County of marker: Harding County
Location of marker: Canam Hwy (US-85/SD-20), Centennial Park, Buffalo
Marker erected: July 3, 2009
Marker erected by: Harding County Chamber of Commerce
Marker text:
The Custer Black Hills Expedition of 1874
Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer, with ten companies of the 7th and 17th Infantry, en route from Ft. Abraham Lincoln in North Dakota to the Black Hills of South Dakota, twice passed close to the present site of Buffalo.
The Custer Black Hills Expedition, which was sent into the Black Hills to investigate rumors of gold, is said to have been he best equipped military expedition of its kind which had ever been assembled in this area. The party included 1,000 military men, 100 Indian scouts, herders, civilian teamsters, saddle makers, blacksmiths, wagon-makers, guides, interpreters, 1,000 cavalry horses, 1900 horses and mules, 300 head of beef cattle for their meat supply, 110 wagons drawn by six-mule teams, three 250-shots-per-minute Gatling guns, one 3-inch rifle with a range of ½ mile with full equipment of the latest model Springfield rifles with a good supply of the necessary ammunition.
The group left Fort Lincoln (south of Mandan, Dakota Territory) on July 2, 1874, and traveled in a southwesterly direction to reach the North Grand River at a point on the North Dakota- South Dakota state line, near what is now the northeast corner of Harding County arriving on July 9. Continuing onward they traveled in a westerly direction up the North Grand River and its tributary, Crooked Creek, to a point about a mile east of Hwy. 85. There they turned south, bearing slightly west to cross Hwy. 85 at a point about 1¾ miles north of Ludlow and thence southwest for about 3 miles. They camped on the Big Nasty Creek on July 11th.
They had been told of a cave by their Indian guides, located on the east side of the Cave Hills, about 4-5 miles west of the present town of Ludlow. The cave was named Ludlow Cave in Honor of Lieutenant Colonel William Ludlow, a geological engineer, who was with the group. Ludlow, who along with his family was portrayed in the movie "Legends of the Fall", wrote "Report of a Reconnaissance of the Black Hills of Dakota", a copy of which can be found at the South Dakota State Library.
On the walls of the cave were found rudely-drawn pictures of animals common to the region, and curious hieroglyphics. Many trinkets of various kinds, evidently booty of raids, were found near the entrance. They took measurements of the cave and noted the ancient petroglyphs carved on the walls.
They again traveled to the southwest, passing just to the east of MacKinzie Butte and on to camp on Valley Creek, southwest of Buffalo, near the old Albert Penn ranch. They stayed there July 14 and 15 to cook, wash cloths and repair equipment.
Leaving Valley Creek they traveled west past the north end of the West Short Pine Hills, from the top of which they got their first view of the Black Hills. They continued on up The Little Missouri River and went in a southerly direction up the rifer to cross over to the Belle Fourche River in July 18.