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The Mystery of the Lost Iron Dog Winter Count

The lost Iron Dog winter count was originally from Bullhead on the South Dakota side of Standing Rock along the banks of the Grand River. It is known only by the photograph below taken by a man named Harvey Marion Hiatt in 1923. The photograph is posted here courtesy of the National Anthropological Archives at the Smithsonian. Is it possible that a descendant of Hiatt still possesses this important piece of Standing Rock history? The story of the Iron Dog winter count as well as the stories depicted by the pictographs on its surface have much to tell us if more information can be found. Very soon, a large format print will be on display at the library as part of its expanding "Library on the Walls" historical document collection.

Photo Courtesy of the National Anthropological Archives at the Smithsonian Institution

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