Fort Meade Reopens for 2025

On Saturday, May 17, 2025, Fort Meade is reopening for the season. I highly encourage all Little Big Horn, Custer, or just plain history buffs to add it your travel plans. There are many troopers who were at the Little Big Horn battle buried in the area. Do not miss the Post Cemetery. Also be sure to stop by the nearby Black Hills National Cemetery and say hello to Trooper Charles Windolph. His grave is directly across from the visitor center and very easy to find. If you make the stop, I would love to hear your thoughts!

Incidentally, May 17, 1876, is the date when General Custer and the 7th U.S. Cavalry left Fort Abraham Lincoln near Bismarck, Dakota Territory, to find Indians. They found them alright.

Click here to get directions to the 7th Cavalry graves in the Black Hills including GPS coordinates:

GRAVE INFORMATION

John Lattman Obituary - Madison Daily Leader

John Lattman was born in Switzerland in 1848. He enlisted in the U.S. 7th Cavalry in Philadelphia, on October 14, 1873. He was discharged five years later, on October 14, 1878, at Fort Lincoln, Dakota, upon expiration of service, as a private of excellent character. 

He was a member of Company G and was therefore assigned to Major Reno's battalion at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. During the dash from the timber to the bluffs, he was left behind in the timber. He was possibly in a group that included scout George Herendeen. They eventually made it to the bluffs and the relative safety of the rest of the companies. Being with the experienced Herendeen may have helped save Lattman's life.

After his discharge from the army, he homesteaded on 160 acres of land northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota, where he raised cattle, and became a well-respected rancher. He died on October 7, 1913, at the age of sixty-five. He is buried at Elk Vale Cemetery, located northeast of Rapid City.

Elk Vale Cemetery. Northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota.

Lattman grave at Elk Vale Cemetery.

Lattman obituary from the Madison
Daily Leader, Madison, SD. October 21, 1913.

JOHN LATTMAN PAGE

Victoria Hammon

Victoria was the wife of John E. Hammon. Hammon met her while stationed at nearby Fort Meade, serving in the 7th US Cavalry. He was a veteran and survivor of the 1876 Battle of the Little Big Horn. 

Victoria was born Victoria Patterson on September 20, 1860 in Ohio. She and John Hammon were married in 1881 and ranched east of Fort Meade. Together they had eight children: Emma, Harry, Earl, Agnes, Hope, Mary, Lillian and Victoria. Emma and Harry, their first two children, died as infants and are buried in the Fort Meade National Cemetery, Sturgis, South Dakota.

Victoria died on Monday, January 25, 1937, in Sturgis. She was buried in Bear Butte Cemetery at the end of Sherman Street in Sturgis. She was buried next to her husband, John, who had passed in 1909.

Victoria Hammon Obituary; Sturgis Weekly Record; January 28, 1937

I apologize for the quality of the newspaper clipping. The text of the obituary reads as follows:

Mrs. Victoria Hammon Dies Following Long Illness

Funeral services for Mrs. Victoria Hammon, who passed away Monday evening

at 7:30, following a long illness, at her home on Cedar street, were held from the

Anderson & Son funeral chapel, yesterday at 3:30, conducted by Rev. Carroll D.

Erskine of the Presbyterian church. There was a large attendance of old time

friends and neighbors from Sturgis and surrounding community. There was a

profusion of floral tributes. Interment was made in Bear Butte cemetery, beside

the grave of her husband. The pallbearers were five grandsons - Earl Ford, Harry

Zeidner, William Ford, Jack Gronert and Donald Williams and a close friend of

the family, Carl Boehnlein.

Mrs. Hammon had been ill for a number of years and following an operation

about three years ago suffered greatly, all of which she endured bravely and with

rare fortitude. During her long illness she was tenderly cared for by her devoted

family, who did everything possible to make her comfortable and happy.

Victoria Patterson was born on September 20, 1860 at Lynchberg, Ohio. She was

married to John Edward Hammon, December 10, 1881, at Morrow, Ohio. They

immediately came to Fort Meade and Sturgis. They also lived for a few years on

a ranch east of Fort Meade. Mr. Hammon died January 20, 1909.

Mrs. Hammon is survived by one son, Earl E. Hammon, Custer State Park; five

daughters, Mrs. Mitchell Turner, San Antonio, Texas; Mrs. Mary Zeidner, Mrs.

Elmer Williams, Mrs. Lillian Schlegel, Sturgis,and Mrs. Edward Gronert, Rapid

City and twelve grandchildren. She also leaves a brother, Wm. Patterson,

Lynchburgh, Ohio; three sisters, Mrs. F.M. Smith, Waynesville, Mrs. Agnes

Weeks, Dayton, Ohio and Mrs. Ira Weeks, Springfield, Ohio, a number of nieces

and nephews. Mrs. Hammon was a member of the Rebekah and Degree of

Honor lodges.

Mrs. Hammon was a devoted wife and mother and a firm friend. Quiet and

unassuming but also possessed of a keen sense of humor and of justice, she did

her share toward making the world a better place in which to live. The love she

gave, the service she rendered, the friendships she proved, continues to abide in

many hearts and memories.

