Just off Highway 212 at Busby is a monument to Two Moon, a Northern Cheyenne Chief who took part in the Battle
of the Little Bighorn. Convinced that he could not run from the army forever,
he surrendered his band to General Miles at Fort Keogh (Miles City) and they
remained there until the Tongue River Reservation was established in 1884. The
monument was built in 1936 by an Indian trader, Moncure.
In 1993 a historic reburial was held in Busby, bringing home the remains of ten
men, five women, and two children who had died about 116 years before, during
the Indian Wars. The remains had been in the possession of museums at Harvard’s Peabody Museum, the National Museum of Health and Medicine and at the
Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of Natural History. The remains are buried in a circle near the Two
Moon Monument on Highway 212.
The “museum burials” were the result of an 1880s Army directive ordering military surgeons to
collect the skeletal remains of Indians killed in battle in order to gauge the
ballistic effectiveness of new Army carbines and to study Indian subcultures. A
federal law was passed in 1990 that allowed the return of the bones to their
homelands for burial.
Lame Deer is headquarters for the Northern Cheyenne Tribe and the site of the offices of
the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Also at Lame Deer are the Dull Knife Memorial
College and Dull Knife Memorial Library. Lame Deer is the site of the Northern
Cheyenne Annual 4th of July Pow Wow. Gourd dancing is held daily, and rations
and feasting are always part of the festivities.
The Northern Cheyenne Reservation extends from the Crow Reservation eastward to
the Tongue River.
The Morning Star design is the official emblem of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe.
For the Cheyennes, the Morning Star “lights the morning sky and shines more brightly than the other stars.” It has a different color. The Cheyennes often pray when they see this star
early in the morning sky. It has its own name in the Cheyenne language:
Wohehiv.
The St. Labre Indian School at Ashland celebrates 125 years of education, social programs, college scholarships and
much more. The Museum and Gift Shop hours are: Memorial Day Weekend through
Labor Day Weekend: Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May
23, June 20, July 4, and September 5. Closed Sundays. After Labor Day, hours
are Mon.-Fri., 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Closed weekends. Tours of the facility
are available. The St. Labre Museum is filled with Indian artifacts from all
over the country. Adjacent to the museum is a Native American gift shop.
Founded in 1884 to serve the Northern Cheyenne Indians, St. Labre is located in
the beautiful and historic Tongue River Valley, bounded by the Tongue River and
the scenic Custer National Forest, filled with traces of early Indian days.
In 1883, a soldier, Private George Yoakam, stationed at Fort Keogh near Miles
City, recognized the hard times experienced by the Northern Cheyennes. He
contacted Bishop Brondel and told him of the Indian people who were roaming the
Tongue River Valley without homes or land. Land was subsequently purchased by
the bishop and, on March 29, 1884, St. Labre Indian School became a reality.
Four Ursuline Sisters from Toledo, Ohio, responded to the bishop’s requests for priests and nuns.
St. Labre Indian School made a humble beginning with the construction of a log
cabin school operated by the Sisters. This three-room cabin served as
residence, school and dormitory, as well as the church. A replica of the cabin
now stands on the site of the original mission.
Today St. Labre provides pre-school to grade 12 education to Native children at
three locations on the Northern Cheyenne and Crow Indian reservations.
St. Labre depends almost entirely on private donations for its many programs.
Without federal or church funds, many friends all over the United States “keep the miracle alive.”
Visitors to this facility will enjoy seeing the unique teepee-style church and
Cheyenne Indian Museum with its large collection of Native American artifacts
and art from the Northern Cheyenne, Crow, Sioux and several other tribes.
The public is invited to the Native American Day activities Sept. 25, 2009.
Enjoy the beautiful parade, games, activities and feast. Free to all.
Affected Custer’s Defeat
Sioux and Cheyenne Warriors fought for land, lives, culture in War of 1876
The Battle of the Rosebud symbolizes the Indians’ first stiff resistance in the Sioux War of 1876. Its outcome had an impact on
Lt. Col. George A. Custer’s devastating defeat on the Little Bighorn only a week later.
The June 17, 1876, battle between the Sioux and Cheyenne Indians and General
George Crook’s cavalry and infantry was one of the largest Indian battles ever waged in the
United States. It set the stage for the Indian victory eight days later when
Lt. Col. George A. Custer and his immediate command were wiped out on the
Little Bighorn.
A self-guided tour with interpretive signs is managed by Montana State Parks.
(25 miles east of Crow Agency on U.S. 212, then 20 miles south on Secondary
314, then 1.5 miles west on county road; 3,052 acres; 4,300’ el. (406) 232-0900.)
There is no charge for entrance. Camping is not allowed.
