Dunn County Historical Society & Museum / 153 Museum Trail, Dunn Center, ND / PO Box 145, Killdeer, ND 58640dunncountymuseum@ndsupernet.com / www.dunncountymuseum.org
Contact: Jennifer Strange 541-944-4131/jlstrange@hotmail.com
For Immediate Release: July 26 All-Day Family-Friendly Event in Dunn Center
Commemorates Killdeer Mountain History and Conflict of 1864
(Dunn Center, ND) –Learning activities for all ages, a panel discussion and a noon roast bison banquet will be featured at the Dunn County Historical Museum in Dunn Center on Saturday, July 26. “150 Years Later: Commemorating the Killdeer Mountain Conflict” is sponsored by the Dunn County Historical Society & Museum. Co-sponsors are the State Historical Society of North Dakota and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.
All activities are open to the public and free of charge, with donations appreciated.
The Killdeer Mountain Battle, which took place on July 28, 1864, was one of five Dakota Territory Civil War conflicts. "On that date, General Alfred Sully led U.S. Army troops against a gathering of Teton, Yanktonai and Dakota Indians in retribution for earlier, unrelated battles that happened in other parts of the Northern Plains," said program coordinator Jennifer Strange. “The Killdeer Mountain conflict changed the course of the people and history of the region.”
The commemoration will focus on education, equality, inclusion and mutual respect across cultures. "Everyone will feel welcome," said Deb Lancaster, event co-planner and Dunn County Historical Society Oral Historian. "Here’s something that happened right in our back yard and a lot of people don’t really know much about it."
The conflict plays in important role in Dakotans' shared history, said Diane Rogness, Historic Sites Manager of the State Historical Society of North Dakota. “For many, the conflict seems a long time ago. But for the Dakota or Sioux people, the story is still fresh. They have heard their grandparents speak of the battle and the soldiers."
July 26 Schedule—Dunn County Museum Grounds, 153 Museum Trail, Dunn Center
· 9am MDT (10 am CST) - Welcome and Continental Breakfast
· 10am MDT (11 am CST) - Flag-raising Ceremony
· 10:30 am MDT (11:30 am CST) - Panel: “The History and Spirit of Killdeer Mountain”
· Noon MDT (1 pm CST) - Roast Bison Banquet
· 1:30 pm MDT (2:30 pm CST) - Educational Fair
· 4:30 pm MDT (5:30 pm CST) - Flag-lowering Ceremony
Panelists will discuss the Civil War-era battle and the broader history of the Killdeer Mountains from Native American, U.S. Military and settler perspectives. Panelists include Rogness, Fort Yates Tribal Historian LaDonna Brave Bull Allard and Dean Pearson, board member of Prairie Trails Regional Museum.
The Educational Fair will include a KidZone with Native American games, crafts, and tipi setup; Tipi Storytelling; a Civil War campsite; flintknapping demonstrations; a Dunn County Writers workshop/open mic; narrative sketching lessons for all ages and a Veterans’ table.
Nathan Good Iron and two other Standing Rock Sioux Veterans will raise and lower the flag, oversee the Veterans Table and join in the Tipi Storytelling. Good Iron is a member of the state’s only four-generation family of military veterans. His story has appeared in The Washington Post and other publications.
Event Supporters: Hinrich’s SuperValu, Ardent Services LLC, Quality Mat Company, United Tribes Technical College, SM Fencing & Energy Services, Inc., North Dakota Humanities Council, North Dakota Humanities Council. Friends of the Event: Sample Auto Sales, First International Bank & Trust, Dakota Community Bank, EconoFoods. Thanks also to Wrenches R Us Truck Repair, Southwest Business Machines, Nana Lil’s, Larry Pavlenko & Sons, Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing, Baker Boy, Knife River Indian Villages, Jerry Banks, City of Dunn Center.
For a full schedule of the free public event:www.dunncountymuseum.org.
