(1888PressRelease)
January 29, 2008 - Heritage Auction Galleries of Dallas, Texas, announces the sale of the historic Town of Garryowen, Montana, and the Elizabeth Bacon Custer Manuscript Archive. The sale is scheduled for spring 2008.
Garryowen is the only town within the perimeter of the Little Bighorn Battlefield, located on the site of Sitting Bull’s massive Indian encampment, where the first shots of the battle were fired. The town of Garryowen has become an important destination for tourists and history buffs. It currently consists of an upscale bed and breakfast, retail spaces, an office complex, a residence, a U.S. Post Office, several acres of grounds, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The Tomb contains the remains of a cavalryman who fell as the battle began, as well as an historic time capsule with numerous battle-related items. It is the only privately held monument of its kind in the nation.
At approximately 6,000 pieces, the Custer Archive is the largest collection of Custer documents in existence. This collection has never been published or studied by scholars. It was the wish of Mrs. Custer, expressed in her will, that the Custers’ papers find a permanent home at the battlefield.
The owner of Garryowen is focused on the preservation and integrity of the archive. He observes that this sale sets a challenge for an individual, an institution, or a corporation to preserve the Custer legacy; and that the acquisition of the Custer Archive and the Town of Garryowen will be an extraordinary opportunity to exhibit, research, and publish the collection for posterity.
Currently, the historic property and the collection are being offered pre-auction for $6.5 million. “That is a bargain compared to the $40 million price tag that the Martin Luther King Manuscript Collection recently sold for in New York,” remarks Gary Hendershott, the Consignment Director at Heritage Auction Galleries of Dallas. “This is truly a national treasure. The Custer family and the Battle of the Little Bighorn changed the course of history forever.”
Further information and details are available at www.CusterAuction.com.
