04/11/2019 - Billings → Little Bighorn → Devils Tower → Rapid City / USA (601 Kilometer)

Today we had a gray sky and snow all day. Nevertheless, we had planned to visit a few things. We started at the battlefield of Little Bighorn. On June 25 and 26, 1876, one of the last armed attempts of the Indians took place to preserve the way of life of their ancestors. The Sioux and Cheyenne Indians fought under the leadership of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse and were able to decisively defeat the 7th US Cavalry Regiment under the command of Custer in this battle. We visited the Visitor Center and spent quite a lot of time here. It is lovingly furnished and the battle and its fighters are presented very well. Right next to the center, we visited the huge Custer National Cemetery and took a look at the monument to the battle and the hill where Custer stood for the last time during the battle and lost his life.

Now we had several kilometers to go until we reached Devils Tower. When we arrived, a tower-like outcrop of magmatic origin rose from the ground. It rises about 265 meters above its immediate surroundings and has a diameter of almost 150 meters. In 1906, this area was designated as the first National Monument in the USA. There are several Indian myths surrounding Devils Tower. For example, several Indian girls sought shelter from bears on a small rock. The mountain rose to help the girls in the sky, and the bears scratched deep grooves and crevices in the rock with their claws.

It was slowly getting dark and we continued on to Rapid City.