Fort Parker was the first Crow Indian Agency established by the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868. Constructed in the spring of 1869, its beginnings paralleled a change of attitude and policy initiated by President Ulysses S. Grant when he took office the same year. As the first agency for the Crow Tribe, Fort Parker marked the beginning of a forced transition from their traditional buffalo hunting lifestyle to a sedentary ranching/farming subsistence.

In 1875, the agency moved to a site on the Stillwater River near present day Absarokee, Montana. The Tribe would come to suffer much hardship during this period. The buffalo had all but disappeared, forcing total dependance on the government for their survival.

For the Crow Tribe this is a place  of great difficulty and change but it was also a place where ancestors were born, married and died. This is a place where significant events occurred that shaped who the Crow are today and as such, this is a place that should be known, protected and preserved.

We have been working closely with the Archaeological Conservancy to purchase the site of Fort Parker, the first Crow Indian Agency, for preservation and education. See our work on Fort Parker under “Projects” above. If you would like to contribute to this important preservation project, you can donate online at https://donate.archaeologicalconservancy.org/  Choose Fort Parker on the drop down menu next to “Designation” and all of your contribution will go towards this project. Thank you for your support!

appeal for purchase of Fort Parker, Montana