Western States 2012 - Day 23

June 27, 2012 - Wednesday 

Today was another short travel day. Our destination was Sheridan, Wyoming as we make our way towards Rapid City, South Dakota. We had about 130 miles to travel today so we stopped at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument just South of Hardin, Wyoming at Crow Agency. The monument is a memorial to the battle fought on June 25, 1876 between the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes and the United States Army under the lead of Col. Custer.

Little Bighorn Battlefield

This was a battle about a people trying to preserve their home. As Sitting Bull asked, “What would you do if someone was trying to take your home.” Custer’s 7th Cavalry Regiment was defeated but the Indians finally retreated when they learned of the approach of more soldiers lead by Colonel John Gibbon from Fort Ellis in Montana and General Alfred H. Terry from Fort Lincoln in Dakota Territory. Following that day, most of the Indians returned to their reservations and surrendered a few years later. The most powerful statement we read this day was “Power is in peace.”

Monument to Custer and the 7th Cavalry Regiment. The monument sits atop Last Stand Hill.

The view from Last Stand Hill looking down to the visitor center. White marble markers are placed where the slain soldiers were found.

The name of Little Bighorn comes from the fact that there is a Bighorn River and a tributary, Little Bighorn River. Also, until 1991 this site was known as Custer Battlefield. George H. W. Bush signed the bill changing the name. The bill also called for the building of a memorial to the warriors who also fell in battle near Last Stand Hill. The Indian Memorial is impressive in it’s own right. As one looks around the area it is possible to see red-speckled, granite markers to the warriors that dot the ravines and hillsides just as the white marble markers show where soldiers fell.

The Indian Memorial was dedicated in 2003. The “Spirit Gate” opens to invite the spirits of the living to join the spirits of the dead in remembering.

The wrought iron sculpture sits atop the short wall opposite the Spirit Gate where those in the interior of the memorial may look out over the rolling plains toward Crow Agency, Montana.

Nearby is Little Big Horn College, a 1994 Land Grant Institution that is committed to the preservation, perpetuation, and protection of Crow culture and language while respecting the distinct bilingual and bicultural aspects of the Crow Indian community. The college offers tours of the battlefield.

Continuing to Sheridan

The skies today were filled with a dense haze, not the clear blue we have experienced in the last few weeks. As we are now directly north of the State of Colorado, we wondered if the haze was the smoke from the fires burning out of control across that West. Our hearts were subdued, hurting for those experiencing such great loss. Later, on the news, we had our opinion confirmed.

After arriving at the KOA we took a few minutes in the evening to ride into Sheridan, the midpoint between Yellowstone National Park and Mount Rushmore. Sheridan is flanked by the majestic Bighorn Mountains to the west and gently sloping plains to the east. Originally it was part of unreserved Indian Territory but with the discovery of gold, many flocked here in search of their fortune, resulting in the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

Sheridan Inn is where Bill Cody maintained a room. The inn was across the street from the train depot

The historic Sheridan Inn was opened on June 22, 1893, and was the first building in Sheridan to have electricity, steam heat, a telephone, and running water. The original train station sits across the street from the Sheridan Inn.