So much of South Dakota’s history centers around the era of the Wild West, when rough men became rich during the Gold Rush, and Native Americans fought to keep their land. The stories of Sitting Bull and the Battle of the Little Bighorn are legendary, and his death was one of the biggest tragedies of the era. There’s a beautiful spot near Mobridge, South Dakota, where many people believe that Sitting Bull’s remains are buried…but there’s some contention about those claims.

Sitting Bull was the leader of the Lakota people during the late 1800s.
David F. Barry, Photographer, Bismarck, Dakota Territory/Wikipedia
Widely regarded as visionary leader, Sitting Bull led his people in protest against the U.S. Government, which was trying to push his people onto reservations. Following the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Sitting Bull eventually surrendered and went with his tribe to live, first at Fort Yates, North Dakota, then at Standing Rock Agency.

Sitting Bull became much more recognized by the public when he began performing in Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show. He then returned to Standing Rock Agency to live amongst his people.
During an attempted arrest, Sitting Bull was shot and killed.
Kurz & Allison, Chicago - Cowan's Auctions, Public Domain/Wikimedia
The Lakota people were suffering from a lack of food, drought and bitter temperatures. The people began practicing the Ghost Dance, a religious dance that was supposed to raise the ancestors from the dead and bring back the bison. Nearby white settlers and the U.S. Military became nervous of the chanting and dancing, and the Indian Agent at Fort Yates ordered that Sitting Bull be arrested, hoping that would end the Ghost Dance.

On December 15, 1890 several dozen men went to arrest Sitting Bull, who resisted the use of force against him. A gunfight ensued, and Sitting Bull was shot in the chest, then in the head. He was 59 years old when he was killed.
The remains of Sitting Bull were taken to Fort Yates, and he was buried there.
Fiske, Frank Bennett, 1883-1952, photographer/Wikimedia
A small gravestone was the only marker of the great Lakota leader.

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On April 8, 1953, after working with descendants of Sitting Bull, residents of Mobridge, South Dakota snuck onto Fort Yates and exhumed the body of Sitting Bull.
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/flickr
The men buried the remains on a hill overlooking the Missouri River, and built a 12-foot-tall memorial to Sitting Bull.
A bust depicting Sitting Bull was commissioned and created by Korczak Ziolkowski, the same artist who designed the Crazy Horse Monument.
Brett Whaley/flickr
Over the years, vandals trashed the place, and there has always been contention about whether Sitting Bull's remains are actually at the site. Officials at Fort Yates insist that the remains that were exhumed were not those of Sitting Bull, but rather some horse bones, or the bones of another man.
About 10 years ago, the land where the monument sits was purchased by a non-profit and cleaned up.
John Lillis/flickr
We'll likely never know whether this is Sitting Bull's final resting place, but it's hard not to believe that this beautiful place, with a spectacular view of the Missouri River, is a fitting place to remember the influential leader who became an icon of his time.

What do you think? Is Mobridge the actual site of Sitting Bull’s remains?

If you’re fascinated by South Dakota history, you should take a look at this long-forgotten little ghost town.

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