Locals call them “summer chuckwagon suppers,” typically consisting of beef or chicken, potatoes, coffee or lemonade, and live cowboy music. Oh — and baked beams are always served, integral to both supper and entertainment. Because if you’re a cowboy musician and you want to crack a joke or two between … Read More
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