Press Release
November 6, 2018
Contact: Larry O’Dell
Oklahoma Historical Society
Office: 405-522-6676
lodell@okhistory.org
www.okhistory.org
Oklahoma Historical Society to Host 150th Anniversary Commemoration of the Battle of the Washita
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) and the National Park Service will host a program on Tuesday, November 20, to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Battle of the Washita. This event will be held at the Oklahoma History Center from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and will include a plated lunch at noon.
The program will include a blessing by Cheyenne Peace Chief Harvey Pratt and three presentations. Dr. Paul Hutton, a recurring scholar on the History Channel, will speak about the attack as a turning point in the American West. Dr. Donald Fixico, president of the Western History Association, will focus on what the battle means to the American Indian community. Congressman Frank Lucas, OHS Executive Director Dr. Bob Blackburn and Sarah Craighead of the National Park Service will reflect on the creation of the battlefield as a unit of the National Park Service.
Tickets are $40 per person, and seating is limited. For more information or to purchase tickets, please call the Oklahoma History Center at 405-522-0765. The Oklahoma History Center is located at 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive in Oklahoma City.
The Battle of the Washita took place on November 27, 1868, near present-day Cheyenne, Oklahoma. Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer and the 7th Cavalry attacked the sleeping village of Cheyenne Peace Chief Black Kettle, killing an estimated 60 people along the banks of the Washita River.
Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, operated by the National Park Service, is located at 18555 Highway 47A in Cheyenne. For more information about the site please call 580-497-2742 or visit www.nps.gov/waba.
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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