Indians of North America -- Great Plains Search this
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Manuscripts
Place:
Little Bighorn Battlefield (Mont.)
Date:
bulk 1905, 1907-1908
Scope and Contents:
This collection contains materials relating to Edward S. Curtis' 1907-1908 investigation into the Battle of Little Bighorn. The collection contains Curtis' notes; transcriptions of eyewitness accounts of Crow scouts Curley (as told to Chas. F. Roe, published in Army & Navy Journal, March 10, 1982) and White Man Runs Him and Cheyenne chief Two Moons; and letters from General Charles A. Woodruff, who was assigned by the U.S. Army to corroborate Curtis's findings in 1908. Also includes a 1905 letter from Francis E. Leupp, Comissioner of Indian Affairs, to Curtis
Biographical / Historical:
Edward Sheriff Curtis (1868-1952) was a photographer, known for his images of Native Americans and of the American West. In preparation for his volume on the Sioux for his 20 volume publication, The North American Indian, he investigated the details of the Battle of Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand (June 25, 1876). He first visited the battleground in 1905 and interviewed many of the Sioux participants. He returned in 1907, and with the help of three Crow scouts who were with George Armstrong Custer that day, Curtis retraced Custer's steps on his final day. Curtis submitted a report to President Theodore Roosevelt and army officials, and upon their request, chose not to publish his findings out of deference to Custer's widow, who was alive at the time. Shortly before his death in 1952, Curtis passed on his manuscript to his son Harold with the request that he find a home for his papers. Thirty-six year later, shortly before his own death, Harold donated his father's manuscript to the National Museum of American History. Curtis' manuscript was later transferred to the National Anthropological Archives.
Local Numbers:
NAA MS 2000-18
Local Note:
See NAA vertical file under "Curtis, Edward S." for more information.
Topic:
Little Bighorn, Battle of the, Mont., 1876 Search this
Genre/Form:
Manuscripts
Citation:
Manuscript 2000-18, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Indians of North America -- Great Plains Search this
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Color slides
Color prints
Photographs
Place:
Little Bighorn Battlefield (Mont.)
Date:
1976
Scope and Contents note:
Photographs made by Cliff Mealy during American Indian Movement ceremonies during the 100th Anniversity of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. They include images of Russell Means, Austin Two Moons, and Frank Foolscrow at the battlefield and at George Armstrong Custer's gravesite.
Biographical/Historical note:
Cliff Mealy, a New York photographer, traveled to Montana with sponsorship from the Floating Foundation of Photography to document a large ceremony in honor of the Battle of the Little Big Horn. The National Park Service had planned a smaller event for June 24, the day before the anniversary, that many Native Americans were going to boycott, but ultimately members of the American Indian Movement, led by Dakota Indian Russell Means, did participate. The following day's Native American observance began with a sunrise ceremony led by Frank Foolscrow.
Local Call Number(s):
NAA Photo Lot 77-72
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Rights:
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Genre/Form:
Photographs
Citation:
Photo Lot 77-72, Cliff Mealy photographs of Native Americans observing 100th Anniversary of the Battle of the Little Big Horn, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Photographs from an album compiled by Christian Barthelmess for a fellow soldier, O.S. Gordon. The bulk of the images relate to American Indians and the United States army and include studio portraits; images of dwellings and camps; cowboys; Zuni and Navajo performing daily activities; Cheyenne and Zuni dances; a Cheyenne travois; fishing and hunting parties; and American Indian scouts for the army. There are also scenic views of Colorado, Zuni Pueblo, Santa Fe, Custer (Little Bighorn) Battlefield, Camp Proctor, and Forts Merritt and Keogh. The collection also includes some images from Germany, including images of a German singing club and the Bavarian town of Klingenberg on the Main. One photograph was made by W. J. Carpenter, a Colorado photographer.
Biographical/Historical note:
Christian Barthelmess (1854-1906) was born in Bavaria and immigrated to the United States in the early 1870s. Enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1876, he directed military bands and was an official army photographer. Barthelmess retired from the Army in 1903, but remained post photographer for Fort Keogh until his death in 1906.
Local Call Number(s):
NAA Photo Lot R87-1
Reproduction Note:
Copy negatives made by Smithsonian Institution, 1989.
Location of Other Archival Materials:
Additional photographs by Barthelmess can be found in the National Anthropological Archives in MS 4423, Photo Lot 24, and the BAE historical negatives.
The Dr. Kenneth J. LaBudde Department of Special Collections at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University hold photographs by Barthelmess.
The Montana Historical Society Archives holds the Barthelmess Family Papers, 1926-1971, including a series relating to Christian Barthelmess.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Rights:
This copy collection has been obtained for reference purposes only. Contact the repository for terms of use and access.
Photo Lot R87-1, Copies of Christian Barthelmess photographs of American Indians and United States Army, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
American battlefields watercolor map series. Little Big Horn Battlefield [cartographic material] : Montana territory, June 1876 / McElfresh Map Co. researches, draws, watercolors, and publishes historical base maps of American battlefields
Title:
Little Big Horn Battlefield Montana territory June 1876
