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STURGIS | A consortium of three Native American tribes outbid 21 other registered bidders, agreeing to purchase 270 acres of property near the Bear Butte monument for more than $1 million.

The successful bidders on Sunday were the Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribe of Oklahoma, the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Montana and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, according to auctioneer Lonnie Arneson.

Arneson said tribal representatives indicated to him that they had no plans to develop the property. When he informed tribal members that three generations of the Coe family had rented the pasture land from the Millins, “they thought that was pretty cool and asked to have the Coe family contact them, because they may just carry on that tradition.”

Bear Butte, located northeast of Sturgis, has cultural significance to many tribes. The Northern Cheyenne Tribe already owns more than 500 acres around the mountain, while the Rosebud Sioux Tribe owns ground at the northwest corner of Bear Butte.

During 90 minutes of bidding in which six tracts were offered individually, then as a whole, the partnership of tribes purchased the land west of Bear Butte State Park for $1,135,936, or about $4,200 per acre, Arneson said.