Last Stand Hill

Overnighted in Billings, Montana, an interesting city—a casino in every strip mall, in restaurants, in liquor stores, literally everywhere. Perhaps that is why there’s no sales tax in Montana. 

Then on to the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument.  

On June 25, 1976 the Battle of the Little Bighorn was fought, the last effort of the Northern Plains Indians to preserve their ancestral way of life. It was just one encounter in a centuries long conflict that began with the arrival of the first Europeans. 

We climbed to the top of Last Stand Hill where stands the monument to the 7th Cavalry erected in 1881 and George Armstrong Custer’s grave. 

There is also now a lovely memorial that commemorates the sacrifices of the tribes as they fought to preserve their way of life. 

The Custer National Cemetery, established in 1897, is also at the site. It provides a final resting place for generations of veterans.