Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument

 Little Bighorn Battlefield

    Today, the quiet prairie grasses here sway softly in remembrance of the Battle of Little Bighorn, a fierce fight and turning point in the struggle between the Plains tribes and the U.S. Army. The conflict started with the clash of two cultures: the bison and horse culture of the Northern Plains tribes and the industrial and agricultural society of the United States. This tension escalated when Colonel George Armstrong Custer discovered gold deposits on a Black Hills reservation, prompting the United States to negotiate with the Lakota tribe to purchase their land. The Lakota rejected the offer, so the United States military devised a plan to force the Plains tribes into reservations. On June 25 and 26, 1876, the tension exploded with the Battle of Little Bighorn, with the Native Americans emerging as the victors. However, in the end, this was as much as the Plains Tribes' Last Stand as it was Custer's Last Stand. Within one year of ever more bitter fighting, most Native Americans had surrendered and the Black Hills were taken by the United States government without compensation. In pensive silence, Little Bighorn Battlefield challenges visitors to ponder the ramifications of the battle and the impact it had on the history of life on Great Plains.

 Custer Battlefield Trading Post

    Offering authentic Native American handicrafts and big sky country souvenirs, this trading post seems more like a museum than a shop. Pots with intricate designs and necklaces with meticulously crafted beadwork line the shelves. Outside stand colorful tipis, overlooking the rolling prairie in the distance. Though much time has passed since the trading post's namesake battle, stepping inside the Custer Battlefield Trading Posts makes it seem as if the time of the Wild West never ended.