Custer Battlefield Museum & Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument

This morning when we got up the rain was gone and we had clear blue skies. A perfect day for us to go sightseeing. Yesterday when we drove here we had to remove the beach towel that was covering the windshield on the car because it was coming off due to the high winds. this morning Mike discovered that a rock had hit the windshield yesterday and we know have a crack on the driver's side.

We left the campground this morning at 10:00 and stopped at the Custer Battlefield Museum at Garryowen. The museum is located on the site of Sitting Bull’s Village. The museum fee was $5 each and we thoroughly enjoyed it. There were a lot of artifacts on display pertaining to Gen. George A. Custer. After touring the museum, we watched a 45 minute movie produced by the A&E Channel. Sorry folks – no photos allowed in the museum.

From Custer Battlefield Museum

There is a Subway next to the museum and the aroma of subs and freshly baked cookies made us realize that it was time for lunch.

After lunch we drove up to the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. The entrance fee is $10 per vehicle, but with our Senior Pass it was free. We first looked around in the museum there and then at 1:00 attended a 30 minute Battle Talk led by one of the Rangers who explained the economic, political and cultural events that led up to the battle.

From Little Bighorn Battlefield

We then walked up to Last Stand Hill.

From Little Bighorn Battlefield

We then viewed the 7th Cavalry Memorial

From Little Bighorn Battlefield

From Little Bighorn Battlefield

and the 7th Cavalry Horse Cemetery.

From Little Bighorn Battlefield

We walked across the road to the Indian Memorial.

From Little Bighorn Battlefield

We then returned to the Visitor Center and got in the car to drive along the 4.1 mile Battlefield Road. We stopped at various points where information signs explained the events that happened there. We were able to hear an audio tour of the battlefield with our cell phone by calling a phone number and entering the number of the tour stop we were at – isn’t technology great?

The white granite headstones (approximately 265) we saw were placed where soldiers & civilians died.

From Little Bighorn Battlefield

Beginning in 1999 red granite headstones were placed to mark the locations where Indian warriors were believed to have died. Rock cairns were erected by family and friends where warriors fell. There are about 17 markers to date and more will be added as cairns are found.

From Little Bighorn Battlefield

I’m not going to write about the Little Bighorn Battle – I couldn’t do it justice if I tried. I’ll just let the photos we took tell the story.

We stopped at the Subway on the way back to the RV to write out some postcards and mail them at the post office next door. We got back to the RV at 5 p.m. and I took 2 loads of clothes to the laundry. There are 2 stacked washers & dryers ($2 a load).

After the laundry was done, we drove over to the Custer Battlefield Trading Post and Cafe which is near the Little Bighorn Battlefield. Everyone here at the campground recommended the Trading Post and said we definitely had to have the Indian Fried Bread and that the Indian Taco was really good.

We both had the Indian Taco which is a plate-sized Indian Fry Bread with taco meat, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese and salsa on top. The taco fixings are in the center of the Fry Bread (sort of like pizza) leaving enough of the edge plain. The outer edge of the Fry Bread we put honey on and it was so good. We even got a couple extra orders of Indian Fry Bread to bring home.

From Montana

We had a great day today. We had visited the Battlefield in June 2007 and took the bus tour on the Battlefield Road which didn’t stop at all of the information signs. This time we took as much time at each spot as we wanted. The weather cooperated – it was sunny and warmed up to the mid 60’s.