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WATCH THIS FIRST PAGE FOR ADDITIONS.
A new book on Liver Eating Johnston, check out the abstract. 
Check out Cemeteries, new additions
Fort C.F. Smith (Crow Indian Reservation) (1866 - 1868), Fort Smith Originally called Fort Ransom. The state's first Federal fort, it was built to protect the Bozeman Trail. Besieged for six months in 1866 - 1867 during the "Hayfield Fight" in which 31 soldiers held off 800 Cheyennes. The stockaded fort was abandoned according to treaty. The actual site is on private property, but tours can be arranged at the Yellowtail Dam - Fort Smith Visitors Center. Graves sites at Ft. Smith have been moved to Battle of the Little Big Horn National Cemetery, Montana Territory Section B. Transferred: 1892. Intermittent graves: B-307 to 322
.Watch for more on Ft.Smith.
Vital Records:
Court House, Hardin MT. 406-665-9750 (call, they are very friendly). Records Available: Birth and Death -1900. Deeds, Mortgage, Leases,Burial records: from 1925-1926. Fees: Certified Birth $5.00; Certified Death $3.00 Other copies $.25 per page. State applications: Birth, Death, Marriage and Divorce. Print out your applications.
County Seat is Hardin.
Towns in BHC, Lodge Grass, Wyola, Crow Agency, Garyowen, Decker
Adjacent counties:
Carbon County, Montana west; Yellowstone County, Montana northwest; Treasure County, Montana -north; Rosebud County, Montana northeast; Powder River County, Montana - east, Sheridan County, ...Wyoming - south.
INDIAN WILLS. 1911-1921; look ups, e-mail Jo Ann Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
CEMETERIES
LONG HAIR
Big Horn County Museum, great museum, indoor and out, friendly staff.(a large outdoor area with old buildings. Indoor area is a must see, all kinds of books, displays and friendly people.) Developing oral history for genealogies. Will do look ups
Big Horn County Historical Museum. Rt.1 Box 1206A, Hardin, MT. 59034, 406-665-1671. Dianna Scheidt e-mail.
NEW WEB SITE IS PLANNED; Who knows what happened to the Miss Indian America contests?? Do they have a different name???? e-mail me
The Miss Indian America Contest was a great event, American Indians from all over the United States would travel to Sheridan Wyoming and Big Horn County Crow Reservation. I have a web site that I am putting all the Miss Indian America’s and the programs on it. It is history that we want to remember and the beautiful Indian Contestants.
Who knows the name of this handsome young man?
He was a famous person and an artist. A map that
he drew years ago just
surfaced. See below.
E-mail Jo Ann if you know
any thing about him.
Jan was right, this is Russell White Bear, compliments of the Little Big Horn Museum.
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A BRIEF REVIEW OF THE HISTORY OF BIG HORNCOUNTY,
THE CROW RESERVATION AND THE CROWS1884-1973 By Robert Yellowtail, Sr.
This is a review of Crow Tribal History since 1884 when I was born into the Crow Tribe and I have lived my entire life under 16 different American Presidents beginning with President Grover Cleveland to President Nixon. This long period of eighty-four (84) years, watching the administrations of government under the various Presidents of both political parties, has given me the rare privilege and understanding of the workings of American politics and the administration of Indian Affairs by either Party as they win the elections.
Today as I look back over the years, I think of the people—both Indian and white—that I was born into and amongst, I have a mixed feeling of joy and sadness as I remember them and see them in my mind's eye, and wish that they were still alive to see the great and unbelieveable changes that have taken place since their death.
To those of the present generation, you can only guess at the kind of life your fathers and mothers lived, and the joys and hardships that they endured in the rugged frontier life that they lived without any of the modern conveniences that you enjoy today.
Let me set forth some of the modern conveniences that you enjoy today, which your forebears lived without and knew nothing about. They are:
1. There were no trains in this country until 1892 when the Burlington and N. P. were granted rights-of-way to build their tracks for trains to begin hauling freight and people across country.
