May 4th

There are some names that are so familiar to us that it seems odd to think that they are actual places and events. Today, I was at Little Big Horn, the site of Custer’s last stand

Here’s the historical background. By 1876 the only land in the continent not controlled by the US government was the area of the Black Hills of South Dakota and eastern Montana occupied by what we called the Sioux Indians (actually the Lakota and Cheyenne tribes). Then gold was discovered in the Black Hills and of course the US had to have it. Their offer to purchase the land was declined so it was decided to fight for it.

The 7th Cavalry led by George Custer split forces and tried to attack the village. But the Indians were forewarned and prevailed in a two day battle, with massive casualties on both sides. This was really the Indians last stand against forced migration into reservations. It reminded me of the Warsaw ghetto revolt in 1943. There was little hope the Indians would win the war but they resolved to go down fighting.

What’s left to see today are eerily quiet ridges and hills, cemeteries and memorials to the victims of both sides.

My next stop was Pompeys Pillar, a 150 foot high sandstone rock formation we can climb that has Native American petroglyphs and a signature on the wall by William Clark, the only actual physical evidence of the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery expedition. On the way back from Fort Clapsop in Oregon, the group split up, with Lewis exploring the Missouri and Marias rivers while Clark led a canoe trip on the Yellowstone River, passing by Pompeys Pillar, a popular Indian trading area. The two groups met up later at the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers and made their triumphal return to St. Louis.

My final stop of the day was a hike among caves and buttes at Makoshika State Park in Glendive.

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Today’s song is “Valley of the Little Big Horn” by Jack Gladstone, the Montana troubadour.