Nearest city Medora, North Dakota Area 4 ha Added to NRHP 7 November 1976 | NRHP Reference # 76002271 Year built 1876 | |
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Initial Rock, also known as Name Rock, in the Dakota Prairie Grasslands, Little Missouri National Grasslands, Medora Ranger District near Medora, North Dakota, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1976. It was the site of an overnight camp on May 28, 1876 of George Armstrong Custer's men, on their way to the Battle of Little Big Horn, which happened on June 25, 1876. The NRHP listing included one contributing site and one contributing object on 9.9 acres (4.0 ha).
Two soldiers, W.C. Williams and F. Neely, carved their names in a rock still present at the site. Williams and Neely, under the command of Marcus Reno, survived the battle.
A shelter over the rock has prevented further weathering and vandalism since 1966.
It is one of five sites that are included in Custer Military Trail Historic Archaeological District, which is a large historic district that was listed on the NRHP in 2009.