The Crow Tribe once roamed the northern Great Plains of eastern Montana, following the bison herds and foraging for berries, seeds, and various plants for sustenance.
They occupied a large swath of territory from northern Wyoming to southeastern Montana and were well-known for their large horse herds, which they adorned with beautiful and elaborate regalia.
Today, the Crow Indian Reservation occupies a devastatingly beautiful area of land in southeast Montana, encompassing the Bighorn River valley and the Wolf, Bighorn, and Pryor Mountains, each of them a sacred place for the tribe.
Read on to discover what life is like on the Crow Indian Reservation today and find a list of the top sites to see there.
Crow Indian Reservation
Table of contents:
- Brief history of the Crow Tribe
- Life on the Crow Indian Reservation Today
- Points of Interest on the Crow Indian Reservation
Brief history of the Crow Tribe
Origins
The Crow Tribe was originally a part of the Hidatsa tribe, which lived in present-day Ohio, near the shores of Lake Eerie. There, they lived a sedentary, agriculture-based lifestyle, as opposed to the nomadic lifestyle of the Plains Indians.
However, the growing fur trade across North America resulted in many neighboring tribes becoming equipped with modern guns. Posing a threat to the Crow, the Crow migrated west, first to a region south of Lake Winnipeg in present-day Manitoba, then south to Devil’s Lake in North Dakota.
It was at Devil’s Lake that Chief No Intestines received a vision instructing him to migrate west in search of sacred tobacco seeds.
Migration west
Upon receiving his vision at Devil’s Lake, Chief No Intestines and his band split from the tribe and migrated west to present-day southeast Montana. The rest of the tribe remained in the Devil’s Lake area.
Establishing territory
Over the following centuries, the band of Crow that now resided in Montana adopted the nomadic ways of the Plains Indians and established a large swath of territory, stretching from the Wind River Range in northern Wyoming to the Yellowstone Rivers’ confluence with the Missouri.
The tribe became well-known for their large horse herds adorned with beautiful and elaborate regalia. The tribe faced numerous incursions from neighboring tribes, such as the Lakota and Cheyenne, attempting to steal their land and their horses.
Indian wars
Throughout the Indian Wars of the 18th and 19th centuries, the Crow slowly ceded land to the neighboring Lakota and Cheyenne alliance, who overpowered them and stole their hunting grounds around the present-day Bighorn Mountains.
When the U.S. Army moved into southeast Montana to quell the rising violence between Indian tribes and between the tribes and the rising influx of settlers, the Crow allied with the Army.
Knowing the federal government would control the entire country at one point, their strategy was to remain on the government’s good side in hopes of retaining their land.
Establishing the Crow Indian Reservation
By the early 20th century, the Crow had ceded much of their land to various tribes and the U.S. government, ending up with a small piece of land in southeast Montana, called the Crow Indian Reservation.
Today, while this land is almost immeasurably small compared to their traditional home territory, it covers a beautiful region of southeast Montana, including numerous sacred river valleys and mountain ranges, such as the Bighorn River and the Pryor Mountains.
Learn more: The history of the Crow Indian tribe [CONDENSED]
Life on the Crow Indian Reservation Today
The Crow Indian Reservation in southeast Montana is home to several small towns, a state park, historical points of importance, annual tribal cultural events, and the largest historical museum in the state.
Below we outline some main points about the main towns, government structure, local education, and life on the Crow Indian Reservation.
Main towns
The capital of the Crow Indian Reservation is Crow Agency. Other prominent towns include Hardin (a border town), Pryor, St Xavier, Dunmore, and Lodge Grass.
St Xavier is home to a Jesuit Missionary, constructed in 1887, which is still in use. Pryor is a small town located just north of the Pryor Mountains. While there is not much for visitors to see in Pryor, the surrounding scenery is beautiful.
It’s worth driving through across the countryside between the small reservation towns, taking in the surrounding beauty, and stopping at points of interest along the way.
Sheridan, Wyoming, a popular tourist town is located just across the reservation’s southern border off I-90 in Wyoming.
Government structure
The Crow Indian Reservation government structure is composed of an Executive Branch, Legislative Branch, and Judicial Branch.
The Executive Branch is composed of a chairman, secretary, vice-chairman, and vice-secretary, as well as various departments, including Tribal Health, Apsalooka Healing, and Veteran Affairs.
