WARRIOR TRAIL

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Beginning at Highways 85 and 212 intersection in Belle Fourche, the Warrior Trail weaves westward from The Center of the Nation. At the Tri -State Museum in Belle Fourche, SD the trail forges its path to the corner of Wyoming into Montana for two hundred miles. Ending at the intersection of Interstate 90, travelers will find themselves adjacent to The Little Bighorn Battlefield, commonly known as Custer’s Last Stand. The struggles begin centuries ago between 1865 and 1877. Native American people of the region desperately tried to protect their land and culture from multiple threats. The Crow were pressed out of western South Dakota by the rival Sioux, who relocated from Minnesota and eastern South Dakota due to their own displacement from U.S. military forces. Inter-tribal strife and territorial battles only compounded as U.S. Army soldiers enforced an edict from Washington, D.C. From Belle Fourche, through Colony, Wyoming, Alzada, Hammond, Boyes, Broadus, Ashland, Lame Deer, Busby and Crow Agency, the people live in the history soaked land on the Warrior Trail. The people are as rich and diverse as the communities and areas they live in! The one common denominator is the “Warrior” that thrives in each of them as a tribe, a community, a business, a ranch or as an individual. Enjoy your travels today as you imagine yourself as one of the Warriors Learn more about the deep history at TheWarriorTrail.com.

BELLE FOURCHE LIVERY

ing of ever-changing displays. It documents the rich history of the town of Belle Fourche and the surrounding Tri-State area. Tipperary, the legendary bucking horse, brought many to the area, and to the Black Hills Roundup which was started as a war effort in 1918. The July 4th weekend draws a considerable crowd to the area and the museum supports the continuation of the documentation of that event. The museum tells tales and truth about such local historical events as the Great Butte County Bank Robbery, the Sundance Kid and the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang. A large military section leads visitors from the Civil War, through World War II and highlights the Doolittle Raiders. The Spaulding Cabin, located next to the museum, takes the visitor back in history to a time when Spaulding, his sister, brother-in-law, and their six children lived in the hand-hewn log two-story home. The cabin was donated to the museum by the W.A. Helmer family and the Belle Fourche Lions Club provided the renovations. Anyone who wanders through the small, cramped rooms, will wonder at how a family survived the conditions.

Learn more about the Tri-State Museum & Visitor Center on page 21.