Wounded Knee Museum

Histroy Wounded Knee, The Museum, serves as a memorial to those slaughtered at Wounded Knee Creek, December 28, 1890. The Museum's primary mission is to provide and advance knowledge about our shared history, and to assist in preserving the memory of the victims by encouraging visitors to learn and reflect on the events surrounding the massacre of the Lakota.

The Wounded Knee Museum is located on Interstate 90, north side of Exit 110 in Wall, South Dakota. This narrative museum tells the story of a small band of Lakota families who became the focus of the last major military operation of the U.S. Army in its centuries-long effort to subdue the Native American tribes.

Exhibits and photographs provide a vivid picture of events surrounding the Wounded Knee Massacre. The museum presents a carefully researched, thoroughly documented history of the flight of Big foot's band of Minneconjou Lakota through the wintry South Dakota landscape, their capture by the 7th Cavalry, and the horrors of the morning on December 29, 1890, when up to 300 Lakota men, women, and children died in a hail of bullets from rifles and Hotchkiss guns.

The exhibits follow a path through the story of the Wounded Knee Massacre. You will be able to learn about a large number of topics related to the massacre through text, pictures, graphics, a model of the massacre site, and a special Remembrance Room honoring the victims of Wounded Knee. Over two dozen exhibits cover everything from pre-Columbian America to current issues like the use of Indian mascots for sports teams, in addition to an in depth study of the Wounded Knee Massacre itself.

Our mission is to share the history and experiences of Native Americans. We are privately funded and supported through visitors like you. We thank you for your support of our educational endeavors.