SOUTH DAKOTA ●
“Little Town on the Prairie,” home
of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the
Native
Little House series of frontier tales.
With a population of around
American
60,000, Rapid City is the second-
largest city in South Dakota. The
Culture
downtown area features a collection
of life-size statues of American
presidents through the years and South Dakota is home to the
the city makes a perfect base for Great Sioux Nation, with nine
exploring the western part of the tribes and more than 62,000
state. Native Americans living in
East from Rapid City on the state. Most belong to the
Interstate 90, Badlands Dakota, Lakota or Nakota
National Park offers almost tribes, known collectively
SOUTH
a quarter-of-a-million acres of as Sioux, who traditionally
sharp, pointed peaks, fl at-topped are said to have sprung up
DAKOTA IS
buttes and “striped” formations, in the Black Hills. One of
HOME TO
where wind and erosion have South Dakota’s great trails,
created dramatic landscapes the Native American Scenic
THE GREAT
reminiscent of the moon. Byway, cuts through the heart
SIOUX
as eagles, pronghorn Cutting through the middle of the of the Great Sioux Nation
antelope and prairie dogs, as well park, the 30-mile-long Badlands and has spectacular views
NATION
as checking out some of the sites Loop Road is a photographer’s of the Missouri River, varied
visited by explorers Lewis and Clark dream, offering such exotically- landscapes, plentiful wildlife
on their historic trek west. named sites such as Seabed Jungle, and tribal history and culture.
The state’s largest city, with a Pinnacles and Prairie Wind.
fi nd themselves caught in a buffalo population of around 140,000, is It is virtually impossible to visit
jam, waiting for a herd to cross the Sioux Falls, which is located in
road, or close enough to touch a the Southeast Region. The
passing burro. area generally is a dream location
for lovers of the great outdoors, with
ROOM TO ROAM more than 175 natural and man-
South Dakota may be 77,000 square made lakes and three major rivers –
miles in size, but its population is the Missouri, the Vermillion and the
only around 750,000 and its capital, Big Sioux – to explore.
Pierre, has just 14,000 inhabitants, In the northeast, the Glacial
making it the second-smallest state Lakes & Prairies’ hundreds
capital (after Montpelier, Vermont) in of glacial lakes welcome visitors,
the United States. Pierre is in South who can follow the history of
Dakota’s Great Lakes region, Dakota tribes, frontier soldiers and
a terrifi c area for fi shing, boating, homesteaders at Fort Sisseton
camping and spotting wildlife such or visit De Smet, the self-styled
Histor
y & Heritage
Thousands of years of history are just waiting to be explored in South
Dakota, from prehistoric beasts and world-famous pioneers to Native
American and Wild West heroes. Discover more about the legendary Wild
Bill Hickok and Little House on the Prairie author Laura Ingalls Wilder,
delve into the heritage of the state’s Indian tribes and follow part of the
Lewis and Clark Trail, forged when the two explorers set out across an
untamed frontier after President Thomas Jefferson fi nalised the Louisiana
Purchase. Rapid City, gateway to the Black Hills, began as a supply stop
for early cattle drives and today is South Dakota’s second-largest city.
And with more than 100 museums across the state, there are countless
opportunities to marvel at South Dakota’s fascinating history.
www.RMI-Realamerica.com 21
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