For Sale: Site of Custer's Last Stand

Garryowen, Montana, going up for auction
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 6, 2012 8:44 AM CDT
For Sale: Site of Custer's Last Stand
In this Oct. 24, 2011 file photo, Christopher Kortlander sweeps the entrance to his Custer-theme museum in Garryowen, Mont.   (AP Photo/Matt Brown)

If you've always wanted to buy an entire town, but you've been waiting for one with some real historical cred … today is your lucky day. Garryowen, Montana, famed as the site of Custer's Last Stand, is for going up for auction this month with an opening bid of $250,000, Reuters reports. The 7.7-acre town near the banks of the Little Bighorn River has just two residents: Chris Kortlander, who bought Garryowen in 1993 after his California home was destroyed by a wildfire, and a caretaker.

The town is named after a song Custer adopted for the 7th US Cavalry, which fought a losing battle against the Sioux and Cheyenne on June 25, 1876. The auction winner will scoop up even more history: The town is also the site of a monument dedicated to an unknown soldier. Garryowen's gas station and convenience store are also included in the sale, as is a collection of manuscripts, documents, and photographs belonging to Custer's wife, Elizabeth Bacon Custer. (More Garryowen, Montana stories.)

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