Little Big Horn - Custer's Last Stand

Stayed in Grandview Campground in Hardin, about 17 miles from Little Big Horn, Custer Last Stand.  It’s extremely hot in the 90’s so I needed to either camp high in the mountains, or find a full hookup campsite so I can have ac for Mo and Priscilla!  They DO NOT like the heat. 

Little Big Horn Battlefield National Monument was renamed from Custer's National Monument in 1991 and signed by President Bush.  It's was decided that this place should memorialize both sides! It's a big area, there is a self driving tour (fun with an RV😧) the road was not big enough for two cars let alone two RV's! You stop in different area's and they had which battle took place. There were two other battalions, one lead by Maj. Reno and the other lead by Capt. Benteen.  But Custer got all the glory! They didn't have a chance. 

Because of COVID 19 the visitor center, book store and museum were closed.   Let me give you a little background.  The area memorializes the US Army’s 7^th Cavalry and the Lakotas and Cheyennes in one of the Indian’s last armed efforts to preserve their way of life.  If the Indians had worked together as in this case, we would be telling a different story right now.  Most Native Americans fought each other and we use that to take away their land! On June 25 and 26 1878, 263 soldiers, including Lt. Col. George Custer died fighting several thousand Lakota and Cheyenne warriors. This also included the Crow and Arikara tribes.  The tribes came together for a variety of reasons.  This region contained the Powder, Rosebud, Bighorn and Yellowstone rivers and was a productive hunting ground.  The tribes regularly gather in the summer months in large numbers to celebrate their annual sun dance ceremony. Interesting that Custer decided to attached not knowing how many Indians that was there.  They were invading their territory and I think Custer got a little too cocky!! The Indians lost no more than 100 men.  

After driving around, you park and you can walk to different areas.  They put tombstones scatter around to where the soldier or Indian died. They have a National Cemetery and Last Stand Hill where Custer's marker is. A beautiful Indian Memorial, it was educational and so interesting.   I'm having a little trouble importing my pictures from my phone.  So here's a few until I can figure out how I can fix it!  Oh the horses are wild and have access to the area where we drove, they would walk on the road and I just thought they were so beautiful and majestic and they sure let me know they were!

Self Drive Tour

He was just hanging out in the middle of the road!

These horses were gather around a mare giving birth!

Monument to the soldiers

Monument to the Native Americans