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Published: March 7th 2013
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Washita Battlefield
This marker guides visitors into the area of the battlefield. The views are amazing, overlooking the Washita River basin. For years I had heard about the Black Kettle Battleground near Cheyenne, OK. As I understood, this was a critical battle in the control of the Native Peoples as white men forced their way to the west. What I found is that I had not heard the full (real) story of the Battle of the Washita.
After breakfast at the Noble House in Watonga, we headed west toward Cheyenne. The drive over was great - there was still snow piled in the ditches - the remnants of over 12 inches this area received last week. We were told that there were drifts of 6-9 feet!
After pulling in to Cheyenne around 1 p.m., we quickly found the National Park Service's visitor center for the Washita National Battleground and the Black Kettle National Grasslands. The park ranger was extremely helpful in explaining the historical events of the immediate area and directing us to a film of the Battle of the Washita.
The US Government was directing an intensive attack on the Southern Plains Indians in a final attempt to force them on to the reservations, making room for white settlers. George Armstong Custer was a young soldier in charge
Native Peoples Prayer Cloths
Native peoples leave prayer cloths throughout the battle site in remembrance of those who died. of troups who were searching out bands of indians who were refusing to move to the reservations. Black Kettle was a Cheyenne Chief who had long struggled to lead his people to peace with the white man. He was somewhat ostricized by the other Plains tribes and during the winter of 1868, Black Kettle and his party were camped about 5-7 miles upriver from the Kiowa and Apache parties. During the night of November 27th, Custer and his troups located Black Kettle's encampment and planned an early-morning raid.
The indians really did not suspect any attacks as the winter was a somewhat peaceful time. After a two hour surprise attack, between 30-60 Cheyenne were laying dead in the snow-covered encampment. Most of the dead were women and children- brutally murdered in the name of westward expansion. The Southern Plains tribes survial was critically dependent on their ownership of horses. Without their horses, they could not hunt. Black Kettle and his party had over 800 horses. The soldiers, rather than just taking the horses, drove them into a small ravine where they were all slaughtered.
This is a most horrific story. The plight of the Southern Plains Indians continued
Slaughter of the Ponies
Th.is is the area where over 800 Cheyenne ponies were slaughtered, as punishment to the Cheyenne tribe. to worsen until they were forced onto reservations and assimilation into the white man's culture.
The battle site is open for walking tours and is amazing. The landscape is beautiful and the trails are well marked. The entrance to the site is marked with a split rail fence. On this fence, tribal members have attached prayer cloths in remembrance of all those who died. It was extremely moving.
During our discussion with the ranger, we were provided information on Antelope Hills - a geologic formation located about 25 miles northwest of Cheyenne. These 'hills' rise up from the hilled countryside to a total height of over 2400 feet. They are accessible off State Highway 33 - about six miles north. They can't be seen from the highway, but as you near them from the south, they rise dramatically. After parking, I began my journey to the top - as Cynde napped in the car. The climb was not very challenging, but is was a good workout. The view from the top was definitely worth the drive and the climb.
Another hidden treasure of western Oklahoma is the Metcalfe Museum. This family-owned museum highlights the original paintings of
Antelope Hills
This is an amazing site. It is very reminiscent of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"!! Augusta Metcalfe. Augusta moved to western Roger Mills County in 1893. She was truly a pioneer woman - managing her ranch, raising her son and taking care of her ailing mother. Augusta taught herself to paint and was extremely gifted in small detail work. Her lone son remained on the ranch after his mother's death and worked toward developing a venue to share his mother's life-long art work depicting life in early day Oklahoma. Although this is definitely an out-of-the-way place, it is certainly worth a side trip after a visit to the Washita Battle site.
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