In the 1870s, a military frontier began to form along the Missouri River in North Dakota. The military at each military fort helped to keep the Native Americans under control. George Custer and his men were located at Fort Abraham Lincoln, just south of Mandan, North Dakota. Although Custer was supposed to keep the Native Americans under control for the new settlers of North Dakota, Native Americans wiped out Custer and many of the troops who were stationed at Fort Abraham Lincoln during the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Shortly after the Battle of the Little Bighorn, a push for American Indians onto the reseravtions occured.
ARCHIVES HOLDINGS:
10023 Fannie Dunn Quain
The Fannie Dunn Quain Papers contain newspaper clippings relating to Custer and Fort Lincoln.
10227 George H. Fairchild
The George H. Fairchild Papers contain letters about life at Fort Abraham Lincoln and the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
10363 George A. and Elizabeth B. Custer
The George A. and Elizabeth B. Custer Papers contain letters, notes, and newspaper clippings about the Custer family.
20017 Mark Kellogg
This is the transcript of the diary of Mark Kellogg. Mark Kellogg was the Bismarck Tribune reporter who accompanied Custer and his men to the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Kellogg died on the battlefield. The diary contains day-to-day updates of the Seventh Calvary on their journey to the Little Bighorn.
20018 Mrs. Fred Kiawitter
This folder contains the interview of Mrs. Fred Kiawitter. She was accompanying her husband at Fort Abraham Lincoln in 1876, right before the Battle of the Little Bighorn. This interview provides insights into the life of a woman at Fort Abraham Lincoln.
20034 Peter Thompson
Peter Thompson was a private soldier at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. This folder contains his recollection of what happened that day between the Native Americans and Custer’s Seventh Calvary.
20644 Fort Abraham Lincoln
This is a contract with men who supplied the wood for Fort Abraham Lincoln.
20706 William Johnson
William Johnson recalls the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
SUGGESTED READINGS:
Gerber, Max E. "The Custer Expedition of 1874: A New Look." North Dakota History, Winter 1973: 5-26.
This entry in North Dakota History explains how Custer broke the treaty of 1868. It also covers the gold rush that happened in the Black Hills, which caused outrage in the Native American tribes of that area.
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