Education
Local education institutions on the Crow Indian Reservation include the Little Big Horn College, a 1994 Land Grant Institution in Crow Agency that grants Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees.
The main towns throughout the reservation feature public elementary and high schools.
Crime
A sad truth about life on the Crow Indian Reservation today is that it has exceptionally high crime rates, with a particularly large number of missing people. Visitors are generally safe, but exercise common sense when attending events like Crow Fair.
Points of interest & events on the Crow Indian Reservation
1. Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
Atop Last Stand Hill stands a granite monument commemorating the cavalrymen and natives who perished at the Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876.
Custer had set out with his cavalry as part of a government-ordered mission to subdue the Lakota-Cheyenne-Arapaho allied tribes in present-day southeast Montana and force them onto reservations.
In a devastating defeat, General George Armstrong Custer, along with his cavalrymen and Crow and Arikara scouts perished at the hands of the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho allied tribes.
The Battle of the Little Bighorn marked a turning point in the U.S. government’s tolerance of native settlements in the West. After General Custer’s devastating defeat at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, the U.S. Army took stronger measures to suppress the natives still living off-reservation in the west.
Today the granite monument (called the 7th Cavalry Memorial or the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument) stands at the final location of Custer’s defeat, atop a hill which today is called “Last Stand Hill”.
Last Stand Hill
A large, granite monument commemorating the Battle of the Little Bighorn stands atop Last Stand Hill, with a fenced-off grave located on the hillside behind the monument.
The grave includes the burial sites of members of Custer’s 7th cavalry who perished on this hill during the battle.
2. Chief Plenty Coups State Park
Chief Plenty Coups was an influential Crow chief credited for bridging the gap between the natives and the settlers as the U.S. government settled the western United States.
His impact on the future of the Crow Tribe started when he was just a boy. His early vision of the European settlers eventually controlling the entire country led the Crow to later take up a strategic alliance with the U.S. Army in hopes of preserving their territory.
Today, visitors of the Plenty Coups State Park can see Plenty Coups’ log home and farmstead.
3. Big Horn County Historical Museum
The Big Horn County Historical Museum offers visitors not a glimpse, but a complete view of life before our time.
Dating back to 1979, the museum started on a 22-acre vegetable farm. It was expanded to 35 acres in 2012 and now features 24 historic structures that were recovered from near-destruction and pristinely preserved.
Today, visitors can experience an authentic Crow teepee, the LaForge Cabin, a barn, a 1915 doctor’s office, a collection of tractors, an automobile collection, and much more.
Big Horn County Historical Museum is located off I-90, 44 miles east of Billings, just past Hardin, inside the border of the Crow Indian Reservation.
4. Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
In the southwest region of the Crow Indian Reservation lies one of Montana and Wyoming’s most spectacular national recreation areas.
Bighorn Canyon offers visitors an endless number of outdoor recreation opportunities, including boating, hiking, and camping, as well as a visitor’s center.
However, most people who visit Bighorn Canyon remember it for its beautiful rock walls that line the winding fingers of the reservoir. Most visitors here cruise the reservoir fingers on a boat, admiring the multicolored geological formations adorning the rock walls on either side.
Ok-A-Beh Marina, located just up from the dam, is one of the most popular places to enter the reservoir with a boat.
5. Crow Fair
The Crow Fair is one of the largest annual tribal events in the country, attracting roughly 45,000 people each year.
The event takes place in the third week of August on the Little Bighorn River on the Crow Indian Reservation and is open to all tribes, but particularly celebrates Crow culture. It is similar to a county fair, featuring various food vendors and cultural arts and crafts, as well as a parade, rodeos, and tribal dance performances.
Its 1,500-teepee campground has garnered it the name “Teepee Capital of the World”. The Crow Fair is an exciting and fully immersive way to experience Crow culture in person.
6. Visit the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation
The Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation encompasses a devastatingly beautiful region of southeast Montana, located along the Crow Reservation’s eastern border.
To reach the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation from the Crow Reservation, take Highway 212 east from Crow Agency for 30 minutes until you reach Busby, the first town on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation.
Discover more about Montana’s native cultures
- Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation – Past, present, tourism
- Blackfeet Indian Reservation – Past, present, top things to do
- Complete guide to the Flathead Indian Reservation – Past, present, tourism
- 11 Native American Tribes that lived in Montana before colonists arrived
