Heritage Renewal

I spent the latter part of last week at the capitol, testifying on two bills having to do with heritage resources at risk in a time of mineral development. On Thursday 7 February I testified on SB 2341 before the Senate Government and Veterans Affairs Committee. This bill would authorize expenditure for a historical and archeological survey of Killdeer Mountain. On Friday 8 February I testified on SB 2357 before the Senate Natural Resources Committee. This bill calls for an orderly survey of state school trust lands for the identification of heritage resources thereon.

Images from the Punk Archeology event at the SideStreet Saturday night, courtesy of the KelleyCam - here they are.

As an old white guy, I have to watch myself as to expression when writing about Indian-White conflict on the plains. For instance, I'm simultaneously putting together both a Dippity timeline and a Google map of the Dakota War in Dakota Territory. Thus, in reference to the action at Dead Buffalo Lake on 26 July 1863, I first wrote,

In belated pursuit following the action at Big Mound, Sibley next engaged Dakota and Lakota fighters at Dead Buffalo Lake on 26 July.

This follows pretty closely the National Park Service battle summary for the event, which reads in part,

Following the Battle of Big Mound on July 24, 1863, Brig. Gen. Henry Hastings Sibley and his men moved their camp about four miles and then rested till the next day. The morning of the 26th they set out and after marching about 14 miles, found the Sioux ready for battle.

So I thought about it, and then I wrote,