Custer's Last Stand

June 13-15
This is another of those locals on our bucket list. After touring several other Indian Wars battle sites on our way to the area we were pretty well acquainted with the history of the time.

A visit to the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument is a solemn experience in many respects.

Custer National Cemetary

Immediately adjacent to the parking area is the Custer National Cemetery, so we look a little time to walk the rows and read a few of the headstones. Originally established in 1879 to protect the graves of soldiers who died in the Little Bighorn battle it was later enlarged and includes burials from veterans and spouses, as well as children, from almost every military action up until the closing in 1978, Only plots already reserved are still available. A small booklet is available for a self guided walking tour. It has some fascinating details about the history of the cemetery as well as many of the individuals interred there.

Only a short distance from the cemetery is the Little Bighorn visitors center. An informative film, nice displays, and a fantastic presentation by a ranger (from Texas!) who has been studying this historic event since he was 18. 'Guess he knows a little about it!

After the ranger's presentation we took a bus tour with the Absaalooka tribal tours (Absaalooka is the true name of the tribe that came to be known as the Crow). Narrated by a member of the tribe, we learned more about the event as well as a little of their culture, and the inter-tribal politics that had an impact on the battle. Specific facts about the battle were discussed as we viewed the actual locations. The guide explained how the terrain impacted the actions of the soldiers and the Indians.

A portion of the Little Bighorn Battlefield

For those unaware of the timeline of events - here's the brief history. (A much more detailed version is available here.) We all know pioneers headed west for free or cheap land. When they came into contact with the Indians (it's ok to call them Indians, they use that term too) there were often conflicts. Sometimes they got along, sometimes not. Usually at issue was the conflict over land to farm (pioneers) and land to hunt (Indians).

A treaty was signed giving most of the Dakota Territory to the Indians, including some land not assigned to a specific tribe, but open for all to hunt. The Black Hills were included in the treaty area. Forts were established along the main travel routes so the military could protect the settlers as well as keeping the settlers from bothering the Indians.

Shortly after the Civil War, when many men were returning home, with no jobs, a financial recession hit the nation hard. At about the same time gold was discovered in the Black Hills. There was no stopping the pioneers from flooding into the areas that were supposed to be off limits to them. President Grant tried various ways of managing the situation, but several Chiefs (Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, primarily) wouldn't go along with his plan and insisted on staying off reservation, in the open area. This was when the military was sent in to "round then all up and get them to the reservation".

Tribal politics were having their own effect on the situation. The Sioux (Lakota) and Cheyenne were trying to push the Crow out of the area. The Crow, thinking that if they could get rid of the Sioux they'd be in good shape, were happy to scout for the Army. It didn't turn out so well for anyone. The Indians knew this was their last stand, and whether Custer knew it was his "last stand" as he went into battle or not, it was a major turning point for the Native American cultures in the area.

Monument on the mass grave on Last Stand Hill

After careful scouting, planning and discussions, Custer divided his troops into three groups, hoping to surround the tepees set up in the valley near the river. Gathered for hunting and a seasonal celebration, the village setting was full of families.  Though the attack was a surprise, the Indians resoundingly defeated the Army. The battle, over two hot June days in 1876, resulted in the deaths of over 260 soldiers and attached personnel. It's hard to say how many Indians were killed, including women and children, but the number is probably under 50.

A mass grave holds many of the remains, and there are markers throughout the park, indicating where it is known that someone fell - white for soldiers, red for Native Americans. A few have names, but most do not.

There is also a peace memorial, dedicated to the Native Americans who were involved in, and perished in, this battle. The memorial has panels around the curved walls with names and etched portraits. It's beautiful, and definately worth the short walk up the hill from the visitor center. There's more information about the Indian Memorial and what happened to those who died in the battle here.

After two days of touring the sites and digesting all the historic information we decided on a lunch out, at the trading post near the entrance to the park. Good souvenir shopping, and the best "Indian Taco" I've ever had. HUGE fry bread heaped with goodies.

7th Ranch RV Park was home for the duration of our visit to the Little Bighorn. There aren't a lot of housing choices in the area, but we were very pleased with our choice. 7th Ranch is named for the 7th Cavalry, Custer's command.

