Big Sky Country--Montana
(photo courtesy of Larry Miner)
Day four of our tour takes us
into Big Sky Country also known as Montana. The crossing from Wyoming into
Montana is seamless; same endless grassy plains and infinite blue skies. It
becomes more and more apparent as the miles pass that this is also Indian country.
They may not claim most of this land any longer, but their presence is felt
everywhere. Small herds of buffalo remind us that once millions of buffalo
grazed these plains and hundreds of thousands of native Indians pitched their
tipis among them.
Battle of The Little Big Horn
The Indian’s continuing fight
to keep land they’d called home for as long as they could remember culminated
in the ultimate stand against the US Government at The Little Big Horn River on
June 25, 1876. Today, we are visiting the site where the combined tribes of
Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho and the United States 7th
Cavalry headed by Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer battled for the rights to
this land. Thousands against hundreds, it was a slaughter. Custer and 41 of his
men, isolated on a ridge overlooking the Little Bighorn River below, shot their
horses in a desperate and failed attempt to shield themselves against the Indian’s
attack. The battle, often called
“Custer’s Last Stand”, is really the
last big stand for the brave Indian tribes for their own land. In the end, United
States forces eventually overwhelmed them and claimed the land for themselves. More
importantly, they finally got what they really wanted--the land’s gold.
Video of the site of The Battle of the Little Big Horn
Painting in the Visitor's Center showing what it must have looked like
moments after the battle.
(Double click on any photo for a full screen view.)
What it looks like now with grave markers of Col. Custer and his men where they fell.
Custer's grave marker, painted black, is in the middle.
The day is wet, cold and
blustery which matches the mood of this somber place. Standing on the top of
the ridge with The Little Bighorn River below, I’m in the exact spot where
Custer and his men died in battle. As I look outward to the beautiful, fertile
valley below, it is hard to fathom the unimaginable carnage that took place
here. The grave stones dotted around and down into the valley remind me of
the immense sadness of this place where 262 of Custer’s men died that day. Many of
the enlisted men are buried in a mass grave now marked by a memorial monument
on the ridge. Custer’s remains were reburied at West Point; however there is a
marker where he fell.
The Officer's bodies were reburied back east, but the others were buried in a nearby
cemetery. Some were buried where they died. (bottom left).
Dayton, Wyoming
Our moods brighten as we cross back into Wyoming for a date with big slice of homemade pie. We’ve
been promised that the pie is awesome and coffee hot at our next stop at the Elk ViewLodge, in Dayton. We weren’t disappointed. I went for a slice of pecan pie, but I
could have had the lemon meringue, or apple, or peach, or blueberry or….. Well,
you get the picture. I could have had a slice of each and not felt a bit guilty!
Ain't much there in Dayton, but the pie's good and the scenery ain't bad either!
(photo courtesy of Larry Miner)
Shell Falls, Big Horn National Forest
Shell Falls, Big Horn National Forest
(I may look relaxed, but it was cold!)
The Sweetest Cowboy in the West
Heading on down the mountains,
we stop briefly to admire Shell Falls in Big Horn National Park before stopping
at Dirty Annie’s for buffalo burgers and meet the sweetest cowboy anywhere in
the west. I guess you could say I’m “sweet” on old Irv and his horse, Speedy.
Grizzled, gregarious and just plain kind, he is instantly likable. Enthusiastically
posing for pictures and spinning yarns for our amusement, he also let it be
known that he’s in the market for a wife. When asked what kind of wife he’s
looking for, he scratched his stubbled chin and replied, “Well, I’ll tell ya. I’d
take just about any pretty little thing as long as she don’t mind me bringing
in a lamb to warm in the kitchen sink on a cold night.” Ladies, if that sounds
good to you, you can contact Irv at Dirty Annie’s in Shell, Wyoming! (By the
way, Irv says he’s a rancher, not a cowboy, but he can sure pass for one!)
Dirty Annie's in Shell, Wyoming. This is where Irv has his ranch, Gals!
(photos courtesy of Larry Miner)
Next time: Buffalo Bill Cody and his town
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