On June 18, my work will be featured at the historic Toadlena Trading Post

See the collection—NEW in bronze

It seems strange that over a year ago in April I was at the Toadlena Trading Post with my friend and colleague, renowned painter James Ayers.

The two of us were so inspired by the intricate works of art that the weavers of the trading post created that over dinner on the Navajo Reservation, we came up with the idea for Honoring Weavers in Canvas and Bronze, the first show of our new philanthropic organization, Wopila Artist Guild.

Fiesta at Toadlena

The art opening is part of the trading post’s bi-annual party—and what a party it will be! In addition to James and I sharing our works with the public, there will be food, music by actor Wes Studi’s band, and all the weavers and local families coming out and having a great time.

You are, of course, invited.

Please see our Toadlena Trading Post travel Guide for directions to the trading post.

20% of the proceeds will go to charity

Our goal with Wopila and this art show is to increase funding for Native American Youth art education.

Twenty percent of the proceeds from the three of James’s paintings and my three sculptures will be donated to the Toadlena Young Weaver’s Project, a non-profit fund administered by the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian in Santa Fe.

The artwork

These are the the finished bronzes that will be unveiled on June 18^th.

I had the help of several Navajo weavers who provided input on my early versions of the clays.

For example, Master Weaver Emily Watchman looked at Saving the Day, my sculpture of a Navajo man on a horse and asked: ‘Where are his earrings? My grandfather always wore earrings.’ I would have never known this aspect without her input.

The #1 of each sculpture has these special features:

• A miniature Navajo rug (approx 6″ x 18″) with the title of the piece handwoven into it
• A special walnut “jewelry box” style base with a drawer that can house the tiny rug, the catalog, and photos of the piece with the weavers (and other show ephemera)
• The title is laser cut into the jewelry box and then highlighted with gold pigment.

I personally invite you to attend

Let’s make the first annual Wopila art show the best yet. I invite you to join me, James Ayers, and the nice folks at the historic Toadlena Trading Post.

If you have interest in purchasing one of the sculptures, please contact me: contact Craig Bergsgaard Studios.

About Wopila Artist Guild

Wopila Artist Guild is an informal artist association organized in 2010 to promote pre-eminent Western art while also supporting Native American youth art education. Wopila was founded by sculptor Craig Bergsgaard and painter James Ayers in 2010. Artists with a similar dedication to giving back to the arts are invited to contact Wopila for more information.

 

Last call for pre-cast pricing on Eureka (What Now) maquette

Maquette is at the foundry now

Half the edition has already been SOLD.

You can still order your version of Eureka (What Now) at pre-cast pricing until Friday, May 20–and save $1,000!

 

 

Eureka (What Now) by Craig Bergsgaard

Maquette: Dimensions 27” tall with base, Edition of 21, Price is $2,400 precast / $3,400 cast

( A life-size version is also available:  75” tall with base, Edition of 15, Price is $27,000 pre-cast / $35,000 cast)

Please contact me by email or call 602-510-3662 to reserve yours today.

The Infamous Sand Creek Massacre: A Brief History

The Battle of Sand Creek was one of the most devastating engagements of the Indian wars due to both its violence and controversy.

In order to really understand how and why the Sand Creek Massacre happened, we have to look at the event as a product of the complex intertwining of the politics, military policy, and social climate of its time.

Overview of the tragic events

On November 29, 1864, a regiment of Colorado mounted cavalry attacked a Cheyenne encampment on the banks of Sand Creek, outside Fort Lyons, Colorado.

During the attack, the Colorado 3^rd Regiment, led by Civil War hero Colonel John Chivington, killed over 150 Cheyenne and Arapaho, including women and children and the elderly. The remainder of the encampment fled to the dubious safety of the still unsettled plains.

What compounds this tragedy, is the fact that prior to the attack by the military, the Cheyenne had surrendered to the commanding officer of the fort and were camped under both an American flag and a white flag of peace and surrender.

First reaction

Initially, the battle was seen by the public as a heroic victory by the U.S. Cavalry against the fearsome Dog Soldiers, a band of hostile Cheyenne that had been feuding with the settlers in the area.

