It Swept Across Last Stand Hill
Photos
courtesy
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
The summer of 1983 was a parched one in southeastern Montana. The
Battlefields' grass was knee high and had not been grazed for roughly 90 years;
it was a disaster waiting to happen.
On August 11, another hot dry day, someone driving Hwy 212 east of the Battlefield flicked a
cigarette out the car window. The rest is history.
A great fire crossed over the entire Battlefield and consumed all the grass,
yucca, and Big Sage. The visitor center and
Custer Battlefield National Cemetery were saved due to the diligent work by the
National Park Service staff.
Last Stand Hill before the fire--
Big Sage easily seen
The fire still burns. The visitor center and
national cemetery were spared.
Looking up the mouth of Deep Ravine
-- one can
still see flickers of flame
The fire and smoke is gone, but the ground is
very well exposed
All things happen for a reason. The fire exposed the ground along with battle
related cartridges, bullets, and other artifacts. The NPS decided to take
advantage of the situation and conduct archeological digs the following
summer as well as 1985, 1989, 1994, 2004, and 2010. As a result, ideas about
what happened during the Custer fight have changed.
Photos
below courtesy of Bob Reece
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Deep Ravine Trail Before Fire
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Deep Ravine Trail looking toward visitor center after fire
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Deep Ravine Trail looking toward the Deep Ravine after fire
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Inside Deep Ravine before fire
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Inside Deep Ravine after fire
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Inside Deep Ravine, near bend, after the fire
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Inside Deep Ravine, past bend / looking toward the river, after the fire
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Last Stand Hill before fire
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Last Stand Hill after fire
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Cahoun Hill Before Fire--First Lt James Calhoun's Marker Foreground, 2nd Lt John Crittenden's Marker Background
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Same Shot of Calhoun Hill After Fire
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Looking toward the Keogh sector from Battle Ridge after the fire
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(Back
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