Friends Summer Events June 23-25, 2012 -- 136th Anniversary of the Battle
of the Little Bighorn
by Bob Reece
All photos © Joanne Blair, Kay Hunsaker, Bob
Reece, and Mike Semenock as noted.
Last Stand Hill as seen from Deep
Ravine Trail
This year marked the 136th anniversary of the Battle of the Little
Bighorn, and the Friends of the Little Bighorn’s highlight for the weekend
– as last year -- was the Sunday evening field trip, “Evening Walk Through
History with Dr. Richard Fox”. Besides the field trip, we held our general
membership meeting and annual Friends Feast on Saturday the 23rd, and our
member volunteers manned the trails to interpret the battle story for the
Monument’s visitors Sunday and Monday the 24th and 25th.
Hover your mouse over any photo to read a caption and photographer
credits. To enlarge the photo, just click on it.
“An Evening Walk Through History with Dr. Richard Fox”
Our field trip was held Sunday evening from 6:00 PM until the Monument
closed. Friends’ board member Mike Semenock provides a detailed report of
the field trip. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Fox for an
informative evening of remembering the archeological digs of the 80s and
90s. He touched all the elements I asked of him, plus some. I was very
interested in having him begin the program by thinking back and digging
deep into how he felt, what he saw, and what he found that first day he
walked on the battlefield immediately after the Big Fire of 1983. You’ll
learn fascinating stuff in Mike’s report.
Dr. Richard Fox Leads Field Trip
photo by Mike Semenock
Friends Command Post and Volunteer Interpreters
Our command post was on the second floor of the administration building.
We opened the doors for members’ registration Saturday morning the 23rd
and remained open through Monday the 25th. Although this location is far
from the center hub of activity, it did provide for a comfortable resting
spot with air conditioning and easy access to bathrooms.
We placed interpreters along the Deep Ravine and Crazy Horse/Keogh Trails,
Last Stand Hill, Indian Memorial, and Reno Benteen Battlefield. Joanne
Blair ensured there were healthy snacks and plenty of well-chilled bottled
water. The water was especially needed, because the temperatures were the
highest seen over the anniversary weekend since 1988. We experienced temps
over 100 degrees on Saturday through Monday.
Friends also provided assistance to the NPS during the public lunch feed
on Monday the 25th. I especially want to thank the following for helping
the NPS: Friends board members Kay Hunsaker and Lola Mauer, Friends
members Ruth Rhode, Joanne Blair, Christine Martin, and newest member Jana
Over. I’d heard all weekend from various NPS staff members that visitation
was up from last year but the number of people attending the feed seemed
lower. Of course, when one remembers how low visitation was last year due
to high gas prices, visitation should be up this summer.
WNPA and Friends Book Signing
Sunday afternoon the 24th, Western National Parks Association (the
cooperating association that manages the visitor center bookstore) and
Friends partnered to provide an author book signing for the Monument
visitors. Thank goodness it was held inside the bookstore so the
historians could visit the public in a much cooler environment. Sitting at
the table were Friends’ board member Neil Mangum, Dr. Richard Fox, Paul
Hedren, and Jeff Barnes. Neil autographed “Battle of the Rosebud” and
Friends’ “Ghost Herder” while Dr. Fox signed “Archaeology, History, and
Custer's Last Battle”. Paul Hedren wrote his John Hancock on “After
Custer” and Jeff Barnes autographed his travel guide “Custer: 85 Forts,
Fight, and Other Sites”.
WNPA/Friends Booksigning
L-R: Jeff Barnes, Paul Hedren,
Neil Mangum, Dr. Richard Fox
Thank you to WNPA Field Ops Mgr Valerie Schafer for working so hard to put
this event together. Valerie and I met last year at the WNPA board meeting
in Golden, Colorado. Friends is fortunate to have a strong and trusting
relationship with WNPA, so Valerie and I agreed that we would think of
ways to partner more for the purpose of raising revenue for the
battlefield. This year’s book signing generated more revenue for WNPA,
which can do nothing but help the battlefield in the end.
We continue this partnership in June 2013 when we will present Dr. Douglas
Scott to sign his upcoming book, “Uncovering History”, which Friends and
University of Oklahoma Press have partnered to publish.
General Membership Meeting and Friends Feast
Friends held our general membership meeting and Friends Feast on Saturday
evening, the 23rd. Every year at the feast, we thank the volunteers who
worked the trails, as well as welcome any of the NPS staff so we can all
get to know each other better. Once again, Julie Elkshoulder made the best
Indian Tacos you’ll find in the West. This year she also presented some of
the wild fruit that grows on the Montana Prairie. We savored wild plums
and chokecherries.
We enjoyed both acting superintendents attendance at the feast: Gus
Sanchez and David Harrington. Acting Superintendent Harrington brought us
up to date on battlefield news. The excitement of the announcement of the
next superintendent was still hanging in the air while we were at the
battlefield.
Friends Feast & General
Membership Meeting
Thank You
Except for the extreme heat, it was another great battle anniversary for
Friends members. For our members who could not make the trip, we hope
you’ll be able to next year. You really don’t want to miss it, because
we’ll have Dr. Douglas Scott leading us on the field trip.
Thank you to the Friends board members who made it this year: Kay Hunsaker,
Neil Mangum, Mike Semenock, Lola Mauer, and Ryan Trainor. Also, thanks to
Mike for managing the volunteers. He might pass the role to someone else
next year because he would like to get back on the trails for a change.
Thanks to Den Mother Joanne Blair for doing countless numbers of things
that ensured everything went smoothly. She kept all of us fed and
hydrated. Thank you Neil for adding interesting stories to Richard’s
accounts while on the field trip. I learned that it was Neil who escorted
Richard on the battlefield that first day after the Big Fire of August
1983. I cannot thank Kay enough for hauling from California our polo
shirts and jackets adorned with the beautiful Friends logo. A good number
of members purchased them to take home and wear proudly.
As always, we could not do any of this without the generous support from
the Park Service staff: Acting Superintendents Gus Sanchez and David
Harrington for helping us with logistics; Ken Woody for the volunteers;
and Jerry Jasmer, Michael Donahue, Marvin Dawes, and Sharon Small for
everything else. All of you do an amazing job everyday protecting the
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument that we all hold so dear.
Finally, a sincere thanks to all the Friends members who volunteered on
the trails. Your professionalism while representing the NPS and Friends
was superb. You shared your version of the battle with such passion that
it could do nothing but enhance the visitor experience. As always, I hope
all of you had a great time. This year it was especially tiring because of
the heat. God Bless all of you.
I’ll see you on Last Stand Hill.
Bob Reece
July 2012
Black White Man, Deep Ravine
Trail
Last Stand Hill on horizon
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