The cavalrymen were hailed as heroes and welcomed back into Denver with a victory parade and a display of their spoils of war, including Native scalps. The praise for the soldiers was, however, short-lived.

Attitudes changed

Soon after the battle, eyewitnesses to the attack came forward, offering alternative, sometimes conflicting versions of the story. The gory details that began to emerge from these eyewitness accounts shook the public conception of the battle—especially the tales of slaughter of peaceable women, children, and elderly tribe members who were living under an American flag.

Negative public perception in the East and in Washington D.C. resulted in several military and civil investigations into the matter and an eventual public disavowal by the military of Colonel Chivington’s actions and of the entire incident.

Background: Tensions escalate for over a decade

The Treaty of Fort Laramie: set-up for conflict

The Treaty of Fort Laramie was signed in 1851 by the US government and both the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes.

The treaty guaranteed the tribes all the lands between the South Platte and Arkansas Rivers, and eastward from the Rocky Mountains to western Kansas.

The treaty promised the tribes rights and access to these lands provided each tribe both guarantee the safety of travelers through their territory and allow the US Government to build roads and forts at designated locations.

Settlers were to be prohibited from claiming land within these boundaries and the territory within was to be acknowledged as tribal land.

The Colorado Gold Rush: A Violation of the Fort Laramie Treaty

The Treaty of Fort Laramie was successful for awhile because it maintained mostly secure travel along the Oregon Trail for settlers and kept peace with the tribes.

In July of 1858, the discovery of gold in the Platte River resulted in thousands of prospectors rushing to the area, in what is known as the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush or the Colorado Gold Rush.

Many of these prospectors eventually settled in the area, a direct violation of the Laramie Treaty.

The Treaty of Fort Wise: Escalating Hostilities between Natives and Settlers

As a result of the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush and the subsequent violations of the Fort Laramie Treaty, on February 18, 1861, a new treaty was enacted called the Treaty of Fort Wise.

This treaty was signed by only a portion of the Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho chiefs. It resulted in the Cheyenne and Arapaho ceding most of the lands granted to them by the Treaty of Fort Laramie to the US government. Additionally, it restricted the Cheyenne and Arapahoe to a reservation in Southeastern Colorado, between the Arkansas River and the Big Sandy (also known as Sand Creek).

Many bands of Cheyenne, including the militant “Dog Soldiers”, were angry at the terms of the treaty and refused to acknowledge it. They claimed that since it had only been signed by a few chiefs, without the approval of the rest of the tribe, it was not a legitimate treaty.

These non-participants refused to abide by the terms and continued to live and hunt in their tribal lands of Eastern Colorado and Western Kansas. These bands became increasingly angry and hostile towards the ever-growing number of settlers and prospectors who continued to flood their lands.

The escalating attacks and hostilities between the native bands and the increasing population of settlers caused tension and panic on both sides.

Many settlers were so afraid that they advocated simply killing all the Native Americans, hostile or not.

The scattered groups of Cheyenne and Arapaho attempting to live in peace on their native land were also afraid, fearful that the settlers would attack them at any time and blame them for the actions of more hostile groups.

The United States’ response: The Establishment of the “100-Dayzers”: a Special Anti-Indian Cavalry Unit

In response to this feeling of anxiety, in August of 1864 Colorado Territory Governor John Evans encouraged the settlers to organize themselves into a volunteer militia to protect themselves and their homes:

“Any man who kills a hostile Indian is a patriot; but there are Indians who are friendly, and to kill one of them will involve us in greater difficulty. It is important therefore to fight only the hostile, and no one has been or will be restrained from this.”

Governor Evans then announced that he had been given leave by the Secretary of War to authorize the raising of a special cavalry unit for 100 days for the purpose of fighting the hostile Native Americans and protecting the settlers of Colorado.

Evans placed Civil War hero Colonel John Chivington, victor of the battle of La Glorieta Pass, in charge of raising and heading the “100 days” special cavalry regiment.

Peace Councils with the Cheyenne

In June of 1864, Governor Evans called for all tribes wishing to sue for peace to come to Denver and place themselves under US military protection to prevent them from being mistaken for hostiles and attacked.

