Press Release
August 29, 2017
Contact: Jennie Buchanan
Museum of the Western Prairie, Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 580-482-1044
jbuchanan@okhistory.org
www.okhistory.org/sites/westernprairie
Kevin Bowles Mohr to Present Lecture on Washita Battlefield at Museum of the Western Prairie
ALTUS, Okla. — The Museum of the Western Prairie in Altus will host “Westward through Washita,” a lecture by Kevin Bowles Mohr, National Park ranger at Washita Battlefield National Historic Site on Tuesday, September 5, at 7 p.m. This lecture is free and open to the public.
“The morning was still and bitter cold when two cultures clashed.” Thus begins the story of the Battle of the Washita where Lt. Col. George A. Custer led the Seventh U.S. Cavalry on a surprise dawn attack against the Southern Cheyenne village of Peace Chief Black Kettle on November 27, 1868. Mohr will share the story of this important event that occurred soon after the Civil War ended, when the West saw an influx of pioneers and veterans in search of gold and free land. The indigenous people, like the Cheyenne Indians who occupied this territory, were considered by some merely an obstacle to be removed. The Battle of the Washita began the end of an era of freedom for the Great Plains Indians.
This event is hosted by the Western Trail Historical Society. The Museum of the Western Prairie is located at 1100 Memorial Drive in Altus.
The Museum of the Western Prairie is a division of the Oklahoma Historical Society. The mission of the Oklahoma Historical Society is to collect, preserve and share the history and culture of the state of Oklahoma and its people. Founded in 1893 by members of the Territorial Press Association, the OHS maintains museums, historic sites and affiliates across the state. Through its research archives, exhibits, educational programs and publications the OHS chronicles the rich history of Oklahoma. For more information about the OHS, please visit www.okhistory.org.
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