South Dakota Travel Guide

Although the TV series Deadwood has given South Dakota a new bit of celebrity these days, Mount Rushmore (tel. 605/574-2523; www.nps.gov/moru) still may have the most famous faces in the state. Meant to represent the ideals of American government through the 60-foot representations of four of its greatest leaders' faces (according to artist Gutzon Borglum, they are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln), over 2.5 million people have visited the site in the Black Hills every year since it was carved in 1927. Still, checking out Deadwood (tel. 605/578-1876; www.deadwood.org) is a fun diversion in the area as well. The entire city is officially a National Historic Landmark, and when you visit the restored gaming halls, Victorian homes, and cemetery where Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane are both buried, you'll see why. Nearby (you can see Mount Rushmore in the distance in certain spots), Custer State Park (tel. 605/255-4515; www.custerstatepark.info) encompasses 71,000 acres of mountain peeks, granite spires, open grasslands, and rolling foothills where you can see free-roaming bison, wild burros, prairie dogs, and many other examples of local wildlife. You can also drive through the famed Needles Eye, a tall, granite column on the 14-mile Needles Highway.

From the days when the harmony-loving Sioux Nation roamed the northern plains and Lewis and Clark ventured here via the Missouri River, South Dakota has been a land of outdoor adventure and beauty. In fact, one of the country's much-loved writers, Laura Ingalls Wilder, settled here as a child with her family in the late 19th century, and South Dakota became the setting of five of her famous young adult novels. Although venturing out into unknown lands took great leaps of bravery, you can see why the state's verdant lands were an attractive place to dig in, with lush forests and rolling prairies and rivers. As with many frontier states, though, South Dakota's history had its own sad bout of progress clashing with the public good. When gold was discovered in the Black Hills in the 1870s, the push of white settlers overwhelmed the native Sioux tribes, who would not allow mining rights on their land for prospectors. This resulted in the bloody battle of Wounded Knee in 1890. During this struggle, 500 U.S. troops surrounded the Lakota tribe keeping a stronghold on the ore-rich area. After the dust settled, two dozen soldiers and 153 Sioux, including many women and children, lay dead. Today, the site bears a stone monument marking this tragic piece of American history. Knowing how easy it is to lose their culture in the dust, the Sioux Nation has kept its traditional celebrations alive; and visitors can attend powwows, visit museums proudly displaying tribal arts, and see history markers across the country. Read More

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i am looking for an antique store in moonsocket s.d. they have a catalog to order from and do a lot of woodworking things. or could you tell me how else to find them. jan
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Attractions

Mount Rushmore National Memorial

southwestern South Dakota, 100 miles from Badlands National Park
Keystone, South Dakota 57751

Description: Four presidential faces carved from a mountain, considered one of the wonders of the world -- go for the nightly lighting ceremony.... Read More

Expert Rated & Recommended

The Journey Museum

222 New York St.
Rapid City, South Dakota

Description: Travel back in time at the Journey Museum, where trips to prehistoric and historic sites brimming with geological diversities and fossils tell the tales of the land and people of Black Hills. ... Read More

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South Dakota Travel Guide

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