I may need to explain a little bit about National Monuments. When I first heard the term, I thought it was just a statue of something with national significance. Monuments can be anything from something as extensive as the Colorado National Monument, which covers thousands of acres, to something as simple as Devil's Tower, which is essentially one large and impressive tower of stone. Some monuments go on to become National Parks, some do not. The parks tend to get more funding and support than the monuments do. We plan to see a number of these monuments (there are hundreds of them scattered over the U.S.) on this trip.
Covering 1.2 square miles, the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument commemorates one of the last armed efforts of the Northern Plains Indians to preserve their ancestral way of life. The park service describes it as a "clash of cultures." The Indians wanted to maintain their nomadic style of life, relying on the land and the animals that lived on the land to survive. By this time, however, the primary animal that they relied on to survive, the bison, had been almost extinguished. In the meantime, the United States was growing, and there was a great deal of pressure to renege on treaties made with the Indians regarding the sanctity of their land in order to allow further growth and open lands for settlers.
The final insult came when it was rumored that gold had been found in the Black Hills. Settlers pushed into the hills, which by treaty had been given to the Indians. Repeated clashes occurred, the Indians were to be forced back on to the reservations. On June 26, 1876, troops were sent to drive the Indians back to the reservations. Leading the effort was the Civil War hero George Custer. Sitting Bull was the spiritual leader for the Indians, who believed in maintaining the ancestral life.
The end result of the battle that day was the death of more than 260 soldiers and civilian army support personnel met death and defeat at the hands of thousands of Lakota and Cheyenne warriors. About 60 Indians also lost their lives. Among the dead was Custer and every member of his immediate command. Although the Indians won this battle, they were eventually defeated, ending their nomadic way of life.
We spent an interesting half hour listening to a great talk by one of the rangers. He was extremely knowledgeable about the battle and what lead up to that day. He was also a very dramatic speaker, able to really bring the issues to life. It is clear that the U S. would not be the country it is today without the Westward migration that took place at that time. However, it was done at the expense of people who had lived on these lands for thousands of years, their way of life was destroyed, and what was offered in its place has certainly been lacking.
After listening to the talk and watching the movie, we wandered up to to the monument to the soldiers. Looking out over the prairie, you could see scattered white stones, placed in the locations where soldiers were killed. The hill where the memorial is located is Last Stand Hill. This is the site where Custer and his men were killed in their last-ditch effort to survive. We then walked over to the Indian Memorial, which was established only in 2006. It was beautifully done, and has done a lot to heal the bad feelings that had been in place since the 1800's. The location of this Monument is very peaceful. A National Cemetery was established on the same grounds in 1879, which adds to the sense spirituality which surrounds this site. Definitely worth a visit if you are in the area.
We drove into Billings following our visit and had a great meal at Texas Roadhouse with Jon and his friend Jacky. Nice to see him, and to meet her! Would not have thought we would have that chance.
Tomorrow we head to Glacier National Park.
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