OK, we are nuts. We wake up
to 28 degrees and snow on the ground (and truck and trailer). But, it’s all
part of the adventure, right? And once we’re up and over Bozeman pass the sun
comes out and the sky is blue. Thankfully, we’re in the warm truck because it’s
about 43 degrees outside.
We travel through 2 states
today, Montana and South Dakota, following the Yellowstone River as we float
along in the Big Sky. The mountains are out, their snowy peaks cut out against
the southern horizon. The antelope and occasional pronghorn are out to play
enjoying the late autumn sunshine.
The landscape offers layers
of beauty. A train wends along its rails, behind it, the Yellowstone River,
then expanses of green fields with hay neatly baled, groves of yellow leaved
trees are backed by green forested hills and behind it all the snowy mountains
and the blue blue sky. So vast, so
beautiful.
An open pit coal mine spoils
it all. The conveyors are moving coal to 100 car trains pointed in both
directions, going where? Burning the coal where? The trains are so long, each
car identical each load identical.
Little Bighorn Battlefield
National Monument
There’s a chilly wind blowing
on the Battlefield today. We watch the highly informative video in the warmth
of the visitor center. We agree that both sides of the 1876 conflict whereby
Sitting Bull soundly defeats Custer along the Missouri River, in what is now
South Dakota, are fairly represented. Sitting Bull led the resistance against
westward expansion and the Lakota way of life. Unfortunately, the Indians won
the battle but eventually lost the war and their independent way of life was
lost.
Custer and 262 of his men
lost their lives attempting to bring the Lakota and Cheyenne under their
control. Identifying the number of warrior casualties is more difficult because
their bodies were removed after the battle to tipis and scaffolds, but it is
estimated to be around 100.
We walk in the wind up “Last
Stand Hill” to view the 7th Calvary monument there. This is the spot
where Custer and 41 of his men shot their horses to form barriers and make
their “last stand”. The
remains of 220 soldiers, scouts and civilians are buried here. The officers’
remains are buried at various cemeteries around the country. Custer is buried
at West Point.
The path then winds to the
Indian Memorial and the bronze Spirit Warrior sculpture.
The Indian Memorial stands as
a tribute to the tribes that fought to protect their way of life in the Little
Bighorn battle. The theme is “Peace Through Unity”. It is the only memorial to
Native American experience mandated by Congress and constructed with federal
funds. President George H.W. Bush signed the legislation in 1991.
Strewn across the prairie are
Warrior Markers of red granite juxtaposed with 265 white marble military
headstones approximating the positions of fallen combatants.
There are museum exhibits in
the visitor center. The sum total equals a cause for reflection.
Devils Tower
We can see Devils Tower long
before we arrive at the campground. Rising dramatically above the Belle Fourche
River, it’s hard to miss. The RV sites have perfect views and we are content to
just gaze at the laccolithic butte off in the distance. Tomorrow we will get up
close.
Lodging:
Belle Fourch – Devils Tower
National Monument Campground
· Exit at Sundance and take WY 14 north to WY 24 then
north to Devil’s Tower.
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