7th Ranch is situated inside a working ranch of several hundred acres. They have a few head of cattle, and some great scenery! Guests are free to take dogs off-leash anywhere outside the immediate fenced campground area, so there's plenty of room to roam and good grass and sagebrush to check out.

The spaces are comfortably large, and some have shade trees. There are also a few tent spaces, and a playground for the little ones. The laundry facilities are pretty small, but seem to be adequate for the needs of visitors. It seems most guests stay only one night so the area really empties out during the day. The owners and camp hosts are all friendly and helpful, and we really enjoyed our stay!

The evening view from our site - a Charlie Russell sky

On the map, the closest town is Garryowen - which turns out to be a one acre, privately owned town (the ownership is too long to discuss, and irrelevant). The name is  unusual so I just had to look it up. 'Turns out, the tune Garryowen is, and has been for many years, the official tune of the 7th Cavalry.  Here's the full history,  along with the music. It seems like a good name for this tiny town near this infamous location so closely connected to the 7th Cavalry.

This little "town" houses a private museum of Native American artifacts. They also have an extensive gift shop with a range of goods from typical souvenirs to high end art work and traditional Indian jewelry as well as art works of rawhide, feathers and beads.

The album is here, and there's more information on each of the individual photos.

Devils Tower and Small Town America, Wyoming

We couldn't have been luckier with our campsite at Devils Tower National Monument. This photo below was the view right outside our door. How perfect is that!  We had green, grassy fields all around, and with the bits of red cliff here at there it made for fantastic scenery.

Yes, it's officially Devils Tower, plural, because when the official documents making this land form a National Monument were drawn up someone left out the apostrophe. The intended name was Devil's Tower.

Geologically speaking, it's formed by an magma intrusion, with the surrounding layers of soil eroded away. A nearby range of hills was created by the same type of flow, only it was wider and eroded into the more usual hill shapes.

Mythologically speaking, the mountain has had a mystical meaning for not only Native Americans, but others who come here to experience the beauty and peace of the surrounding forest. This sculpture by Japanese artist Junkyu Muto, titled Circle of Sacred Smoke, is an example of that inspiration.

The Native Americans had several names - Bear Tree is one. The texture of the basalt columns does strongly resemble the bark of the many cottonwoods that grow around it, so that may have been the inspiration.  There are many versions of a story that involves a bear chasing seven little Indian girls up the rock/tree. They went so high they became stars - the constellation Pleiades. The constellation is centered over the tower in the winter.

Whichever way you look at it, Devils Tower is an impressive formation, and it is beautiful here. Cottonwood and pine trees mix in the forest, and the meadows are full of rich grass and wildflowers. . . and a lot of very happy cows!

We enjoyed casual walks around the park and up to the base of the tower, and on our last day we ventured out on a side trip up to Hulette, a little town of about 400 just north of the park. We were pleasantly surprised to discover they were about to hold their Hulette Rodeo parade, so we spent a little time driving around the town and checking out the classic cars at the car show and waited for the parade to begin. People have come for miles around to show their cars, sell hand made items at the stalls set up along Main Street, and to participate in the parade.

The town has a lot of interesting shops, and really is worth a side trip.

The rodeo queen and her court were included of course, along with the high school band, the Lions Club, local churches, the Little League (they threw water balloons at the crowd and rode stick ponies) and of course, the full stable of fire engines.
It was small town America at it's best!

,Everyone clearly had a great time, and after the parade I know they all scooted down to the fire house for a chicken dinner, or over to the car show for a free hotdog (or both!)  The outing gave the dogs a chance to play ball and do a little off-leash exploration, as they don't have those privileges in the campground.

More photos of the park and the parade in the album.

We had beautiful weather all three days, though it was a bit on the hot side on Friday. We sat outside in the late afternoon enjoying the shade and the wind in the cottonwoods to the accompaniment of a symphony of generators and a new-age drum or two. The birds didn't have a chance I'm afraid. Generator hours are 8 to 8, so at least they had to cut them off early!

The Devils Tower campground does not accept reservations, so it's a good idea to arrive early in the day. The sites are curved pull-throughs and fairly spacious, so suitability is a matter of shade/sun exposure, how sharp the curve is, and any leveling issues. We had a perfect view of the tower from our site. There are restrooms in the campground, but no water or electric service.