Visit here often to catch up on the most recent news from the Custer Battlefield and/or Friends of the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument (LIBI)

What's all this talk about "the graying of the organizations"?

August 31, 2010 Monument Hours Change --

Effective September 7, 2010 the business hours for Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument change to their fall schedule. For full details, please jump here.

August 3, 2010 Friends Summer Events Report (Finally Online) --

During June 25-26, 2010 we held our general membership meeting and our first field trip upon the battlefield which we called, "Deep Ravine Trail & Beyond". It was actually more like walking on the dark side of the moon. Jump here for a complete report and tons of photos from beyond Deep Ravine Trail.

July 26, 2010 Friends and LIBI Renew MOA --

During the Friends general membership meeting on June 26, 2010 Ms. Hammond and Friend President  Bob Reece signed an extension of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for another year until we can complete the task of a complete rewrite of the MOA. This rewrite is being coordinated by Krista Muddle, Regional Partnership Coordinator in the Denver Regional Office. Friends and LIBI signed their first MOA in 1998 when Rick Meyer was president and Neil Mangum was superintendent.

For the last 12 years, Friends and management at LIBI have maintained a close and trusting relationship that neither party take lightly. Even though we do not have a formal agreement with Western National Parks Association (WNPA) -- which manages the bookstore at LIBI -- Friends and WNPA also have a positive working relationship.

Robert Utley

July 12, 2010 Robert Utley Publishes New Web Site --

Renowned historian Robert Utley has a long and distinguished career with the National Park Service and as America's favorite western historian. We are also extremely honored that Mr. Utley has served on the Friends of the Little Bighorn board of directors since June 25, 2001.

For me, Mr. Utley has been a true confidant in regards to our organization’s business. I can always depend on his honesty and his extensive experience in the NPS for sound advice. There have been times in the past where he and I did not always agree; however we have never allowed such disagreements to stand in the way of our mission to help the battlefield.

I am excited to announce the publication of Mr. Utley’s personal website. Jump here to learn more about the man who has written extensively on Custer as well as many other subjects: Billy the Kid (his three books are my personal favorites on the subject); the Texas Rangers (two volumes); the U.S. frontier army; the plains Indians; Sitting Bull; the American mountain man; and soon Geronimo. Good luck with the new site, Bob.

Regards,
Bob Reece

May 14, 2010 Reported by Friends Board Member Mike Semenock --

Last month Superintendent Kate Hammond presented us with an opportunity to help fund an archeological survey project at the battlefield. For the survey, electric pulse induction, a technology never before used at the battlefield, would be used to search for metal objects to a depth of up to three feet. The project would be performed under the direction of Dr. Douglas Scott, retired NPS Archeologist and Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at The University of Nebraska - Lincoln. The area to be surveyed is the neck of an oxbow loop in the Little Bighorn River, one of three within the National Monument boundary, but the one most imminently threatened to be washed away and with it any undiscovered battle-related and cultural artifacts. A proposal was put to the Friends Board of Directors to provide $5,000, which added to the $3,700 of allotted National Park Service money, would fund the survey in full.

I’m pleased to announce that by majority vote, the Board of Directors has approved the funds necessary for this project to move ahead.

“That is wonderful news - thank you!” said Kate Hammond, Little Bighorn Battlefield Superintendent, when hearing of the voting results. Dr. Douglas Scott, project leader, told us, “Thanks again for your kind support of the oxbow survey.”

The survey is currently scheduled for this summer or fall, and will take two to three days of field work. Another product of the project will be a report on the findings, a background of the entire river area of the park and recommendations for future survey projects along or near the river. Time permitting; the team will survey a portion of the next oxbow downstream, some of which lies below the mouth of Deep Ravine.

Our thanks go to Supt. Hammond for presenting us with this opportunity to support the battlefield in new and compelling research. The result of this type of survey is never certain, but loss of this area to the river is. Ascertaining the archeological significance of this ground is a worthy use of our organization’s resources.

I hope to see many of you at the battlefield this June 24th and 25th!

(Webmaster's Note: With this $5,000 donation, Friends has now contributed over the last 14 months a total of $17,970 towards various projects. Full details on those projects as well as past projects can be found here.)

Deby Bellman carefully treats the 7th Cavalry Regiment Standard

Photo by Gary Tarleton, Museum Conservation Services, Harpers Ferry Center,

National Park Service

March 8, 2010 Details of 7th Cavalry Regiment Standard Preservation --

Deby Bellman recently treated the 7th U.S. Calvary Regiment Standard flag. The flag displays a painted eagle holding a ribbon with a shield on its breast and 13 stars overhead. The silk is extremely brittle causing numerous losses and tears.

