...on the way to North Dakota...
...apparently, they have a Walmart there...
...While we assumed the native North Dakotans to be friendly, the Welcome" sign had many bullet marks...(probably the result of a simple [but extended] misunderstanding.) Notice not a single bullet passed THROUGH the sign. Note to self...if a suit of armor becomes necessary in the future, insist it be crafted by the signmakers of North Dakota)
So here we are in North Dakota, the state made famous by...um...er...well...I'll get back to you on that.
Factoid: the Capitol of North Dakota is Bismarck. (Note that there is a "c" placed in the name for no apparent reason...I guess they had an extra "c" and just plugged it in there.). Actually, the town name was initially Edwinton, in honor of a railroad engineer. Later, railroad upper management, hoping to attract German investors, (I'm not making this up) changed the town name to Bismarck in honor of German Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck. History is unclear as to Mr. Edwin's feelings about this change...
...Along the way we were treated to the vision of giant fields of yellow flowers stretching for miles...
...we discovered later that these are flowers from the canola plant...
...we also learned that North Dakota is our nation's number one producer of sunflowers...why they grow this crop is not clear to me, but trust me when I say that we are in no danger of a sunflower seed shortage for the next decade or so...
...North Dakota sunflowers...
...also we saw our first sweeping canyons in the plains...
...now, class, what do we call the creature pictured in the canyon above?? Why, that's correct Johnnie, we call it a BISON.
...As we drove toward the Interstate 94 corridor we began to appreciate why ole Teddy liked the area so much...
...the views were breathtaking...
...when we reached Medora, we were greeted by gusting high winds. Our trusty Commodorable checked the weather and found that the winds were forecast to grow to 60 plus mph and remain that way throughout the evening.
...While the Beast handles extremely well in crosswinds, your Captain harbors no desire to test the limits of his or the Beast's ability to deal with 60 mph winds. So after a brief rest stop near Medora, the decision was made to mush on to the small village of Garryowen, Montana. ( winds were expected to be far more civil there...)
...Leslie walking the boys at Medora...
...Rested and relaxed, we five crossed the remainder of North Dakota and by late afternoon we entered the great State of Montana, state motto: "We have 0.20 women for every man."
...Like its neighbor, North Dakota, Montana has a few sharpshooters roaming the interstate. If you compare the bullet marks with those on the North Dakota sign, you will conclude one of two things...to wit: either the boys in Montana have more powerful weapons or the signmakers in Montana make less sturdy products than their brethren in North Dakota...
...of course the signage in Montana is not limited to the officials versions...
...hmmm...there appears to be a smidgen of discontent here...
...now, Dear Reader, you are no doubt wondering why we have chosen to go to Montana. After all, there is no seashore, therefore no salt water beaches...( I would also guess that the locals would take a dim view of any hombre ordering a Mai Tai here) Moreover, why would we set our course for Garryowen, of all places??
...Well, here's why...in August of 1876, a long haired, curiously flashy U.S. Calvary Lt Colonel named George Armstrong Custer came upon an Indian settlement on the banks of a modest stream called the Little Big Horn River...
...Little Big Horn River...
...Here, Col. Custer decided to take the woman and children of the village hostage, hoping to thereby force the Sioux and Cheyenne warriors in the village to surrender and be forcibly marched to a distant reservation...
...There were a few flaws in Col Custer's reasoning. (Note that Mr Custer graduated LAST in his class at West Point.)
...George Custer at West Point...
Factoid: Traditionally the last place graduate is called "The Goat".
...the "Goat" Custer in later life...
...Flaw #1 ...the village leader and respected elder (actually he was only 42) Chief Sitting Bull had previously dreamed of this moment and had told the village warriors of the dream. In his dream, the "Bluecoats" we're all killed. He personally felt that this was a proper outcome for anybody who tried to attack women and children...
...Sitting Bull...
Flaw #2...the lead warrior (think of him as a General) was none other than Chief Crazy Horse. Crazy Horse had led his followers in many skirmishes against the U.S. Calvary and had fared well. ( no, he did not attend West Point, but you may be assured that he would have graduated nearer the top, based upon his now legendary leadership and tactical skills...) The astute reader will recall from the previous Chapter that Crazy Horse probably already held Mr Custer in low esteem after the latter's treaty breaking incursions into the Sacred Black Hils of South Dakota. (Note to Custer...Paybacks can be hell...)
Flaw #3...Custer did not know it until waaay too late, but his team was greatly outnumbered...as much as 10:1. (Remember now, Mr. Custer's sterling academic record...10:1 was probably a difficult concept for him)
Flaw #4...Custer added to his troubles by dividing his force into three separate groups!!!
Factoid: The actual fighting took place over a 12 square mile area, roughly 2 miles by 6 miles.
Factoid: The fighting took place over a two day period, not one day as Hollywood often depicts it.
Factoid: There were many survivors on the Calvary side, including the other two Calvary leaders Benteen and Reno.
...in all, 261 soldiers died there at the Little Big Horn.
...this marks the exact spot where Custer's fell. His wife, Libbey, insisted he be buried at West Point.
...each marker marks the spot where a soldier was found...Custer's marker is in the middle of this group...
...In the following years, the Sioux and Cheyenne would pay dearly for their victory here and for their success in defending their women and children from attack. (After surrendering and agreeing to live out their lives on a reservation, both Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse were murdered by guards at the fort. Note that Sitting Bull did not take part in the actual fighting, as he was considered too old)
...One must wonder if the Indians ever considered that their misfortunes were directly related to their rather loose immigration policies....it seems that saving these white Devils (Pilgrims) on the first THANKSGIVING in Massachusetts was a poor decision...
...as much as Your Narrator Captain likes to take a humorous view during his recollections of our travels, there is no room for humor here. The National Park here is similar to the one at Gettysburg. Many brave men fought and died horrible deaths on these grounds. There is a somber sense of history with every step you take while touring the battlefields...
...Of all the historic places I have visited, none have moved me more than this one...
...leaving the battle site, we considered traveling northwestward to Glacier National Park, but already the encroaching smoke from the smouldering fires in the Pacific states was creating a fog-like visibility problem. We opt to give Wyoming a try instead.
Tune in later as we attempt to answer the eternal question...Why Wyoming?
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