Bear Butte, Mountain of Plains Indians
N 44° 24.981 W 103° 26.466
13T E 624106 N 4919299
Known as Nowawaste by the Cheyenne and Mato Paha by the Sioux, this is a spectacular 4,422 foot high volcanic bubble that dominates the high plains upon which it rises 1,200 feet above.
Waymark Code: WM1ZVX
Location: South Dakota, United States
Date Posted: 08/11/2007
Views: 148
This Mountain was a guide for centuries to Indians, fur traders, soldiers, cowboys, and travelers. It was visited or passed by Verendrye, 1743; Lt. C.K. Warren, 1855; Hayden, the scientist, and Reynolds, 1859; Custer, 1874; and since by a galaxy of geological scientists.
This was a sacred mountain to the Cheyenne, the first Indians known to white man to live adjacent to it and here Sweet Medicine, their spiritual leader, received the four sacred Cheyenne arrows and the code of ethics many centuries ago. Many a prayer has been said on its rugged slopes and many a smoke signal from its lofty summit has told watchful eyes of travelers on the Bismarck-Deadwood Trail to its north and other sojourners within its vista.
Near here in 1857 a great council of the Indians determined to hold the Black Hills inviolate from the white man and for two decades this policy dictated their defensive actions.
Custer's annihilation at the Little Big Horn in 1876, the establishment of Camp Sturgis, July 1, 1878 on its Northwest slope spelled the passing of the red man and his brother the buffalo. Today, Bear Butte stands, an outpost of the Hills, still a shrine to the Cheyenne, who come here to worship and a monument to man made History and to nature's weird handiwork.
Marker Name: Bear Butte, Mountain of Plains Indians
Marker Type: Roadside
Marker Text: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
A photo of the 'Marker' or 'Plaque' is required to identify the location, plus a picture of the 'Historic Site'. If you do not post a photo your log will be deleted.