Deby humidified this flag to soften its creases. She realigned the broken areas and stabilized the flag with an adhesive applied to Stabletex® (a sheer polyester fabric), which was applied to the flag’s surface as a lining. Areas of loss were filled with cotton fabric, dyed close to the flag’s color. Once the flag was stabilized, it was framed using a pressure mounting technique and acrylic glazing.

Should this fragile flag ever be placed on exhibit, the park was advised not to leave it on display for long periods of time, and that exhibit light level should not exceed five foot candles.

Webmaster's Note: The above article was originally published in the "Harpers Ferry Center News" January edition and reprinted here with permission.

January 15, 2010: Slim Buttes (Keogh) Guidon and 7th Cavalry Regiment Standard Return Home --

 In our last report dated December 15, 2009, Superintendent Kate Hammond of the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument (LIBI) explained the many important projects that will consume much of her staff’s time over the next several years. One of the projects has been dear to my heart for decades: the preservation of the Slim Buttes (Keogh) Guidon and the 7th Cavalry Regiment Standard.

In an email dated December 15, 2009 Chief Historian John Doerner shared with me this bit of information regarding the restoration:

I have been coordinating the important LIBI flag project in Sharon Small's absence (Chief Curator Sharon Small who returned to her job December 21st – see note below dated December 3rd) and packed the flags carefully for shipment to Harper’s Ferry Center (HFC) last month in a special archival crate. Both will have archival pressure mounted frames for long-term storage.

Today was a special day for the battlefield because the flags were returned in the best shape possible thanks to the wonders of 21st century technology. Former Friends board member and Park Ranger, Jerry Jasmer sent me an email with photos attached of the flags as they were removed from their shipping crates. Jerry wrote:

The flags were conserved and mounted in new protective display cases by the conservators at HFC. The photos were taken as we unpacked the protective cases. The flags are now safely ensconced in the vault at the visitor center curation facility.

Sharon Small shared with me the experience of opening the flags at their return:

Yes, it was a very exciting morning. The guidon and the standard were delivered by an 18-wheeler! I asked Jerry to take photos while we opened the grates. The truck driver and friend assisted in that process. The friend had her camera and asked to take photos as well. She plans to send her photos to me but I imagine that will take a few days while they travel back to Maryland.

Watch for more details in our next newsletter on how these flags were preserved. Now, for the photos:

7th Cavalry Regiment Standard

Slim Buttes (Keogh) Guidon

Note: Friends members were given an exclusive personal tour of the archives at the battlefield in June 2008 and viewed these flags close-up. Jump here for more information about these flags as well as photos from the archive tour.

Reported by Bob Reece

December 15, 2009 -- Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument Superintendent Kate Hammond provides news on future projects. My favorite has to be preservation of the Keogh Guidon and the 7th Cavalry Regimental Standard.

Lola Mauer and Ryan Trainor will report more detail on these projects in successive future newsletters.

Kate Hammond recently discussed with me a plethora of projects that are funded which will create substantial change at the Little Bighorn Battlefield. The highlights are the digitizing of the 7th Cavalry records and the historical photos. The Keogh Guidon and the 7th Cavalry Regimental Standard will finally be preserved; this is a project I've wished for many years. In 2008, Friends members were given a tour of the archives led by Sharon Small. Jump here to see photos of the guidon and the standard from that tour.

Future Projects

Development of a long-range interpretive plan. We will revisit the primary themes that we interpret at the battlefield, and how we communicate these themes to park audiences - both those folks who visit the battlefield, and those who don't (local audiences, internet "travelers", school groups, etc). This will likely be a 2-year project that we hope to kick off in spring 2010.

Development of a new park film. As you may know, the current park film was admirably developed on a shoe-string budget by Friends board member Neil Mangum when he was superintendent here. We will build on Neil's work to develop a more comprehensive film over the next 2-3 years.

New a/v equipment and seating for our makeshift theater in the observation room. Since the basement theater was closed in 2008 due to accessibility and safety concerns, we have been showing the park film in the observation room during the summer. This project will allow us to make upgrades to the A/V equipment (allowing us to comply to ADA requirements for captioning and assisted listening), seating, and window shades until such time as a more permanent theater can be developed or a new visitor center constructed. We hope to have the improvements in place in the next year.

Make the 2nd floor of the administration building accessible to visitors/employees with mobility impairments. This project will install a lift to the 2nd floor to make the 2nd floor conference/meeting room accessible. This project should be completed in the next year.

Rehabilitation of the entrance station. This project will upgrade many of the exterior and interior finishes of the park's entrance station and should be completed in time for the 2010 summer season.

