Chief Plenty Coups

Sunny and cooler this morning. We said goodbye to everyone. This is the first place we felt like we made some friends. We stopped at "the green place" for coffee and apple strudle. We left Fort Smith about 9:25am. We took a "no name" route west out of St Xavier. The route was spectacular around the Pryor Mountains. Rolling hills, canyons, and then back into mountains again!

We got to Pryor and stopped at the Chief Plenty Coups State Park. Plenty Coups was the lst traditional Chief of the Crow Nation. He was a visionary that lead his people from the "Buffalo Days" intio the 20th century. The chief was so well respected that the Crow people never named another traditional chief after him. His history is very interesting. He was an accomplished statesman and ambassador well known by several U.S. Presidents and foreign leaders. Chief Plenty Coups best illustrated the close bond between the U.S. and the Crow nation when, in 1921, he offered his war bonnet and coups sticks at the dedication of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. In his speech, he promised the allegiance of Crow warriors to fight any enemy of the United States. His promise has been upheld countless times in wars or armed conflicts since that gathering. The Chief built a log home in 1884 to show the Crow they could live in houses like the white man. He and his wife "Strikes the Iron" lived here until his death in 1932. The grounds are very nice with views of the Pryor Mountains and huge cottonwood trees. We enjoyed touring the log cabin and reading the various historical documents inside.

Leaving the park we took Route 418 out of Pryor. The road ran beside Pryor Creek and we stopped along the side of the road for a picnic lunch.

Later we connected up with I90 West and drove along the Yellowstone River to the town of Big Timber on our way to Yellowstone. Our camp tonight is the Spring Creek RV & Trout Ranch located in Sweet Grass County. Big Timber is located at the place Lewis and Clark called "Rivers Across". From opposite sides, the Boulder River and Big Timber Creek flow into the Yellowstone River. To the north the 11 thousand foot Crazy Mountains rise in breathtaking splendor. To the south lie the 12 thousand foot Absaroka-Beartooth Mountain Wilderness. We can see snow in the peaks and it's gorgeous.

The ranch is ok, but don't let the title fool you. It's an ok RV park with a very small pond for fishing (more for kids than adults). The river runs right through the park. Our site was nice and we got settled in. Then we decided to find a place for dinner. We had dinner at the City Lanes,Casino, and Steakhouse. Very interesting place, the walls are covered with various cattle brands and other ranching items. The food was ok.