Lt. Col. George A. Custer

1839 - 1876

A graduate of West Point and an iconic figure of the late 1800s, Major General George Custer is perhaps most famous for leading the 7th Cavalry to their doom at the Battle of Little Bighorn against the combined forces of Sioux and Cheyenne war parties. The battle is popularly known as 'Custer's Last Stand'.

Custer's role within the history of Mount Rushmore is due to two main reasons. First, Custer led the military expedition into the Black Hills in 1874 which confirmed the discovery of gold and fueled the public pressure which eventually led to the violation of the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty by the U.S. federal government. Second, when Custer was defeated at Little Bighorn, his death came as a jolt to the American people, rallying public support for the theft of the Sioux lands and their enforced resettlement onto the reservations. In many ways, Lt. Col. Custer was instrumental in life and death to clear the way for Mount Rushmore's eventual creation.