Professional conservation of the 7th cavalry regimental standard and 7th cavalry company guidon to repair and/or stabilize these precious artifacts and build better cases in which to store them. (Note: John Doerner has just informed me that he has already shipped out the flags to Harper's Ferry Center).

Completion of an environmental history of Little Bighorn Battlefield to more accurately understand what the landscape (topography, river course, vegetation) was like in 1876. A future component of this project includes fabrication of two interpretive wayside exhibits that will depict our best understanding of what the landscape was like.

Digitizing approximately 2000 historic photos within the monument's collection, so that select thumbnails can be made available on the park website; some of the digital photos will also be put on the interactive kiosk that is in the visitor center so visitors can have access to this important collection.

Digitizing some of the 7th cavalry war records and Elizabeth Custer historic newspaper collection to make these files more accessible to the public and researchers.

Developing a GIS historic base map of the monument. This project will include compiling and analyzing historic maps of the battlefield to better identify significant sites.

Creating a curriculum-based education program. This 2-year project (spearheaded by former Friends board member Jerry Jasmer) will develop the monument's first traveling trunk(s) to send to local schools so that they can learn about the battlefield, and will develop some educational materials for children who visit the battlefield. The second year of the project will focus on improving the educational resources we have for formal school groups who visit the battlefield.

Completion of some upgrades to the park website, including the development of some podcasts. We hope this will be completed in the next year.

We have several additional projects approved that will begin when we collect enough entrance fees to fund them, including some upgrades to the park water system and park security system and the development of a cultural landscape report.

We also have funding from other NPS sources (not our entrance fees) for two additional projects:

A collections management plan, to help us better understand how to protect the battlefield's irreplaceable collection.

A 2-year project for a comprehensive review of our collections in collaboration with our 12 affiliated tribes to identify items that may be subject to the Native American Graves Repatriation Act, and, where appropriate, repatriate these items.

And, of course, John Doerner is working with Doug Scott on the completion of the Archeological Overview and Assessment, funded generously through Friends.

Reported by Bob Reece

December 8, 2010 -- Special message to Friends members from Superintendent Kate Hammond that appeared in our October 2009 newsletter.

Dear Friends-

Having arrived in the dead of January, it was a joy to see the park come alive this spring. In March I had the wonderful opportunity to have a face-to- face meeting with the Friends Board, thanks to their willingness to venture up to Montana before things got too crazy at the park with the busy visitor season. I really appreciated the chance to get to know many of the board members, to learn more about the history of the Friends group, and to start talking with the board about their ideas for how the park and the Friends group can work even more closely together in the future. The message that I heard loud and clear was that Friends is here to help and they want to support the monument in any way that they can. I have regular phone calls with Bob Reece, and I could not ask for a more supportive, kind and dedicated board President - he is a joy to work with. This park is so lucky to have such a wonderful, supportive Friends group. At that very board meeting, Friends approved several important projects for the park including purchasing materials to improve our curatorial storage, supporting a Teacher Ranger Teacher (Tom Smith) and purchasing replacement batteries for the Historian's electric cart.

As the weather warmed, school groups began arriving (April and May) and our summer seasonal staff began to arrive. It was a joy to finally meet the many dedicated staff who loyally return every summer to work at Little Bighorn, and to see some new faces of seasonals who were spending their first summer here. My first anniversary also brought the opportunity to meet some of the Friends' membership, including many who graciously donated their time and energy to provide roving interpretation on the battlefield trails over anniversary weekend. Over the course of the weekend, and particularly at the Friends feast on Saturday evening, I had the chance to sit down and visit with many of you. Your passion and enthusiasm for the battlefield is inspiring, as is your can-do attitude. Thank you for all that you do! As I mentioned at the Friends feast, we welcome any of you to come volunteer at the battlefield. We generally ask for a commitment of at least a month; housing may be available if you come between fall and spring. Contact Ken Woody if you are interested.

One of many special projects that we did this summer was to convene a review of our cultural resources program at Little Bighorn. In June, we hosted a several-day visit by many of the program leaders from our NPS regional office to discuss activities and needs at the battlefield related to archeology, history, cultural landscapes, ethnography, curation, etc. It was a very beneficial exercise, and generated a list of potential projects that would help us better manage and protect our cultural resources. One of the priorities that surfaced was completion of an Archeological Overview and Assessment, which is a document that synthesizes the archeological work that has been done at the battlefield in the past and what the results were, and provides a list of recommended projects/needs for archeology at the battlefield in the future. This will allow us to take a more comprehensive, proactive approach to archeology, and allow us to identify some priorities and then seek funding to accomplish them. Archeologist Doug Scott has begun a draft of such a document prior to his retirement from full-time NPS work, but was not able to finish it.

