1991: Custer eliminated from battlefield name

Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument becomes the new name of the former Custer Battlefield National Monument. According to the monument’s website, “This area memorializes one of the last armed efforts of the Northern Plains Indians to preserve their way of life. Here in 1876, 263 soldiers and attached personnel of the U.S. Army, including Lt. Col. George A. Custer, met death at the hands of several thousand Lakota and Cheyenne warriors.”

“On June 25 and 26, 1876, Lakota Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors joined forces to defeat 12 companies of the U.S. 7th Cavalry at what is now Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in Montana. Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer, one of the most controversial figures in U.S. military history, led the cavalry and was among the 263 soldiers and other army personnel, including Arikara scouts, who were killed as the Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho fought to defend their traditional nomadic way of life.” —National Parks Conservation Association, published June 2003 at https://www.npca.org/parks/little-bighorn-battlefield-national-monument

Theme

Land and Water

Region

Great Plains