The Battle of the Little Bighorn will be fought again and again for the edification of thousands of tourists over the weekend of June 22-24. Two separate re-enactments, one near Hardin and another near Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, are scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
The script for the re-enactment near Hardin, sponsored by the Hardin Area Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture, is based on notes from Crow historian Joe Medicine Crow. Crow warriors acted as scouts for Custer.
Performances are at 1:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and at 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Cost is $20 for adults and $8 for children. Children 5 and younger get in free.
The Real Bird family re-enactment near the battlefield takes place on the banks of the Little Bighorn River at Medicine Tail Coulee, where some say Custer tried unsuccessfully to cross with his five companies. The site, like the battlefield itself, is within the boundaries of the Crow Reservation.
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Performances are at 1 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Cost is $20 for adults and $15 for youth. Young children are admitted free.
Both events feature seasoned Indian and cavalry re-enactors.
The entire weekend, starting Thursday, is filled with events in Hardin for Little Bighorn Days and in Crow Agency for Crow Native Days. Since the towns are 15 minutes apart on Interstate 90, and Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument is just a few minutes from Crow Agency, visitors can take in a lot.
One of the highlights in Hardin is the annual 1876 Grand Ball. Participants in period costume dance the night away Thursday, June 21, to the same music the 7th Cavalry would have heard at frontier posts across the West. For those who want to learn dances of the era, a group lesson is set that afternoon from 1 to 2:15 at the Big Horn County Fairgrounds.
Tickets are $30 each and include a light supper. Tickets must be purchased in advance. None will be sold at the door. The dance lesson will cost $5. Period dresses can be rented by calling 406-639-2219.
The Hardin celebration also includes parades on Friday and Saturday mornings, a demolition derby at the fairgrounds on Saturday and a street dance beginning at 8:30 p.m. Saturday.
Crow Native Days includes parades, powwows, traditional games, horse races, rodeo, relays, trail rides and the Ultimate Warrior Challenge. Tribes from around the country are invited and everyone is welcome.
The battle anniversary falls on a Monday this year. Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument usually waives admission fees on the anniversary and schedules speakers from tribes that participated in the battle, as well as organizations associated with preserving the battlefield and its history.
Hotels in nearby Hardin fill quickly. Reservations are a good idea. Billings is 45 miles to the west on Interstate 90.
