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News • South Dakota • United States • 2012-11-21

South Dakota Travel Professionals E-newsletter (2012, #11)

The geological history of the Black Hills of South Dakota is very unique and has yielded some of America’s most prized treasures, all of which can be enjoyed during your clients’ next South Dakota vacation. The geography of the Black Hills is laid out like a target, as it is an oval dome, with rings of different rock types dipping away from the center. The bull’s eye of this target consists of dense metamorphic granite. On top of the layers of metamorphic granite are thick layers of sandstone. This sandstone layer is known as the Deadwood Formation and was the source of much of the gold found in the 1800s.

In 1874, General George Armstrong Custer and his 7th Cavalry embarked on an expedition from Fort Abraham Lincoln near modern day Bismarck, North Dakota. The purpose of Custer’s expedition was to explore the Black Hills region in hopes of finding a suitable location for a fort and to investigate the possibility of gold mining. In the summer of 1874, Custer’s men set up camp near the present-day town of Custer and found gold in nearby French Creek.

In the northern reaches of the Black Hills lies Deadwood, a cozy mountain town with a wild history. In the late 1800s, Deadwood was the home of numerous gold miners, gunslingers and gamblers. Today, South Dakota visitors can stroll among the cobblestone streets once roamed by legends like Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. Remnants of Deadwood’s gold mining days can be found at the Broken Boot Gold Mine, an abandoned mine shaft that now offers educational tours. The Days of ‘76 Historic Museum in Deadwood showcases a number of relics from this time period, including a vast collection of Old West stagecoaches. Also located in Deadwood is the Homestake Adams Research and Cultural Center (HARCC), a 10,000 cubic foot museum that provides a comprehensive 126-year history of the Homestake Mining Company. Visitors to the Deadwood area can also drive a short distance to Lead to view the old Homestake Mine. At the time of its closing in 2002, the Homestake Mine was the largest open-pit mine in the western hemisphere. Although gold mining in Homestake has ceased, the mine is now used as a scientific research facility and offers a visitor center detailing the history of the mine.

In addition to the gold-rich sandstone of the Deadwood Formation, a thick layer of Pahasapa limestone (Pahasapa is the Lakota term for Black Hills) can also be found throughout the Black Hills. The porous nature of limestone has yielded over 200 caves throughout the Black Hills region. Jewel Cave National Monument, located near Custer, is regarded as the second longest cave in the world, coming in second only to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. Another nearby cave also holds high national prestige – Wind Cave National Park (pictured) is the first cave to be designated a national park and features a unique calcite formation known as boxwork. Such high concentrations of this rare formation can only be found within Wind Cave. Rushmore Cave, located near Keystone, also offers tours full of geologic wonder as well as a number of fun family activities. In addition to the caves mentioned, there are a number of other Black Hills caves that offer a wide-range of tours.

The history books often relate South Dakota’s history to the rough and tumble days of the Wild West. However, if it weren’t for millions of years of dynamic geological activity, South Dakota’s heritage would not have unfolded as it did.

Travel Professionals Tip

Located in beautiful Custer State Park, just a quarter mile from Center Lake, the Black Hills Playhouse is a theater and training center that hosts a variety of theater performances every summer. With a national reputation for excellence, the Playhouse consistently produces a season of high quality entertainment with something for everyone. Click here for the Black Hills Playhouse’s 2013 event calendar.

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Featured Itinerary: I-29 Cultural Corridor

Day One

Enter South Dakota on I-29 heading south to Sisseton. In the Sisseton area are Fort Sisseton State Historical Park, a restored 1864 cavalry outpost; Sica Hollow State Park, a scenic ravine steeped in Dakota Indian legend and crisscrossed by a National Recreation Trail; the Nicollet Tower and the Sisseton Whapeton College. As you travel south, stop in Watertown to visit Bramble Park Zoo and the Redlin Art Center, a large facility housing a number of South Dakota native Terry Redlin’s paintings. Next stop is Brookings with their South Dakota State Agricultural Heritage Museum, Children’s Museum of South Dakota and the 70-acre (28 ha) McCrory Gardens. Overnight in Brookings.

Day Two

Side trips off I-29 can include a prairie village, featuring a collection of restored turn-of-the-century buildings in Madison; the tribal casino in Flandreau; or Palisades State Park and Devil’s Gulch near Garretson. In Sioux Falls, stop at the city’s namesake, Falls of the Big Sioux River, where the river streams over glittering pink quartzite, tour the Center for Western Studies, the Falls Park, where the Big Sioux River streams over glittering pink quartzite; tour the Center for Western Studies; learn about South Dakota’s rich history at the Siouxland Heritage Museums, or enjoy Native American art at the Prairie Star Gallery. The city of Vermillion lies to the south and just west of Interstate 29. More than 10,000 rare musical instruments make the National Music Museum one of the great institutions of its kind in the world. The W.H. Over Museum features displays of South Dakota’s natural history and cultural heritage. Just before leaving the state, visitors can stop at an old-fashioned soda fountain in Elk Point for a tasty treat. As you head south on Interstate 29, visit North Sioux City, the furthest city south before crossing the border into Iowa.

Click here for more great South Dakota itineraries.

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Featured Attractions [more attractions]

Wylie Park/Storybook Land – Aberdeen

The Outdoor Campus – Sioux Falls

Casey Tibbs South Dakota Rodeo Center – Fort Pierre

Journey Museum – Rapid City

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Featured Events [more events]

May 25-26, 2013 – SDRA Foothills Rodeo – Wessington Springs

May 25-27, 2013 – Crazy Horse Memorial Day Weekend Open House – Crazy Horse

May 27-September 2, 2013 – Greatest Show on H2O! – Sioux Falls

May 31-June1, 2013 – Sisseton Car & Motorcycle Show & Swap Meet – Sisseton

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