The Sakakawea Monument
near Mobridge, South Dakota on the Missouri River.
The Sakakawea marker.
Yes, they spell it a different way, too.
Detail of the marker...
The Sitting Bull (Tatanka Iyotake) Monument
and grave is in the same area.
A detailed look at the marker...
His casket was buried in tons of concrete so the people from Fort Yates could not easily take it back.
A look at part of Lake Oahe, on the Missouri River.
Sitting Bull's Original grave at Fort Yates, North Dakota.
The picture is of poor quality because it was pretty dark outside. It says:
" A member of the Hunkpapa Band of the Teton Sioux Indians. Sitting Bull became a warrior of much renown and was eventually acknowledged as a leader of all the Teton Sioux. A noble and just leader but misunderstood by the white man.
He was influential in the destruction of Custer's forces at the Little Big Horn. His insistence that his people be allowed to participate in the ghost dances of the late 1880s eventually led to his being murdered by Indian Police in an attempted arrest at Standing Rock on December 15, 1890. He was sought after by his people for his wise counsel and support for their activities.
He was buried here but his grave has been vandalized many times. This marker is directly over his grave site.
The Killdeer Battlefield north of Dickinson, North Dakota. It is May 26, 2003.
The sign says it all. Killdeer Battlefield, like many others in the west, is on private property.
Two of the soldiers killed in the fighting.
The entry from my book: "According to some sources, over 5,000 Santee and Teton Sioux engaged in a battle at Killdeer, North Dakota, with over 2,000 soldiers. General Alfred Sully led the army, and Chief Inkpaduta led the Sioux. Artillery eventually won the day for the soldiers."
This was some very nice looking country. A Pronghorn Antelope was standing on the dirt road as I returned to Highway 22. I followed it slowly for almost a quarter mile as it ran until it could find a place to jump the barbed wire fence. Another Pronghorn was running with us on the other side of the fence.
Just north of the little Missouri River.
Fort Buford is in North Dakota, just a few miles from Montana at confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers.
The Fort Buford Cemetery.
The entry from my book: "From a marker in the Fort Buford (North Dakota) cemetery: 'He That Kills His Enemies' - Indian Scout - January 18, 1870 - Died of Wounds … in a quarrel with a fellow scout on the 5th inst. received a penetrating [arrow] wound of the pelvis and abdomen. … Death occured January 18, 1870. An autopsy could not be obtained owing to the feelings of the relatives."
Son of Left Hand - April 18, 1870,
Son of Sitting Bird - June 3, 1870 - Disease
The two headsones at the top of this picture are mentioned in my book. I was a bit surprised when I read the markers and just casually checked my book. This brought to life a lot of the small details that I had found.
The entry from my book for August 20, 1868: "According to army records, members of the Thirty-First Infantry fought with a band of Indians near Fort Buford, Dakota Territory. Three soldiers were killed and three were wounded. Lieutenant C. C. Cusick was also wounded during the fighting."
Front Row (left to right): Blue Horn, Cut Throat, Left Hand
Parade Grounds at Fort Buford.
Confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers near Fort Buford.
