ND Senate rejects measure on Killdeer battlefield

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FARGO — The state Senate has rejected a bill that would have provided about $5,000 for archaeological and historical surveys in the Killdeer Mountains battlefield area of North Dakota.

Sponsors of the bill believed the area should be studied, especially after the North Dakota Industrial Commission last month approved the drilling of up to eight wells about five miles from the site of the Battle of Killdeer Mountain.

Republican Sen. Rich Wardner, one of the prime sponsors of the bill, withdrew his support of the measure. He said he believes the July 1864 battle was a special event, but decided that “private ownership should be respected.”

The measure failed 31-16.

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