Washita Battlefield National Historic Site Landscape: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, National Park Service
Cowley J, John Milner Associates (JMA), Curran M. 2010. Washita Battlefield National Historic Site Landscape: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, National Park Service. Cultural Landscapes Inventory Report. 850475. NPS Intermountain Regional Office. Intermountain Regional Office/CLI Database
Washita Battlefield National Historic Site (NHS) is a 315.2 acre property located in Rogers Mill County, which abuts Texas in far west central Oklahoma. The NHS is comprised of a single continuous tract of land that straddles the Washita River, just northwest of the city of Cheyenne, Oklahoma. The Washita Battlefield NHS Landscape is a historic site and ethnographic landscape that consists of a section of the Washita River corridor, adjacent floodplain, and upland areas. The general area was initially used by Plains Tribes for hunting, winter camps, and sanctuary from the U.S. Army. The position of the site along the Washita River contributed to its character and development, influencing circulation through the region, topographic factors, and contemporary agricultural expansion. In 1868, the most intense activity of the Washita Battle occurred within the core area of the landscape. Since that time, a number of memorials have been placed on the slope to the south of the river overlooking the village site, and the area has been settled by Anglo-American farmers and ranchers. The National Register identifies two periods of significance for the landscape: the Washita NHS is nationally significant for association with the Battle of Washita in 1868. Existing landforms, vegetation, and other landscape elements derive significance from their relationships to this event. As a part of the overall battlefield, the core area where a majority of the fighting occurred is set aside to preserve and honor the memory of the conflict. The battle represents a broader conflict of cultures scarring the western landscape as Anglo-American settlers and traditional Native American groups struggled for control of the frontier. The encounter is perceived by many historians and in the legislative testimony to have been a slaughter of noncombatant Cheyenne women and children as they slept in their lodges, led by Lt. Colonel George Custer. The Cheyenne were forced onto reservations soon after this event, altering the tribe’s relationship to the landscape for all subsequent generations. A second period is identified as 1865 to 1939, encompassing alterations in the political landscape occurring during the late 19th century. Aside from the battle, the landscape’s significance is associated to the individuals General Custer and Chief Black Kettle. It is also important for the ability to potentially provide further information on the impacts and implications of the conflict, the natural environment, and ethnographic associations with the landscape. Although conclusive physical evidence of the location of Chief Black Kettle’s village has not yet surfaced, historic records and oral histories indicate with some confidence that the core area is the location of the village and the most intense activity of the Washita conflict. Topographic features important to the historic event are substantially intact, and historic locations (e.g. village area, pony herd kill site, Custer hill) are identified and visible. The core area, and the battlefield as a whole, has traditional and contemporary cultural and historical value for the Cheyenne community, other Native American groups, and the entire nation.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Cowley, Jill; John Milner Associates (JMA); Curran, Michele
- Date of Issue
- 2010-07-22
- Publisher
- NPS Intermountain Regional Office
- Units
- IMR , WABA
- Keywords
- 1868, Agriculture, Battle Site, Battlefield, Cheyenne, Cheyenne-Arapaho, Chief Black Kettle, Comanche, cultural conflict, Custer Hill, Ethnic Heritage, Ethnographic/Traditional Landscape, Ethnohistory of Indigenous American Populations, Farming, Floodplain, Fort Supply, General George Custer, historic site, Management, Memorial, Military, Native American, Oklahoma, Osage, Physical Sciences, Plains Apache, Plains Tribes, Plant Studies, Political and Military Affairs 1865-1939, Pony Herd Kill Site, Ranching, Red River Wars, Riparian, Rogers Mill County, Sacred Site, The Reconstruction Era 1865-1877, Topography, Traditional Use Area, U.S. Army, Washita River