Stage Five: Billings, Montana

Depart: Fairfield Inn by Marriott, Rapid City, South Dakota

Arrive: Residence Inn by Marriott, Billings, Montana

Miles Traveled: 384.0

It may sound like the makings of a joke, but we spent two days in Billings, Montana.

It turns out we had a very good time, with our fun evenly divided between the historical and the athletic.

The historical part of the visit was a visit to the Little Bighorn National Monument, formerly known as Custer Battlefield. I am old enough to have been taught in school that George Custer was the "good guy" and the "Indians" were blood-thirsty savages. Fortunately the perspective found at the monument (i.e. in its multimedia presentations) is very more nuanced that. From a well done documentary film, a compelling oral history (presented by a park ranger), to the field of battle itself it is clear that "good guys" and "bad guys" depends on one's cultural perspective.

The visit was much more solemn than I had anticipated ~ to be at the spot of Custer's actual last stand . . . well, it was similar (though not exactly the same) to how I felt when I visited Pearl Harbor.

It is a beautiful area, here are some of the photographs I took:

White markers, indicative of a spot where a U.S. soldier was killed and originally buried, are widely scattered around Little Big Horn.


As part of the effort to transform the battlefield to a national monument the remains of U.S. soldiers found in the area were disinterred then reburied beneath this monument which stands atop Last Chance Hill ~ the place of Custer's last stand.


These markers are just below the monument. The dark marker was George Custer's; his remains were removed from the area early in the 20th century and reburied at West Point.


Sandstone markers indicate where the bodies of Native warriors were found. Historians believe fewer than 100 warriors were killed in the two day battle, and most were removed from the field by survivors and family.


The circular-shaped monument to Native warriors and people who died at Little Big Horn is below Last Chance Hill, with an opening that "connects" the two monuments.

The athletic part of our visit to Billings involved attending a Pioneer League baseball game featuring the Orem Owlz (no typo there) and the Billings Mustangs, a 10-inning game that Billings won 6-5. Without boring those of you who do not care about such things, I saw something in a baseball game that I had never seen before.

Pioneer League games use two umpires (unlike the four umpires that are used at in major league games). Around the sixth inning the home plate umpire was injured, and the remainder of the game was covered by one umpire! After decades of watching baseball it was the first time I had seen that.

Here are some pictures taken at the game:









It was a nice couple of days (that ended with a visit to a cemetery where Christine's great-grandparents are buried); and now we move on to Cut Bank, Montana for an extended stay with Christine's Mom and Dad.