We had one last Montana adventure... a trip to the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument.
The first spot you come to in the monument is a National Cemetery.
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| We are so grateful to those who gave their life serving our nation and for the families that supported them. |
Next stop, the visitor center--working on those Junior Ranger badges!
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| Seeing the lay of the land during Custer's Last Stand. |
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| Our favorite quote, found on General Custer's sword: "Draw me not without cause; sheath me not without honor." |
We all learned so much about the battle that took place here. The NPS does a great job educating the public about BOTH sides of the conflict and what led to the battle. Both sides were fighting for their way of life, both sides battled heroically.
Next, we made our way out to the battlefield. There are great interpretative signs along the way to explain what occurred, troop movement, etc. There are markers placed where US soldiers and Indian warriors fell in battle.
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| This is a view to the north. All the white markers are US fallen. |
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| A view to the south, here lie Indian scouts (that served the US). See the Little Bighorn River in the distance? |
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| Indian warriors had red markers. We found this one and Jolie said, "That should be MY Indiana name!" :) We never can sneak up on any wild animals while hiking... and this is why :) Love my Jolie Cait, aka Noisy Walking! |
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| Wild horses also roam the land of the battlefield. |
Monument for the Indians
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| These plaques share the contributions of the tribes that were involved. This monument is in a circle: |
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| They even remember the horses... |
Last Stand Hill
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| The fourth marker from Jon's elbow, the one with the black letters is: |
We walked one last trail before turning in the jr. ranger booklets,
the Deep Ravine Trail. This warning was near the trailhead...
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| Hm???? |
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| We watched the ground intently while we walked! |
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| And looky what was found! The kids and I never felt safe on the trail after this :) |
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| Junior Rangers...and "Old Bison" of the Crow nation. (That is her real Indian name.) |
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| This wonderful lady shared some of her life story with us. Her ancestors played key roles in our nation's history. She is holding a book that includes her great grandmother. We were honored to have met "Old Bison". |
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| Time to head to Rapid City, South Dakota! |
Montana is a beautiful state. We'd love to spend more time here exploring it. It's so rugged and wide open. Maybe someday, on the next RV adventure.
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| Montana-Big Sky Country |
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