BISMARCK — Lindsay Meidinger, Deputy State Archivist for the State Historical Society of North Dakota, displayed pages from reporter Mark Kellogg's diary and his personal belongings at the North Dakota Heritage Center and State Museum in Bismarck on June 24, 2026. The display occurred ahead of the 150th anniversary of Kellogg's death at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876.

Kellogg was a reporter killed during the Battle of Little Bighorn. He was embedded with Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer's troops and was one of five civilians killed alongside Custer and his men. The Associated Press circulated Kellogg's reports across the United States. His last published dispatch stated, "I go with Custer and will be at the death."

His body was found scalped near the battle site. Kellogg was 43 years old at the time of his death. Custer's forces were defeated by Native American defenders in 1876 after Custer attacked a Sioux village.

The State Historical Society of North Dakota preserves Kellogg's diary and belongings, which include his eyeglasses, tobacco, clothing, and a mosquito head net. Meidinger displayed Kellogg's eyeglasses and case during the event. The diary has been digitized and is available online.

According to historian Sandy Barnard, Kellogg interviewed soldiers at their camps and carried a rifle into action. "During the last stages of the campaign, Kellogg was probably more of a soldier than he was a newspaper man," Barnard said. Barnard is the author of a biography on Kellogg and other books related to the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

"While his record as a journalist might be very small compared to modern reporters who go into combat, he certainly was doing exactly what they are doing," Meidinger said. Kellogg's diary documents weather, distances covered, riding positions, and wildlife sightings, and it ends before the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

Barnard characterized Kellogg's diary as "a primary source of the historical event that not many other primary sources remain from that time period related to the Seventh Cavalry and Custer." Kellogg had referred to Native Americans as "red devils" in his reporting. He was a widower and had two daughters before his death. He reported for The Bismarck Tribune and the New York Herald.

Why It Matters

The display of Mark Kellogg's diary and personal effects provides insight into a historical event and the role of early war correspondents. Kellogg was one of 38 journalists who have died while working for The Associated Press over its 180-year history. A commemorative marker bearing his name is displayed at The Associated Press headquarters in New York.