The visitors center was torn down & is being rebuilt. There wasn't much to see here except the…read morefield & a trading post with authentic Crow handicrafts, books, T-shirts ... We are in the Crow Nation where 8,000 Indians live today. This is the site of the 1876, Battle of the Little Bighorn, near Crow Agency, Montana. It serves as a memorial to those who fought in the battle Custer's 7th Cavalry & the Lakota Cheyenne Indians. Custer National Cemetery is on the battlefield and is part of the national monument. Custer was buried here but was reinterred in West Point. This was the last war that the indigenous peoples won; they lost their land & everything! Annually they come back here to celebrate the battle won. In 1999, five red granite markers denoting where warriors fell, were placed on the battlefield for Cheyenne warriors Lame White Man & Noisy Walking. An Indian Memorial was designed in 1997, a sandstone circular low wall.

The stop was amazing and it was great to see everything that happened with detailed signs from so…read moremany years ago. For the price of admission, however, they could do a better job repairing the road, and they should make it very clear that the cemetary as soon as you enter has nothing to do with the battlefield at all, ad it is not clear at all except for one small sign.

We love our National Parks, Monuments and sites and have been fortunate to visit several through…read morethe years. I was excited to stop at Pompey's Pillar and get some more info on the Lewis & Clark expedition and anything else the NPS wants to share. Sadly, at 3pm on a Wednesday in June the gates were locked and the entry shack shuttered. It was 85° and the pillar is atleast a 30 minute walk from the gate. We did not come prepared for this type of hike (lots of water, hats, sunscreen). There were several others (at least 5 vehicles) parked by the entrance talking with each other, so we weren't the only disappointed visitors. This National Park site is managed by BLM and I'm not sure if it is manned at any time now. There have been a lot of cost saving measures taken in the NPS recently and I don't know if this location is a recepient of such measures. If you come this way plan on hiking in from the entrance just in case. Sadly I won't be by this way again soon. I wonder if those others will be.

Pompeys Pillar National Monument (near Billings, MT), late June, 2026. "On July 25, 1806, William…read moreClark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition visited Pompeys Pillar, carving his name and date upon the rock." "Today, visitors can stand in the footsteps of Captain Clark while looking at his signature, visit the monument's magnificent visitor center, walk along the Yellowstone River, enjoy an interpretive program led by a skilled ranger, or stand on top of Pompeys Pillar and take in the beautiful scenery of Yellowstone County, Montana." Pompeys Pillar is also one of the many significant sites along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. We were driving cross-country, and the long day of driving would be taking us from Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota to Red Lodge, Montana. We tend to visit national parks, monuments, wildlife refuges, national grasslands, and other federally-managed sites as we travel. We had picked up a brochure for Pompeys Pillar at a Visitors Center, and had been seeing some signs for the attraction along the interstate, so we planned this to be our afternoon touring and rest stop. Finding the National Monument was easy, with it being just a few miles off I-94. However, upon reaching the entrance station, a ranger informed us that the vehicle entrance was already closed for the day. While the brochure indicated that the main gate would be open until 4:30, it was already closed at 3-something. The issue appeared to be under-staffing. He did offer us the opportunity to "walk-in" (free, dawn to dusk daily), but we simply didn't have enough time on our schedule for the 45 walk (each way) plus an exploration of the area. So, unfortunately, all we did was to take a few photos from near the entrance station. While we were there, at least three other cars (all with out-of-state plates) were likewise turned away.

I love visiting old historic cemeteries. Most people think it's creepy but the history, art work,…read moretombstones, and eeriness draws me to these places. This cemetery isn't well marked and it doesn't seem to get a lot of visitors as I was the only one around when I visited.

A relatively short drive out of Billings, this State Park is on the Crow Indian reservation. It's…read morea beautiful spot, part of the land deeded to Chief Plenty Coups through the Dawes Act. Plenty Coups' story is equally fascinating: honored as the last of the traditional chiefs of his tribe, his story is entwined with this park, part of his original land allotment and place upon which he built his home (modeled on Mt. Vernon according to the details). As one of the first to understand the loss of the way of life of the Native American tribes, he settled in this location after seeing it in a vision. The cabin is larger than a standard log home of the era, and has an upstairs, as well. Also included on the property is separate building used as a community store, according to the descriptions. The park itself also has a teepee set up next to the home, and a museum and visitor center that does a great job describing the park and the residents of the surrounding area. It's a nice historical park with a short (less than a mile) trail around the property and along the creek, and also offers a picnic area. There's an audio tour available, but the markers along the path and around the home provide a nice self-guided tour if that's your preference.

Very, very child friendly! Nice easy walk with beautiful views. Interesting and well kept…read more Definitely 5 stars from this mamma!

It's an impressive mansion built by one of the earlier governors of the state before he went into…read morepolitics. It's like stepping into an old movie. Very well preserved place with a lot of the original furnishings. Definitely worth a detour in your plans to check this place out. The lady who works there greeted me when I walked in, gave me a breakdown of the history of the place as well as a couple brochures, and charged me $8 to wander around the 3-story house (plus basement) and the grounds, which was perfectly fine by me. There are modern public restrooms available in the basement and an elevator has been installed for tourists, though I preferred using the well-built stairways. Some of the rooms are guarded by plexiglass but you can see everything from the doorways. Other rooms you can enter. There's a framed description at the entryway of all the rooms and points of interest as you walk around. Anyway, they don't have a big gift shop like so many museums do, but they have post cards for sale.

