BIG HORN COUNTY, MONTANA
I originally planned to drive straight through from Mom and Dad's farm in eastern South Dakota to Great Falls, MT.
Fortunately, Mom and Dad ended up joining me for the first part of my Montana adventure and insisted we break the drive into two days - one, so we weren't exhausted from the long drive and two, so we could stop at the Little Bighorn Battlefield. Dad had visited this national monument years before and was deeply moved by the history. He wanted Mom and me to experience it as well.
After staying last night in Sturgis, SD, we headed out this morning for the battlefield.
Located in southeastern Montana, the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument preserves the battle site fought June 25-26, 1876 between Lt Col Custer's 7th Cavalry and a combined force of Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes, under the spiritual leadership of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse.
There are several resources online citing the history of this event, all with slightly different numbers and slightly different details. It looks like the US cavalry of roughly 650 men, including Lt Col Custer, took on a Native American force of 1,000 to 2,000 warriors, including Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. Roughly 270 American soldiers and 100 Native American warriors were killed in battle.
What fascinated me about this battlefield is that historians placed grave markers for every person killed in battle at the exact spot they were thought to have been killed. So as you look across the rolling prairie, you see it peppered with grave stones. It made everything seem more real.
Here is a monument to the American cavalrymen killed in action. It is located at the crest of a hill, near where Custer was killed.
Just as the Revolutionary War is associated with the northeast and the Civil War is associated with the south, the American Indian Wars are associated with the Great Plains where I grew up. Custer, Sitting Bull, and Crazy Horse are all historic names I grew up with. As a result, anything associated with the "Wild West" or "Cowboys and Indians" has become increasingly fascinating to me as I get older, because it shaped so much of the history where I grew up. I understand why Dad finds this sacred ground fascinating and I now share his sentiment.
Here are some interesting articles about the battle:
On a brighter note, it was a gorgeous day and the incredible sky and the rolling ocean of prairie remind me of home. How beautiful is this view below? If you look closely, you can just barely make out the herd of horses at the crest of the hill in the middle of the photo.
I know all about Arlington National Cemetery, near Washington DC, but I didn't realize there were other national cemeteries throughout the country. I learned today that Custer National Cemetery is located right here at the battlefield. Here are a couple shots.
Next stop: Great Falls, MT where I will buy bear spray and where we will spend the night before driving to Glacier National Park tomorrow and checking into my Airbnb.