Students are encouraged to visit the Crazy Horse Memorial to enhance their total learning opportunity for the excursion. In the wake of Gutzon Borglum's masterful work on Mount Rushmore, Sioux leaders invited sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski to carve the likeness of Crazy Horse atop Thunderhead Mountain, a relatively short distance from Mount Rushmore. Work commenced in 1948. No verifiable photographs exist of Crazy Horse—he refused to allow his spirit to be captured by the white man's strange device—so Ziolkowski created a composite image of Crazy Horse from "word pictures" provided by Indians who knew the Sioux warrior during his life. Today, Crazy Horse is certainly recognizable, but still there is much rock yet to be shaped. According to ambition, the three-dimensional carving will depict Crazy Horse bare-chested, mounted on a rambunctious horse, with an outstretched arm pointing to the East from where the white men came to occupy the land inhabited by the Sioux. The target date for completion is unspecified due to an irregular rate of work left to the mercy of random funding. Thunderhead Mountain is approached via the broad Avenue of Chiefs (off U.S. Highway 16/385), leading directly to an elaborate Visitor Complex. The Crazy Horse carving, one mile from the Visitor Complex, is plainly visible from the Viewing Veranda (outdoors) and the Wall of Windows (indoors). There is a modest admission fee.

Students are required to view Son of the Morning Star as part of the total learning package for the excursion. The film is based on Evan S. Connell's book of the same title. Connell is regarded as one of the leading authorities on the Battle of the Little Bighorn and collateral data. Although the movie is artistically limited, it nevertheless presents a useful rendition of Connell's definitive work. The movie will be shown at the Elks Theatre, located at 512 6th Street in downtown Rapid City, on the Monday evening immediately prior to the trip. Show time is 6:15 pm; the movie runs about three hours. (For students unable to attend, a make-up date will be offered whereby they can watch the film at school via TV/VCR after regular school hours.) Viewing the movie several days prior to the actual trip allows time for special lecture and discussion. At certain times, parking in metro Rapid City can be problematic; be sure to obey posted regulations.

The excursion itself is a three-day affair involving overnight stays. The main focus is the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in southeastern Montana. In June of 1876, a huge Indian alliance, led by Crazy Horse, the preeminent Sioux warrior chief, and Sitting Bull, spiritual emissary of the Sioux, obliterated 7th Cavalry forces under the command of Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer. More than 250 soldiers, including Custer himself, were killed in the fight. Custer's "Last Stand" was the most decisive defeat of the U.S. Army during the Plains Indian Wars. All students will attend a brief National Park Service presentation (film and lecture), after which ample time remains for smaller groups of students to walk the battlefield/cemetery and browse the museum/bookstore. Then it's on to the Holiday Inn in Sheridan, Wyoming, for some relaxation and a good night's rest in preparation for tomorrow's full schedule. Pizza will be delivered for supper. The hotel's spacious commons is ideal for students who might wish to collaborate on the excursion study guide before curfew.

Rise and shine today to experience more of the historic Old West. Breakfast for everyone is "on your own" at the hotel restaurant, followed by a one-hour supervised study table in the hotel commons area. The day's first stop will be Fort Phil Kearny, located about 25 miles south of Sheridan. It was the largest of three stockades built along the Bozeman Trail to administer control over the Powder River region. The garrison was the focal point of two bloody battles between Indians and the U.S. Army—the Fetterman Massacre (December 21, 1866) and the Wagon Box Fight (August 2, 1867)—during Red Cloud's War, the successful campaign waged by area Sioux and their Arapaho and Cheyenne allies to obstruct white traffic through the Powder River country. The resulting Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868) was a proud moment for the Plains Indians. It called for abandonment of all three Bozeman Trail posts, but more broadly, the treaty represented a clear victory by tribes of the Northern Plains over the U.S. government. Thus, Red Cloud is forever distinguished as the only Indian leader to win a war against the United States. The next destination is downtown Sheridan, where students can enjoy lunch at one of several quaint restaurants and coffee shops, then visit the famous King's Saddlery & Western Museum. Students may also have a short time to see other sites of interest (the entire Main Street is listed on the National Register of Historic Places) before the bus returns to the hotel for a pit stop so that everyone can have a few moments to refresh. Students will board the bus again to partake in a guided tour of Trail End, the lavish turn-of-the-century estate conceived by John B. Kendrick, a one-time Texas cowboy and Montana cattle rancher who became Wyoming's governor and U.S. senator. The mansion has been wondrously restored, including most of its original furniture, lights, draperies, and rugs. The ornate grounds are said to contain at least one of every tree indigenous to Wyoming, planted amidst an assortment of other species which Kendrick had shipped to Sheridan via railroad from tree farms and nurseries in the East. Dinner this evening will be at the fabulous Sheridan Inn, which once served as home for William "Buffalo Bill" Cody. The Inn opened in May of 1893, and shortly afterward Cody leased the building interior. He often held auditions for his Wild West Show on the massive front porch, evaluating talent as he sat in one of the old green rocking chairs (currently on display in the lobby). The Inn's original bar is still used today (the story goes that Cody almost always perched on the third stool from the left). Many notables have stayed at the Sheridan Inn over the years, including General John J. Pershing, author Ernest Hemingway, President Herbert Hoover, comedian Will Rogers, and entertainer Bob Hope. In 1964, the Inn was classified as a National Historic Landmark. While no sleeping accommodations are available at present, renovation plans mandate 20-plus rooms for overnight guests. After supper, it's back to the hotel where a good chunk of study time is available for those who desire it. Before retiring for the night, students should organize their gear and tidy their rooms in order to expedite check-out tomorrow morning.

