While we were planning today’s activities, Ted and I learned last evening that our motel is within minutes of Sitting Bull’s grave. We decided to visit the site. It’s about two miles outside of Mobridge, SD on the Standing Rock Reservation.
Sitting Bull was shot by a Standing Rock policeman in 1890 near Fort Yates, ND and was buried at the Fort. In 1953, his Lakota family exhumed what were believed to be his remains and buried them at his birthplace near Mobridge. Fort Yates has a grave marker for Sitting Bull, but he is actually buried in the Mobridge area.
This is the monument at Sitting Bull’s gravesite. People still leave things at the monument.
This is Sitting Bull’s monument from behind, showing how it overlooks the Missouri River.
Sakakawea is buried in Wyoming, where she died, but there is a monument to her near Sitting Bull’s grave. We were quickly informed by local people that her name is properly Sakakawea, not Sacajawea, as we learned in school. Sa-ka’-ka-way’-ah is said to be a more accurate pronunciation of her name. She is recognized as the most remarkable Native American woman in history.
This is the monument to Sakakawea.
From Mobridge, we headed for Fort Yates to see the Standing Rock monument. On the way, an exciting thing happened: We entered North Dakota, one of three states we haven’t visited.
We made it!
It looks a lot like South Dakota.
After taking a moment to appreciate our arrival in North Dakota, we continued on our way to Fort Yates and Standing Rock. We expected Standing Rock to be a tall pillar of rock standing on the bank of the Missouri River. What we found was a large rock, mounted on a deteriorating structure in a parking lot. Stories about the rock say it is a mother and an infant who were turned to stone. The rock is held sacred by the Dakota/Lakota people.
From a certain angle (this one?) Standing Rock is supposed to show a likeness of the mother and infant who were turned to stone.
Fort Yates is a very small town (about as big as Hingham was when I was a child). It is located on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation and is populated by Native Americans. We stopped for lunch at a restaurant called The Rock and were the only white people–and probably the only non-residents–eating there. The food was very good and the people were very friendly.
Here’s the dining room of the restaurant. Only the far right corner table is not in the picture.
There was a sign on the wall with Sioux words on it. I asked the manager what it meant.
This is pronounced “m-nee’ wee-chon’-ni” and means “water is life.”
After lunch, Ted and I started our journey down the Standing Rock Native American Scenic Byway on our way to Mandan, where the byway ends.
