Crossing the plains with Custer

Veteran photographer and writer Paul Horsted never fails to entertain – and enlighten. Those traits keep him in demand on the speaking circuit.

His latest venue was today (5/23/10) at the Bay Leaf Café in Spearfish, where he led members of the Lawrence County Historical Society through the chronology and geography of General George Custer’s massive 1874 expedition to the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Horsted, who lives north of Custer, South Dakota, noted that the Custer trek was “better documented than any other military expedition of the Old West.” Much of that documentation was assembled and edited by Horsted and his co-author Ernest Grafe for their 2002 publication Exploring with Custer – The 1874 Black Hills Expedition.

Today, Horsted employed a lively multi-media presentation to tell “the rest of the story” about that 19^th century expedition. Exploring with Custer dealt with the Black Hills area. His latest endeavor – Crossing the Plains with Custer – is a companion book that traces the Custer expedition from Fort Lincoln in north Dakota Territory to the Black Hills, including their journey back to the fort.

In his books, Horsted also uses his “then and now” display of historic photographs juxtapositioned with his contemporary photography from the same vantage point. It’s a powerful technique that has served him well – especially his book The Black Hills: Yesterday & Today.

Following his presentation, Horsted took time to answer questions and visit with folks who attended the gathering. Here, he chats with historian David Wolff (center) and Lawrence County Historical Society president Jerry Bryant (right).

For folks in the Black Hills region who've not heard one of Paul's presentation, we'd encourage you to be in the audience when he's in your neck of the woods. On Monday, May 31st, he'll be giving a free program in Custer State Park at the Game Lodge Campground beginning at 9:00 p.m.

In mid-June, he'll be sharing his presentation with attendees at the state convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Custer.

You can also visit his web site at Paul Horsted - Dakota Photographic LLC