Billings, MT and Little Big Horn Battlefield

Our route from Medora on I-90 pretty much followed the Yellowstone River all the way to Billings. The Yellowstone River is running very fast and almost to its full capacity. There are many ranchers/farmers who are very concerned about being flooded as the river is so full.

At our first rest stop in Montana, I clipped a concrete planter with my left foot. I either broke my baby toe or dislocated it. When I reached down to touch my toe, I heard a click, click sound. The baby toe is swollen and I have bruising across four toes. Walking was/is a little difficult and painful but I did manage to drive the truck and trailer for about 90 miles after it happened. I have whacked my baby toes before but have never done anything like this before. I tried taping my toes together but that lasted until I took my shower. No, I'm not going to the doctor as there is nothing that can be done so why bother.

We got settled in to our RV park called Yellowstone River Campground. It was pretty and the staff was very nice and helpful. The sites are side by side but have ample room to park the truck and trailer. When we came into town, we noticed a sign for Famous Dave's BBQ. We had eaten at the location in Lebanon, TN and thought the food was fabulous so we asked where the restaurant was located. The front desk woman agreed with us that the food was great and showed us on the map how to get there. There went our plans to eat in, out the window! Dinner was terrific and we had enough leftovers to have the next night. Two meals for the price of one!

On Wednesday (June 25), we headed for the Little Big Horn Battlefield. It was the 132nd anniversary to the day and there were special events commemorating the battle. We were all prepared to us our National Parks and Monuments Pass but because it was the anniversary, they weren't charging any fees. Darn!

We were able to witness a band of Indians riding up to the battlefield whooping and hollering. Pictures were not allowed of the Indians as it was a sacred ceremony.

Below is a picture of some of the headstones laid where Custer and some of his men fell.

Below is a picture of the monument honoring all who died as members of the 7th Calvary.
There is even a headstone honoring the horses who where killed to use a shields during the battle.

The monument to the Indians is in the shape of an open circle with three entrances. To better describe the monument, I will quote the winning entry design statement: "Selected texts, narratives, quotes, crafts, artifacts, offerings, petroglyphs and pictographs are all employed to immerse the visitor in the diverse culture of Indian men, women, and children and convey the "Peace Through Unity" message. Petroglyphs and pictographs, the traditional means of imparting a story, commemorating an epic event or elevating a place to a sacred plane serves as inspiration for the work to the north. Stone and animal hide are the usual backgrounds for such images. These large scale bronze ethereal tracings of three (Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapahoe) warriors however are silhouetted against the constant yet ever changing Great Plains sky-the proverbial home of the Spirit." A picture of the bronze sculpture is below:

There is a visitors center that is well worth going through with clothing, saddles, personal affects of both Indians and soldiers with the emphasis on Lt. Col. Custer. The turnout of both Native Americans and all others on this day was quite impressive. John and I found it sobering to be standing on ground where 212 members of the 7th Calvary died as well as 40 to 100 Indians.