On February 4, 1937, the following Card of Thanks appeared in the Sturgis Weekly Record:

Hammon Card of Thanks; Sturgis Weekly Record; February 4, 1937

Hammon grave at Bear Butte Cemetery, Sturgis, South Dakota.

JOHN HAMMON PAGE

Mighty Fine Shootin'

When Custer and the rest of the 7th U.S. Cavalry came to Dakota Territory in 1873, they spent some time in Yankton, before moving north to Forts Abraham Lincoln and Rice. They were delayed by a spring blizzard, which caused hardship among the men, including cases of frostbite and amputations.

The 7th Cavalry ended up spending several weeks in Yankton. That time allowed them to explore the town and get to know the townspeople. One of those was the local bandleader, Felix Vinatieri. Custer was so impressed with Vinatieri that he invited him to join the cavalry as their chief musician. Vinatieri did join the 7th and ended up participating in the 1873 Yellowstone Expedition, the Black Hills Expedition in 1874, and the Sioux Campaign of 1876. He and the rest of the musicians remained at the Powder River Depot during the Battle of the Little Big Horn.

There were dinners, balls, and other activities held in honor of the soldiers. On April 30, 1873, the Yankton Press reported on a bird shooting match between a General McCook from Yankton and Captain Thomas French of the 7th Cavalry. General Custer served as referee.

Although the newspaper snippet states that McCook lost the match, it appears to me that it was a tie.

Yankton Press, April 30, 1873

Gettysburg 2024

In August 2024, I travelled to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to attend the Little Big Horn Associates conference. I met up with my Montana Mayhem buddies and we hit up the sights around the area. As we are normally running around Montana, Wyoming, and the Dakotas, this was something different for us. And speaking just for myself, I had a blast!

It's always fun to meet up with fellow Custer/Indian War/History enthusiasts. I especially enjoy meeting people in real life that I have only known online. The Facebook pages and other message board sites are great for exchanging information and ideas. But close friendships can also be found online. Our Montana Mayhem group was formed by individuals who were fed up with the status quo of the online message boards. With the development of the Facebook groups, more and more people are getting exposed to the Custer story.

So, I apologize in the fact that this post has nothing to do with any troopers in South Dakota. But it is 7th Cavalry related. It also shows some of the fun that can be had with a membership to the Little Big Horn Associates. There are newsletters, scholarly journals, and the opportunity to attend these conferences around the country. Not to mention you meet a lot of really cool people who share your interests.

Check out my Montana Mayhem 2024 photo album on Google Photos (I know we didn't go to Montana.) Sorry for the helter-skelter organization in the photo album. But you get the gist...

Check out this video that didn't make it into the album. Watch to the end and you'll see my buddy Frank being weird. Come on...I know you want to. It's only a handful of seconds.

Battle of Little Bighorn Traveling Cemetery

Back in August, I traveled out to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to attend the 50th annual conference of the Little Big Horn Associates. I've been to these conferences before and have always had a great time. If you are interested in this period of history (which is probably why you're on this website), you definitely need to look into membership in the Little Big Horn Associates. You will receive newsletters to keep you updated on happenings, new books, battlefield news, etc. You will also receive the RESEARCH REVIEW, a high quality scholarly journal, which contains articles and photographs on this fascinating period of our country's history.

This year at the conference, I had the pleasure of meeting Jenny Niemeyer. Jenny is the force behind the Battle of Little Bighorn Traveling Cemetery. And what is the Battle of the Little Bighorn Traveling Cemetery? Here's the description from the website:

"I have visited the Little Bighorn Battlefield in southeastern Montana many times. To the Natives who called this place home it is still known as the Greasy Grass. Each time I visited I felt the presence of the dead and I wanted to find a way to honor all of them.

Many people who research this battle are focused on George Custer and his "last stand," but there's so much more to know. In total, 263 cavalrymen, eight civilian employees, three Arikara scouts, 24 Lakota soldiers, seven Cheyenne soldiers, six Lakota women and four Lakota children died over the course of the two-day battle. I am honoring each of them with a portrait and a short biography. This is the Battle of Little Bighorn Traveling Cemetery."

I have one of Jenny's portraits sitting on my desk. The eyes are particularly haunting. 

I encourage you to check out Jenny's website and library or work. Here's a video from Jenny's site explaining the project.

Monument to Horatio Ross

Although not a trooper, Horatio Ross had an impact on George Custer's life. He was one of two miners who accompanied the 1874 Black Hills Expedition. News of the expedition was followed closely in the newspapers across the country. Its mission was to look for suitable locations for a fort in the area. 

There had been rumors of gold in the Black Hills for years. Custer brought along two miners, Horatio Ross and William McKay, to investigate the possibility of minerals in the area, particularly the "yellow metal that made the white man crazy." And they found it. Later, the Homestake Gold Mine, near Deadwood in the Black Hills, would become the largest producing gold mine in the Western Hemisphere. The mine produced more than forty million troy ounces (43,900,000 oz; 1,240,000 kg) of gold during its lifetime. It closed in 2002.

Custer, South Dakota, celebrates its gold rush history every year with Gold Discovery Days.

Ross Monument in Custer, South Dakota

Forest City Press; Forest City, South Dakota; February 16, 1911

HORATIO ROSS PAGE