Local Area
Photo courtesy: MTOT
Scenery
St. Labre Mission and Cheyenne Indian Museum
Photo courtesy: Sten Iverson
Lame Deer is between Broadus and Hardin on Deer Creek and the Cheyenne Indian reservation. It was named for Lame Deer, an Indian chief. It was to this village that Dull Knife (also known as Morning Star) and the Northern Cheyenne returned from their long march home after being held in Oklahoma. (from Cheney's Names on the Face of Montana, Mountain Press Publishing Company)
Lame Deer is the tribal and government agency headquarters of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. The rugged country of the Northern Cheyenne Reservation is in southeastern Montana. It covers 445,000 acres and is bordered by the Tongue River on the east and on the west by the Crow Reservation.
The St. Labre Mission and Cheyenne Indian Museum was established in 1884 by the Franciscan Order. The visitor center, museum and Ten Bear Gallery are important showplaces of Cheyenne heritage and art.
The premier event of the Northern Cheyenne is the annual Fourth of July Celebration in Lame Deer, the largest pow-wow held on the reservation. Indian dancing contests in all categories and parades welcome visitors to a brilliant display of color and traditions, and feasts of Native foods are always part of the festivities.
The sheer cliffs 22 miles southeast of Lame Deer provide a classic example of a buffalo jump. Other places near Lame Deer to explore include the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument on Crow Reservation abutting the Northern Cheyenne Reservation and Chief Two Moons Monument built in 1936 in memory of Chief Two Moons, who participated in the Battle of the Little Bighorn. South of Lame Deer is Rosebud Battlefield State Park and the Tongue River Reservoir, which is twelve miles long and set in the scenic red shale and juniper canyons and open prairies.
