By Lisa T. Bergren

We usually buzz by this historic national monument (previously called “Custer Battlefield National Monument”)—where the lieutenant colonel met his death and Chief Sitting Bull enjoyed one of his last victories—in our annual burning quest to get to The Lake. But an interest in history persuaded me to stop this year, with my two youngest children in tow. (It helped that my husband, who doesn’t enjoy even a pause beside historical markers, and my teen, who has a similar perspective, were traveling separately.)

If you’re on Highway 90 between Sheridan, Wyoming and Billings, MT, this is an easy stop that you can make to get a real feel for how it might’ve been to be either a native American or American soldier in the Wild West.

A Little History to Set the Stage…

In 1876, the army was on a mission to bring the Lakota and Cheyenne tribes into submission. Three separate contingents were sent out from Wyoming, Dakota and Montana Territories, all under separate command and ordered to converge in Southwest Montana. A 15 minute video in the excellent visitor’s center (with amazing historical artifacts you’d expect in a true museum, rather than “on location”) gives you good perspective on the men who fought here, and found their end in either victory or death.

The Indian/Euro-American culture clash had been going on for centuries, but escalated after the Civil War, when settlers resumed their push into the West.  In 1868, a treaty was signed with the Lakota, Cheyenne and other plains Indians, giving them a large portion of Eastern Wyoming as a reservation. Six years later, gold was discovered in the Black Hills, and the treaty of Fort Laramie became impossible to honor—even the army could not keep the miners out. Frustrated and defiant, the Indians left the reservation and resumed raids on pioneers and settlers, escalating tensions until the commissioner of Indian Affairs demanded they return to the reservation by January 1876 or they’d be considered hostiles. When the Indians did not respond to their demands, the army had no choice but to enforce the order.

A Visit That Brings History to Life

Imagine you’re there in 1876…In a yawning, green, hilly Little Bighorn Valley—mountains in the distance, river winding its way through the belly. There are the remnants of several  huge Indian tribes, brought together and unified by a vision of victory from Chief Sitting Bull. If you’re looking at it from Custer’s perspective, there are far more than you expect—close to three thousand, by some counts.

Imagine…no email, cell phones or GPS, and the charter to surround the Indians and bring them into submission. But you really don’t know where the other troops are, or if they’ve been waylaid (as the others were.) You’re operating on information days old and send messages to other leaders via rider on horseback (“Come on; Big village, be quick, bring packs.” –read Custer’s scrawled note). There’s no such thing as a coordinated attack with less than a half-day’s window of time. General  Crook’s troops from Wyoming have been turned back a week before. Terry and Gibbon’s troops are a day away, approaching from the West.

Imagine…that you have the goal of surprising the Indians but fear you’ve been already discovered. The choice is to attack or wait for them to attack you…

Custer’s Last Stand

Custer apparently moved out on offense, prematurely, which ultimately proved to be his downfall. He discovered that more than two hundred of the Indians had repeating rifles, more firepower than his own men had. He learned the Indians crawled through the thick, tall prairie grass, fired upon his men and then disappeared. He knew, belatedly, that dividing his troops was an ill-fated decision. He found out that his adversaries had tasted victory (against General Crook) and were determined to not only defend themselves, but also bring their enemy down. At some point, Custer and his men were backed onto a high hill, and he had to know that help would not arrive in time, that defeat was imminent. One after another of his men died, within fifty feet.

After the Battle of Little Bighorn

After the battle, Sitting Horse fled with his tribe into Canada. He eventually returned in 1881 and surrendered. Custer’s body was transferred to a cemetery in the East. The other 261 men who died were buried on site. White marble markers (placed in 1890) denote the places they died, giving one a perspective on what the gruesome battlefield would’ve looked like. More than a hundred years later, red granite markers were placed where Indians were known to have died. (In the belated effort, it is difficult to discern exact locations, as their bodies were removed right after the battle.) There’s also a large, artful Indian memorial on the slope of the hill that’s interesting to walk through.

Been to Little Bighorn? Love another historical landmark/park? Comment below!