Fred Dustin
Encyclopedia
Fred Dustin was a writer focusing on the American West, in particular George Armstrong Custer
and The Battle of the Little Bighorn
.
Dustin was born in Glens Falls, New York
to James and Jennie E. (Green) O'Donnell. His mother died soon after his birth and he was sent to live with his aunt, Sara, who was married to Ira Dustin, whose last name Fred legally assumed. When he was 15, Fred Dustin left school and went to work in a lumber yard.
In 1887, he moved to Saginaw, Michigan
, and became a carpenter and building contractor. His passion was studying the Indian
culture and history of his area, and he was an archaeological surveyor for the University of Michigan
and an amateur archaeologist. In 1919, he published a booklet entitled The Saginaw treaty of 1819 between General Lewis Cass and the Chippewa Indians. He conducted an archaeological survey of Isle Royale from 1929 until 1930. Dustin published some of the earliest sketches of the Ogemaw Earthworks and other Saginaw sites associated with the Mound builders in 1931.
Dustin corresponded with and interviewed a number of surviving Indians, civilian interpreters, and soldiers starting in the early 1900s for compilation of their personal narratives of the 1876 fight at Little Bighorn. He spent over 30 years researching the battle and its participants. Dustin was known for his disdain for Custer and criticism of his actions, and his support for the controversial Major Marcus Reno
.
Ironically, he made his only visit to the Custer Battlefield
in 1938. The following year, he published his life's research in a work entitled The Custer Tragedy: Events Leading Up to and Following the Little Big Horn Campaign on 1876, a work considered a classic in Custeriana.
Fred Dustin died in Saginaw, aged 90.
George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Raised in Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted to West Point in 1858, where he graduated last in his class...
and The Battle of the Little Bighorn
Battle of the Little Bighorn
The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand and, by the Indians involved, as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, was an armed engagement between combined forces of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho people against the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army...
.
Dustin was born in Glens Falls, New York
Glens Falls, New York
Glens Falls is a city in Warren County, New York, United States. Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,700 at the 2010 census...
to James and Jennie E. (Green) O'Donnell. His mother died soon after his birth and he was sent to live with his aunt, Sara, who was married to Ira Dustin, whose last name Fred legally assumed. When he was 15, Fred Dustin left school and went to work in a lumber yard.
In 1887, he moved to Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw was once a thriving lumber town and manufacturing center. Saginaw and Saginaw County lie in the Flint/Tri-Cities region of Michigan...
, and became a carpenter and building contractor. His passion was studying the Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
culture and history of his area, and he was an archaeological surveyor for the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
and an amateur archaeologist. In 1919, he published a booklet entitled The Saginaw treaty of 1819 between General Lewis Cass and the Chippewa Indians. He conducted an archaeological survey of Isle Royale from 1929 until 1930. Dustin published some of the earliest sketches of the Ogemaw Earthworks and other Saginaw sites associated with the Mound builders in 1931.
Dustin corresponded with and interviewed a number of surviving Indians, civilian interpreters, and soldiers starting in the early 1900s for compilation of their personal narratives of the 1876 fight at Little Bighorn. He spent over 30 years researching the battle and its participants. Dustin was known for his disdain for Custer and criticism of his actions, and his support for the controversial Major Marcus Reno
Marcus Reno
Marcus Albert Reno was a career military officer in the American Civil War and in the Black Hills War against the Lakota and Northern Cheyenne...
.
Ironically, he made his only visit to the Custer Battlefield
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument preserves the site of the June 25, 1876, Battle of the Little Bighorn, near Crow Agency, Montana, in the United States. It also serves as a memorial to those who fought in the battle: George Armstrong Custer's 7th Cavalry and a combined Lakota-Northern...
in 1938. The following year, he published his life's research in a work entitled The Custer Tragedy: Events Leading Up to and Following the Little Big Horn Campaign on 1876, a work considered a classic in Custeriana.
Fred Dustin died in Saginaw, aged 90.