I had hoped that we might be able to cobble together funding to complete the Archeological Overview and Assessment by requesting some seed money from Friends and then leveraging that to apply for some grants. Much to my surprise, when I approached Bob Reece with the idea, he was not only enthusiastic, but suggested that he contact the board about funding the whole project. Holy cow! Within a week, I had an email back from Bob saying Friends had agreed to fund the completion of the Archeological Overview and Assessment and when did I want the check? If only all funding requests in the government were that positive and that timely!

I wanted to pass on my sincere thanks to all Friends members for your support of this important project, which will give us tools that we need to more effectively and proactively manage archeological research and archeological resources at Little Bighorn Battlefield.

Hope to see you all at the battlefield soon!

Regards,

Kate

December 3, 2009 -- Sharon Small returns as curator at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument effective December 21, 2009.

Great news, folks. The battlefield has its curator back. Sharon Small was given the exciting news today that she will be rehired on a temporary assignment that could last up to five years. I spoke with Supt Kate Hammond last week and there are several really exciting projects that have been funded that involve the archives and Sharon will be leading some of those. I cannot reveal any information about these projects because Kate is writing an update for me to distribute later. Two of those projects have been close to my heart for many years and I know all of you will be elated once you hear about them; one is battle related and another is related to the battle. How’s that for a hint? I’ll report Kate’s update soon.

Regards,

Bob Reece

Sharon Small and Friends member Ron Papandrea

Sharon and Ron are standing in front of the new Sitting Bull exhibit which Sharon managed and designed throughout its development. The Sitting Bull exhibit stands next to the George Custer exhibit in the museum of the visitor center at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. Friends of the Little Bighorn had always wanted such an exhibit in the museum. When the time came, Friends was the only Custer/LBH organization that donated funds in support of the Sitting Bull exhibit. Our contribution was in the amount of $5,000.

October 31, 2009 -- Youngest member appointed to the Friends of the Little Bighorn Battlefield Board

We have witnessed some recent changes to the make-up of our board. We have to say goodbye to Jerry Jasmer as a board member. Department of Interior ethics policies require that NPS employees should not sit on partner's boards to avoid any possible conflict of interest. I fully understand this, but I'll miss Jerry as a board member who has faithfully served in that capacity for 11 years. I cannot think of a single instance where he didn't help us with any request; I could always count on him to follow through and complete every project. He always served our board with dignity, as he does the NPS uniform. Jerry reminds me of the Park Rangers I looked up to and respected as a child during our family vacations each summer. Superintendent Kate Hammond was extremely gracious and took the time to contact me before hand to explain the reasons why Jerry could no longer serve. I very much appreciate how Kate handled Jerry's resignation. Thanks again Jerry for all you did to help Friends succeed. We will sure miss having you on the board.

Jerry Jasmer Speaks To Visitors June 2009

However, two positive changes resulted from our losing Jerry: Lola Mauer is now secretary which enables Kay Hunsaker to focus as treasurer and Ryan Trainor fills Jerry’s position on the board. I am excited about the future that follows these changes.

Lola has been a valuable asset to our organization from the beginning. She developed the “Point, Click, Give” campaign that encourages people to donate to Friends online via our website. The PCG campaign continues to be a great success and a convenient means for people to contribute. Lola didn’t hesitate to take over my responsibilities as editor of our newsletter where she has proven herself to be the right person for that job. She’s a great writer; you can read two of her short stories on our website – “Wooden Leg” and “Major Marcus Reno” -- written for her master’s thesis. She has two more and I need to get those online also. Here’s where to go to read her fictional accounts of those individuals in the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

Our organization is also fortunate to have Ryan Trainor as our newest board member. Ryan is a 2008 graduate of Loyola Maryland with a Bachelor of Arts in history and classical civilization. He’s young, energetic, as well as passionate about the battlefield and its story. He was a volunteer interpreter during the anniversary weekend last June.

Friends Newest Board Member, Ryan Trainor, Little Bighorn 2009

Ryan follows in the footsteps of celebrated former Friends board members Dr. Paul Hutton, Dr. Brian Dippie, and Charles Rankin. Ryan is not intimidated by this at all; he is proud and honored to follow such prodigious historians and also excited to work with current and renowned directors Robert Utley and Neil Mangum. Accepting his position on the board, Ryan had this to say, “I am thrilled to be a part of an organization that has made such significant contributions to the Little Bighorn Battlefield. While I recognize the importance of this position and its responsibilities, I am more than willing to devote my time and interest in order to assist Friends in any way possible.”

Thanks to Ryan for coming on board. Friends and the battlefield will benefit from his appointment.

Regards,

Bob Reece

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