 Birch Coulee was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places for having state-level significance in military history, and was listed in 1973.Birch Coulee Battlefield lies on what, in 1862, was open prairie stretching on to the north and west, with woods to the south.Defining the east edge is a steep wooded ravine, a landform known locally by the French term "coulee," also spelled "coulie" or "cooley."