Overview
Two years before the Little Bighorn, Lt. Col. George Custer entered the mysterious Black Hills of Dakota Territory at the head of a massive exploring party. It would prove to be one of the most eventful and best-documented expeditions of the Old West, an adventure of discovery that readers can now experience for themselves. Owned by the Lakota Sioux, the Black Hills were the last unknown place to the white population of America. Gold discoveries during the reconnaissance brought a flood of illegal prospectors, which was one major cause of the hostilities unleashed against Custer and his men on the Greasy Grass.
The explorers of 1874 told their own story in journals, reports and newspaper dispatches, while William H. Illingworth brought back the first photographs taken in the Black Hills. Every available resource has been brought together to make the journey come alive for the reader. Those who visit the Hills can add to their experience by using the included trail guide to find many of the photo sites or see the very places described in the book.