At this time, Chief Black Kettle, the principal leader of the Southern Cheyenne, contacted Major Edward Wynkoop who was in charge of Fort Lyon. Black Kettle informed Wynkoop the Cheyenne were holding several captives and they wished to return them as part of their suit for peace.

Major Wynkoop and Captain Silas Soule departed Fort Lyon for Native American lands, and held an informal peace council with Black Kettle and several other chiefs, known as the Smoky Hills Council.

Wynkoop and Soule brought Black Kettle and several other ranking Arapaho and Cheyenne chiefs back to Denver to meet with Governor Evans, who was also the Superintendant of Indian Affairs for the territory of Colorado.

This meeting, which took place in September of 1864, was called the Camp Weld Council. During this session, Governor Evans warned the tribes of an impending surge of Union troops that would attack all hostiles that winter.

Governor Evans proposed that all peaceably inclined Cheyenne and Arapaho submit to military authority and surrender at Fort Lyon.

After the Camp Weld Council, the Cheyenne and Arapaho who wanted to sue for peace moved their bands south, closer to Fort Lyon, and camped on the Big Sandy Creek in October of 1864 under the American flag.

Wynkoop is removed from command and the stage is set for the attack on Sand Creek

Word reached General Samuel Curtis that Major Wynkoop had allowed a group of Arapaho and Cheyenne to camp less then a mile away from Fort Lyon.

General Curtis found this action to be in direct violation of his own orders to punish all Plains Indians for the violence of the summer.

Curtis ordered Wynkoop to relinquish control of Fort Lyon and return to headquarters in Kansas, to be replaced by Major Anthony. Major Anthony relieved Wynkoop under strict orders to force the Arapaho away from the post and stop the distribution of rations.

Anthony recommended to General Curtis that they not honor Wynkoop’s peace agreement with the Native Americans until Chief Black Kettle gave up all the perpetrators of the actions against the settlers the previous summer.

This demand was, of course, impossible, since the perpetrators of those acts were far to the north, waging war against the US military in Nebraska and Kansas, and were not even under Black Kettle’s command.

Chivington begins to move towards Sand Creek

By October of 1864, it was evident that most of the Native American war parties that the Colorado 3^rd regiment had been raised to resist were not operating near Denver, but rather, hundreds of miles away.

Chivington was desperate to strike a decisive blow against any tribe before the 100 days allotted to his militia expired. He was aware that Major Anthony was a staunch supporter of a major war of extermination against the Native Americans and began to move his troops closer to Sand Creek.

On November 24, 1864, Chivington’s command marched east towards Fort Lyon. They were careful not to alert the fort of their approach, so as to prevent any of the US soldiers from alerting the Native Americans.

Four days later, Chivington and his command arrived at Fort Lyon. Chivington then issued the command to shoot any soldier who attempted to leave the fort to warn the encamped Cheyenne and Arapaho.

Chivington ordered Anthony to prepare the Fort Lyon troops to join the 3rd Regiment in a dawn attack on Black Kettle’s village at Sand Creek, to which Anthony agreed.

The Attack on Sand Creek

At dawn, on November 29, 1864, the combined US forces attacked the approximately 500 Arapaho and Cheyenne encamped at Sand Creek.

The Native Americans of the encampment were taken completely by surprise. Black Kettle reportedly attempted to wave the American flag, trying to surrender and ward off the attack, but the militia, frenzied by a rousing speech by Chivington about the depredations carried out by Native Americans over the past summer, attacked fiercely.

In total, about 170 Cheyenne and Arapaho men, women, and children were killed in the attack, with the remainder escaping to the Plains. Chivington and his men declined to follow, instead remaining to loot the village and to scalp and mutilate the corpses.

Of the 750 man government force, three 1^st Regiment soldiers and nine militia-men were killed, and another forty were wounded. A majority of the wounded came as a result of friendly fire, due to the haphazard nature of the attack.

The Aftermath of the Battle

Immediately after the battle, Chivington sent reports to Denver and to General Curtis, claiming that he and his men had decimated the entire Cheyenne nation, along with the feared Dog Soldiers (all of whom were otherwise occupied, fighting the US military in the north at the time).

