Porcupine Butte is a mountain summit located on the
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in
Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota
Oglala Lakota County (known as Shannon County until May 2015) is a county in southwestern South Dakota, United States. The population was 13,672 at the 2020 census. Oglala Lakota County does not have a functioning county seat; Hot Springs in ne ...
. Porcupine Butte is above sea level. The nearest municipality to Porcupine Butte is
Wounded Knee, 2.3 miles away. KILI Radio, 90.1 FM maintains their broadcast facilities at Porcupine Butte, with the transmit tower located on the
butte. There is also a fire watchtower located at the top of the butte.
BIA Highway 27, also known as Big Foot Trail passes by the butte.
Porcupine Butte was named on account of the prickly pine trees which grow upon the summit.
It was near Porcupine Butte, on December 28, 1890, that
Spotted Elks's band of
Miniconjou,
Lakota and members of the
Hunkpapa Lakota band who joined them on their way to join
Red Cloud at Pine Ridge, were intercepted by a detachment of the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment. They were escorted 5 miles west where they made camp and were surrounded by the rest of the 7th. Cavalry. On the following day December, 29, the
Wounded Knee Massacre would take place resulting in numerous deaths including many women and children.
[Wounded Knee & the Ghost Dance Tragedy by Jack Utter p. 25 Publisher: National Woodlands Publishing Company; 1st edition (April 1991) Language: English ]
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{{Coord, 43, 10, 48, N, 102, 19, 25, W, format=dms, display=title, type:landmark_region:US-SD_source:GNIS
Landforms of Oglala Lakota County, South Dakota
Buttes of South Dakota