Miss Indian America

The town of Sheridan is about to have a new landmark – and it speaks to a not-so-distant history that many might not know about. From 1953 to 1984, All American Indian Days brought thousands to the Sheridan Fairgrounds every year in an effort to eliminate racial discrimination.

Mary Louise Defender-Wilson, a Hidatsa/Dakotah woman who was crowned Miss Indian America 1953, is featured on the Glass City River Wall, a recently finished mural in Toledo, OH that depicts several Native American women and children. The Miss Indian America Collective is still active in the Sheridan community today, decades after the pageant was discontinued.

The Sheridan WYO Rodeo in will host the return of some special guests this year. The Miss Indian America pageant was held during the rodeo from 1953 until…