He claimed that they had killed over 500 Native Americans in a raging battle. Chivington and his men returned to Denver in a blaze of acclaim and glory after the Battle of Sand Creek and were hailed as heroes by the settlers.

However, many of the soldiers who had participated in the battle proved uncomfortable with the attack, and several eventually came forward to testify against Chivington.

The Consequences

From February to May of 1865, a special military committee was convened to investigate the incident and events of Sand Creek. The stated goal of the commission was to investigate charges that the 3^rd regiment massacred Native Americans who were under the protection of the US Government at the time.

The commission collected testimony from soldiers and officers at Fort Lyon and from civilians who were involved with or present at the time of the incident. The hearings were controversial and heated.

Despite the mounting evidence to the contrary, Chivington continued to insist that hundreds of warriors were killed at Sand Creek, that very few women and children were killed, and that no scalps were taken or other mutilations performed.

He remained proud of his and his men’s actions to his dying day, insisting that they acted in the best interests of America and the military.

The hearings, however, eventually concluded with severe military censure against the actions of Chivington and Anthony, though no legal or military disciplinary action was ever taken against them.

In the aftermath of the hearings, Evans was asked to resign his post as Colorado Governor.

Convenient scapegoat or independent aggressor?

There are many theories and opinions about the events at Sand Creek, which remains a sensitive topic for many people in Colorado and throughout the West.

Was the attack really an independent move, planned and executed by Chivington and a few other officers, without the support or encouragement of the American military establishment? Or was Chivington merely sacrificed to the indignant politicians and the Eastern public as a convenient scapegoat to take the blame for an incident which the military found it more convenient to distance itself from after the fact?

Like many other violent acts, now shrouded in the mists of time, we may never know the truth behind the speculations, but the parts of the stories we do know continue to provide fuel for discussion and contention to this day.

What did we learn as a result of this tragedy?

Please join me and a panel of experts as we discuss this very topic.

My FREE panel discussion, Lessons Learned at Bloody Sand Creek, will be hosted by the Denver Public Library on April 17, 2011 at 2:00 pm.

Please join us for an afternoon of history, learning, and reflection.

For more information, please contact me by email at The Craig Bergsgaard Studios.

Lessons Learned at Bloody Sand Creek Panel Discussion

Please accept my personal invitation to attend a discussion of Colorado’s darkest hour.

Join me for my FREE panel discussion about the Sand Creek Massacre at the Denver Public Library April 17, 2011

Of all the atrocities perpetrated on the Native American people during the Westward expansion, Colorado was home to one of the worst: The Sand Creek Massacre.
On November 29, 1864, on the banks of the Sand Creek in southeastern Colorado, a 700-man militia raided a peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho settlement, killing and mutilating the inhabitants—most of whom were women, children, and elders.

For 146 years, people have been trying to understand why and how seemingly civilized people could perpetrate such a grisly act.

On April 17th, 2011, a group of experts from diverse fields such as Native American history, Colorado history, political science, art, and military history will come together to address the tough question: What did Colorado learn from the Sand Creek Massacre tragedy of 1864 and what lessons do we have yet to learn?

Purpose of the discussion

Like many residents of Colorado and the West, the historic tragedy at Sand Creek evokes strong feelings within me. It was this inspiration which led me to create the bronze Memorare, Sand Creek 1864

After creating Memorare and seeing the high interest in Sand Creek by an audience at the Booth Museum of Western Art in Georgia moved me to approach The Denver Public Library with the idea for a panel discussion discussing Sand Creek in an honest way that would be relevant for today.

The purpose of this panel discussion is neither to sensationalize the violence that occurred nor to whitewash the events; instead, the panel will seek to analyze how these events could have occurred and what the implications are for those of us living in modern times.
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Panelist Col. Ronald G. Machoian, PhD, puts it this way:

“I sincerely hope that all comers will leave the event with a stronger recognition that the clash of different cultures or civilizations has often highlighted man’s fearful capacity for inhumanity. There is a tendency to view historical events from a particular perspective or unilateral narrative—this discussion will hopefully offer some pause to consider history instead as an aggregate story that defies a singular telling.”

