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Custer's Last Loop
For the history buff, this is a great "off-the-beaten-path" drive. Miles City not only is the historic terminus of the early Texas to Montana cattle drives of the late 19th century made famous by the movie "Lonesome Dove," but it is also the site of some of the most beautiful homes in Montana, many of which were built by the early cattle barons. It is also home to the "World Famous Bucking Horse Sale" every year, where the world's best rodeo stock are sold at auction.
The area between Miles City and Broadus features broad, open spaces, plus interesting vistas of the Chalk Buttes. In Broadus, travelers will find two of the most interesting museums in the state, featuring everything from taxidermy mounts to sea shell collections. Proceeding west along Highway 212, visitors are again treated to ever-changing scenery and rock formations formed by eons of wind and rain. 212 passes through the Northern Cheyenne Nation, then on to the Crow Indian Nation. In Ashland, it's worth a stop at St. Labre Indian School, one of the most beautiful and architecturally-stunning buildings in Montana.
Garryowen is situated at the junction of Hwy 212 and Interstate 90. Here is where you'll find the Little Big Horn National Monument, commemorating the famous battle between Lt. Col. George Custer's troops and an overwhelming number of Cheyenne, Lakota and Arikara braves bent on preserving their vanishing way of life. Not to be missed is the Custer Battlefield Museum in Garryowen, where history buffs can view countless artifacts from the conflict that started on that very site on June 25, 1876.
From Garryowen, it's just a short 20-minute drive to Hardin, home to the Bighorn County Museum. Ever-expanding, this museum features 19th century buildings and homes that have been carefully and lovingly preserved just the way they would have been seen at their original locations.
Billings, Montana's most-populace city, is just an hour northwest of Hardin, and features first-class dining of several ethnic origins, lodging to fit any budget, shopping and actions such as ZooMontana, the Yellowstone Art Museum and Moss Mansion, built over 100 years ago by one of the most influential residents of early Billings history.
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