CROW AGENCY — The Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, one of the largest tourist attractions in eastern Montana, will be closed Monday through Thursday beginning this summer. The change could impact local businesses in the area.
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According to the National Park Service website, the change will take effect on April 28 as the park undergoes renovations, including constructing a new visitor center and road improvements. The park will remain open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
“It’s an amazing place when it comes right down to it. It's something that transcends time,” said Putt Thompson, owner of the Custer Battlefield Trading Post, located just across Highway 212 from the battlefield entrance.
Thompson has run the cafe and shop with his wife for nearly 40 years, serving both locals and the thousands of tourists who travel each year to see the park.
“We get, you might say, a bumper crop of tourists that are almost guaranteed every year," said Thompson. “It's a fun place to be because you never know who you're going to meet."
He acknowledged that while he knew the construction changes were coming, he is concerned about the uncertainty for his business and hopes that the closures do not deter people away.
“Our weekdays were generally busier than the weekends, so I don't know. We won't know until it's over how this will affect our bottom dollar," said Thompson.
Nearby, The Crow Nation Express, a gas station, deli, and gift shop situated near Interstate 90, also relies heavily on summer tourist traffic.
“A lot of people do probably put this on their bucket list or something, and there's a lot of people that come in and ask us for the hours," said cashier Morriah Pretty on Top.
Despite the park's hour changes, the gas station says that they are not as concerned about a decrease in business due to it being one of the few stops for food in Crow Agency and the closeness to the major roadways.
“I'm worried a little bit maybe for the actual tourists, but like other than that on a regular, I think we're going to get the same amount of traffic, especially coming from 212 and I-90," said Pretty On Top. "We'll be fine."
The battlefield will remain open for the 150th Battle of the Little Bighorn anniversary events on June 25 and 26. The park anticipates that normal hours will resume in October once construction is completed. The Big Horn County Museum in Hardin will remain open during the closures and offer showings of the Little Bighorn movie and the Western National Parks Association bookstore.
After the renovations, local business owners like Thompson are hopeful the improvements will lead to an uptick in visitors to the historical site.
“Hopefully people will wake up that this is one of the top attractions next to Glacier and Yellowstone Park. This is probably the third right here," said Thompson.
For more information on the park and the updated hours, click here.
