Skip to main content

2016 Summer Mountain Trip Part 13; Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument

By
Following reaching I-90/US 87/US 212 at from Montana State Route 47 I headed east towards Crow Agency where I turned onto US 212 at I-90 Exit 510 eastbound to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument.


This blog serves as Part 13 in the 2016 Summer Trip Series; Part 12 can be found here:

2016 Summer Mountain Trip Series Part 12; Theodore Roosevelt National Park, I-94, and Old US 10 

Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument is located above the Little Bighorn River in Big Horn County Montana.  The National Monument preserves the site of the Battle of Little Bighorn which took place on June 25th/26th of 1876.  Little Bighorn is one of the best known battles of the American Frontier and Great Sioux War of 1876.  The Battle of Little Bighorn pitted the U.S. Calvary of Lt. Col. George S. Custer against the combined tribal forces of the; Lakota, Cheyanne, and Northern Cheyanne.

Military battles nor questionable ethics in history are not my forte so I'll paraphrase the Battle of Little Bighorn as best I can.  The U.S. Calvary under command of Custer was about 700 strong facing a combined tribal battalion of 2,500.  The U.S. Calvary was routed during the Battle of Little Bighorn resulting in the death of Custer and 268 members of it's force.  The combined tribal forces of Little Bighorn conversely only lost 31 fighters.  The Battle of Little Bighorn became known as Custer's Last Stand which ultimately led to increased U.S. Army presence in Montana Territory.  While initially glorified modern view of Custer and the actions of the U.S. Army during the Great Sioux War have heavily been reexamined in modern times.

Administrative history at Little Bighorn began in 1879 when the Battlefield was declared a National Cemetery.  By 1940 custody of the Little Bighorn Battlefield was transferred to the National Park Service and by 1946 it was renamed Custer Battlefield National Monument.  In 1991 the site was renamed Little Bighorn National Monument.

The National Monument site still houses a cemetery for the fallen U.S. Calvary.





There are markers showing where both members of the U.S. Calvary and tribal forces died.



The National Park access road explores the entire Little Bighorn Battlefield site is largely in open range which is obvious from large amount of wild horses.





After leaving Little Bighorn I backtracked west on I-90/US 87/US 212 to Hardin where I stayed the night.  The following morning I would follow US 212 over the Beartooth Highway to Yellowstone National Park.

Part 14 of this blog series can be found here:

2016 Summer Mountain Trip Part 14; US 212 on the Beartooth Highway
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bridgeport Covered Bridge

By
The Bridgeport Covered Bridge is a historic crossing of the South Fork Yuba River located in Nevada County, California near Nevada City.  The Bridgeport Covered Bridge opened as a tolled crossing during 1862 as part of the larger Henness Pass Road.  The Bridgeport Covered Bridge closed to vehicle traffic during 1972 and was recently restored during 2021.  The Bridgeport Covered Bridge is historically California's longest covered span is thought to likely be the longest such structure surviving in the world.  Featured as the blog cover is the Bridgeport Covered Bridge during 1950 when it was an active part of Pleasant Valley Road.   The history of the Bridgeport Covered Bridge The history of Bridgeport Covered Bridge was featured in the  September 1950 California Highways & Public Works .  Bridgeport Covered Bridge was constructed during 1862 over the South Fork Yuba River.  The Bridgeport Covered Bridge served as part of the Virginia Turnpike Company maintained Henness Pass Roa
Post a Comment
Read more

Former California State Route 215

By
  California State Route 215 was a short-lived state highway which existed in the Los Angeles Metropolitain area after the 1964 State Highway Renumbering.  California State Route 215 was aligned from US Route 60 at 5th Street in Pomona north to US Route 66 near Claremont via Garey Avenue.  California State Route 215 came to be after California State Route 71 was bisected in Pomona due to relinquishment of a portion of Garey Avenue due to the opening of a portion of the Corona Freeway (now Chino Valley Freeway) during 1958.  California State Route 215 was deleted by the Legislature during 1965. The history of California State Route 215 The initial segment of what was to become California State Route 215 was added to the State Highway System as part of the 1909 First State Highway Bond Act.  The First State Highway Bond Act defined what would become  Legislative Route Number 19  (LRN 19) as running from Claremont to Riverside.  The segment of LRN 19 between Claremont and Pomona would in
Post a Comment
Read more

US Route 70 over San Augustin Pass

By
San Augustin Pass is a gap in the Organ Mountains, San Augustin Mountains and San Andres in Dona Ana County east of Las Cruces.  San Augustin Pass lies an elevation of approximately 5,600 feet above sea level and was originally traversed by New Mexico State Route 3.  US Route 70 would be realigned over San Augustin Pass during 1934 when it was extended to Los Angeles, California.  During 1963 US Route 82 would be extended through San Augustin Pass to Las Cruces.  Since the early the early 1990s signage of US Route 82 has been withdrawn to Alamogordo.  San Augustin Pass and US Route 70 are largely known for the numerous closures due to test firings originating from the White Sands Missile Range.   Part 1; the history of highway designations over San Augustin Pass San Augustin Pass traditionally has been the easiest from the Rio Grande in Las Cruces east to the Tularosa Basin.  The terrain conditions at San Augustin Pass allowed for an easy crossing in the gap between the Organ Mountains
Post a Comment
Read more