memorial to tribal warriors needed (6/11)
Quinn, Player of Indians, dies (6/4)
Jodi Rave: Medals of Honor (5/29)
Indian memorial still not funded (3/6)
Little Bighorn to be re-enacted (2/1)
Custer to see last stand, again (10/11)
School considers 'Custer' performance (10/10)