2. All freight was hauled by ox-teams and passengers by stage coaches pulled by four-horse teams from Wyoming to Custer Junction on the Yellowstone River, thence to destinations at Ft. Benton on the Missouri River—the terminus of steam boats from St. Louis and thence to destinations at Ft. MacLeod in Alberta, Canada.
3. All passengers and mail were carried as stated by four-horse stage coaches from, Wyoming to Ft.Custer on the YellowstoneRiver, thence to destinations all over Montana and Canada by similar conveyances.
4. All travel in those days was by horseback. Buggies were just beginning to make their appearance. Wagons were too slow and cumbersome until 1892 when the trains began taking over the duty of hauling freight and people, and the ox-teams and horse-drawn passenger state coaches relinquished that duty.
5. There were no telegraph wires nor telephones I which, while in operation in the East, had not I penetrated this country yet. All urgent messages were |by couriers on horseback of the Paul Revere kind. 16. There were no wire fences between Sheridan, I Wyoming and Billings, Montana as all of this area was | Crow Indian Reservation and no white settlements I were allowed by law.
6. There were no schools between Sheridan, Wyoming and Billings as there were no settlers and the only schools in this area were at Crow Agency where the Government, under the Crow Treaty of 1868 provided a boarding school for the half-hearted attempts to educate Crow Indian children, of which I was one. The white employees of Crow Agency, to solve their problems employed a teacher and were permitted to use a vacant room adjoining the laundry where their children were taught. These were the conditions that prevailed in the McKinley Administration. Kenneth Lewis of Hardin is the only one still alive of the employees' children and can attest to the conditions of the early 90's herein referred to.
7. There were no hospitals for the sick—Indian or white—betweenSheridan, Wyoming and Billings, Montana and, thus, it was a case of the survival of the fittest. The Crows had their Indian Medicine Doctors to whom they went for Medical treatment but the white people had to get to Billings as best they could. Today, as a matter of comparison, we have at Crow Agency, a modern PublicHealthHospital equipped with every modern hospital equipment known to the AMA, which the early Indians knew nothing about. When I reflect back to the olden times, which many love to call "the good old days" I cannot help but think that they do not know what they are talking about. Every condition of life in those old days, including the food and living facilities they had were primitive compared to those we enjoy today in great comfort. The so called "good old days" just never existed; and it is a wonder that we, who lived then, are alive and survived the ordeal.
8. This country was still wild in those days. The buffalo herds had just been killed off and the elk and deer of the lower areas had been driven into the Big Horn areas and living by the chase for the Crows had vanished.
9.The tilling of the soil was the new method of securing a livelihood for the Crows, which they did not take kindly to until they had work horses big enough to pull plows and other farm implements for the new life forced upon them. It was amusing and fun to watch the old buffalo hunters hitching their saddle ponies to plows, and trying to plow up the prairie sod for crops with government employees called "Boss Farmers" supervising the effort, with an Indian trying to lead each pony and another Indian using a whip to urge the ponies to pull the plows and still another hanging on to the plows trying to plow a straight furrow and thus, the show continuing all day to the merriment of all concerned. This was the beginning of farming by the Crow Indians in the early 90's. A complete reversal of securing their living from the chase of wild game, which had just been killed off by the white man who had invaded his country and destroyed his mode of living, way of life, his native culture and left him to survive as best he could under the new white man's way of living. It was a case of plowing the earth for food or starve in economic want and misery. That is the condition which faces the Indians today, (1884) and the necessity for them to forthwith engage in the education and intellectual. continued on this link.
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WELCOME TO BIG HORN COUNTY MONTANA
Picture by Joe, “looking forward and looking back”
Welcome Big Horn County Genealogy Trails History Group.
Hosted by Jo Ann Boyd Scott and as your host I try to post as much data online online as possible in order to make it freely available to all. I grew up 7 miles from Wyola.The county is a special place. I will do look ups. e-mail me.copyright current including pictures. 2008, Jo Ann Scott