The Case:
George Bryson has lived with a bigger than life family legend for decades. Family lore says George’s great, great-uncle fought along side General Custer in a clash with the Southern Cheyenne in the 1868 Battle of Washita - also known as the Washita Massacre. An important Cheyenne leader, Chief Black Kettle, lost his life in a dawn attack.
George’s great, great-uncle returned from the war with an Indian neckpiece and leggings he said belonged to Chief Black Kettle.
Does the family indeed have jewelry and clothing that once adorned a Cheyenne Peace Chief? He asks History Detectives host Wes Cowan to find out.
More Information
Washita Battlefield National Historical Site
18555 Hwy 47A
Cheyenne, OK 73628
www.nps.gov/waba/
Oklahoma Historical Society
Oklahoma History Center
800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive
Oklahoa City, OK 73105-7917
(405) 522-5248
www.okhistory.org/
Black Kettle Engravings
Engravings on the back of a Native American gorget.
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