The Battle of Rosebud Creek took place on June 17, 1876 at the
mouth of Kollmar Creek, a tributary to the Upper Rosebud. Brigadier
General George Crook commanded a column of 1,300 cavalry, infantry,
Native American scouts, packers and miners from Ft. Fetterman,
Wyoming Territory as part of a coordinated movement with Colonel
John Gibbon, Ft. Ellis, Montana Territory and Brigadier General
Alfred H. Terry, Ft. Lincoln, Dakota Territory. The objective of
this operation was to locate elements of the Sioux and Northern
Cheyenne Nations who the U.S. government viewed as violating a
proclamation requiring all Native Americans to settle on reservations.
The Tribes were under the spiritual command of Sitting Bull and the
tactical command of Crazy Horse. The three-pronged pincer was to
locate, destroy, and capture the camps of the tribes and eventually
meet on the Yellowstone River (Vaughn, 1956).
Crook stopped the morning march up the Rosebud at Kollmar Creek
and sent his Crow and Shoshone scouts out to locate Crazy
Horse’s camp, believed to be very close by. Crazy Horse
made a decision sometime on the night of June 16 to interdict
Crook’s move and attack him with an estimated 2,200 riders.
Never before in the history of American Plains fighting, had such
a force engaged the forces of the United States (National Historic
Register Form, 1972).
Crook’s scouts were engaged by Crazy Horse’s forces
and rode swiftly back to Rosebud Creek, followed closely by the
tribal forces. A fight involving all of Crook’s forces and
about half of Crazy Horse’s lasted for about six hours. Both
sides endured casualties and eventually broke contact. Crook sized
things up and returned to Camp Cloud Peak on Goose Creek, Wyoming
Territory and stayed there until August, not rejoining in the action
with Gibbon and Terry. Crazy Horse moved his camp and joined up with
Sitting Bull on the Little Big Horn River, Montana.
Eight days later, George Armstrong Custer, in command of the
7th Cavalry, attached to Terry’s column, located a
huge Native American camp, possibly 7,000 strong, on the Little Big
Horn. He attacked immediately upon discovery, against his specific
orders, which were to contact Terry and wait for a coordinated action
by the entire pincer. The 7th was totally wiped out that day, causing
a national uproar.
The site of the Rosebud battle was owned and ranched by Elmer
“Slim” Kobold for over forty years before the land was
designated a state park in 1978. In the1960’s and early 1970’s,
pressure to extract coal from the area near Decker, Montana and under
The Rosebud Battlefield, where significant coal reserves exist, induced
Mr. Kobold to work at preserving and protecting the Battle of the Rosebud
site for future generations. He led many interested people on tours of
the area, explaining the course of the battle, showing significant
archeological spots, studying and cataloging artifacts, and preserving
Native American art. In 1972, with the aid of
FWP, he
gained designation
for the land in the National Register of Historical Places. Inclusion in
the Registry affords protections from actions by the Federal Government
or its agencies. The letting of Oil and Gas leases to Federal Mineral
Rights is included in this protection. Partly as a result of
Kobold’s preservation efforts, Rosebud Battlefield State Park (RBBF)
was acquired by FWP in 1978 utilizing Coal Tax Fund monies by direction
of the Montana State Legislature.
Today, the park is a multiple-use area covering 3,052 acres of public
land, which is almost exclusively surrounded by private lands. The park
provides opportunities to visit historic and archeological sites as well
as the opportunity to hike, bike, horseback ride, hunt during the open
season, and practice Native religious rights. Grazing has also been allowed
for several years, with payment to the state.
