Little Bighorn Battlefield, Mt Rushmore and the Black Hills

While driving thru Montana we came across Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. This clash between the Northern Plains Indians and the US Army ended when 7,000 Lakota and Cheyenne warriors led by Sitting Bull battled 600 US soldiers in 1876. The Indians had been protected since 1868 from Western settlers when a large portion of Wyoming was deemed a permanent Indian reservation. The Indians were a nomadic people and didn't want to be restricted. In 1874 gold was found in the Black Hills located within the Indian reservation. Soon people in search of gold swarmed the reservation violating the treaty. The Indians refused to sell the Black Hills and began attacking travelers outside of the reservation. The Indians were given a deadline to return to the reservation and when they refused, the Army was called in to enforce the order.

The visitor center/museum has a video that explains the situation in detail. Take the time to watch it. I felt this was such a sad place to visit. So many died here and I feel like both sides were wronged. I can relate to the nomadic Indians who held claim to this land before they were rounded up and told they must stay in a certain place now. The Army was sent to enforce the order which was necessary for the groups to co-exist and prevent more deaths on both sides. This clash resulted in the death of 100 Indians, 260 soldiers and countless horses; a sad, sad day for both sides.

Custer's Last Stand

Towards the end of the battle, knowing they were in trouble, Lt. Col. George Custer led his team to Last Stand Hill where 41 soldiers shot their own horses to use as shields before they were killed. This is where they fell.

A memorial on top of the hill where most of the soldiers now rest in a mass grave.

A memorial to remember those lost from the Cheyenne and Lakota tribes is just a few steps away. After the battle, the tribes scattered, most of them returning to their reservations.

Custer National Cemetery lies on a different section of the battlefield.

We started talking about Mt Rushmore about six months before arriving. The kids loved the idea of a mountain that has been carved to look like people. They began recognizing the Mt Rushmore image in random places and were super excited to arrive in South Dakota to finally see it in person.

It seemed so bizarre to see it from the road!

Mt Rushmore features 60ft sculptures of US presidents Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln. It took 8 years for Gutzon Borglum and his son, Lincoln to finish construction by 1941. Designed specifically as a tourist attraction to draw people to South Dakota, I'd say it's been quite successful considering more than two million people visit each year. 

We walked the Presidential Trail to the Sculptor's Studio where we saw the 

scale model that Borglum used and stopped in the museum to see how it was created.

Driving and hiking thru Spearfish Canyon is a beautiful way to experience the Black Hills of South Dakota. Our favorite place was this cave that we found after just randomly parking along the road and hiking up a mountain. 

A narrow trail along the edge leads to an overlook of the road below. 

While here, Journey lost her first tooth! 

*Another month has now past and Asher is quite bothered by the fact that 

he STILL doesn't even have a loose tooth, and he's the older twin! Haha!