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| Sunset in South Dakota |
We traveled west/northwest through Illinois and Iowa, then up to the southern edge of Minnesota and across to John's "home" in America's Mailbox in Rapid City South Dakota. We then headed into the northeast corner of Wyoming and visited Devil's Tower National Monument. This was designated in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt as the first national monument.
There are a couple of theories on the formation of the tower----originally it was thought to be the core of an ancient volcano---while recent date suggests it is instead an igneous intrusion. It rises 867 feet above its base and rises 1,267 feet above the near by Little Missouri River! It can be seen from miles around as it stands out in stark contrast to the surrounding valley.
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| Devil's Tower |
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| You can see where many of the columns have broken off. |
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| Note the climbers! |
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| Wildlife sighting along Tower Trail |
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| Custer's marker |
The next day we stopped at the Little Bighorn Battlefield-----or maybe better known as "Custer's Last Stand". The battle took place in June of 1876 and approximately 1,500 Lakota and Cheyenne warriors soundly defeated the 260 or so soldiers and personnel of the U.S. Army, including the famous Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer. The National Park ranger gave an informative talk about the events leading up to the battle and what historians and archeologists believe happened here during the battle.
For many years this event was mainly considered only from the view of the white man, but in the late 1990's a monument was put in place for the Indians and much of the information from visiting the monument now explains the situation from the viewpoint of both sides.
Historically, this event has been described as a classic case of winning the battle, but losing the war. The Indians dispersed after this battle and eventually the nomadic Indian population was forced onto reservations.
There were not too many great photo opportunities, it was more of a 'feeling' about being in a place that was such an important part of American history
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| Markers dot the hillside. |
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| The Indian Monument |
Markers have been placed all over the hillside where the soldiers were thought to have died. At the end of the battle, the soldiers shot their horses to use them as shields to continue their fight---so there were many horse skeletons as well that are buried at the sight.
Tomorrow we are headed to Yellowstone,
Resting in Bozeman, Montana.......John and Debbie
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