Event Details

Date and time:
Sunday, April 17, 2011; 2:00 to 4:30pm

Location:
Central Library, B2 Conference Center, 10 West Fourteenth Avenue Parkway Denver, CO 80204

Discussion format:
* 2:00 – 2:15
Greeting, opening remarks, and gift presentation of Craig Bergsgaard’s sculpture, Memorare, Sand Creek 1864, to the Denver Public Library
* 2:15 – 2:45
Slideshow discussing historical events featuring vintage images from the Denver Public Library Western History and Genealogy photograph archive
* 2:45 – 3:00
Break
* 3:00 – 4:15
Moderated panel discussion
* 4:15 – 4:45
Audience question and answer period with panelists
* 4:45
Closing remarks

For more information, please see my Sand Creek Massacre panel discussion page or contact my assistant Amy by telephone at 602-510-3662 or by email through the Craig Bergsgaard Studios contact form

Please join us to learn more about this pivotal chapter in American history

I encourage anyone who is interested in Native American history, Colorado history, Western history, military history or Colorado/United States politics, art, and military current events to attend.
Won’t you please join us?

Special show with award-winning painter James Ayers

This weekend painter James Ayers and I will unveil our first exhibit of work from our new philanthropic organization

Come see our exhibit of Navajo imagery at the Carefree Art and Wine Festival, March 5, 6, 7, 2011

As you may know, in 2010, I started a philanthropic artist organization with my good friend, renowned painter James Ayers. Our organization, Wopila Artist Guild, is devoted to “paying it forward” by supporting Native American youth art education.

This weekend, we begin the presale show of Honoring Weavers with Canvas and Bronze, our first collection that will help raise funds to support weaving education for young Navajo weavers of the historic Toadlena Trading Post.

Twenty percent of the proceeds from all six pieces, three paintings and the #1 version of each sculpture, will be donated to the Toadlena Young Weaver’s Project, a non-profit fund administered by the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian in Santa Fe.

These pieces will be unveiled for the weaving community of Toadlena at trading post’s bi-annual fiesta on June 18, 2011 and will be on exhibit through August 21, 2011, but are available for sale beginning this weekend.

Check out our available paintings and sculpture

Please click the images below to link to the Wopila website and read more about each piece.

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These pieces are being offered on a first-come, first served basis.

Please call my assistant, Amy, at 602-510-3662 or email the Craig Bergsgaard Studio to reserve one of these for your collection — and help keep traditional Navajo weaving alive for another generation.

We look forward to seeing you this weekend in Carefree!

City of Castle Rock to present me with “cool” award

Coolin’ the Dogs sculpture recognized

On Tuesday, February 22, I will receive the City of Castle Rock’s Sense of Place and Community Character award for my life-size sculpture, Coolin’ the Dogs during the city’s second annual Site Design Award program on February 22, 2011.

About Coolin the Dogs and the City of Castle Rock Award

Coolin’ depicts an early frontiersman taking a break from the toils of the day with a much-needed foot soak. His trusty horse, Dusty, stands close by also enjoying a break.

The 1,300-pound bronze was installed at Fifth and Gilbert streets in Castle Rock in 2009.

I was chosen to receive the Sense of Place and Community Character award by the Town of Castle Rock Planning Community in their January 27th meeting. The award is so-named because it recognizes fine design that reflects the nature of the people that call Castle Rock their home.

Coolin the Dogs shows sacrifice, survival and someone doing what he wants to do – which is what life is all about. It celebrates a person willing to sacrifice some things in order to achieve others, which is how Castle Rock became the community that it is.

Event Details

The Second Annual Site Design Awards will be held at the City of Castle Rock town hall:
• Date: February 22, 2011
• Time: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
• Location: 100 Wilcox Street, Castle Rock
• Contact: 303-660-1367
You are cordially invited to attend.

About Castle Rock, Colorado

The City of Castle Rock, population 46,261, is located on Colorado’s Front Range Corridor. It was founded by settlers in 1864, enticed to the beautiful location a few years earlier upon hearing rumors of gold in the region. It was not gold, but instead the mineral rhylolite that let to the settling of the town.

Castle Rock has an aesthetic mix of history and fine art. Its historic downtown area is still preserved, and the town maintains its historic feel through its building codes. Art in the city is supported through the Phillip S. Miller trust fund, which allocates money to purchase public art.

