Imagine getting hold of a gold claim just three miles from the fabulously rich Homestake shafts. You work incredibly hard carving out a good size mine in the days before mechanized drills. You know your work will pay off big in this region flush with gold. Or…maybe not. That’s what … Read More
We all learned in school how smart research and strategic experimentation can lead to great scientific discoveries. Of course, so can pure luck, like when a construction crew in Hot Springs unearthed mammoth bones in 1974. The spot quickly evolved into one of the world’s busiest, most significant paleontology digs. … Read More
Along Black Hills trails and walkways you’ll occasionally see signs warning of rattlesnakes. Yes, western South Dakota is rattler country and the signs should be taken seriously. But it’s comforting to know many people who live in the Black Hills (maybe most) have never seen a rattlesnake in the wild. … Read More
Spearfish people love their Lookout Mountain and have found practical uses for it, beginning with weather monitor. Snow or fog isn’t considered thick until “you can’t see Lookout today.” How is summer rainfall measuring up? Whether Lookout is green or brown by mid-July offers a hint. Hiking or bicycling is … Read More
It can be argued this gigantic, powerful, shaggy-headed animal is the most impressive beast ever to roam the North American continent. But, people ask, what is it? Buffalo or bison? Properly speaking it’s a bison, but you’ll hear it called a buffalo just as often. To confuse things on another … Read More
Mount Rushmore, it’s fair to say, overshadowed the earlier career its sculptor, Gutzon Borglum. He ranked among the nation’s most distinguished artists the first half of the 20th century. Today his work is found across America in galleries, public parks, churches, the U.S. Capitol building, and even in a National … Read More
Okay, let’s be honest. You’re twelve or younger, and you’ve been stuck all day in a car moving across South Dakota’s vast expanses. Even the amazing games on your tablet have lost their power to excite. Upon reaching Mount Rushmore, the four stationary granite heads may not pull you from … Read More
Here’s that “big” theme again. The world’s largest collection of reptiles — snakes, alligators, crocodiles, giant Aldabra tortoises — is found at Retile Gardens, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Reptile Gardens is located just outside Rapid City on highway 16, the main route to Mount Rushmore. Of … Read More
Come because you love vintage architecture. Or wood carvings. Or for religious reasons or because you want to celebrate your Norwegian roots. Whatever your reason, come and marvel at the Stavkirke, an exact, full-size replica of Norway’s 850 year-old Borgund Church. The majestic yet intimate structure, also known as the … Read More
The Black Hills have always inspired music. Two 20th century hits that stood the test of time, still recognized anywhere in the world, are Doris Day’s Take Me Back to the Black Hills, and the Beatles’ Rocky Raccoon. You can get into an argument in South Dakota about who best … Read More