Searching For Ghosts

In the summer of 07 we went searching for the ghosts of the Old West, and they found us. Everyday we noticed them watching us through the eyes of eagles, or on horseback from the hill tops, or in the shape of a mysterious woman in black. We could hear their voices at the bar and heard their screams atop of Massacre Hill. The bugle was always muffled in the distance along with the sounds of gunfire and Indian war whoops. It was quite an adventure. We heard noises not heard by mere mortals.......or was it the snoring of the big guy in the next bunk?

Our journey began with high hopes and a basket of lunch that would make Yogi Bear jealous. Our first objective was to take a huge box of homemade cookies to Beth in Sioux City, we arrived around 9:00 a.m. and noticed they had all been consumed.....sorry Beth. Realizing that we had a very rigorous and physical challenge ahead of us, we decided our next stop should be the Tryon Gym in Sioux Falls to get into shape. That took about 3 minutes and a few more snacks. We missed Todd and Lynn but were very impressed with the establishment, although DBT had a problem fitting into those tanning things. You had to wear clothes? We hung around posing, out in front of the gym, wearing our Tryon Gym T-shirts, trying to drum up some business for the boys, but people just drove by, honking and laughing. We then proceeded to drive across South Dakota in 106 degree heat. Fortunately we were in supreme physical shape (thanks to Tryon Gym) and the air conditioner worked perfectly, so the heat was an obstacle that was easily addressed by the Shiloh Boys.

Our first night was spent at Sturgis, just a week or so before the big motorcycle rally. People were already arriving and the sidewalk shops were being put up. WW checked the prices of tattoos. We ate a hearty breakfast marked by WW constantly flirting with the AARP ladies. We went to visit Bear Butte the night before and enjoyed it a lot. It is the religious center of the Sioux Indians. People climb the top of the butte seeking Wakan Tanka and they leave small pieces of cloth around. Crazy Horse was born near the base of Bear Butte. After our breakfast and catching up on the town gossip we visited the Fort Meade Cavalry Museum. Marj and Gan used to work in this area back in the forties or fifties. Gan in the fields around Bear Butte and Marj at the Veterans hospital at the fort. The museum was very good. The statue you see is of General Sturgis who's son died at Little Big Horn with Custer and his other son became a general in WWI and his grandson became a general in WWII.

We then drove through the northern Black Hills to reach our main destination, Fort Phil Kearny. WW and I have read books about this fort, this area, the Indians and about the mountain men scouts like Jim Bridger. We both wanted to see this area very much, especially Massacre Hill. We have both been to Little Big Horn numerous times, but had not stopped here. We really enjoyed the fort, the landscape,  the massacre site and the other major battle in the area, the Wagon Box Fight. At Wagon Box, a group of 27 soldiers stood off a huge number of Sioux (800-1500) for six hours. The soldiers had planned ahead and took 14 wagons, removed the wheels and formed a circular corral for defense. What saved them? They had the new repeater rifles and plenty of ammunition. It was the first time the Sioux, led by Crazy Horse and Red Cloud, had seen these new rifles.

We spent the night in historic Buffalo, Wyoming. Went to the Occidental Saloon and ordered two sarsaparillas. The saloon had been visited by Butch Cassidy, Sundance Kid, Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Buffalo Bill Cody, Tom Horn, Presidents Teddy Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover, and now the Shiloh Boys. There were over 20 bullet holes in the ceiling. We also checked out a few other sites in Buffalo.

The next day we spent a few hours on top of Massacre Hill, where Capt. Fetterman led 80 soldiers to their deaths. It was the highlight of the trip. We walked a couple of miles on top of the large ridge and enjoyed the view and sites. Next we drove to isolated (there is nothing but a sign there) Fort Reno. Dirt roads and no contact with humans for hours. We saw where the deer and the antelope play. We seldom heard a discouraging word, but the sky WAS rather cloudy all day. It was still beautiful scenery. Next was Fort Casper which was a pleasant surprise. They had rebuilt and recreated the housing of the soldiers. The commissary, the black smith, the stables etc. were all set up for tourists, but we were the only ones there. Next was Fort Fetterman, not much was left of this old fort, but it was interesting to see where they decided to build it. We heard the story of the Hog House (bordello) and how it was on the other side of the river and how some soldiers drowned, trying to swim the river. (their commander had the ferry guarded) This fort served as a supp/y base for the big offensive against the Indians in the summer of 1876. The soldiers who fought at the Rosebud were stationed here. The Battle of the Rosebud took place a week before Custer's Last Stand. This fort was built ten years after the Bozeman trail forts.

The last fort we visited was Fort Laramie. It was the most built up of all of the forts and is still a tourist attraction. In the history of the West, this fort is the center piece. All travelers along the Overland, California and Oregon trails stopped here. The Pony Express and the Overland Stage coach line did too. We saw the bar that was built in 1849 and used by all of the West's most famous people. Buffalo Bill, Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, General Custer, General Sheridan, Jim Bridger and many many more. The second best highlight for me was the cavalry barracks. Downstairs were the non-commissioned officers quarters, and upstairs were the cavalry bunks. The pictures do not show how neat it was. I had to shoot through glass and it was dark, but I included the pictures anyway. Seeing the rows of bunks and where they slept and ate was special. Again, you could just hear the ghosts cussing about school administrators, eh officers, playing cards, singing, telling wild stories.....the ghosts are still there......we saw them......and they were watching us.