The 1913 constructed mansion and carriage house both sit on nearly 4 beautiful acres in a…read moreresidential neighborhood near downtown Sheridan. Built by and once home to Texas born cowboy turned self made man John Kendrick who became a Wyoming State Senator, Governor and then in 1916 Wyoming's US Senator, the property is now owned by the State of Wyoming as a historic site. One of the things that makes this such a well maintained, fabulous tour back in time is that it was owned continually by the Kendrick family until the last member, John Kendrick's son Manville, moved on in the early 1960's at which time the state acquired it. Although the carriage house is now leased to a theater group and no longer open to tour, the entire 13,748 square foot mansion and all of the grounds are open to the public. See their website for hours which change seasonally. GOT A KICK OUT OF THIS "DO AS I SAY..." My husband and I noted during our walk about of the house that although Governor Kendrick supported legislation in Wyoming that limited alcohol and then as U.S. Senator he voted in favor of the January 1919 ratification of 18th Amendment which resulted in Prohibition effective January 1920 (until repeal in 1933 through passage of the 21st Amendment) neither he nor his wife believed Prohibition applied to them or their guests. In fact there was a grand for its' time liquor storage cabinet built in behind paneling in the main entry hall. In addition, an elevator shaft they built but in which they did not install an elevator, was used for storage for their fine wine collection. There you go. I will suspend my "isn't that just like a politician for do as I say not as I do" commentary. :-) FAVORITE ROOMS & FEATURES Worth a linger for me were the butler's pantry and kitchen on the first floor, the stellar for its' day powder bath on the first floor and the maid's quarters and bath on the upper floor. Oh, and that liquor storage behind the paneled wall of the entry of course. :-) Plus the detail and craftsmanship in the woodwork throughout the house, in particular the office, living room, main hall and ballroom, are beautiful. Photos are allowed but without flash so couldn't capture this for postiing images. BOTTOM LINE: Touring this house and the grounds was a delightful way to spend a couple of hours in Sheridan and the highlight of our relatively lowlight stop over there. We recommend it. THIS N THAT: 1) ENTRY FEE: into the mansion is only four bucks, two bucks if you have a Wyoming driver's license. Go. No fee required to walk the lovely grounds. 2) PARKING: two spots of accessible (aka ADA) parking are at the back of the mansion near an accessible ramp. Otherwise you need to park on street in the neighborhood in which the mansion is located and walk up the driveway to the front door. 3) ACCESSIBILITY: All four floors of the mansion are accessible by an (small and ancient but it works) elevator. You can park at the back of the mansion (two ADA spaces there). There is a ramp at the back entry to avoid the stairs at the front. You'll enter the back door at which there is a button to push to ring the docent who will promptly let you in. Nice. 4) TIME: They are open until 6p. Plan on spending a couple of hours.

Horrible place to visit. I thought there may be a trail- it's not a long trail, just a few steps to…read morea blur of what once was- they've had vandalism and people trying to erase history of what once inhabited Montana originally and what was pushed away onto a reservation. It's very touristy and has a info area where you can see more of the artifacts found from the indigenous people who inhabited indigenous Montana. The young girl who was sitting up front, did not greet nor smile- I said hello and she ignored me, so even louder I asked how are you doing, arms crossed and still not smiling, said good- and it ended there. Rude and your an anglo Saxon selling native American postcards and art and displaying their artifacts- with an angry and hateful demeanor, I find that interesting..??

Travelers tip: Don't…read morevisit if you expect to see pictographs. From what we could see, this site stands as a historical fact of pictographs at one time, with information displays. Over time, the pictographs erode. You'll see one example of the latter below. Admission is $8.

A wonderful memorial, very well done and well maintained for all. The site is very nice inside,…read morevery historical in many respects. The whole of the buildings are very clean and inviting to guests. The restrooms are among the cleanest I have seen at a memorial or monument. Kudo to the Park Service for their hard work and diligence in keeping this as a national treasure. More than just a Memorial to the soldiers that were killed in battle against the plains indigenous natives, it stands as a monument of US westward expansion and the toll it took on both sides. Both sides being the encroaching United States and the other side being the people that already lived on the north American plains and had already claimed that land. The memorial was originally built and dedicated to the soldiers and Lt. Colonel George A. Custer for their deaths during the battle of the Little Big Horn. It has been called a slaughter of U.S. Cavalry soldiers by many, through their interpretation of the history of the battle, but on the other side of the battle, many, many more indigenous native soldiers (braves), wives, mothers and children lost their lives as well as their land and way of life, and for many years were given no mention. Now as we study history, and time goes on, we see the history and telling of this battle change to a more realistic understanding of the events of this battle. The indigenous peoples of that area were not monsters nor godless nor savages bent on mindless killing and bloodlust, they were native, indigenous people, attempting to protect their land and way of life. Many thanks to the many people and the Crow Agency for their work to get these changes made in the telling of history.

As with most of the national park system, this is so well done. We listened to a talk by an…read moreenthusiastic knowledgeable ranger, followed by visitor center and a road through the battlefields. The gravestones are scattered throughout the prairie. Road is a little narrow to pull a trailer, but we did it and passed other polite folks pulling rigs as well.

Pleasant stop with a trail along the river, nice small campground with a historical sign plus a…read moresmall playground with a bison made to rock climbon. A nice place to picnic and break up the drive to Bighorn Canyon.