The Good Guys Lost??

We weren't the only ones who have stopped by Little Bighorn to check out the National Monument, friends of Geoff and Melissa took their kids there.  After watching the video of the battle, the youngest told his grandfather that the 'good guys' lost.  When you're young, you want to be the good guy.  As you age, you learn humans can be good and bad.  At the Battle of Little Bighorn, the U.S. 7th Calvary lost to a confederacy of Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors.  Once the good guys, history now paints the Calvary as the ones who deserved to lose.

Glen wanted to see the re-enactment so we made a special stop at Little Bighorn in Montana on June 25th.  The show is hosted by the Crow people and is on their reservation south of Last Stand Hill.  It is at this bend in the river, Indian oral history tells us, that Lt. Col. Custer (see photo) fell (many historians dispute this).  They call it the Battle of Greasy Grass.

The show was to start at 1:00 but since it was first come, first serve, we decided to get there early.  We arrived at 10:00 and weren't the first.  Parking is in a huge field but isn't unlimited so getting there early was a good idea (cost per adult is $20.00).  We were told we could explore the Calvary Camp on the shores of the Little Bighorn River so that's what we did.  We spoke a young lady dressed as a private and learned she was an anthropology student.  As I took pictures, Glen questioned a gun enthusiast who had a display of rifles used by the calvary.  Only the officers carried pistols.

I wandered to the river and over the hill, came the Calvary!  What an incredible sight.  They were riding two by two down to the river to cross back into camp.  The volunteers had been there for a couple of weeks rehearsing for the show and were still working out the kinks.  It was nice to see the horses up close.  I wasn't the only one snapping pictures.

After crossing the river, they scattered and dismounted.  We met a few of them as they wandered through the camp.  A young man with a split beard caught my eye and we had a chat.  Turns out he portrayed Custer's Adjutant, 1st Lt. William Cooke.  We wished him luck and he laughed saying he was sure they would win this year.

We then made our way to the bleachers as they were beginning to fill up.  I noticed the top seats had backs so scrambled up to them.  Glen couldn't figure why until I pointed out we could lean back.  We ate our lunch and watched as the Crow natives rode back and forth on various errands.  Around noon, the emcee began to tell the story of the battle from the Indian point of view (and yes, he used that word).  He also told of how he got involved in the re-enactment.  By 1:00 the stands were full and the show began.  The major players were introduced and we learned that Sitting Bull was portrayed by a young Canadian.

All the while, the native boys were riding bareback, slipping on and off their horses.  When Custer was introduced, they galloped around the calvary.  The lad who played Crazy Horse was just as crazy as the name implies.  What was most impressive was when they galloped across the river with no hesitation, neither horse nor rider afraid.

A drum circle chanted during the quite moments as various historical characters paraded across the field.  The emcee told of how the West was explored and how the Indians lived.  Jim Bridger was there.  We'd learned about him from a Johnny Horton song.  So were Lewis and Clarke.

While the Calvary was getting ready for the battle, the Indians brought a herd of horses onto the Greasy Grass meadow.  Some of these horses were for sale so it was a chance to show them off.  I went nuts taking photographs.  I was glad I had my telephoto as they were quite far away.

The battle began when Crazy Horse galloped over the river and taunted Custer and his Calvary.  This actually happened, drawing the calvary into the area where the natives could fight them.  We watched the battle across the river and in the end, there were no more calvary and the Indians came riding back with hats and swords.  What a wild bunch!

Afterwards, you could meet the calvary and Indians and have your picture taken with whomever you chose.  There were also several breaks in the program for people to have photos taken with the stars so it was a laid-back kind of show.  Great fun for the whole family.

If you go, be sure to wear sunscreen as there is no shade and a hat is essential.  We were lucky as a stiff breeze kept us cool but it is a hot, dry place.  Some kids sold water and drinks throughout the show so if you aren't prepared, they were very willing to sell you something.  They also had a food stand selling "genuine Indian tacos" as our emcee called them.  T-shirts and souvenirs are also sold on site.

Leaving the parking lot was a bit iffy but we got out in about 15 minutes so were on the road by 3:00.  It was certainly an event worth doing.

See photos here.