Laurel — The Decision Point
Laurel is the crossroads between Yellowstone Park and Custer Country. Highway 212
leads to the
east and northeast entrances of the park. I-90 is the route to the north and
west entrances. Laurel’s industry lies in three miles of fascinating railroad yards and Montana’s only CHS petroleum refinery.
Fishing and hunting supplies and information are handy in Laurel. Picnicking,
camping, and fishing are welcome at Riverside Park, just a mile south of Exit
434.
Flight of the Nez Perce - The Chief Joseph statue in Fireman’s Park in the heart of downtown Laurel commemorates the flight of the Nez Perce
Indians from Oregon, through Yellowstone Park, into Montana to the Laurel area
where the Canyon Creek Battle was fought seven miles north of town.
Follow 1st Avenue seven miles north from the center of town. A wayside
interpretive shelter at the Canyon Creek site indicates the area where the
surviving Indians fought and fled from the troops led by General Sturgis.
Eventually, the military converged on the Indians just a few miles south of the
Canadian sanctuary they sought. Chief Joseph is now considered to be a classic
military logistical organizer.
A Nez Perce peace pipe ceremony in honor of veterans is held annually near the
date of the Canyon Creek Battle, Sept. 13, 1877.
Calamity Jane (Martha Jane Cannary) lived in the same Canyon Creek vicinity. Besides nursing cowboys through the
ails of the West, she baked pies for restaurants in nearby Billings.
The Laurel Information Center/ Chamber of Commerce is located in a historic log
cabin at 1st Avenue and Main in Fireman’s Park. A museum wing was added, thanks to a partnership between local
volunteers and Travel Montana. Panels tell the history of the Lewis and Clark
Trail, and Germans from Russia. A Veteran's Memorial and Garden and the Elsie
Johnston Garden add to the beauty of the park where picnic benches are
available.
The Chamber Information Center is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through
Friday.
Fantastic Fourth of July - Laurel is known for the finest and biggest fireworks display in the state on
the Fourth of July. The town’s businesses, service organizations, and citizens join together to make the
celebration of our nation’s birthday a spectacular event every year. It is named as one of the top 50
events in the Old West Trails states, along with the Nez Perce peace pipe
ceremony.
The fireworks show is put on at the baseball park across from Laurel High
School. Against a background of patriotic music, both ground and aerial
fireworks erupt into a fantastic display against the dark sky. Many visitors
vow it is the best they have seen anywhere in the world. The show is the
priceless contribution of Laurel’s Volunteer Fire Department — a group dedicated to its community in so many ways!
Riverside Park - There is an interesting history behind Riverside Park south of the Yellowstone
River bridge. It was the site of the German Prisoner of War Camp during World
War II. The buildings on the land were built by the prisoners.
The park, owned by the city, is great for camping as it offers showers, water
and electricity hook-ups, boat ramp, tent spaces, horseshoe pits, and picnic
areas. To make camping reservations at Riverside Park call (406) 628-6219.
Laurel Lions Family Park provides a convenient opportunity for recreation. The park is located on Laurel’s South Pond at Railroad Street and South 8th Avenue. It offers a picnic
shelter, restrooms, and a paved area for handicap parking. Fishing licenses are
required. Snags are few. It's a perfect place for kids to go fishing.
Cooney Reservoir - is 30 miles southwest of Laurel on Highway 212. Turn north at Boyd and follow
the signs for 9 miles. Cooney Dam is a great place for boating, fishing for
walleyes and trout and water skiing. There is a campground area with hookups.
Standard state park fees are charged.
If you want to take an alternate route when you leave Cooney Reservoir, take the
14 mile drive west from Cooney to Highway 78.
Chief Plenty Coups State Park - Take the loop from Laurel to Edgar and then 16 miles to the Chief Plenty Coups
Museum, open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily from May 1 to Sept. 30. Or, from Billings,
park officials suggest that first time visitors take I-90 Exit 447. Follow 416
south to the junction of Pryor Road. Turn south and follow the signs south to
Pryor.
The park, home and museum commemorate the famous Crow chief. The museum was once
the home of Plenty Coups, last chief of the Crow Indians. Chief Plenty Coups
donated his home and surroundings to be used by all people in friendship. When
he died in 1932, it became a park.
View the museum interpretive displays of the Crow culture and the chief’s Medicine Spring burial site. Picnic facilities with tables, grills, sanitary
facilities and drinking water are available. Overnight camping is not
available. The fee to visit the museum is $1 per person over six years old.
Ice Caves and Wild Horses - To reach the Big Ice Cave and the Wild Horse Range
continue south from Pryor for 16 miles. Turn east (left). You’ll have five miles of rough road, eight miles of good road, then another four
miles of rough road to reach the cave. Another four miles puts you at Dryhead
Overlook, the area of the Pryor Wild Horse Range. The horses normally roam in
the next four miles. Two wheel drive, low-profile vehicles are not recommended.
Inclement weather makes the road very difficult.
