South Dakota - The Mount Rushmore State
I was really excited to go to South Dakota from all that I had heard about its rugged beauty. We flew into Rapid City, rented a car and drove immediately to Mount Rushmore. We’ve all seen so many pictures of this massive mountainside sculpture, but photos can’t possibly capture its scale and grandeur. The chief carver of the mountain was Luigi del Banco who began the project in 1927. Luigi emigrated to the US from Italy and was chosen “because of his understanding of sculptural language and ability to imbue emotion in the carved portraits.” (New York Times, September 2017) The massive outcropping of granite from which the memorial was carved is at the top of the mountain. Each face is 60 feet high and carved with intricacy of detail and expression. We took in the views from the Grand View Terrace and along the Presidential Trail at the base of the sculpture. There is a reason for each Presidential head: Washington (the birth) represents the founding principles of the new union; Jefferson (the Growth), the Declaration of Independence and the Louisiana Purchase; Lincoln (the Preservation), the maintenance of the country during the Civil War; and Roosevelt (the Development), the expansion of the country through the implementation of the Panama Canal and the conservation of the United States’ natural resources. No other figures will be added to the monument.
The next day we took a ride on the 1880 Steam Train, a 2-hour, 20-mile round trip between Hill City and Keystone. This is one of America’s last steam trains still in service, featuring Baldwin steam locomotives and 19th-century coaches – which weren’t very comfortable, to be honest, but it was a great way to see the countryside and our guide narrated the trip from an historical perspective.
The most dramatic views, however, were from the Needles Highway Scenic Drive. The 14-mile route through Custer State Park threads among the oddly shaped, weathered granite spires from which the highway derives its name. One of the more prominent formations along the way was the Needles’ Eye, which stands more than 30 feet and has a slit down its center about three feet wide. We encountered several hairpin curves and narrow tunnels along the route, so I was glad that Andy was driving and all I had to do was take photos!
Farther along in Custer State Park we got up close and personal with bison, herds of bison! We were instructed to stay in our cars within this habitat which contains one of the world’s largest publicly owned free-roaming bison herds, numbering about 1,300. At one point, though, I just had to jump out to take a quick photo of a magnificent specimen that was posing close to our car. As I stood outside just a few feet from him, I’ll admit I was scared, he was just so huge! But he paid me no mind; I think these bison are used to encountering lots of people and cars every day. It was very exciting to see them, and to witness them enjoying their natural habitat. By the way, we learned that buffalo are native to Asia and Africa whereas bison are native to North America and parts of Europe. The differences between buffalo and bison are complicated, but technically the song, “Home on the Range,” got it all wrong!
We went to Black Hills Mining Museum in Lead (pronounced LEED) the next day, located high above the Black Hills, surrounded by ponderosa pine forests, meandering trout streams and mountain meadows. The town was founded during the great gold rush of 1876 and sustained by one of the richest veins ever unearthed. George Hearst, father of noted publisher William Randolph Hearst, amassed his fortune through the initial investment in the Homestake Mining Company. Today Lead is a destination for outdoor enthusiasts and history buffs. The mine itself was considered one of the world’s largest, plunging some 8,000 feet below ground. We toured a simulated underground level of the gold mine, which felt very realistic. Elegant Victorian mansions, quaint miner’s homes and old-fashioned storefronts co-exist in this mile-high community, built precariously on the steep inclines of the Black Hills.
We took Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway as we worked our way north and east. We took a hike on a trail that follows Spearfish Creek, which is unusual in that it freezes from the bottom up and flows south to north. Our next stop was Deadwood, with only one main street and filled with reminders of its lively past as a gold-rush boomtown. We enjoyed a re-enactment of Calamity Jane having a gunfight with some “bad guys.” In the late 1800s, Deadwood was a haven for gunfighters and gamblers like Wild Bill Hickock, Calamity Jane, Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday. Hickock was shot and killed here during a poker game in 1876. We walked to Boot Hill to see the gravesites of some of these characters.
We took a hike in Bear Butte State Park, 2.8 miles out and back with gorgeous views from the summit. This geologic formation is one of several intrusions of igneous rock in the Black Hills that formed millions of years ago. The mountain is sacred to many Indian tribes who come here to hold religious ceremonies. Signs advised us to be respectful of artifacts of these religious practices, which were usually brightly colored pieces of cloth.
We were completely unfamiliar with the Crazy Horse Memorial yet found it nearly as impressive as Mount Rushmore. The sculptor, with the unpronounceable name of Korczak Ziolkowski, was of Polish descent. He gained recognition at the 1939 World’s Fair, which attracted the attention of Lakota Chief Henry Standing Bear, who invited him to the Black Hills to carve Crazy Horse. The intention of the memorial was to represent Native Americans of all tribes. Korczak accepted and he and his wife, Ruth, had 10 children who took part in the dream of Crazy Horse as they were growing up. Some of them, along with their own children, carry on the project today. That’s right; it was started nearly 70 years ago and still is not finished.
Upon completion, the in-the-round figure of Crazy Horse astride his horse will be 563 feet high and 641 feet long, the largest statue in the world! The 9-story-high face is now complete, and we were able to see the ongoing work of the project from a rustic bus ride to the base of the project. Inside a museum, a movie and scale models of the statue explain the fascinating history and the ongoing work on the mountain.
We stayed two nights in Rapid City, the closet major city to the Badlands, which has a life-size presidential statue on nearly every corner. We spent a couple of hours in nearby Reptile Gardens, which among its exhibits has what is believed to be the world’s largest reptile collection. Some of these snakes were scary! We also saw parrots, crocodiles, a herd of giant tortoises as well as orchids and other tropical plants.
Wall, the northern gateway to Badlands National Park, is best known as the home of the famous, block-long Wall Drug Store. In 1936, the owners of this small-town pharmacy, Ted and Dorothy Hustead came up with an ingenious marketing campaign. Realizing travelers going through the hot, dusty prairie would be thirsty, they put up signs along the highway offering free ice water. Tourists, just like us, have been stopping there ever since. Later they invested in billboards and Wall Drug roadside advertisements appeared across the country until the 1965 Highway Beautification Act forced their removal. We had lunch there, along with a few hundred other travelers, then walked around to peruse the kitschy displays of other amusing things, like dinosaurs and a 6-foot rabbit.
In the Badlands, we took the scenic route which starts at Wall and ends at Cactus Flat. This area contains spectacular examples of weathering and erosion, including irregular ravines, fantastic ridges, and low hills and cliffs that display variegated colors alternating with grayish-white sediment. In some places, the hills reminded us of scoops of sherbet, with unexpected colors like lemon, lime and watermelon. Our expectations for the Black Hills and the Badlands were high, and happily they did not disappoint.