News
Program to be Held on Firearms That Influenced The Powder River Country
On Saturday, August 20, beginning at 10 a.m. there will be a day-long program titled Firearms that Influenced the Powder River Country held at Fort Phil Kearny and the Kearney Hall.
The Sheridan Community Land Trust, in partnership with the Fort Phil Kearny Historic Site, the Fort Phil Kearny/ Bozeman Trail Association, and the Sheridan County Sportsman’s Association will host the event.
Military and commercial firearms and their relationship to historic events from the mid 1800s to the early 1900s will be the focus of the program. According to the news release, the history along the Bozeman Trail, including the early cattle drives and Western settlement, were influenced by the technological advances and design innovations of firearms and Native American weaponry.
Admission will be free, thanks to Sheridan County Sportsmen’s Association. Come for the morning, come for the afternoon, come for the whole thing!
The first presentations will be from at 10:00 a.m. – noon, at Fort Phil Kearny with Bob Wilson and Kearny’s Frontier Regulars and Donovin Sprague, Sheridan College History Faculty and enrolled member of the Minnicoujou Lakota. Focus of the talks will be Native American weaponry, bows and arrows (stone & metal) and the firearms; flintlock, musket and 1876 military firearms and the historical relationship to Fort Phil Kearny.
From 12 Noon – 1:00 p.m. There will be lunch at Kearney Community Hall. The Happy Camper food truck will be on site, and attendees are welcome to bring their own brown bag. There will be exhibits on display in the community hall.
After lunch, from 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. there will be several presentations at the Kearney Hall, with presenters Danny Michael, Cody Firearms Museum Curator, who will talk about the history of firearms used on the Northern Plains, from the well-known to the ‘how did that get there?’
Donovin Spraque, Sheridan College History Faculty and enrolled member of the Minnicoujou Lakota, will talk on Firearms and Changes in Native Culture.
Carrie Edinger, SCLT Historic Program Manager and Mike Kuzara, SC Sportsmen’s Association will co-present regional history and firearms related to early cattle drives, the Texas Trail, and early ranching.
From 2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. community members are welcome to share local history related to historical firearms. Short presentations & digital photos to be projected.
The presentations will be video recorded for viewing by people unable to attend live.
RSVP welcomed, but not required. A link is provided to RSVP.
