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. . . . . . . . . . . . . .On Saturday, July 25th, I attended a for Kathryn Hoffman from Hammon. I have known her all of my life. She had her 93 birthday on Friday. Her children, all of whom I attended school with at in the 1950s, sponsored the celebration dance at the at . Concho is 105 miles east of Hammon.
After leaving the dance to return to Enid, I stopped by the for a Coke and a bottle of water. The cafe is located in the administrative building of the the . The tribal headquarters are located at the . The two streets are named for prominent Cheyenne Chiefs, and .
Red Moon was chief of a band of Cheyenne whose camp was along the north bank Washita River about 6 miles northeast of Hammon and about 5 miles east of my childhood home. () He died in 1901 and is in a cemetery 1.4 miles from my childhood home. In 1894, six years before his death, government established a for Indian children in the area. The school, built under the direction of Indian Agent, James H. Hammon, was named for Chief Red Moon. The town of Hammon is named for the Indian Agent.
Red Moon is buried a quarter of a mile southwest of the site where the school was located. Standing by the Red Moon's headstone in the cemetery, it is possible to locate the exact spot on which the school stood. was taken by Red Moon's headstone. The small clump of trees in the center of the field, straight below the cloud, in the center of the photo, is the location where the school stood. The trees surround what remains of the foundation of the school. My childhood home is located 1.4 miles behind the trees on the left in the photograph.
Being a proud Hammonite, I wear a memorial belt buckle with "" engraved on it. The buckle depicts the founding of the Red Moon Camp in 1880. I have a personalized tag for my pickup with "" engraved on it.
Chief Black Kettle was killed by Custer's men in a massacre in the on the south bank Washita River west of Cheyenne, about 15 miles from Wade McCoy's childhood home. () The attack, led by Lt. Col. George A. Custer, occurred just before dawn on November 27, 1868. Several of the chief's decedents live in Hammon today. They are my friends.
Continuing with the story about the cafe. The dining section will seat only . There is no dividing wall between the kitchen and the dining room. The proprietor is , who lives in Geary, which is located of Concho. Mike is a personable fellow and a delight to visit with. Including the kitchen, the cafe has probably 400 sq ft of space. The , posted above the entry way into the kitchen, contains some delicious sounding items with Custeresque names. No reputable cafe would be without appropriate tee shirts for advertisement. Eskimo Joe's near the Oklahoma State university Campus is perhaps the most famous of all restuaraunt advertisement. Yes, Eskimo Joe has his , but not to be out done, Custer's Last Stand Cafe .
It may seem odd that a cafe with Custer's name would be found on the street named for the man he killed. While Custer ruthlessly massacred Chief Black Kettle's camp of Cheyenne women and children at Cheyenne, OK on that fateful cold November morning in 1868, the Cheyenne warriors, joined their Lakota Sioux brothers and returned the favor on June 25 and June 26, 1876, eight year later at the in Montana. On the south wall of the cafe hangs Custer's last stand. The artist who painted was .
Custer's Last Stand Cafe doesn't celebrate what Custer did to Black Kettle and his people. Rather the cafe celebrates the victory of the Cheyenne and Sioux over the Custer and his soldiers. In the window is a humorous poster depicting what might have been . I mused a bit the at the irony of Black Kettle getting the last laugh in the world of the dead and eternity... Custer had it coming and he got it but good.
If you're ever in Oklahoma and driving US Highway 81 between El Reno and Okarche, take a left at the top of the hill five miles north of El Reno. Drive one mile down the cedar-lined road to the administrative building of the Tribal headquarters and find . The points the way. Only in Oklahoma will you find a place like this. You won't be disappointed.