• Vehicle(s) will depart from Stevens High School at 7:45 am sharp on Wednesday, April 13, 2011, and return to the same location at approximately 2:00 pm on Friday, April 15. A precise trip itinerary will be issued in the days immediately preceding departure. Please click here to view sample trip itinerary.
  
  
• Excursion fee is $188, due in full by Tuesday, December 14, at 3:00 pm. Checks should be made payable to "Stevens High School American History Group." Once remitted, because of the obvious necessity of advance travel arrangements to accommodate a sizable group, no portion of the fee is refundable for any reason whatsoever, including illness on the excursion day, failure to properly complete required paperwork by announced deadline, and/or necessary rescheduling caused by inclement weather or other unforeseen circumstances.
  
  
• Fee pays for transportation via bus chartered through Gray Line of the Black Hills; two nights' lodging at the Holiday Inn of Sheridan, Wyoming; both evening meals (pizza feed in the hotel commons on Wednesday and sit-down meal at the historic Sheridan Inn, or comparable restaurant, on Thursday); two breakfasts at the Holiday Inn's Greenery Restaurant; any National Park Service fees (entrance, parking, etc.) assessed at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument and Devils Tower National Monument; appropriate group tour donations to the Sheridan County Historical Society and the Fort Phil Kearny Historic Site; and mandatory pre-trip movie presentation, Son of the Morning Star, at the Elks Theatre in Rapid City. All other expenses (including souvenirs, additional meals, snacks, soda pop, telephone calls, and so forth) are the responsibility of the students. Please click here to view complete list of items included in trip fee.
  
  
• Students are required to complete an excursion study guide due Wednesday, April 20. Strict rules apply regarding appropriate behavior. (Specific policies will be discussed at a later time.) In general terms, students are expected at all times to demonstrate good manners and common courtesy, including respect for all adults (bus drivers, chaperones, restaurant wait staff, hotel personnel, other hotel guests, store clerks, tour guides), and punctuality. Any deviation can result in assignment failure. Student participation in this field trip is interpreted as automatic consent to random and unannounced inspection of luggage and rooms in the interest of all students' safety and security.
  
  
• The instructor maintains the right to bar from the trip any students who display, via normal classroom observation, conduct suggesting extra adult supervision might be necessary. Placing volunteer teachers/supervisors and parents/chaperones in a position of abnormal regulation (due to pre-known circumstances) is unreasonable to all excursion participants, adults and students alike. Simply, if deportment in the school setting is an issue, logic dictates that almost certainly conduct in public places (such as restaurants, motels, and museums) will also be problematic. Students must attend a general meeting (day and time TBA) during which specific trip rules and regulations will be announced. Rooming mates will be assigned by the instructor.
  
  
• Students should dress casually, mindful of each day's weather forecast. Closed-toe footwear is essential due to possible presence of rattlesnakes. A modest piece of luggage (perhaps even a "gym bag") should be room enough for everything anyone would need on the journey. Binoculars, cameras, notebooks, personal CD or MP3 players, pillows, and snacks are acceptable traveling accessories. Students are encouraged to bring a "sack lunch" containing nonperishable food items for anytime hunger strikes during the trip. Do not forget medications necessary over a 72-hour period.
  
  
  

• Excursion Fee (non-refundable) due December 15.
• Liability Waiver Contract (needs parent signature) due March 11.
• Medical Release Authorization (needs parent signature) due March 11.
• RCAS/SHS Forms (all available from instructor) due March 11.
• Little Bighorn Battlefield Excursion Study Guide (required) due April 27.
• Crazy Horse Memorial Supplementary Study Guide (optional) due April 27.
• Fort Phil Kearny Supplementary Study Guide (optional) due April 27.
• Trail End Supplementary Study Guide (optional) due April 27.
• Sheridan Inn Supplementary Study Guide (optional) due April 27.
• Devils Tower Supplementary Study Guide (optional) due April 27.
  
  
  

• National Park Service Website for Little Bighorn Battlefield Monument.
• Map of Principal Movements in the 1876 Bighorn Campaign.
• Biography of George Armstrong Custer.
• Biography of Red Cloud.
• Biography of Crazy Horse.
• Biography of Sitting Bull.
• Wyoming State Parks & Cultural Resources Website for Fort Phil Kearny.
• Wyoming State Parks & Cultural Resources Website for Trail End.
• National Park Service Website for Devils Tower National Monument.
• Photo Gallery for the 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, & 2007 Stevens HS excursion groups.
• Chamber of Commerce Website for Sheridan, Wyoming.
• Holiday Inn of Sheridan, Wyoming.
• Current weather conditions & extended forecast for Sheridan, Wyoming.
• Current weather conditions & extended forecast for Billings, Montana.