I was truly honored to sculpt the town’s entryway landmark. It really shows the mark of a gracious community when they value public art to enrich the lives of its citizens.

—
Would you like to discuss adding a life-size or monumental sculpture to your town or organization’s property? Please contact me at Craig Bergsgaard Studios. I would be happy to discuss particulars with you.

New in bronze! Recounting the Coup, Full Figure

Just back from the foundry

When I showed Recounting the Coup-Full Figure in clay, it was a showstopper from Scottsdale to Calgary. Now, I am pleased to announce that this work is complete and ready in bronze.

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To order yours, please call 602-510-3662 or contact me by email.

To read more about Recounting the Coup Full Figure please see my earlier blog post about inspiration for Recounting the Coup, Full Figure.

Introducing Eureka (What Now)

Life-size sculpture to go to foundry in April; maquette size also to be sold

My newest sculpture depicts a prospector learning the meaning of “Be careful what you wish for.”

Prospectors endured hardships before they struck it rich…and sometimes afterward, too

Fearing vigilante “justice”

Few things could cause an argument to erupt over the ownership of a stake than a hungry prospector actually finding a big chunk of “the yellow.”

In Eureka (What Now) , we see our hero the moment after his initial elation has passed – and he realizes that his troubles are only beginning.

A story oft told

Over a dozen areas of America (or soon-to-be America) experienced “gold fever”

The scene portrayed in Eureka (What Now) was likely told hundreds of times across the 18^th and 19^th centuries in all of these areas that experienced their own gold rushes:

• Cabarrus County, North Carolina, 1799
• Georgia, 1828
• California, 1848
• Pikes Peak, Colorado, 1859
• Northern Nevada, 1850–1934
• Idaho (aka the Fort Colville Gold Rush), 1860
• Bannack, Montana, 1862
• Black Hills, South Dakota and Wyoming, 1874–1878
• Eastern Oregon, 1860s–1870s
• Bodie, California, 1876
• Cripple Creek, Colorado, 1891
• Mount Baker, Washington, 1897–1920′s
• Nome, Alaska, 1898–99

Order your version of Eureka (Now What) today at the precast price for a substantial savings

Save $1,000 on the maquette and $8,000 on the life-size if you order during precast pricing.

The life-size will be ready for installation beginning in September and the maquette will be ready for delivery in July.

Please contact me by email or call my assistant Amy at 602-510-3662 to reserve yours today.

Announcing a sculpture memorializing one of the most intense battles of the Indian Wars

Give Me Eighty Men depicts 145^th anniversary of Wyoming Fetterman Battle of 1866.

Give Me Eighty Men been added to the permanent collection of the Tucson Museum of Art. You can see the finished bronze here: Give Me 80 Men

Give Me Eighty Men: The Fetterman Fight-December 21, 1866

By Craig Bergsgaard

To be cast in bronze

33″h x 13″w x 13″d (base will add approximately 4″)

Edition of 18 – Price $5,900

Presenting Give Me Eighty Men: The Fetterman Fight – December 21, 1866.

Give Me Eighty Men: The Fetterman Fight-December 21, 1866 is the second installment in my Indian Wars series.

Historical Significance of Give Me Eighty Men

Give Me Eighty Men represents 145^th anniversary of the unsuccessful battle of the United States against the Lakota (Sioux) Nation on December 21, 1866.

The United States troops who lost their lives were led by Army captain William Judd Fetterman.

Fetterman allegedly had boasted: “Give me 80 men and I’ll march through the entire Sioux Nation.”

On December 21, 1866, Fetterman and exactly 80 soldiers pursued a band of Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors who had staged an attack on Fort Phil Kearny.

Fetterman ignored orders to not venture past sight of the fort and was lured into an ambush with over 2,000 Native Americans.Fetterman and his contingent were killed within 20 minutes.

This loss by the United States weathered at the hands of Native American warriors is second in magnitude only to the Battle of Little Bighorn.

Captain William Judd Fetterman is buried in the National Cemetery at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument.

Artistic Intent

Give Me Eighty Men features a victorious Lakota warrior at the end of the Fetterman encounter.

