In the late 1860's, Lieutenant-Colonel George Armstrong Custer was sent on a special exposition to the Black Hills, South Dakota to map, to survey the terrain and topography for the United States Army, and to open the Hills for the white gold miners to search for gold. The Black Hills were called Paha Sapa - the sacred and a holy place of the Sioux Nation, a refuge for times of harsh winters and bad weather, for occasional hunting, and a source for their lodge and travois poles for the great Sioux Nation.

The Sioux Nation was made up of six [6] tribes -- Oglalas, Brules, Hunkpapas, Lakotas, Minniconjous, and Santees. These six tribes were very self-sufficient, were very proud of their culture, a people of enormous ego, and a group of people who believed in their heritage as sacred.

To name some of their leaders who were very prominent in the history of the Indian Wars with the United States Cavalry in that period of time after the Civil War were Sitting Bull, Red Cloud, Crazy Horse, Gall, Dull Knife, Spotted Tail, Touch-the-Clouds, He Dog, Little Big Man, Red Feather, and Little Hawk. These great leaders were much respected for their wisdom, leadership, and beliefs in their unfenced way of life.

The soldiers of Custer's 7th Cavalry were from Michigan and most were veterans of the Civil War. Men who were battle tested, very courageous, and dependable. One of these soldiers was a corporal named Arthur Klingdist. He was selected as one of twelve men to go alone into different areas of the Black Hills to search for gold and with other assignments because of his ability as a very dependable soldier. He was to maintain a diary of daily accomplishments with compass bearings of the places he had discovered. He was called "Art", for he was a likeable and friendly soldier, and one who was skilled with knowledge in sign language.

After riding for two days on a beautiful, strong, chestnut colored stallion, Art came to a very beautiful place with lots of grass, good shade, and a wide, clear stream flowing rapidly. He decided to make this place his temporary headquarters. He gathered rocks to make a circle for his campfire; he made a safe place for his horse with grass and shade; and his tent was set up near his campfire for comfort and safety from the wilds of the Black Hills. He was now ready to begin his duties.

Before time to prepare his evening meal, Art rode his horse in an area surrounding his camp to become familiar with the territory. The sounds of birds, crows, wolves, and coyotes could be heard far and near. The wind made a strange and eerie whistling noise through the pine and ash trees. Off in the distant opening, Art saw several pronghorn antelopes running and loping as though they were startled at an unseen disturbance. This sighting was noted in his diary for he had never seen pronghorn antelopes. These animals were native to this area in the Black Hills. Suddenly, he heard a loud shrill call from above. This was his second encounter with a very large bird - a bald headed Eagle. It was circling and gliding gracefully. What a magnificent bird!

No wonder that the Sioux revered the eagles. This sighting was also noted in his diary. Art decided that his first venture in the Black Hills must end for that day and returned to his camp to prepare his supper.

The sun was setting and the shadows were long. The day had been bright and clear, and a cold day for March. The night came quickly and made the area very dark. The stars above were bright and there was no moon at that time of the month. Many sounds of the wild became very loud and were nearby. Consequently, Art put more firewood and logs on his fire sending many sparks skyward. The light from the fire gave assurance of comfort and safety from the unknown animals creeping nearby in the dark. He went to his horse to insure its safety and well being of knowing that his horse was bedded down satisfactorily.

With the fire well supplied with logs for the night, Art made his bedroll and slept the night with no problems. Even his horse slept too and was comfortable, for it never whimpered nor snorted during the night.

Next day, Art packed his equipment on his horse for his next venture into the Black Hills. He rode North for several hours deeper in the Hills than he thought. His landmarks were noted in his diary along with other sightings of the territory. But for some unknown reason, he became uneasy and disoriented. He was bewildered and uncertainty overcame him. He found a stream of clear water and both he and his horse were thirsty. He decided to gather his thoughts while sitting on the grass to rest. Art checked his bearings in his diary and began to realize that he was not in the area he thought certain to be. But with his skills as a soldier, he began to make adjustments to his location. He would not worry about this situation at the moment. He would take care of it tomorrow when it was light. Art made his temporary camp for a good night's rest.

As his fire was burning bright with flames, and the stars were very bright, the night was unusually quiet and still. Suddenly, his horse snorted as though it was alarmed and giving a warning that danger was near! Quickly, Art got his rifle on the ready for any problem that might arise. He even shifted his revolver to be ready in the event it was necessary to use it for protection. An Owl landed in the top of a tree and gave its eerie call--- whooooooo whoooooo. A smile of relief came quickly to Art's face. All was quiet now and both Art and his horse enjoyed a peaceful night of sleep.

The morning came with heavy clouds, for the weather had changed drastically. It was much colder. It began to rain. Art finished his early breakfast and stayed in his tent until the rain stopped. It was a miserable day, and here he was alone in the Black Hills -- Paha Sapa. He remained sheltered there for the rest of the day. This delay and the rain gave him time to update and record in his diary sightings of importance along with the compass bearings of these locations. Art came to the realization that he was not in the locale he thought to be.

Next day, the weather had cleared and the sun was shining brightly. As Art was packing his equipment on his horse, he saw a figure on a big brown and white horse moving in front of him among the shadows of the trees. He became alarmed. He yelled to the figure. An Indian woman dismounted her horse and came forward. She gave a friendly gesture. Art responded in like manner. She was very charming and with long dark hair, eagle-like sharp dark eyes; her doe-skin dress was very elaborately adorned with ornaments and beads, and she had on leggings up to her knees. She spoke in Lakota language asking Art what he was doing in Paha Sapa. Art replied that he was on a friendly mission to inspect the Black Hills or Paha Sapa.

He invited her to stay there with him and to help him accomplish his mission as a guide. She accepted his invitation, and they became friends. Art had no difficulty communicating with this Indian woman. He was glad to have her there with him for company. They sat around his make shift camp just talking and laughing. They came to be friends with this new friendship. Art asked her what was her name. She replied that she was the daughter of a Lakota Chief named Big Buck Elk. She said that she was here in this area looking for her wolf pack to play and to be with them. Her village was not too far from here. She had a very keen sense of direction when she was away from her people. Finally, she said her name was Morning Star. What a beautiful name! Art asked her how she was named Morning Star? She answered that one night with her mother and father when the stars were brightly shining, she pointed enthusiastically to a particular star in the East with a great exclamation, she yelled, "My Star!" She was a young girl. Her father, Big Buck Elk, said to her, "you will be known forever now as Morning Star. Art told her that he was glad to meet her. He told Morning Star that his name was Art Klingdist. She had a difficult time pronouncing Art's last name. He told her to call him just Art.

...cont ---> Page 2