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Luther Sage "Yellowstone" Kelly (July 27, 1849 - December 17, 1928) was an American soldier, hunter, scout, adventurer and administrator. He served briefly in the American Civil War and then in an 1898 expedition to Alaska. He commanded a U.S. Army company in the Philippine⌠American War and later served in the civilian administration of the Philippines. On June 26, 1929 Yellowstone Kelly was laid to rest with full military honors overlooking the Yellowstone Valley in Billings, Montana after an impressive funeral procession. In the words of Kelly's biographer, "If destiny ever decreed a fitting locale for one man's final resting place, surely this spot was meant for Yellowstone Kelly. |
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In 1915, after a few years gold mining in Nevada, Kelly settled permanently in Paradise, California, where, on 17 December 1928, he died. He was buried on a high bluff along the Yellowstone River just north of Billings Montana with the sword he captured from Legaspi at LaLud. “I feel my body will rest better in Montana, the scene of my earlier activities, than it would in the vastness of Arlington, where I purposed having it laid.” The bluff, within the boundaries of Swords Rimrock Park (City of Billings Parks & Recreation), is now referred to as Kelly Mountain. |
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Military service: In the spring of 1865, with the Civil War winding down, Kelly secured permission from his mother to join the Army. He traveled to Rochester, New York, where he attempted to join the Fourth New York Cavalry but was turned down due his young age (15). Later he joined the 10th Infantry by lying about his age. He was unaware that the 10th Infantry was not a volunteer corps and that he would be obliged to continue serving after the war.
Kelly was sent to City Point, Virginia. After Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox, his regiment was sent to Richmond and then marched towards Washington, D.C., encamping south of the Potomac River until after the Grand Review of the Armies. Because Kelly's unit had not participated in the Grand Review, it was selected for a parade through Washington on June 8, during which Kelly served as part of the guard detail for the reviewing officer, "his first official duty of any real consequence".
Kelly's unit was stationed in Washington over the summer. In November they were moved by train to St. Paul, Minnesota to be stationed at Fort Snelling for the winter. In May, his company moved among Fort Abercrombie, Fort Wadsworth and Fort Ransom, all in the Dakota Territory. During his free time at these forts, Kelly hunted game to provide fresh meat for his fellow soldiers. In April 1868, Kelly's enlistment in the Army ended, and he was discharged at Fort Ransom.
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The Billings Chamber of Commerce is currently working to create the Yellowstone Kelly Interpretive Site in Billings, Montana. This is after numerous acts of vandalism at his grave site throughout the years. In addition to the Yellowstone Kelly Interpretive Site, Luther Sage Kelly was remembered with a Warner Brothers movie in his name, trading cards, several frontier and old west magazine articles and advertisements, and a number of books. Additionally, there is a Facebook page dedicated to his memory. He was perhaps best known for his hunting, trapping, and for hostile encounters with Sioux warriors; truly a man of the frontier. |
