August 21-23, 2023 – Hardin, MT


Monday morning, we left Greybull and drove to Hardin, Montana.  We arrived late in the afternoon and are staying at Grandview RV Park.  We don’t have much shade, but we do have grass and a small irrigation ditch running alongside our site.

We spent most of Tuesday trying to get reservations at RV parks for after we leave this area.  After many frustrating hours we finally managed to get reservations at parks until the middle of September.  We can now enjoy our next few weeks without worrying about where we are going to stay.  After we finished making our reservations, we drove around the small town of Hardin and stopped at the visitor center.


We got up early Wednesday so we could go see the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument before it got too hot. We first looked at the displays in the Visitor Center and watched a very good 24-minute film about the battle and the site.  We learned a lot about what led to the battle and the battle itself.   Just outside the Visitor Center is Custer National Cemetery.  The war department established this cemetery in 1879, three years after The Battle of Little Bighorn (June 1876) but no one who died in this battle is buried here.  The cemetery reached capacity in 1978.



We hiked a couple of paths close to the Visitors Center and then drove the scenic drive through the battlefield.

Following the battle, the Lakota and Cheyenne removed their dead and buried them according to their customs and beliefs.  Surviving members of the 7th Calvary hastily buried the soldiers, Indian Scouts, and civilians where they fell.  In 1890 the Army placed 249 headstone markers across the battlefield in an attempt to show where Custer’s men had fallen.




The 7th Calvary memorial sits on top of “Last Stand Hill” where Custer and approximately 41 men shoot their horses for breastworks and make a stand.  The 7th Calvary casualties are interred around the base. Total 7th Cavalry casualties are 210 in Custer Battalion and 53 in Reno-Benteen Battalions. Lakota and Cheyenne casualties are estimated between 40-100.






In 1941, maintenance workers discovered a horse cemetery here.









In 1991, an Indian memorial to honor Native American participation in the Battle of the Little Bighorn was erected and the name was changed from Custer Battlefield National Monument.  The Spirit Warriors sculpture by Oglala Lakota artist Colleen Cutschall, represents the free spirit of warriors riding into battle.



Granite markers were also placed where it is thought native warriors fell.

We have been to Little Bighorn Battlefield on previous trips but still enjoy seeing it.  We seem to learn more about the battle every time we visit.  We are glad we came early this morning because by noon it was getting hot.  We stopped in Hardin for a cup of ice cream at the Farmer’s Daughter General Store.

We enjoyed our few days here and are heading to North Dakota tomorrow.




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