Fort Seward

06/18/2026

Planning to attend the Wagon Train this Sunday? Please visit us to make sure your pin is added to our map.

06/17/2026

Friends and History Lovers,

For years, the Fort Seward Interpretive Center has stood as a gateway to our past, a place where families, students, and travelers can step back in time, explore our shared heritage, and discover the stories that shaped our community. As a non-profit historic site, we pride ourselves on offering free admission so that history remains accessible to everyone, regardless of their circumstances. However, keeping our doors open, maintaining our historic grounds, and providing educational programs requires more than just passion. It takes resources.

Why We Need Your Help Today
The costs of preservation, seasonal operations (from Memorial Day to Labor Day), and community programming continue to rise. Because we do not charge for admission, we rely entirely on the generosity of history champions like you to keep our gates open. Without immediate community support, we face the heartbreaking reality of having to scale back our hours, limit our educational outreach, or worse.

How Your Donation Makes an Impact
Every dollar you give goes directly toward saving our history:
$25 helps fund educational materials for visiting school groups.
$50 covers essential maintenance for our exhibits and interpretive signs.
$100+ ensures we can keep admission free for the of visitors who walk through our doors each summer.

Whether you can give $5 or $500, your tax-deductible contribution guarantees that future generations will still have a place to explore, learn, and discover.

Thank you for standing with us to protect our heritage.

With deep gratitude,
The Board, Staff, and Volunteers of Fort Seward Historic Site

06/17/2026

https://fortseward.us/donate/

Donate Friends and History Lovers,For years, the Fort Seward Interpretive Center has stood as a gateway to our past, a place where families, students, and travelers can step back in time, explore our shared heritage, and discover the stories that shaped our community. As a non-profit historic site,....

06/14/2026

Go learn next weekend from one of THE BEST!
Miss Kathy has been so generous in donating amazing clothing and textiles to Fort Seward!

The 43rd Annual Rendezvous is only 4 days away! Today we are featuring presenter, Kathy Elijiah.

Have you ever wondered how different prints ended up on fabric? What types of printing was used during the fort’s timeframe? What colors were used for various cloth products? If you are itching to find out the answer, come join us at Rendezvous where Kathy Elijah will be presenting information and history of fabrics and trade goods.

Kathy Elijah has been a fixture at Fort Union for several years. Her knowledge of fabrics and tailoring bring people from all around to browse her examples of historic dress. Walk through camp to talk to Kathy about period fabrics and patterns.

Curious to know more? Visit: https://go.nps.gov/rondy2026

Rendezvous is taking place Thursday June 18 through Sunday June 21. Demonstrations run daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Demonstrations will run from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Sunday. The park is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily. All times are Central Daylight Time (CDT).

Photo Description: Women in historic dress with examples of fabric swatches

Photo provided by: Kathy Elijah

06/11/2026

Today, Fort Buford is honored to welcome the riders of the Sitting Bull Healing Ride as they arrive after their journey from Fort Peck and surrounding communities.

Join us in showing your support and respect for the riders as they complete this meaningful ride in honor of Sitting Bull and spend the evening at Fort Buford. Visitors are welcome to come out, watch for their arrival, and help us give them a warm welcome!

We look forward to seeing you at the fort as we celebrate this powerful tradition of remembrance, healing, and community.

06/09/2026

Construction has begun on Phase 1 of a memorial to the victims of the massacre at Whitestone Hill. https://mailchi.mp/95e0969442ec/2026-06-whitestone-hill-monument?e=59dbad139e

06/08/2026

Our most popular shirts are now available in additional colors! $25.00 plus tax

06/03/2026

We have received a substantial number of inquiries from community members today regarding concerns about our long term camping policy. As per the Fort Seward Reconstruction guidelines, long term camping is not permitted. Our primary focus is on ensuring the safety and well being of visiting tourists, with the goal of providing a pleasant, comfortable, and secure experience. For further inquiries or questions regarding this matter, please contact [email protected].

02/26/2026

With the 150th anniversary of the Battle of the Little Bighorn just a few months away and as comes to a close, we thought it proper to pause and remember expedition interpreter Isaiah Dorman, known to the Lakota as Black Hawk.

Born in 1832 in Pennsylvania as a free man, Dorman was the son of an African-Jamaican father and an African-Delaware (Lenape) mother. By the 1850s–1870s, he had worked at several frontier posts, including Fort Ridgely, Fort Rice, and Fort Kearny. Over the years he served in many roles: servant, scout, guide, mail carrier, but he was most valued as a language interpreter to the Sioux. He likely strengthened his fluency through his Dakota wife, Celeste St. Pierre. For a time, the couple operated a horse ranch and wood lot near the Missouri River close to Fort Rice.

In 1875, when 7th Cavalry officer Frederick Benteen arrived at Fort Rice, Dorman’s prospects declined. Benteen reportedly distrusted him and declined to employ other Dakota scouts Dorman recommended. Instead, Dorman was assigned the dangerous duty of driving livestock between Fort Rice and Fort Abraham Lincoln.

In the summer of 1876, Dorman joined the Dakota Column departing Fort Abraham Lincoln for Montana Territory. On June 25, 1876, he rode with Major Marcus Reno during the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Attached to Reno’s battalion alongside other scouts and interpreters, Dorman advanced during the initial attack on Sitting Bull’s vast village. As Reno’s line collapsed under heavy resistance, Dorman attempted to provide covering fire for retreating soldiers. His horse was shot out from under him, and accounts suggest he may have also been wounded.

In a biography of Sitting Bull, historian Robert M. Utley recounts a story that Sitting Bull reportedly said, “Don’t kill that man, he is a friend of mine,” and gave Dorman water. But the chaos of battle overtook the moment. After Sitting Bull rode off, a Hunkpapa woman known as Eagle Robe is said to have killed the wounded Dorman in vengeance for her brother’s death earlier.

Today, Isaiah Dorman rests in Custer National Cemetery, alongside the men with whom he fought. He is remembered as the only Black man known to have fought at the Battle of the Little Bighorn—a life that reflects the complex, intertwined histories of the American frontier. ?

For more information about the life of Isaiah Dorman check out the link below at the national park service: https://www.nps.gov/libi/learn/historyculture/isaiah-dorman.htm