Three states in three hours
We are traveling cats again today. We left Spearfish, South Dakota early in the morning and cruised west on I-90 into the state of Wyoming. We continued on past the Big Horn Mountains (there was snow on their tops) and entered Montana. Dad says these are the grasslands we are going through. There are very few trees, I’ll give you that. We didn’t drive for too long and I sat on Mom’s lap part of the time because that’s where the sun was.
After we stopped at the 7th Ranch RV Camp, in tiny Garryowen, MT, the humans left us and took off in the SUV for the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. This is where some guy named Custer apparently overestimated his military skills and had his “Last Stand”, I hear. My Mom is always interested in the Old West stuff so we were glad she could enjoy herself while we all took a nap back at the bus. The temperature says 95 outside. We are in air conditioned comfort, thank goodness.
When Mom and Dad got home later in the afternoon they filled our heads with all sorts of information about the battle. They were fascinated to learn the whole story as they took the 10 mile loop through the Park which is located on the Crow Indian Reservation. The battle was really several battles spread over some five miles. Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer’s 7th Cavalry numbered about 600 men. Custer himself took about 225 men and divided the remaining regiment between two of his officers probably because he underestimated the strength of the several Indian tribes that had assembled at Little Bighorn. Custer and his companies were the last to engage the estimated 1500 to 2000 Indian warriors and they all died on “Last Stand Hill”. The other officers and their cavalry were also defeated but managed to retreat with some survivors. The Indians won this major battle but lost the war to keep their way of life and ended up surrendering and undergoing forced relocation to the reservations.
Last Stand Hill where markers placed years after the June 25, 1876 battle show the approximate locations of where Custer and his troops fell. The granite monument caps a mass grave for the troops. The officers' remains were later buried in other military cemeteries.
The marker for where Custer fell. His remains were later moved to West Point.
After we stopped at the 7th Ranch RV Camp, in tiny Garryowen, MT, the humans left us and took off in the SUV for the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. This is where some guy named Custer apparently overestimated his military skills and had his “Last Stand”, I hear. My Mom is always interested in the Old West stuff so we were glad she could enjoy herself while we all took a nap back at the bus. The temperature says 95 outside. We are in air conditioned comfort, thank goodness.
When Mom and Dad got home later in the afternoon they filled our heads with all sorts of information about the battle. They were fascinated to learn the whole story as they took the 10 mile loop through the Park which is located on the Crow Indian Reservation. The battle was really several battles spread over some five miles. Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer’s 7th Cavalry numbered about 600 men. Custer himself took about 225 men and divided the remaining regiment between two of his officers probably because he underestimated the strength of the several Indian tribes that had assembled at Little Bighorn. Custer and his companies were the last to engage the estimated 1500 to 2000 Indian warriors and they all died on “Last Stand Hill”. The other officers and their cavalry were also defeated but managed to retreat with some survivors. The Indians won this major battle but lost the war to keep their way of life and ended up surrendering and undergoing forced relocation to the reservations.
Last Stand Hill where markers placed years after the June 25, 1876 battle show the approximate locations of where Custer and his troops fell. The granite monument caps a mass grave for the troops. The officers' remains were later buried in other military cemeteries.
The marker for where Custer fell. His remains were later moved to West Point.
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