Published: June 16, 2009 10:29 pm         

Screams still linger with pioneer pride

“You won. All right? You came in and you killed them and you took their land. That’s what conquering nations do. It’s what Caesar did, and he’s not going around saying, ‘I came, I conquered, I felt really bad about it.’ The history of the world isn’t people making friends. You had better weapons, and you massacred them. End of story.”

— Spike

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”



In the late-1800s, it was celebrated as George Armstrong Custer’s greatest victory — at least during the Plains Indian wars.

But once the smoke cleared on history and fear of being massacred by American Indians waned as they were subdued by the Army, the Battle of the Washita in what is now western Oklahoma is seen by many historians as nothing but a massacre in its own right.



A Star in the West



There’s something enduring, maybe even romantic, about the legacy of Gen. Cus-ter. Some who have studied him, despise him but remain fascinated by the man, myth and legend, nonetheless.

He made a name for himself — and achieved a brevet rank of major general during the Civil War — because of his bravery, which some describe as recklessness with his own life and the lives of others, throughout battles that stretched from the Potomac River to Gen. Robert E. Lee’s retreat.

Most know of Custer from historic accounts of Battle of Little Bighorn, in Montana, where he died after attacking Lakota and Cheyenne warriors much the same way he conquered the lesser-known Cheyenne and Arapaho winter camps in Oklahoma.

Much of the art depicting Custer portray him as a hero, which he was seen by a pioneering majority at the time of his death — fighting until the end, his long locks of hair flowing in the wind — even though historic accounts show his hair probably was short for the summer campaign.

The Plains Indians called him “Yellow Hair” and “Son of the Morning Star.”

It’s easy to see how he was romanticized.

After the Civil War, his rank adjusted back, and he was a colonel in the regular Army at the time the Washita attack.



Sounds of death still echo in silence of Antelope Hills



In northern Rogers County, Antelope Hills near the Washita River still rise from the landscape today, creating a picturesque landscape as one crosses the river on U.S. 283. It is easy to imagine how those landmark hills — located on private property today — were seen by the weary, nomadic band of Cheyenne migrating from Colorado in the late 19th Century to warmer climes.

Artists renditions depicts a snowy Indian village awakening to a cold dawn Nov. 27, 1868, as Custer and his Seventh Cavalry charged amongst their tepees — housing women and children in addition to warriors — on the Washita River in Indian Territory, just under the southern shadow of those hills.

Dozens died, including Black Kettle, a prominent chief seen today as a peaceful leader who already had escaped fate during another Army massacre of his band near Sand Creek in Colorado.

Custer struck like a snake and retreated, little realizing the number of Indian villages further encamped on the river and how lucky he was the surprise winter attack kept his calvary unit from being overwhelmed by those bands.



Learning about the past



Years ago, before the site of the massacre became a national landmark, I visited the place where historians believe the battle took place, near Cheyenne.

Then, there were stone picnic tables and a marker that mapped out what was believed to have happened. A couple visiting at the same time answered my enthusiasm about the place with disdain, wondering why I thought it was such an interesting site. There’s nothing here, they said. I wondered why they came. The place is ripe with history, you just have to seek it out. It is my heritage.

Since the area was designated a national historic site, I have longed to return.

A new visitor center is open to the public and features exhibits, a bookstore, and a 27-minute film, “Destiny at Dawn.” Park ranger-led talks are available at the historic site’s overlook on Oklahoma 47A and daily walking tours start at 9:30 a.m. A ranger-led walking tour along an interpretive trail has been added to the schedule this year. A 1.5-mile, self-guided trail is available.

Information about the park is at www.nps.gov/waba.

In the town of Cheyenne, Black Kettle Museum offers a historic look at the battle, too.



Get out and see history



Oklahoma is a state that embraces its heritage, Amer-ican Indian and pioneer. Sometimes the two clash — the rich heritage of our land runs seen by some American Indians as nothing but theft of their land — but one could not be without the other. It is all what makes up this state.

The history is worth ex-ploring. It really isn’t over. It’s just down the river a ways.



Anyone with information or remembrances about history of the Enid area or northwest Oklahoma can contact the News & Eagle at enidnews@enidnews.com.