wounded knee massacre monument

Very poignant and thought provoking place. As others have said , you get surrounded by youths as you drive in, selling sage bundles or just begging. Intimidating if no one else around. The cemetery is very sad but well worth the effort off route to see it. A real tragedy.

We made a special effort on our trip to the Black Hills, in February, to stop and visit Wounded Knee. There are other comments here decrying the unkept appearance of the site and being approached by local descendants. The burial site and common grave for the victims is exactly as shown in the pictures. In addition to being the historic burial grounds for the victims of the massacre, it is still an active graveyard being used in the present day. I was impressed by the sheer volume of decorations on each and every grave and the ribbons tied on the fence line. Native Americans truly appreciate and honor their ancestors. We need to remember they are a separate and distinct culture with their own values and traditions. Far from appearing neglected, I believe the site is a wonderful remembrance of the suffering they have endured at the hands of their conquerors. The prairie grasses at the site look the same as they would have on the day of the massacre.We did have local residents stop by and offer to sell us memorial items for our visit. We graciously purchased a very nice set of homemade 'Native American' earrings. The residents were eager to chat with us and answer any questions we might have. The visitor center (what is left of it) is in a sad state of disrepair and should be town down and allowed to return to its native state. Go, visit the site, read the red sign and think about the history, both in 1890 and the 1973 occupation.

Coming from the Little Bighorn National Monument, I had high expectations of what I would see at the Wounded Knee Massacre Monument. However, it was completely opposite. No fenced off area or large permanent Monument marker/signage could be found. As you drive into the pull off area, one is confronted with a red two sided billboard that describes the events. This appears something that a local or someone created who didn't want the tragic event forgotten, not something big and monumental that the US Government created. There are no markers out in the field to show the progression of events or grave markers of Sioux Warriors or Cavalry men fell. There isn't signage to point to the hill on the other side of the road where the Indian mass grave and markers are located. It's sad that the Sioux were thrown in a mass grave and it's a complete embarrassment that the US government has not treated this monumental event the same as it treated the Battle of Little Bighorn. My heart breaks for the injustices perpetrated back in 1890 that continues still today.

You will need to read the history before and after the visit because it will be hard to find there. I am comparing this sacred ground to the Sand Creek Massacre site in Colorado, where the National Park Service gives talks, hands out brochures and there are signs that give the history and tell the story. At the Wounded Knee Massacre site I was approached asking for a donation or offers to buy beads. It reflects the depressing poverty of the community. Instead of a history lesson, Wounded Knee today is a lesson on Native American population poverty. It also shows how the Wounded Knee Incident did nothing to help these people.

We were driving through SD and saw the Wounded Knee Massacre site marked on the map. I've always wanted to go there, so we went a little out of our way and stopped at the site. There's a sign that talks about the tragedy and we were approached by two Indians selling necklaces and hand painted amulets. What a sad story. Very moving place, still brings tears to my eyes.

We went to Wounded Knee on a rainy Sunday. It was quite hard to find and not that well marked. I was surprised that such an important event in history was so under rated. The sign was hand painted by the Native Americans. There was a monument with names of the deceased carved on it. Don't be surprised if several native Americans come up in a car and try to sell you something. If you go with no expectations, you won't be disappointed. Remember that this is a sacred place and you are not allowed to remove anything.

I have been interested in this part of history ever since I first learned about it in Elementary school. It was well worth the visit, the residents of the Shannon reservation sell beautiful handcrafted jewelry to tourist. Bring cash.

