Cheyenne

Nestled next to the Washita Battlefield National Historic Site, Black Kettle National Grasslands and Red Hills Country, picturesque Cheyenne, Oklahoma offers a profoundly poignant and meaningful American Indian experience. The battlefield's impressive visitor center with its soaring roof and jutting walls made of red and tan stonework is one of three sites in Oklahoma administered by the National Park Service. Featuring exhibits, a gift shop and a moving, beautifully produced film, "Destiny at Dawn: Loss and Victory on the Washita," the site details Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer's surprise dawn attack against the Southern Cheyenne village of Peace Chief Black Kettle in 1868. A self-guided trail and overlook a short distance away hold views of peaceful grasslands and colorful red hills, belying the sad events of 140 years ago.