Sep 8, 2012 - General Custer and Huckleberry Ice Cream

I have always had a fascination with the Battle of the Little Bighorn and George Custer. I guess it came from the movie “They Died With Their Boots On” staring Errol Flynn, one of my favorite movies when I was a kid. I’m not sure why it was a favorite because the Indians whipped the good guys. Visiting the Battle of the Little Bighorn Monument has always been on my bucket list and Friday I was able to cross it off. The National Park Service does a great job in contrasting the dying culture of the Native American tribes and the growing need...

Aug 3, 2012 - Little Bighorn Battlefield Natl. Monument

Aug 02, 2012 After a hectic week, this was our first day of sightseeing with a visit to the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument just off the interstate on U.S. 212, the same smoke filled highway we had come thru yesterday. This morning, though, the highway was closed to traffic beyond the monument entrance because of increased danger from the smoke and fires. And the town of Lame Deer, which we had come thru, was being evacuated. The winds had turned and were pushing the flames toward the town. It was a race between the fires and...

Sep 1, 2011 - Little Big Horn

On our way from Newport, Oregon, to Rapid City, South Dakota, we stopped at Little Big Horn National Park. Our campground was actually on the battlefield. We learned a lot about Custer's Last Stand and the history of the Indians' fight to keep their lands. Although the Indians won this battle, they lost the war. It was the beginning of their decline and loss of most of their land.

Aug 21, 2011 - The Battle of Little Bighorn

Today I deviated from the Lewis & Clark Trail and visited the site of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. It was a very interesting experience. The ranger talk on the battle was outstanding. The guy really knew his stuff and brought everything to life--just an excellent speaker. One lady commented that it was almost as if he had been there. After the talk it's a short walk to Last Stand Hill where Custer died but if you want to take in the whole battlefield and story you have to drive the route which is well marked with signs explaining what...

Aug 15, 2011 - The 7th Is Made Up Of Phantoms

You know that you are a child of the 60’s/70’s when you visit an historical site and your first thought is about a TV show. Arriving at the Little Bighorn Battlefield, I immediately flashbacked to an episode of the Twilight Zone in which three 1960's Army National Guard soldiers on tank maneuvers near the Little Big Horn battle site find themselves unwittingly involved in Custer's 7th Calvary last stand. The most memorable part of the episode was when the soldiers did not return to present day but the officer’s of their unit found the...

Aug 6, 2011 - Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument

Today we toured the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument – site of the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer’s Last Stand. Lt. Col. Custer got a little anxious and didn't wait for reinforcements as he was ordered to do, and paid the ultimate price. Here is a brief synopsis of what happened that day: Custer's Last Stand We listened to two very good park rangers give talks about the Custer National Cemetery and the Little Bighorn battle. It was very hot, so we abandoned our plan to take the walking trails around the...

Jun 3, 2011 - Little Bighorn

Spent much of the day in the car driving east. We did make a stop at the Little Bighorn Battlefield in Montana. No sooner had the US Government signed a treaty with the plains Indians, when gold was discovered in the Black Hills and thousands of prospectors poured into the area, effectively ending the treaty. The Government then required the Indians to discontinue their nomadic lives and live solely on reservations. In defiance, 7,000 Great Plains Indians led by Sitting Bull, converged on 260 soldiers led by General George Custer at Little...

May 3, 2011 - Little Bighorn Battlefield

The Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument memorializes one of the armed efforts of the Northern Plains Indians to preserve their ancestral way of life. In June of 1876 more than 260 soldiers met defeat and death at the hands of several thousand Lakota and Cheyenne warriors. Among the dead was Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer.

Aug 13, 2010 - Back to Little Bighorn NP & NM

Today the weather is still overcast and gray with intermittent sprinkles but the temperature is comfortable. We head back down to the Little Bighorn Battlefield which is only about 15 minutes away. There are a lot of things to see but you have to focus or you’ll get sidetracked and run out of time. The Crow Indian Reservation encompasses a whole county with an office that manages the lands. The Visitor Center is mostly manned by Crow Indians. Since we drove the battlefield yesterday, we walk the monuments today. There is a beautiful...

Aug 12, 2010 - Little Bighorn Battlefield & National Monument

As soon as we arrive at Little Bighorn Battlefield, Don gets his NPS passport book stamped. We see a short film about the battle in the museum. Seeing the film and going through the museum first prepares us for the history lecture of what took place here on June 25, 1876. We are very lucky today; our park ranger is a Crow Indian Woman. When we were at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the ranger there said that if we were lucky, we’d hear a Native American park ranger tell the story of the Battle of Little Bighorn. The goal now is to tell...

Aug 3, 2010 - Another white knuckle ride

During our back country ride, Kiera and I learned that only 2 to 3 percent of the visitors to Yellowstone each year actually visit any part of the park that isn't seen from the roads as you drive through. That little factoid, and our taste of back country riding has us convinced that we need to go back and see more. As we made our way out of the park and on our way to our next destination, we enjoyed numerous additional sightings of bison. But much to our disappointment, we never officially saw a bear. Another reason to return! We drove out...

Jul 26, 2010 - Visit to Little Bighorn NP

This route gives us the chance to stop at Little Big Horn National Park, the location of 'Custer's Last Stand'. Parking for RV’s was full so we drove to the end of the five mile road where we stopped at the markers explaining the events of that monumental day, as we made our way back to the visitor’s center. Karen and Bobby were enjoying the descriptions while Ariane and Ryan were bored looking at empty fields trying to imagine their importance. Bobby was able to listen to a Vietnam Veteran/Park Ranger finish his presentation to the...