I'm still not sure how I feel about visiting this memorial. First, it's not a tourist attraction. If you are not familiar with what happened at Wounded Knee &/or are not interested in honoring those who were massacred here, then I don't think you would drive the miles onto the Reservation to get there. You are visiting the sacred memorial & the cemetery where the victims are buried. It is a sad place. The memorial & cemetery are at the top of a hill across the road from the sign that tells about the massacre. The roads up there are in extremely bad condition - so bad that you might wonder if you should be there. But when we arrived at the cemetery, two Lakota girls met us, told us a bit about the memorial, and sadly, were selling handmade items to help with household expenses. So there we were, honoring their dead, being reminded again of the poverty that exists on all reservations. I felt, not unwelcome, but as if I was trespassing. When we stopped at the sign to read what was written about the massacre, we were met by a small boy selling wilted bundles of sage. His parents waited in their truck as he greeted us with a well-rehearsed pitch. Tragedy heaped upon tragedy. I was prepared for this. Just be sure to prepare yourself if you are going to drive all the way out there. It is in more than one way, a sad place.

We spent quite a bit of time visiting with Justin, who was very knowledgeable and was writing the history of the massacre and the lives of the Lakota. He gave us sincere and thought provoking information and left us with a better understanding of the event of those times. We also visited the cemetery at the top of the hill. It was all just so very sad and makes the heart hurt.

When we visited the massacre site we found it to be a great leaning experience, two youths gave us a tour and told us the history and stories of some of the victims that were buried there. We were very glad the boys were there to provide us with that. It is a sad fact of American history and we found ourselves humbled in many ways.

We made quite a diversion in our journey south to visit this Memorial at Wounded Knee. We had already visited the Battlefield of Little Bighorn and been to the Wounded Knee museum which was situated in the town of Wall ( recently re-located to mid-town due to a fire in the previous site). As already stated the Memorial is poorly signposted . There is a large lay-by on the side of the road near the Reservation and the Memorial is across the road on top of the hill. You cannot really make it out from the road. It is accessible by either walking up a dirt track or taking your vehicle up to the top (there is a small flat area at the top of the hill to park - be warned there are very deep ruts / pot holes and would only advise large 4x4's attempt drive). We were there one afternoon mid-week. No other visitors were around. As soon as we parked we were immediately approached by 3-4 native Americans from the Reservation selling local crafts for funds toward their school band. I did feel a little intimidated and felt obliged to purchase.When you read other comments it is obvious that there is profound poverty around. The Memorial and surrounding area are not well maintained but is reflective of the very sad story it represents. Little Bird is also buried here whose life was so tragic - she is back among the people to whom she belongs.

Come learn about what happened to Chief Big Foots Band as they were fleeing to Chief Red Clouds people

Wounded Knee is a very sacred memorial to those who lost their lives in the 1890 massacre. We drove to the top of the hill but had to avoid a lot of ruts in the dirt path. One can not help but be moved when standing at the gate to the memorial and seeing the fenced off mass grave section. This is a very sad piece of American History but well worth the visit if only to silently mourn those who lost their lives. On a separate note, the roads surrounding Wounded Knee need major repairs. We hit a huge pothole and damaged our left front tire. We made it to the White River visitors center and one of the workers helped us change the tire. There are absolutely no service stations in the area so be very careful when driving.

We were glad we visited this memorial to the victims of the massacre of 1890. There were only a few other small groups of people the day we were there. It has a very sacred feeling at the location. You can pull off the road across from it and walk up a small incline or if your vehicle permits you can drive up the rougher dirt road to the top. (It had several washouts so wouldn't suggest if in low car.) There is an arch you can walk through up to the mass grave area that is surrounded by a fence where you can stand at or walk around. There are some other graves in the vicinity (more modern). Very unique experience. Would recommend especially for those who enjoy history.

We went to Wounded Knee and also have to say that it is not marked well. It's history. We should all be ashamed of the incident. We met with Kathy who showed us newspaper clippings and shared a great deal of knowledge about the Lakota people.We then went to the cemetery as the museum was locked. We were warned of the two men that would sell their wares for alcohol money.To say the best, the cemetery was poorly maintained but had a wealth of information.The trip to Wounded Knee is not for fun. It is an experience. It can be felt deeply and spiritually.