Black Hills National Cemetery
Encyclopedia
Black Hills National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery
located south of the city of Sturgis
in Meade County, South Dakota
. It encompasses 105.9 acre (0.428562474 km²), and as of the end of 2005, had 19,147 interments.
explorers went through the region in the 1740s, and Spain
laid claim to the area in 1762 until it was acquired by the United States
in the Louisiana Purchase
of 1803. Fort Randall
was established in 1856, and the 1861 establishment of Dakota Territory
brought more settlers to the region, but it wasn't until gold
was discovered in the Black Hills
that the area was truly populated. Under the Treaty of Fort Laramie
, the United States granted the land of the Black Hills to the Lakota, but there was no stopping the settlers from entering the region, which led to several conflicts. Most of the original interments in the cemetery were soldiers who fell in battles of the Indian Wars
, but it has since been used to inter veterans from every major campaign the United States
has been involved in.
44°22′10.03"N 103°28′32.97"W
United States National Cemetery
"United States National Cemetery" is a designation for 146 nationally important cemeteries in the United States. A National Cemetery is generally a military cemetery containing the graves of U.S. military personnel, veterans and their spouses but not exclusively so...
located south of the city of Sturgis
Sturgis, South Dakota
Sturgis is a city in Meade County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 6,627 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Meade County. Sturgis is famous for being the location of one of the largest annual motorcycle events in the world, which is held annually on the first full week...
in Meade County, South Dakota
Meade County, South Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 24,253 people, 8,805 households, and 6,700 families residing in the county. The population density was 7 people per square mile . There were 10,149 housing units at an average density of 3 per square mile...
. It encompasses 105.9 acre (0.428562474 km²), and as of the end of 2005, had 19,147 interments.
History
The area around the Black Hills Cemetery was originally inhabited by the Lakota Indians. FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
explorers went through the region in the 1740s, and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
laid claim to the area in 1762 until it was acquired by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition by the United States of America of of France's claim to the territory of Louisiana in 1803. The U.S...
of 1803. Fort Randall
Fort Randall, South Dakota
The Fort Randall Military Post was established in 1856 to help keep peace on the frontier. It was located on the south side of the Missouri River in South Dakota, just below the present site of the Fort Randall Dam. The site for the fort was selected in 1856 by General William S. Harney...
was established in 1856, and the 1861 establishment of Dakota Territory
Dakota Territory
The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of North and South Dakota.The Dakota Territory consisted of...
brought more settlers to the region, but it wasn't until gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
was discovered in the Black Hills
Black Hills
The Black Hills are a small, isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, USA. Set off from the main body of the Rocky Mountains, the region is something of a geological anomaly—accurately described as an "island of...
that the area was truly populated. Under the Treaty of Fort Laramie
Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868)
The Treaty of Fort Laramie was an agreement between the United States and the Oglala, Miniconjou, and Brulé bands of Lakota people, Yanktonai Dakota, and Arapaho Nation signed in 1868 at Fort Laramie in the Wyoming Territory, guaranteeing to the Lakota ownership of the Black Hills, and further...
, the United States granted the land of the Black Hills to the Lakota, but there was no stopping the settlers from entering the region, which led to several conflicts. Most of the original interments in the cemetery were soldiers who fell in battles of the Indian Wars
Indian Wars
American Indian Wars is the name used in the United States to describe a series of conflicts between American settlers or the federal government and the native peoples of North America before and after the American Revolutionary War. The wars resulted from the arrival of European colonizers who...
, but it has since been used to inter veterans from every major campaign the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
has been involved in.
Notable interments
- Sergeant Charles WindolphCharles WindolphCharles Windolph was a soldier in Company H of the George Armstrong Custer's Seventh U. S. Cavalry who survived the Battle of the Little Bighorn and was the recipient of the Medal of Honor.-Biography:...
, Medal of HonorMedal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipient for action at the Battle of Little Bighorn during the Indian Wars. - Senator Francis Higbee Case, World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
veteran, United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for the 75th–81st congresses, United States SenateUnited States SenateThe United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from 1951 until his death in 1962. - Franklin Peter Twiss, SFCSergeant First ClassSergeant First Class is the seventh enlisted rank in the U.S. Army, above Staff Sergeant and below Master Sergeant and First Sergeant, and is the first senior non-commissioned officer rank...
Army veteran, Wiconi co-founder's father (see Richard TwissRichard TwissRichard Twiss is a Native American educator and author. He is a member of the Sicangu Lakota Oyate from the Rosebud Lakota Sioux Reservation in South Dakota...
).
See also
- Fort Meade National CemeteryFort Meade National CemeteryFort Meade National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located near the city of Sturgis in Meade County, South Dakota. It encompasses , and as of the end of 2005, had 188 interments...
- United States Department of Veterans AffairsUnited States Department of Veterans AffairsThe United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
- United States National Cemetery
External links
44°22′10.03"N 103°28′32.97"W