Wounded Knee Memorial — Attraction in Wounded Knee District

The earlier reviews almost scared me off.an elderly local man pulled up beside me on my way in from the turn off of the main highway and rtold me to be careful but I think he was referring to riding.

On that note from the sign there is a dirt road up to the cemetery. If you on two wheels I recommend going up and back on the track closest to this sign on the opposite side of the road. I came down the right most track looking down at them del the top and almost at the road or for pretty sandy. On a road bike loaded up with luggage this was some excitement I could have done without !! Made it though so it was probably character building.

Worthy of note is that my visit was two days after memorial day so the place has probably had some interest shown this past weekend . I was approached by two young lads . One in the car and one offering hand made necklaces. Of course one cannot take buffalo teeth back to Australia but it may make a good gift for a local friend !!

As there is little here in the way of a visitors center or toilets I can understand how the other reviews described the place as "sketchy". If you're primary job was selling crafts to tourists of the worst gun crime in USA history I can imagine some days you ma want to get up and knock back a few cold beers . Would that make you appear sketchy tp visitors ? Quite possibly.

The lad who talked to me seemed sober and non threatening. I was a man alone on a motorcycle 🏍️. I've included many photos of the local graves as it's sad how young many people die here. I thought I would feel more pain and sadness in the air . It was a...

Do yourself a favor and drive UP to the cemetery FIRST! Yes you can drive up there just follow the tracks. It’s an incredibly overwhelming sadness that hits when you’re there. Visit the site in peace and understand that it’s on one of the poorest reservations we have, there is little to no maintenance done and our ancestors deserve a better upkeep than what’s been given to them after what’s been done here. There is no entrance fee or cost to visit or go in. Drive back down and IF you have a large group or IF there is a security car parked and Natives selling, stop to look, you’re not obligated to buy, you can say no. For those saying they’re selling Chinese made stuff, they aren’t, you can watch them make some pieces right there as well as their materials on the table. I will agree with some previous reviews, after looking at 2 of the vendors sitting and selling and returning to our car to leave, a black car did quickly pull up and men got out trying to sell stuff to one of the bikers parked, aggressively, they’re the ones giving others a bad name, which even the vendors selling don’t feel comfortable around. So yes, be aware of your surroundings beforehand and if from the top of the memorial you don’t see security or are alone than skip it and read the red sign from the photos posted here. -It was empty when we went on a Friday afternoon so we were the only family visiting the cemetery. We did not go into the gated area, just walked around it to view it all. There were only 2 vendors...

If you know the history of the event and the struggles of the Sioux against the US Government, this site will have more meaning, and it's lack of upkeep and lack of poignance as a memorial may kind of make sense. I wish that weren't so.

Thanks to previous reviews, we got there at about 8:30am to avoid the trinket sellers, and we succeeded in that.

If anything made us sad, it's that the Sioux nation has an opportunity here to commemorate their brave and proud ancestors honorably as a part of the historical record, yet the site is nothing more than a worn down historical marker, a parking lot, a condemned building, and a forgotten burial ground.

For those interested in US-Indigenous relations, you should visit. For those who just saw this on their Gmap as a "site", go ahead and pass, as you'll leave sad and underwhelmed. Moreso after the drive through the reservation towns themselves, which will break your heart and leave you questioning why there are more Marijuana dispensaries than places to buy groceries. Those with knowledge of reservation treatment by the US government will know, but perhaps not the average lay citizen.

My friend and I wondered why the local high school, which is new and quite high tech, doesn't do service projects to maintain the site and elevate it to a point of prominence. The event itself is horrific, but with a proud defiance against the wrongs done to their people, the Sioux could create a memorial worthy of the Crazy Horse monument only a...