Battlefield land

[BrianS]

Hi which Association owns land on or near the battlefield.Thank you Brian

[fred]

Apr 5, 2016 19:03:34 GMT -6 BrianS said:

Hi which Association owns land on or near the battlefield.Thank you Brian

Brian,

The Custer Battlefield and Preservation Committee.

We (I am a lifetime member) own quite a bit of land, including valley land, and have managed to turn some of it over to the NPS.

Best wishes,
Fred.

[BrianS]

Hi thanks Fred for responding, is it CBHMA website Ted Heath president. Brian

[fred]

Apr 7, 2016 19:22:00 GMT -6 BrianS said:

Hi thanks Fred for responding, is it CBHMA website Ted Heath president. Brian

Brian,

No, they are two different organizations. The Preservation Committee is exactly what it seems: an organization to purchase and preserve battlefield lands. Despite the National Park Service's efforts and all the rest, this battlefield has been butchered and degraded from almost the moment the fight was over. The souvenir hunters have been the least of the issues: they re-buried the Fetterman dead at the LBH, then dis-interred them and re-buried them in the national cemetery, which itself has degraded the field. The visitor center, the parking lots, the roadwork... virtually everything was done without much consideration for the actual site. At least in my opinion... I am sure, like everything else, you will get those who vehemently and strenuously disagree. Even the markers are ridiculous: 252 of them on a field where 205 men were killed (210, but five died off the reservation, per se).

The CBHMA and the LBHA are sort of "sister" organizations, each with a yearly conference, a published journal, and a quarterly newsletter. They are sort of rivals, though many people-- like myself-- belong to both organizations.

Then you have a 4th called Friends of the Little Big Horn which is a very loosely organized group started by and run by one man-- with some help. He generally puts together a tour around the date of the battle, each year, with the OK and cooperation of the Park Service.

Both the CBHMA and the LBHA are worth belonging to because their publications are rather good. I could give you my opinion of those publications, one-versus-the-other, but I would be run out of town, so let me just say, they are both quite good. And I mean that sincerely.

And, yes, Ted Heath is the current president of the CBHMA. Or at least its board chairman. Mike O'Keefe preceded him and I believe someone named Dennis Farioli (not sure of the spelling) preceded Mike. The only one I know is Mike... a really good guy.

Best wishes,
Fred.

[tubman13]

Pequod,

I obviously have no first hand knowledge, but could those 28 be in a ravine closer to Ford D? There were markers located in what became the restaurant parking lot across the highway, or so I have heard and Kellogg's marker has been moved a fair distance toward LSH.

Regards,
Tom

[fred]

Robb and Tom,

There are a number of accounts regarding the bodies in what is clearly Deep Ravine. There is no question about it: the location: Deep Ravine.

Some... one, two... who knows how many... accounts tell us troopers from the 7th Infantry were moving bodies out of the ravine and placing them on what we call today the South Skirmish Line. After a while-- and who knows how many bodies: they didn't count, ergo, we certainly don't know-- the men became so disgusted with the putrefaction they were told to just leave the remainder in the ravine and cover them up as best they could. With dirt... obviously.

So now some of those 28 are in the ravine, others on the SSL. And we do not know how many are where. Two officers said there were only about X-number of bodies-- it averages out to nine-- actually on the SSL, between the end of Last Stand Hill-- about 100 yards from its peak-- and the beginning of Deep Ravine. These 7th Infantry troopers, however, confused the issue by placing bodies where they did not fall. Another burial/re-burial party showed up in 1877; another in 1879; then again in 1881, 1888, 1889, and finally Owen Sweet in 1890. By this time, no one had any clue and to be honest by this time I'm surprised these guys knew the difference between the Little Big Horn and Gettysburg.

To make matters even more strained, the landscape has changed... and dramatically. At least according to the road map and the archaeologists. If you have read Strategy you know about the gap. If you read Strategy you should also know Deep Ravine today is some 50 to 100 yards longer than it was in 1876. While that might not seem so all-fired important right now, it certainly was when the archaeologists tried to find bodies and relics in that new 50 to 100 yards area. Capice? Comprennez-vous? Verstehen-sie?

So until I get around to making matters clearer-- if I can-- my suggestion is to check out the maps in Strategy, or, failing that, to read “Impaled on the Horns of Keogh’s Dilemma,” the Little Big Horn Associates, Research Review, Vol. 29, No. 1, 2015.

It is a very interesting subject.

Best wishes,
Fred.

[BrianS]

Hi Fred thank you for your most informed answer.I cannot find there E-mail or other contact info. for joining. Brian

[AZ Ranger]

One of the suggested relocation sites for a new visitor center is off the current battlefield and across the highway on the bluffs. The concept would be that visitors could see the length of the battlefield form that location and the interpretive descriptions.

It would be nice if they used they old road coming off Reno Creek road for a an entrance so that you drive through with the flow of the battle. I am not holding my breath on that one.

Regards

Benteeneast

[AZ Ranger]

Apr 10, 2016 18:05:42 GMT -6 BrianS said:

Hi Fred thank you for your most informed answer.I cannot find there E-mail or other contact info. for joining. Brian

Here is the membership link

custerbattlefield.org/membership.shtml

The lifetime membership for the preservation group is $100 dollars. A one day pass is $10. So it was a no brainer for me. If you want the one day pass you can it at the museum at Garryowen.


Regards

AZ Ranger

[fred]

Apr 10, 2016 18:05:42 GMT -6 BrianS said:

Hi Fred thank you for your most informed answer.I cannot find there E-mail or other contact info. for joining. Brian

Brian,

You are quite welcome. Check Steve's (AZ Ranger) response. That is all you would need. And believe me, the lifetime membership is well worth it, even if you visit the battlefield only once.

Best wishes,
Fred.

[BrianS]

Hi thank you  i will join the CBHMA.Can you join the preservation commitee also.Hope to meet you guys one day. Brian

[fred]

Apr 11, 2016 15:45:48 GMT -6 BrianS said:

Hi thank you  i will join the CBHMA.Can you join the preservation commitee also.Hope to meet you guys one day. Brian

Brian,

There are three organizations worth joining: the CBHMA and the LBHA are the two active ones and each produces a very good yearly journal and a quarterly newsletter.

The third is the preservation committee, but for your $100 you will receive a lifetime membership card and that's it... nothing else. I would recommend highly all three. They are worth every dime and the yearly dues are small.

Best wishes,
Fred.

[BrianS]

Hi cannot find a website for the preservation committee.Thank you for your time. Brian

[AZ Ranger]

Hi Brian

Here is the website for the museum where you can purchase in person day or lifetime memberships.

www.custermuseum.org/

When you obtain a pass you can also get a map of the Preservation land.

It's worth a stop there.

My friend Pilu Pretty On Top runs the post office there at Garryowen.


Good luck

Steve

[crzhrs]

I see they are looking for interns and will pay most of the costs for the job. What an opportunity for anyone interested in the LBH, Custer, Native Americans and history in general. I wish I had the time to do this because it would be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to really get to know the site, Native Americans, locals, culture, history, and possibly meet descendants of those who were at the LBH on June 25, 1876!