Montana Fires Burn Custer’s Last Battlefield

Seven range and forest fires had burned about 7,000 acres as of Wednesday on the Crow Indian Reservation in southeastern Montana, including part of the Custer Battlefield National Monument.

A fire burned 125 acres Tuesday evening along Battle Ridge, where Lt. Col. George Custer and his soldiers died on June 25, 1876, in the Battle of the Little Bighorn. It approached to within 300 yards of the visitors’ center and closed the monument for several hours.

Smoke was visible from the visitors’ center Wednesday, but acting superintendent Doug McChristian said the monument was open to tourists.

“There’s nothing right here on the battlefield” that is burning, he said.

Fire information officer Craig Flentie said crews were concerned about temperatures nearing 100 degrees Wednesday and possible gusty wind.

“That’s uncomfortable,” he said. “That makes firefighters very nervous.”

Fire is nothing new to the Custer battlefield, where most of the monument property burned in 1983.

“It’s a natural process that is pretty good for the vegetation,” McChristian said. “It comes back a little better when all the dead stuff is burned out.”

Fire officials said the fires that began Monday were caused by man and were under investigation.

Tuesday’s fire raced up the grassy hill where Custer and 200 soldiers made their “last stand” against Cheyenne and Sioux warriors.

McChristian said the monument was closed and tourists were evacuated when the flames, approaching from the north, jumped U.S. Highway 212 and burned toward monument property.

Firefighters then formed a line along a paved road that traverses Battle Ridge and stopped it there with water.

Another fire burned about 125 acres of grass and timber Monday at the Reno-Benteen battle site a mile or so to the south, where another contingent of Custer’s troops were repulsed by Indian forces.

Most of the 765-acre monument is rolling, grassy plains surrounding the Little Bighorn River.