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momo
Recruit
Status: offline |
 Posted - January 06 2004 : 07:19:07 AM
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Being new to the board, can I first say that in the time I have been looking in on some of the chat etc, that it has been some of the most informative material I have come across re. the subject of GAC and the Little Bighorn. Most interesting. Keep up the good work folks.
The question I want to ask of anyone who is interested, is what exactly is "the divide" Is it simply a trail between 2 valleys? A natural plateau formed between the outer valley ridges or what.
In all the material I have read, crossing "the divide" is mentioned regularly and as a matter of fact. However try as I might I can't quite pin down in my minds eye what the divide might actually consist of.
I am from Scotland and although we have some pretty rugged country over here, divide is not a term we would use in terms of describing the lie of the land.
Please forgive my ignorance on this but if anyone could help in providing a clearer picture of what constitutes "the divide" I would be most grateful.
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Loot
Recruit
USA
Status: offline |
Posted - January 06 2004 : 6:46:04 PM
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Basically a "Divide" is where the creeks or small streams begin to flow towards a larger river or watercourse. So when they say that they crossed the divide, they meant the crest of hills/mountains where the water flowed towards a different larger stream. In their case the creeks/streams flowed towards the Rosebud River and after they crossed the divide (Not too far west of Busby, Montana) the streams/creeks flowed towards the Little Bighorn River. Hope that answers your question.
In the U.S., we describe this phenomenem as a Divide. The Rocky Mountains are what we refer to as the Continental Divide. All rivers, streams, etc. on the west of the mountains flows west towards the Pacific Ocean and those on the East side flow east, either to the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic Ocean. |
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frankboddn
Major
USA
Status: offline |
Posted - September 09 2004 : 6:23:41 PM
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Jim, that was a great answer for what "the divide" is. Basically, where Custer crossed the divide, unless you knew you'd crossed the divide, you'd never know it. That's confusing. Sorry. It's not a very noticeable lay of the land. I stood at the divide about three weeks ago and took a picture of the metal marker placed there which states Custer crossed the divide at this spot. It's nothing spectacular visually and you'd never know it was "the divide" without someone telling you. But it is the area that separated where waters flowed east towards the valley of the Rosebud or west towards the valley of the Little Bighorn. If you have email, I'll send you a couple pictures. Like you, I'd always wondered what the divide meant, and now I know.
Frank. |
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El Crab
Brigadier General
USA
Status: offline |
Posted - November 12 2004 : 4:29:55 PM
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The divide was always a source of confusion for me. That was, until I saw it in person. I always took it too literally. Or read too much into it. Its simply the divide between the Little Big Horn watershed and the Rosebud watershed.
Traveling the approximate route of Custer's 7th from Busby to the Little Big Horn really opened up my eyes. Preconceptions go out the window. And incidents like the Morass and the Lone Tipi make much more sense.
And Frank was lucky that I was there to help him understand it all. He's a bit sloooooow. ;) |
I came. I saw. I took 300 pictures. |
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frankboddn
Major
USA
Status: offline |
Posted - November 12 2004 : 10:29:56 PM
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| Oooooh, El Crab, now that one really hurt, my young friend. But El Crab is right: seeing is understanding. El Crab and I have pictures of the bronze stake that was planted at the divide giving the date and fact Custer crossed there. |
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El Crab
Brigadier General
USA
Status: offline |
Posted - November 13 2004 : 02:03:27 AM
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The divide runs side to side in the picture, from left to right. We're looking perpendicular to it, into the Little Big Horn valley.
Essentially, I took this picture standing on the Divide. |
I came. I saw. I took 300 pictures. |
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joseph wiggs
Brigadier General
Status: offline |
Posted - November 14 2004 : 8:00:28 PM
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| Like you, I could not conceptualize the "Divide" in my mind. Thanks to your efforts, I get the "picture." Thanks Crab. |
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MarcusAurelius
Recruit
Status: offline |
Posted - December 13 2004 : 1:54:08 PM
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| The essence of the divide does not depend on the exact spot where the 7th crossed, but lest you become too confident of any aspect of this campaign, or, more likely, get all weak in the knees by the awesome impact of feeling like you stood where Custer stood in 1876, let me hasten to inform one and all that the marker you saw at the divide is NOT in its original (correct) position, as placed by Walter Camp and ML Wilson, somewhat to the north, in a spot identified by both Curly and George Herendeen. The marker has been moved so as to be immediately visible by rubberneckers from the present road. The actual site can probably be relocated from Camp's survey notes, or perhaps by traces of the trail, but I am too busy and lazy to perform this thankless task. I just wish the idiots/historical vandals who moved it would have thought twice about doing it, and at least have had the courtesy to put a footnote on the marker. |
in all things, ask what is the essence of it? |
Edited by - MarcusAurelius on December 13 2004 2:07:41 PM |
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timbrads
Corporal
USA
Status: offline |
Posted - January 23 2005 : 10:44:07 AM
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Hey, it's been a while since I have been here. Was waiting for the smoke to clear
Hey, Does anyone have a GPS Reading for the Crow's Nest. I camped up there several years ago and took some pics but never got a reading due to the fact that I did not own a GPS at the time.
