Sunday, August 2

Bighorns to Little Bighorn to N. Dakota

51 degrees this morning as we finish crossing the Bighorns and reach prairie land again. As we near Buffalo, we see a red fox cross the road and a few moments later another, feline-looking, critter. I keep thinking bobcat or lynx but I’m not sure what lives around here. Definitely larger than a house cat, but it moved so quickly we can't be certain what it was. A few early morning deer  and pronghorns as well. Looks like they are losing their velvet.

Gas in Buffalo is $2.69 – the lowest we have seen in a while, so we fill ‘er up!

Through rolling hills and prairie land, we pause at Fort Phil Kearny – what’s left of it after the Cheyenne burned it. 

It was an outpost meant to protect travelers to the gold fields but only functioned for a few years.  Mostly a base for battles with the Sioux and Cheyenne, who didn’t like the white man breaking promises and taking their land.

Speaking of which,  we are back in Montana and our next stop is Little Bighorn Battlefield, site of Custer’s last stand.  It is dedicated to warriors both from the US Army and from the Cheyenne and Sioux, and is well done. 

Sculpture at the Indian monument

There are markers throughout the Battlefield marking where soldiers and/or Cheyenne died, and two large monuments memorializing all who died here.  The area is very hilly so it is easy to see how the various divisions became separated.

We arrive just in time for a Ranger Talk.  Steve Allison, an ex-teacher and great storyteller, spent over half an hour talking about the battle, its strategies, its causes and results. 

A few highlights:

 42% of the US soldiers were foreigners, mostly Irish & Germans.

 263 soldiers and 60 Indians died this day.

 In 1840 there were 60 million buffalo in the west and by 1890 there were fewer than 500.  Since they were the “walking Walmart” for the Indians (food, clothing, tools, etc.) this unbalanced the Indian way of life. (Some say this was a deliberate plan by the whites.) This battle marked the end of the Indian way of life.  A year later Crazy Horse had surrendered and after a few years in Canada, Sitting Bull returned and was arrested, though allowed to tour with Buffalo Bill Cody and visit Washington, etc.

Both Custer and Sitting Bull had been aggressive warriors throughout their lives (lots of testosterone!) and showed it here. Neither expected to lose.

There is a memorial to the horses that died here too, when, as a last ditch effort, Custer ordered the horses into a circle around last stand hill and killed them for use as breastworks.

5,000 soldiers not associated with the battle are also buried here, as it is a National Cemetery.

We left the battlefield and continued on towards Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.  Went through Cheyenne Indian Reservation and a town called Lame Deer, home to Chief Dull Knife College.

Arrived at the South Unit of TRNP and checked in at the Visitor’s Center.  We found a campsite at Cottonwood Campground – a National Forest Campground, so $7 for us.

After dinner, we drove part way around a 36 mile scenic loop through the park. 

Saw a few bison, pronghorns, deer and hundreds of prairie dogs. Walked the trail at Wind Canyon – nice views! Some interesting rock formations too.

Campsites are rather close together and have no fire rings, just fire boxes on posts. By evening the campground is full.  It is too warm for a fire at any rate. A comfortable sleep with just a sheet for cover as the temp gradually falls to the 60’s.