Garryowen, Montana
| Garryowen | |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated community | |
 Garryowen
Garryowen
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| Coordinates: 45°31′40″N 107°25′03″W / 45.52778°N 107.41750°WCoordinates: 45°31′40″N 107°25′03″W / 45.52778°N 107.41750°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Montana |
| County | Big Horn |
| Government | |
| • Type | Private Town |
| • Honorary Mayor & Owner | Chris Kortlander |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1 sq mi (3 km2) |
| • Land | 2.6 sq mi (7 km2) |
| Elevation | 3,118 ft (950 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 2 |
| Time zone | Mountain (MST) (UTC-7) |
| • Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
| ZIP code | 59031 |
| Area code(s) | 406 |
| GNIS feature ID | 777090 |
Garryowen is a private town in Big Horn County, Montana, United States. It is located at the southernmost edge of the land where Sitting Bull's camp was sited just prior to the Battle of the Little Bighorn, and the opening gunshots of the battle were fired only a few hundred yards from where Garryowen's structures stand today.
Garryowen has a population of just 2 and consists mainly of a large building (the "Town Hall") with multiple functions. This building houses a Conoco petrol station and convenience store, a Subway sandwich franchise, an arts & crafts store called "The Trading Post," and the Custer Battlefield Museum, a private museum whose exhibits focus on the battle and the period of the Indian Wars. Garryowen is owned by Chris Kortlander, and it was put up for sale in 2012, but an auction in August of that year was cancelled after no one registered to bid.
In 1895, the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy (now BNSF) Railroad established a tiny station on the Little Bighorn River, where water was taken on and US Army troops, supplies and mail were off-loaded for delivery to nearby forts and homesteads. This station was called "Garryowen," a name associated with the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment because of the stirring Irish air of the same name which became the regiment's marching song. When the Crow Reservation lands were created in 1868, Garryowen became part of the Crow's holdings, but the land was later sold by the tribe and the Federal government to private citizens. By 1926, the "town" of Garryowen was in private hands, but still consisted of little more than a small market. It was at this time, just a month before the 50th Anniversary of the Battle, that work was being done on an irrigation ditch just east of Garryowen - along Reno's line of retreat. Much to their surprise, work crews uncovered a nearly complete set of skeletal remains (no skull was ever found), accompanied by several bullets and buttons, clearly indicating that this had been a Cavalry soldier. Because 14 of Reno and Benteen's men were never accounted for following the Battle, accurate identification of the remains was impossible. However, with planning for the celebration's events in full swing, The Custer Memorial Association decided a memorial service, with full military honors, was due this long-lost Unknown Soldier.
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Wikipedia