If someone could send me the GPS reading I would appreciate it!
Thanks
Tim |
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joseph wiggs
Brigadier General
Status: offline |
Posted - January 25 2005 : 7:41:08 PM
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| Tim, what is a GPS? |
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timbrads
Corporal
USA
Status: offline |
Posted - January 25 2005 : 7:49:02 PM
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GPS = Global Positioning System It is an electronic compass that will give your location here on earth as close as 12 feet as triangulated by at least three satellites. It can give you the latitude and longitude for example and then you can apply it to a map for navigation, it is a great tool!
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joseph wiggs
Brigadier General
Status: offline |
Posted - January 26 2005 : 9:20:00 PM
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| O.K. Tim, how can I put this? This GPS sounds like a wonderful invention and, I hope you get a response. However, you got as much a chance of getting help from me as a blind man in a beauty contest. Boy, do I feel Dumb! |
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JasonBury
Private
Australia
Status: offline |
Posted - July 18 2005 : 07:36:15 AM
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| You guys in the States are so lucky....there is the battleground to visit, accessable.....I realise some may in the US may have to travel vast distances( I know its a big place) but believe me living in Australia as I am I may never get to realise my dream of exploring the field! :(....i guess thats why i enjoy hearing from you guys that have been there.....thank you for at least geting me part of the way there! |
cheers
Jason |
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joseph wiggs
Brigadier General
Status: offline |
Posted - July 19 2005 : 9:07:20 PM
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Jason, I have a very poor video tape of the battlefield I shot (hence the poor quality) on one of my trips. If you are interested in receiving a copy let me know. I guess it's the next best thing to being there.
Joe |
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JasonBury
Private
Australia
Status: offline |
Posted - July 27 2005 : 05:29:28 AM
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| Joe that would be fantastic!....you are a gentleman indeed! |
cheers
Jason |
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joseph wiggs
Brigadier General
Status: offline |
Posted - July 27 2005 : 8:59:43 PM
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| JasonBury, I have a very good friend in Italy, Lorenzo, who is a valuable member of this board. Of late, he has been tied up in some wonderful projects of his that have hampered his posting of late. Sometine ago, I sent him a copy of my tape and a "Oklahoma Sooner" cap as well. Just PM me your address and I will get a copy out to you also. May I take this opportunity to say, God Bless the wonderful people of Australia and their wonderful support of our boys in Iraq. May all of them return home soon. |
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JasonBury
Private
Australia
Status: offline |
Posted - August 06 2005 : 05:29:52 AM
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| Thank you very much Mr Wiggs, I have Pmed you my details. Thank you for your heartfelt blessings, our support is what friends must always do for each other and may all of our(that is all of the allies) boys come home safe..... |
cheers
Jason |
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joseph wiggs
Brigadier General
Status: offline |
Posted - August 06 2005 : 10:39:53 PM
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| Give me a couple of weeks and the tape will arrive. I have been extremely fortunate to meet many friends on this forum. The sharing of experiences and information here is exceptional. |
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AZ Ranger
Brigadier General
USA
Status: offline |
Posted - January 14 2007 : 11:50:47 AM
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| Is the divide the best place to enter Tollochs? |
“ An officer's first duty is to his horses.”
SEMPER FI |
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joseph wiggs
Brigadier General
Status: offline |
Posted - January 19 2007 : 7:50:09 PM
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| O.K. AZ, what's a "tollochs?" |
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AZ Ranger
Brigadier General
USA
Status: offline |
Posted - January 19 2007 : 11:16:38 PM
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| Just checking you spelling. Tullock's Creek where Custer was to scout and send Heredeen to report to Terry. |
“ An officer's first duty is to his horses.”
SEMPER FI |
Edited by - AZ Ranger on January 19 2007 11:17:49 PM |
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joseph wiggs
Brigadier General
Status: offline |
Posted - January 28 2007 : 7:07:47 PM
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| Ah ha, I knew there was an answer to this enigma! |
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AZ Ranger
Brigadier General
USA
Status: offline |
Posted - February 08 2007 : 08:47:20 AM
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| Back to the divide. A divide separates watersheds. |
“ An officer's first duty is to his horses.”
SEMPER FI |
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joseph wiggs
Brigadier General
Status: offline |
Posted - February 08 2007 : 6:50:59 PM
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| Seriously, I'm not attempting to be facetious; what's watershed. I don't know why I have so much trouble comprehending these concepts. |
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AZ Ranger
Brigadier General
USA
Status: offline |
Posted - February 09 2007 : 8:49:30 PM
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| A watershed is the land that catches the rain and puts in to specific creeks and those into rivers. When the rain is sufficient to run off it always go to same creeks and rivers.So one side of the divide was the Rosebud watershed and on the other the Bighorn watershed. |
“ An officer's first duty is to his horses.”
SEMPER FI |
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joseph wiggs
Brigadier General
Status: offline |
Posted - February 11 2007 : 7:10:18 PM
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| Thanks Az, I swear I never had any idea what a watershed was. your explanation is so neat that even I can understand it. Again, thanks! |
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The divide
