September 11 - 14, 2012

We spent September 11 at the Battle of the Little Big Horn near Hardin, MT.   We had been here before, but felt it deserved a closer look now that we had read quite a number of books about the battle and about the Indian version of the battle.   Our first stop was the Introductory film at the Visitor's Center and went back through the museum which meant so much more to us this second time.  A ranger gave a talk on the patio about the strategy Custer used and the reasons for the fight. At 12 we took the Crow bus tour to the Benteen battle site.   Our guide was Lakota Sioux, and she emphasized the idea that there were about 2000 Indians vs only about 650 soldiers, Indian guides, and civilians who were in the group.   We appreciated the guide's attention to detail and her ability to describe and point out the various areas of the battle to us.   We hiked one of the battlefield trails and visited the National cemetery which is at the site before leaving.   It was a very moving 6 hour visit and only made us want to dig even further into the events of that fateful day.

Sheridan, Wyoming - Sept. 12 - 14.  

Sheridan is a true western town and has an extensive historic area.   We drove 11 miles out of town to the Bradford Brinton Memorial and Museum.   Bradford Brinton was from Chicago and bought the Quarter Circle A ranch in 1923.   He used this ranch for a vacation home and as a repository for the bulk of his collection of Western art including works by Russelll, Remington, Borein and F. T. Johnson.  At his death his sister inherited the rance and kept her brother's collection in tact.   The house with it's original furnishings and artworks, the barns, and the bunkhouse were available for tour.   It was  a very interesting tour!

After lunch we toured the Trail End home of John B Kendrick, former Wyoming Governor and US Senator.   He came to Wyoming territory in 1879 as a trail rider on a cattle drive.   He married in 1891 and for 18 years lived in SE Montana where he started what became the Kendrick Cattle Company, a 210,000 acre collection of cattle ranches in northern Wyoming and southern Montana.

The house was finished in 1913 and was lived in by the family until 1961.   The house was empty for seven years until the Sheridan County Historical Society purchased it.   The furnishings in the house are all original to the family.   It's an outstanding home museum.

On September 14 we drove about 25 miles south of Sheridan to the Fort Phil Kearny Historic Site.   We made a wrong turn and ended up at the Fetterman Battle Site, part of the Phil Kearny site, but about 5 miles from the fort site.   It is here that on 12/21/1866 Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors engaged a military force commanded by captain William J. Fetterman.   Fetterman's group was sent to rescue a wagon train.   The warriors attacked the soldiers, overwhelming the separated cavalry and infantry units.  All 81 men were killed within thirty minutes.  Only the Battle of the Little Big Horn stands as a worse defeat for the US Army and a greater vistory for the Plains Indians.

We found our way to the Fort and stopped at the Visitor's Center to see the introductory movie and go through the museum before going out to see the outline of where the various buildings had been.   The fort was only occupied from 1866 - 1868 and then was decommissioned when train travel made protection of wagon trains no longer necessary.   The fort was abandoned in early August 1868, and was burned soon afterwards by the Cheyenne.   In 1963 the fort was designated a National Historic Landmark.  

We left September 15 to travel 225 miles to Rapid City, SD.