In his left hand, the warrior clutches the bent bugle taken from the regiment’s bugler, who was the last person standing before finally succumbing to the Lakota onslaught.

In his right hand, the warrior clutches a single-shot Spencer carbine rifle taken from a U.S. infantryman in the skirmish. This armament’s inadequate firepower for the task at hand represents both the spoils of war and a symbol of the mis-match between the American forces and the Native American offensive.

The Lakota victor’s heavenward gaze “over his shoulder” is a metaphor for the war party’s knowledge that the death of 80 soldiers will be certain to incite harsh retribution.

For a Wyoming battle in December, the warrior may appear at first glance to be insufficiently dressed with his light garb of leggings and feather hair treatment. Yet according to the biography of Minneconjou Sioux chief White Bull, leggings and a thick blanket would be typical garb for a Lakota man of the period.

This warrior would have surely shed his blanket when the battle ensued, leaving him spartanly dressed on the wind-whipped plains.

Artist’s Statement about Give Me Eighty Men: The Fetterman Fight-December 21, 1866

One day in late summer, I visited the ridge at the Fetterman battle site. Surrounded by vistas of incredible beauty, my thoughts were many, but strongest was a clear understanding of why the stewards of the land would choose to defend to the death this ground so crucial to their culture.

I said to a complete stranger, “I would defend this country as well.”

The opinions of what happened on December 21, 1866 are varied and full of intrigue. I believe that my charge is not to delve into the mechanics of the battle, but to create enough interest for the viewer to explore this historic event for themselves.

This piece also speaks to the dangers caused by an excess of ego. It can be argued that an air of superiority is required by a military commander going into battle, and certainly Fetterman was not the first or only military leader to underestimate his foe – but when ego trumps judgment, as in this case, the subordinates were forced to pay the ultimate price for Captain Fetterman’s decisions.

About The Indian Wars series by Craig Bergsgaard

Give Me Eighty Men: The Fetterman Fight – December 21, 1866 is the second installment in my series, The Indian Wars.

The Indian Wars series represents major conflicts in the 200-plus years of United States and Native American discord and are depicted from the Native American viewpoint.

The reason I have chosen to depict the scenes the Native American view is simple: It was their ground.

Memorare, Sand Creek 1864 was the first sculpture of The Indian Wars series.

Reserve your copy of Give Me Eighty Men today and receive a free museum-quality base.

I am now taking pre-orders on Give Me Eighty Men: The Fetterman Fight – December 21, 1866.

Price is $5,900. No precast pricing will be offered, but if you reserve yours before casting begins, I will provide a complementary museum-quality jewelry box-style walnut and granite base with a drawer to place historical information on the work for your heirs.

To reserve your copy, please contact me. Please mention the number you would like, if you have a preference. Requests will be honored on a first-come, first-served basis.

To download a copy of my press kit on Give Me Eighty Men: The Fetterman Fight – December 21, 1866 please click here: Fetterman Battle Download

For Those Independent Folks Drawn to the Cowboy Life

Presenting my newest clay, Luv’n the Life

You know who you are: the ranch life is in your blood…even if you were born in the city.

As you may know, I grew up on a dairy farm. Since horses consumed valuable resources, my folks considered them to be non-essential. But as soon as I was old enough to earn some money, I convinced my dad to let me have one.

One of the saddest days of my young life was when I left for the military after high school and had to give up my pal, Blaze.

Fast forward 40 years

As I commute around the part of our country we call the West, I can’t help but pine for the opportunity to spend some time “cowboy’n”. This has been a “bucket list” item for many years!

Recently, I had the opportunity to spend time on a ranch, saddled up and repositioned a herd of cattle. The result was a sore “back”, a smile on my face, and inspiration for my newest sculpture, Luv’n the Life.

Luv’n the Life at a special pre-cast price

To usher in my booth at the National Final’s Rodeo Cowboy Christmas show, I am offering a special 2010-only precast price of $1,500. Precast price will go up to $1,800 in 2011. Cast sculpture will start at $2,100.

The finished size of Luv’n the Life will be approximately 14″ tall by 14″ long. Edition size is 49.

Reserve yours today for only $300 down.

Please email me or call my assistant Amy at 602-510-3662.

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