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Thursday, July 7, 2011

The Big Event: The Real Bird Re-enactment!

The big day has finally come and gone- the Real Bird Battle of the Little Big Horn Re-enactment was last weekend. For weeks, we have all been busy answering phones and giving directions to people in the museum about the Re-enactment. I was getting pretty excited for the day when we would finally get a chance to see it. After our busy weekend here in the museum, we got a chance to see the show on Sunday. All morning we had our eyes tuned to the weather forecast: there were supposed to be afternoon thunderstorms, but the Real Birds said the show would go on rain or shine. We have definitely had our share of interesting weather here in Montana (including 90 mph winds in Hardin while Kiley and I looked for some ice cream, but that’s a whole different story!) so I was less than optimistic about the storms holding out.
With our rain coats and hoods, we headed about a mile down the road to site of the show. We climbed up the wooden bleachers and found a nice spot to sit so we could see everything. I was getting pretty anxious as dark clouds kept looming over us. It is Montana though, so the dark clouds were replaced by pretty blue ones every so often which made me hopeful. Before the Re-enactment of the battle began, there were ceremonies held and stories told. The most interesting ceremony to me was the Naming Ceremony. One of the Real Birds, the family that runs the Re-enactment, brought his grandson to the front of the bleachers. He explained to the crowd that important Indian ceremonies usually take place at events such as the Re-enactment. Other Real Bird family members joined the young boy over the burning bear root. The parents of the young boy were presented with three different names and they were allowed to chose one. It was a very interesting look into the ceremonial practices of the Crow Tribe. It seemed to be such a personal ceremony and an important time in the young boy’s life that I was surprised it was shared with so many strangers.
Also included in the opening ceremonies was an introduction of the men playing the parts of the soldiers and the Indians. Each group marched in separately and were given their own time in the spotlight. I have to say, I got more excited when I watched the 7th Cavalry march in to the tune of Garryowen- that’s definitely the closest I’ll ever get to watching the real 7th Cavalry, led by George Custer, march to the famous tune. It was cool to see the men who had stopped in our museum so many times during the week and who we shared many conversations with sitting on their horses in character. I kept saying “There’s our friend (insert name here)!” whenever I recognized someone we had met previously.
Although I was there mainly to see the battle, I was delighted to find out that part of the show was a short overview of important events in Western History depicted by re-enactors. I obviously have a soft spot for Custer, Sitting Bull and the Battle of the Little Big Horn, but I also love Lewis, Clark and Sacagawea. When three people dressed as them walked across the grass representing their westward journey, I knew my day would be complete!
As the show moved on, the clouds got darker and darker and the rain finally started to trickle down. We whipped out our rain coats and hoods and sat through the first drops. I was just hoping it would hold off long enough for the battle scene. Finally, the stage was set and the battle began. The rain got harder and harder and the emcee started yelling “This is the Battle of the Little Big Horn!” multiple times really loudly. It was evident that a big storm was coming through and they wanted to rush it as fast as possible. Already wet, we hunkered down and waited- all I wanted to see was Custer’s charge and his Last Stand. Before the men in Custer’s unit even charged down to the fight, the emcee said “that’s it- please leave now, it’s going to be a drencher.” I won’t even try to deny my disappointment.
We started to walk down the bleachers, already soaked as the rain poured down harder. I looked across the river one last time only to see Custer and his men charging down into the fray: the re-enactors had decided to have a Last Stand regardless of the weather! Instead of running towards the car, we ran closer to the river trying to make out the battle through the pouring rain. I never did see Custer die because of the chaos (but I guess that’s how it would have really been that day!), but the excitement of it was enough to satisfy me. Once we got to the car, we were soaked from head to foot and the parking lot (a field) had already turned to mud. I know that I would have enjoyed it either way, but I actually think the rain made for a better story and certainly a funny afternoon. I’ll never forget the moment I watched the men charge down to complete the re-enactment even though everyone was told to leave. After meeting them in the museum this past week, I would not have expected anything less from these men. They love what they do and are dedicated to sharing the story of the Battle with whoever wants to learn. Even in torrential rain, I will always be interested in the stories they have to share.

-- Aimee

Book Signings!

