National Anthropological Archives

MS 2000-18 Edward S. Curtis investigation of the Battle of Little Bighorn

Summary

Collection ID:
NAA.MS2000-18
Creators:
Curtis, Edward S., 1868-1952
Leupp, Francis E. (Francis Ellington), 1849-1918
Woodruff, Charles Albert, 1845-1920
Dates:
bulk 1905, 1907-1908
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
25 Items
2.5 inches (1 document box
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
This collection contains materials relating to Edward S. Curtis' 1907-1908 investigation into the Battle of Little Bighorn. The collection contains Curtis' notes; transcriptions of eyewitness accounts of Crow scouts Curley (as told to Chas. F. Roe, published in Army & Navy Journal, March 10, 1982) and White Man Runs Him and Cheyenne chief Two Moons; and letters from General Charles A. Woodruff, who was assigned by the U.S. Army to corroborate Curtis's findings in 1908. Also includes a 1905 letter from Francis E. Leupp, Comissioner of Indian Affairs, to Curtis

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Edward Sheriff Curtis (1868-1952) was a photographer, known for his images of Native Americans and of the American West. In preparation for his volume on the Sioux for his 20 volume publication, The North American Indian, he investigated the details of the Battle of Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand (June 25, 1876). He first visited the battleground in 1905 and interviewed many of the Sioux participants. He returned in 1907, and with the help of three Crow scouts who were with George Armstrong Custer that day, Curtis retraced Custer's steps on his final day. Curtis submitted a report to President Theodore Roosevelt and army officials, and upon their request, chose not to publish his findings out of deference to Custer's widow, who was alive at the time. Shortly before his death in 1952, Curtis passed on his manuscript to his son Harold with the request that he find a home for his papers. Thirty-six year later, shortly before his own death, Harold donated his father's manuscript to the National Museum of American History. Curtis' manuscript was later transferred to the National Anthropological Archives.

Using the Collection

Citation
Manuscript 2000-18, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

More Information

Local Numbers

Local Numbers
NAA MS 2000-18

Local Note

Local Note
See NAA vertical file under "Curtis, Edward S." for more information.

Bibliography

Bibliography
Published in The Papers of Edward S. Curtis by James Hutchins (2000). Little Bighorn Remembered: The Untold Indian Story of Custer's Last Stand by Herman Viola (1999) contains a chapter by Hutchins on Curtis' papers.


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Little Bighorn, Battle of the, Mont., 1876 Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Little Bighorn Battlefield (Mont.) Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Manuscripts Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Apsáalooke (Crow/Absaroke) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sioux Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Tsitsistas/Suhtai (Cheyenne) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Indians of North America -- Great Plains Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Reno, Marcus A. (Marcus Albert), 1835-1889 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
White Man Runs Him, approximately 1855-1925 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Two Moon, 1847-1917 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Curley Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Custer, George Armstrong, 1839-1876 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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