Podcasts With Park Rangers - A National Parks Podcast

Podcasts With Park Rangers - A National Parks Podcast


Little Bighorn Battlefield NM: Examining Why We Preserve Battlefields – PWPR 17

August 13, 2018

The Battle of Little Bighorn is one of the most written about and mythologized battles in US history. On this episode of Podcasts with Park Rangers, we talk with Ranger Steve Adelson about Custer’s Last Stand, the evolution of the National Monument, and why we preserve battlefields.
Show Notes found at: https://www.virtualkamper.com/pwpr17/
Help keep the show on the road: https://www.patreon.com/virtualkamper/

Podcast Resources:

* Minuteman Missile NHS: Commanding the Missile – Episode 11
* CSPAN: Ranger Steve’s Little Bighorn Ranger Talk
* Ranger Steve Adelson’s Author Page
* Discover more Podcasts with Park Rangers episodes!

Topics Covered

* About Ranger Steve Adelson
* US Events Leading up to the Battle of Little Bighorn
* Protest by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse
* Living on the Little Bighorn River
* General Custer’s Mission
* Crow and Arikara Tribe Scouts
* The Morning of the Battle – June 25th, 1876
* The Battle Begins in High Noon Heat
* Where does Custer go?
* How Do We Know What Happened Next?
* Sioux and Cheyenne Accounts
* Why Visit the Battlefield?
* The Evolution of Research on the Battle of Little Bighorn
* Changes at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
* Why Protect Battlefields?
* What Lessons Can We Learn From the Battle of Little Bighorn?
* Steve’s Passion for Little Bighorn National Battlefield and the NPS
* Volunteer.gov
* Thanks to Our Listeners – Let’s Connect More!

About Ranger Steve Adelson
Ranger Steve has a deep love for history that began in childhood when his grandmother gifted him a set of Encyclopedia Britannica books. The books served as his first exposure to the story of the Battle of Little Bighorn.
During both graduate school and later in life as a professor at Montana State University, he’s both studied and taught about the Battle of Little Bighorn. Now that he’s retired, Ranger Steve naturally transitioned into a seasonal Park Ranger position at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument for the past 9 seasons.
US Events Leading up to the Battle of Little Bighorn
The US economy tanked in 1873, which resulted in a stock market crash, massive unemployment, and people desperate for new opportunities.
General George Armstrong Custer goes into the Black Hills of South Dakota in 1874 under the guise of looking for a fort site. However, they were really searching for gold. And, they found it.
Gold miners and prospectors flood the Black Hills. However, this is a problem because the United States doesn’t own the land. The Treaty of 1868 awarded the land to the Sioux Tribe,