Custer, climbing and checks

Garryowen,  MT

The days here are really hot and the nights can be quite cool.    If we want to site-see we need to take off early in the day and return to the "relative" coolness of the rig early afternoon.  We did just that the last two days.

On Monday we went back to Little Bighorn Battlefield.    We first listened to the Ranger's talk.  Then we walked around the Military Cemetery.   This cemetery has been closed to further burials since the 1970's.   There are some burials here of casualties of the battle but most burials are that of veterans from WW I and II, the Korean conflict and Vietnam.

The dead from the battle were first buried in shallow graves where they died, including Custer.  His is the stone in black.

They were hastily buried but three days after the battle.   Most of them were later moved to a mass site.  Custer's remains were buried at West Point.

There were 210 dead from the 7th Calvary and 53 from the Reno-Benteen troops.   It is estimated that 40 to 100 Lakota/Cheyenne lives were lost.

Yesterday we drove over to near Billings to see

 

Pompets Pillar is a massive sandstone outcrop that rises 150 feet from a two-acre base on the banks of the Yellowstone River.

This is a location explored by Wm. Clark from the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  Clark stopped here on his way back from the Pacific.   He and Lewis had separated for a while to rejoin further down the river.  

As history bluffs will remember, part of the expedition was the Indian woman Sacajawea, who was their translator.    She had a young son whom Clark was very fond of.  He nicknamed him Pompy and named this tower of rock after him.   To get to the top, we climbed 220 steps plus several areas of steep boardwalk.   At the time it was around 90.  A short time later the temp climbed to a high of 104.   That was our exercise for the day!

It is difficult to see due to sun glare on the glass but Clark had carved ino the rock his name and the date, July 25, 1806, he had explored this area.

From the top we got a good view of the Yellowstone River below.

 

This is another site we don't see everyday.  Apparently people in these parts don't take lightly to scofflaws.

 

 

Temps expected close to 100 again today.   We decided to stay at the campground and go only as far as the laundry.  Tomorrow is another day!