CUSTER COUNTRY
Strange Treasure Of
The Little Big Horn
Montana has many strange treasures buried in strange places, but the strangest of all, according to injured Indian legend, is the treasure of the Little Big Horn, supposedly buried immediately following the Battle of the Little Big Horn by the victorious Sioux and Cheyenne.
It is guarded, says the legend, by the spirit of a wife or sweetheart of a fallen soldier, or perhaps the dead soldier himself.
This unusual treasure, unlike most early day caches, does not consist of gold nuggets or gold dust. And its value today, if found, would be based more or less upon its historical interest rather than the actual value of its contents.
The main part of the treasure supposedly consists of a huge necklace of heavy, old-fashioned men’s watches of a style commonly worn during the Civil War.
Buried with the necklace are other personal things such as rings, religious objects, small pictures, and other personal objects taken from the bodies of the ill-fated soldiers of the Seventh cavalry, who on the soft spring day of June 25, 1876, rode out to their deaths on the famous Little Big Horn. As the soldiers of the Seventh had received several months’ back pay, amounting to $25,000 just prior to their last battle, money, too, is considered to be part of the Little Big Horn Treasure.
Sitting Bull, an Hunkpapa Sioux medicine man, whose active part in the Little Big Horn battle has long been debated, was reported to have ordered a squaw to string the watches together in a massive, and certainly impressive, war trophy. The string of watches was passed among the chiefs and braves who were considered important enough to merit such a privilege.
It was while the necklace was under inspection by the Indians, the legend goes, that a young brave accidentally pressed a spring on the back of one of the watches and disclosed the likeness of a young woman. As the Indians at the time were not familiar with the white man’s photography, they reasoned that the likeness was a spirit that had come to avenge the death of the original owner of the watch and was therefore bad medicine.
The Indians, so fearless in battle, were not so brave when confronted by a spirit; and the young warrior threw the watch from him in terror. Following a hurried consultation, the Indians decided to bury the necklace with the rest of the loot and get out before the white man’s medicine could affect them or they were discovered by more white soldiers. It is reasonable to assume that the Indians, anxious as they were to get out of the way, did not go far from the battle site to bury the treasure.
One of the Indians, however, must have failed to turn in a Masonic ring taken from one of the dead cavalrymen, a ring which had been presented to the soldier on his birthday and which was later redeemed after many years by the original donor.
The story of the Little Big Horn Treasure was often told by the older members of the Sioux and Cheyenne tribes while reminiscing around their campfires, but fear of its guardian spirit evidently prohibited them from recovering the treasure.
The Battle of the Little Big Horn, or the Custer Massacre as it is commonly called, has been fought and re-fought on the pages of history by authors whose versions often vary greatly. Custer has been referred to as one of the West’s greatest heroes and a brilliant leader. He has also been called a stubborn Indian hater who sacrificed himself and his men in an effort to exploit his personal vanity.
For many years, students of Custer lore have attempted to fit together the pieces of the battle; and future historians will perhaps do the same. But despite the differences of opinion concerning the strategy of the battle itself, there seems to be little or no doubt that the Treasure of the Little Big Horn, with its strange watch necklace, does really exist.
Strange Treasure Of
The Little Big Horn
Montana has many strange treasures buried in strange places, but the strangest of all, according to injured Indian legend, is the treasure of the Little Big Horn, supposedly buried immediately following the Battle of the Little Big Horn by the victorious Sioux and Cheyenne.
It is guarded, says the legend, by the spirit of a wife or sweetheart of a fallen soldier, or perhaps the dead soldier himself.
This unusual treasure, unlike most early day caches, does not consist of gold nuggets or gold dust. And its value today, if found, would be based more or less upon its historical interest rather than the actual value of its contents.
The main part of the treasure supposedly consists of a huge necklace of heavy, old-fashioned men’s watches of a style commonly worn during the Civil War.
Buried with the necklace are other personal things such as rings, religious objects, small pictures, and other personal objects taken from the bodies of the ill-fated soldiers of the Seventh cavalry, who on the soft spring day of June 25, 1876, rode out to their deaths on the famous Little Big Horn. As the soldiers of the Seventh had received several months’ back pay, amounting to $25,000 just prior to their last battle, money, too, is considered to be part of the Little Big Horn Treasure.
Sitting Bull, an Hunkpapa Sioux medicine man, whose active part in the Little Big Horn battle has long been debated, was reported to have ordered a squaw to string the watches together in a massive, and certainly impressive, war trophy. The string of watches was passed among the chiefs and braves who were considered important enough to merit such a privilege.
It was while the necklace was under inspection by the Indians, the legend goes, that a young brave accidentally pressed a spring on the back of one of the watches and disclosed the likeness of a young woman. As the Indians at the time were not familiar with the white man’s photography, they reasoned that the likeness was a spirit that had come to avenge the death of the original owner of the watch and was therefore bad medicine.
The Indians, so fearless in battle, were not so brave when confronted by a spirit; and the young warrior threw the watch from him in terror. Following a hurried consultation, the Indians decided to bury the necklace with the rest of the loot and get out before the white man’s medicine could affect them or they were discovered by more white soldiers. It is reasonable to assume that the Indians, anxious as they were to get out of the way, did not go far from the battle site to bury the treasure.
One of the Indians, however, must have failed to turn in a Masonic ring taken from one of the dead cavalrymen, a ring which had been presented to the soldier on his birthday and which was later redeemed after many years by the original donor.
The story of the Little Big Horn Treasure was often told by the older members of the Sioux and Cheyenne tribes while reminiscing around their campfires, but fear of its guardian spirit evidently prohibited them from recovering the treasure.
The Battle of the Little Big Horn, or the Custer Massacre as it is commonly called, has been fought and re-fought on the pages of history by authors whose versions often vary greatly. Custer has been referred to as one of the West’s greatest heroes and a brilliant leader. He has also been called a stubborn Indian hater who sacrificed himself and his men in an effort to exploit his personal vanity.
For many years, students of Custer lore have attempted to fit together the pieces of the battle; and future historians will perhaps do the same. But despite the differences of opinion concerning the strategy of the battle itself, there seems to be little or no doubt that the Treasure of the Little Big Horn, with its strange watch necklace, does really exist.
