South Dakota
South Dakota entered the Union on November 2, 1889, at the same time as North Dakota, and is generally recognized as the nation’s fortieth state. Known as the Mount Rushmore State, it has Pierre as its capital and Sioux Falls as its largest city. The Missouri River divides the state between rolling farmland and prairies in the east and the Great Plains, Badlands, and forested Black Hills in the west.
Originally part of the much larger Dakota Territory, South Dakota experienced rapid growth during the late nineteenth century as railroads, homesteading, cattle ranching, and the discovery of gold drew new settlers to the region. Agriculture became the foundation of its economy, while mining shaped communities in the Black Hills. The construction of Mount Rushmore between 1927 and 1941 created the state’s most widely recognized landmark.
Recent Articles
Wild Bill Hickok’s Last Poker Game
Marty took a seat at the poker table in Deadwood, joining costumed performers in a staged recreation of one of the town’s most famous stories. The scene recalled the final card game of Wild Bill Hickok, whose death became inseparable from Deadwood’s history. James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok arrived in Deadwood in July 1876, already […]
Crazy Horse Memorial
We visited Crazy Horse Memorial during our family travels about thirty years ago. One of the things we learned was that this enormous undertaking was supported through private donations and visitor admissions, without federal or state funding. It was a project intended to honor Crazy Horse, an Oglala Lakota leader, and to create a lasting […]
Corn Palace
On our cross-country trip, we stopped in Mitchell to see a building unlike any other: the Corn Palace. Its walls are decorated with large designs made from ears of corn, grains, and grasses. What began as a celebration of a local harvest has become one of South Dakota’s best-known landmarks. Mitchell built its first Corn […]
Homestake Mining Company Compressed-Air Locomotive
During one of our family trips through the West, we stopped in Lead, South Dakota, a town whose history is inseparable from the Homestake Gold Mine. Here Emily and Erin are standing beside one of the unusual locomotives used by the Homestake Mining Company. At first glance it looks a little like a steam locomotive […]