Hello! Aimee here- we’ve been quite busy here in Garryowen because of the 135th Anniversary of the Battle of the Little Big Horn. The museum has been filled and we’ve been able to meet and talk to a lot of interesting people over the past week. We had two book signings in the museum Re-enactment Weekend: Chris Enss, who co-wrote None Wounded, None Missing, All Dead: The Story of Elizabeth Bacon Custer, and Steve Alexander, who portrays General Custer in re-enactments and some films and wrote G.A. Custer to the Little Big Horn.
Steve Alexander came in for his book signing after the memorial service at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier outside the museum. Dressed as General Custer, I was quite excited when he stepped inside our door. I mean, this is the closest I’ll probably ever get to meeting the real George Custer! Also, I had never been to book signing before, let alone help one run smoothly, so I was anxious to see how it went. We set him up at a table in the back of the museum; it was a fitting place because there was a giant painting depicting the Last Stand behind him. It was quite a busy book signing- many of the people already within in the museum purchased a book and hopped in line for a chance to talk to the Custer re-enactor. Also, a lot of the 7th Cavalry re-enactors got in line to have their book signed.
For me, the best part about it was getting the chance to have a lengthy conversation with a few of the re-enactors, including Steve Alexander himself. We got the chance to talk with the men who played Lt. W.W. Cooke, Lt. Algernon Smith, (commander of Company E- also known as the Gray Horse Troop,) and Custer himself. They all seemed to really enjoy sharing their stories about re-enacting and their thoughts on what actually happened on June 25, 1876. We asked them questions about the behind the scenes action of the Real Bird Re-enactment that we would see a few days later. At one point, W.W. Cooke pulled out some empty bullet casings that were found on the field after the re-enactment earlier in the day. He gave one to each of us as souvenirs. It’s a pretty neat souvenir, especially after we had Steve Alexander sign “Custer” on it. Luckily, I’ll be driving back to Pennsylvania so I do not have to worry about getting it on a flight! It was definitely a great afternoon being able to take some time and chit chat with the re-enactors.


Sami here now-
I agree with Aimee that the whole reenactment week was fantastic. I love talking to the people who come in and hearing the stories from the re-enactors; it was pretty fantastic. I love hearing the stories that they tell, because unlike a lot of the people who just study battles, reenacting becomes a visceral experience which I think can often help people come into an even deeper appreciation of what each side went through.
The day after Steve Alexander came in to do his book signing, Chris Enss came by to promote her new book as well. A few weeks ago I read None Wounded, None Missing, All Dead and I can say that I was really looking forward to the woman who put pen to paper on such a captivating subject. We set Chris up in a separate location from where Steve Alexander had been. She was closer to the front of the museum- partially so she wouldn’t feel lonesome all the way in the back of the museum, but also so people who just wanted to stop in to have her sign the book could get in and out faster. Since I worked at the desk that morning, I was patiently sitting and taking care of everything before she got there. I fully expected that once people realized that a nationally known author was sitting just inside the door, we’d be busy and I’d be selling lots of books.
Thankfully at one point there was a lull, and I was able to step away from the desk and talk with her. Chris Enss is an absolutely lovely lady, and a veritable treasure trove of information on various subjects. She writes a lot of western history, especially including the role of women in that time period- and I think it’s an absolutely fascinating topic. I can’t wait to read more of her work.

1876 Grand Ball!

Hello! Sami here- We’ve been telling lots of tales from reenactment week lately and I have another one to share. On Wednesday of that week we went to the 1876 Grand Ball in Hardin. It was a period dress event at the fairgrounds, in which there would be dancing and music all dating from the centennial period. I can’t even begin to describe how excited I was to get to dress up and go dancing for a night! The whole ball thing was a bit of a rushed choice for us- we found out about it Monday, and I spent that afternoon trying to get in touch with the woman who was in charge of the dress rentals. Then, the next morning we went to try on our dresses before rushing back to Garryowen with them to get back to the museum.
Of course, by the time Wednesday night got here, I was so excited that I could barely sit still. Aimee, Kiley and I put on our dresses early so Chris could get some photos of us all dressed up in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the museum- it felt like we were getting glamour shots! From there, headed to the ball. What a sight we must’ve been: three girls dressed strangely, piling into a van, and driving down the road waving at whoever would bother to look our way. I’m sure people have interesting stories!
Anyway- the ball itself was really nice. It started off with what was called the “Grand March” in which all of the couples paired up (or in our case, all three of us got together in one line) and bowed before the leading couple of the dance- aka: General and Mrs. Custer. It was neat! From there we paused to get food, before we started dancing. The dances were fun- and we even got to dance one with the General and Libbie! While we were there, we also met several members of the Reno family; they were in town for a family reunion. It was nice to talk to people who had a personal connection with the events happening there and even nicer to find out that one was from my hometown! It is funny how small the world is sometimes.

Follow the road to glory....

Follow the road to glory....

The View From the Outside Looking In

The View From the Outside Looking In

All the Pretty Horses

All the Pretty Horses

The First Visit to LBH NM

The First Visit to  LBH NM

Battle Recreation Table

Battle Recreation Table

Ghost Dance Shirt

Ghost Dance Shirt

LBH Miniatures

LBH Miniatures
a close-up of the battle recreation

Custer's Cravat

Custer's Cravat
Somebody loves the cravat

Lewis and Clark

Lewis and Clark
A bear, a 400-year-old canoe and a ram head, with one thing in common

Justin and his gun

Justin and his gun
he is waaaay too excited about holding this gun

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