Inyan Kara

On July 23, 1874, during the Black Hills expedition, Custer and a group of his men climbed the steep slopes of Inyan Kara.  This outcropping is located in the Black Hills region of northeastern Wyoming and was a sacred place to the Native Americans (Sioux) in that area.  The Black Hills region was believed to have been a temporary resting place for the spirits of the departed braves so that they would not become blinded by the splendors of the "happy hunting grounds."   The name Inyan Kara was probably derived from the white man's interpretation of the Native American term for the mountain: Heeng-ya Ka-ga.

This photo of Inyan Kara was taken by Randy Hope of XTREME CUSTER TOURS.  He was able to secure the permission of the landowner to ascend the mountain and actually stand where Custer stood and see what Custer saw.  Randy was kind enough to share this photo with the viewers of this page.

In the photo the letters are difficult to make out, so I have approximated the location of the carvings with the typed overlay.  The carved "Custer" letters are just above the printed letters.  The "C"  is easily visible, and the "T" and "R" are just barely detectable.  The engraved "7" is just to the right of the printed 7, and the "4" is just to he left of the the printed four.  The carved four is actually of the  D'Nealian  type, with the crack in the rock being the horizontal line.  Also Just to the left of the long vertical crack in the rock and in line with the "CUSTER" carving is a Barely visible "G."