Adventure to Sturgis - Part One
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Sarah and I began this adventure traveling through the Big Sky State of Montana ( of which I had just been through a couple of weeks before to attend the Folk Festival in Butte) We are driving east on I-90 and wanted to stop at the Little Bighorn Battlefield which is 65 miles southeast of Billings, Montana. We arrived at the main entrance which is only about a mile from the interstate at around 5:00am. The Park wasn’t scheduled to open until 8:30am. I asked Sarah, who was driving at this time if she wanted some coffee, which sounded good. We turned around and went back about 15 miles to Hardin, Montana. A small town just off the interstate. Now, I’m not a rocket scientist, but if you owned a gas station and wanted to drum up business, wouldn’t you put some signs out. When we took the exit, there was a small, hand written sign which said, "GAS". Man, no directions, no arrows, nothing. We followed the dark streets down what I think was downtown Hardin and kept looking in all directions. Finally, we were in, I believe, a local neighborhood when as I looked down one of the streets, I told Sarah there are some bright lights down that street. Sarah weaved in and out of the neighborhood as we made our way down towards the lights and sure enough, there was, not one, but three gas stations. We pulled into the first one and refueled and got our fresh coffee. I took over driving this time and slowly said goodbye to Hardin and back to the Battlefield.
It was just after six in the morning and we decided to park at the entrance and wait till it opens. It’s funny when you are out in the middle of nowhere what strange things you see and strange stuff that comes up in discussion. Sarah and I just sat in the car and talked about strange things and strange people while drinking our coffee. We were sharing some Ritz crackers when I looked outside the window and a cottontail was just staring at me by the door. I told Sarah to look at him, she said, "oh what a cute bunny". I told her, don’t be fooled, that cute bunny would take her head off. Our conversations started to get bizarre as we started to include bunny rabbits into everything we talked about. The sun was starting to come up on the horizon and Sarah was gleaming as she loves the sun. Finally, just after seven o’clock rangers started showing up and I lost count of the number of vehicles that passed us into the entrance.
At 8:30 we entered the park and what a change of feeling comes over you as you march into history. This is the point where one starts to ponder about what happened here over 130 years ago. Those of us who grew up in the US have been taught about Custer and the Little bighorn. If you have never been to the Little Bighorn than you won’t understand until you do. You can feel it immediately, but you can see it right away as you look over the valley and understand the real battle which took place here. The Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument is maintained by the National Park Service and is located on the Crow Indian Reservation. We parked the car by the visitor’s center and took a walk down the national cemetery to pay tribute to the men and women that are buried there before heading up to the battlefield.
The first stop on the tour is Last Stand Hill. The sight where George Armstrong Custer and his troops were defeated. The first thing you become aware of are the gravestones of Custer’s men. The markers represent where each soldier was found dead after the engagement. You are not allowed to walk out onto the hill itself, but looking down on the battlefield you get a totally different feeling of how the battle was fought compared to what was taught in school. At the very top of the hill is a large white monument with the names of all those who died with Custer. Underneath the monument is a mass grave of those bodies.
As we continued on the tour you really start to comprehend how big the area was. Probably about 3 to 4 miles in length and about 1-½ miles wide, but what you really get to see is the landscape of the area. I always wondered how Custer never could find over 5,000 Indians in such a small area. When you drive and walk through the valley you start to understand a little more how it was possible to hide within the terrain. Rolling hills that fall into gullies and some areas where horses would have a hard time walking through.
Another thing is the tall grass and sagebrush that is flowing in the valley. If the Indians were lying down on the grass it would be impossible to see them until you were almost on top of them. Also, it is the end of July and 9:30 in the morning. It is hot and dry, can you imagine fighting in the afternoon when it is even hotter. You are not allowed to walk off the paved trails, but Sarah and I noticed immediately the number of grasshoppers and dragon flies that inhabit this area. I told Sarah, "How would you like to move around in this dry grass and than have to lie down and fight with all these grasshoppers all over you. As we drove and walked further down the tour towards the Reno-Benteen Battlefield on top of the tallest peak you can look down at the Little Bighorn River. I told Sarah that even though it was dry atop these hills, the sight of the River and the trees that aligned it were just spectacular. From that sight, which I still believe is stunning, you can sense how Custer and his men felt abandoned. The depth and distance of the valley is portrayed differently when you actually see it first hand. Remember, they didn’t have cell phones or radios, and even though there was gun fire, the noise could have easily been shadowed by the depth of the hills and distance between them. Driving back to the beginning of the tour we stop at the Indian Memorial just opposite of Last Stand Hill. It is a great feeling to see that the proud nations of the Indian Tribes that fought here are part of the Memorial as well. After all, that is something that nobody should have to ponder over. They were fighting for something they believed to be important. Their Land.
About the Author
The author of this article, Kevin Ho spends his life traveling. Visit the travel website http://www.globalimpressions.info where you can search and book all your travel needs.
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