Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks announced the Rosebud Battlefield State Park management plan was approved today following an 18-month process to solicit public involvement and thoroughly examine future opportunities for the park.
The plan is the work of a 14 member advisory committee and includes many suggestions from area residents and the public on protecting park resources and improving visitor services. Indian tribes from Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota who historically used the site also participated in the planning process.
"This site is one of the most long-standing, culturally rich areas in Montana," said John Little, State Parks manager in FWP Region 7 in Miles City. " The challenge is to protect the cultural integrity, sense of solitude and open landscape, while also encouraging people to learn about this place and those who used it."
The new Rosebud Battlefield State Park management plan calls for collaboration among neighbors, tribes, historians, and tourism groups, while stressing education, interpretation and resource management. The plan also recommends a wildfire suppression plan, a vegetation management plan, including noxious weed control, and cultural and archeological research on the site.
FWP is working with mineral owners to find alternatives to mineral development under the park.
Little said one of the site’s strengths is that its authentic appearance enables people to more easily imagine what it was like to hunt buffalo, battle an enemy, or ranch in this remote landscape.
Rosebud Battlefield State Park includes more than 3,000 acres where General Crook’s army, supported by Crow and Shoshone allies and civilians, battled Northern Cheyenne and Sioux warriors on June 17, 1876 and were turned back to Wyoming. Eight days later, General George Custer and 200 soldiers died fighting some of the same warriors at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, just 35 miles northwest of the Rosebud Battlefield. These two Indian victories resulted in an intensified effort to move the tribes onto reservations.
Copies of the Rosebud Battlefield State Park Final Management Plan can be accessed on the FWP home page at fwp.mt.gov under the State Parks heading. Or, request a copy at the Miles City FWP office at Industrial Site West, or by phone: 406-234-0900.
Rosebud Battlefield State Park is open year-round for day-use activities. No camping is allowed, though Tongue River Reservoir State Park, just 10 miles south of the Battlefield, offers camping. Groups larger than 20 people, or those planning a special event, must call the Miles City FWP office to schedule a visit.
Recent News
