Corn Palace

In Mitchell, South Dakota stands the world's only Corn Palace. In 1892, the town of Mitchell was home to only 3,000 people, but they got together and decided to erect a building to serve as a gathering place for the town and it's many rural neighbors living on farms raising corn. This building, the first "Corn Palace," served the community so well that just 12 years later, a larger building was needed to handle the crowds of people who came for social functions, political gatherings and ceremonies. By 1919, it was evident an even larger building was needed.

The current building was completed in 1921. With several significant upgrades completed over the years, it now draws over 500,000 visitors every year for various events such as musical concerts, basketball tournaments, swap meets, industrial exhibits, graduation ceremonies, stage plays, the annual Corn Festival and just to see the exterior wall murals.

Even the street sign posts are
corn themed in Mitchell, S.D. 

Each year, a new design competition is held for the murals to be constructed on the external walls of the facility. After a winner has been chosen, the design is constructed using different colored corn and all natural materials such as various native grasses.

Inside the Corn Palace

You can find all sort of corn related products -
like these corn cob suckers

When the corn cob dude walked by and saw Lil Dude,
he just had to have his picture taken with him!

Many farm items, like this antique Farmall tractor
line the concourse around the building

Outside the Corn Palace

Lil Dude & his gold prospecting
buddy across the street from
the Corn Palace

At an art gallery down the block
from the Corn Palace. Interesting,
but no idea.

Wall Drug

Wall Drug Store is an internationally known tourist attraction in Wall, South Dakota. Known far and wide simply as Wall Drug, the business brings in over $10 million each year and draws about 2 million visitors from around the world to this small, middle-of-nowhere town. 

Most of Wall Drug's fame comes from self-promotion. Billboards advertising the place are seen for hundreds of miles in all directions in South Dakota and neighboring states. Many of them state how many miles it is to Wall Drug. Over the years, a peculiar tradition has emerged by visitors from around the world who put up signs in famous places mimicking the billboards by indicating how many miles it is from there to Wall Drug.  

Wall Drug became famous in the 1930's by offering free ice water to parched travelers who were heading to the newly-opened Mt. Rushmore Monument. As the business grew, additional stores and attractions were added. In addition to the large drug store, there are now cafe's, restaurants, a clothing store, gift shops, a book store and more. Basically, anything a traveler could want can be found here. And the ice water is still free!

Inside the cavernous walkway of Wall Drug

Howdy, Pardner

Looks like Lil Dude has a new girlfriend!

Wyatt says, "Come along
peacefully or the troll
gets it!"

Badlands National Park

The Badlands National Park in South Dakota is almost 250,000 acres of eroded buttes, canyons, pinnacles and spires. Within the park is also the largest native mixed grass prairie in the United States. The area got its name from the Lakota Indians who called this place "mako sika" which translates into "land bad." 

Protected within the park are sites where Native Americans held Ghost Dances in the 1890's and a former United States Air Force bomb and gunnery range. The park is co-managed by the National Park and the Oglala Lakota Indian tribe.  

Last year, 977,778 visitors from all around the world came to see the rugged beauty of Badlands National Park where ancient mammals like rhinos, mammoth and sabre-tooth tigers roamed. When you tour the park now, keep a sharp lookout and you will see bison, bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, prairie dogs and black-footed ferrets. Also keep a sharp eye out for deadly rattlesnakes! If you stay on the paths though, you probably don't have to worry much about them as they generally try to stay away from humans.

At the Ben Reifel Visitor Center. It was
named after the 1st U.S. Congressman
from the Sioux Nation. 

Plan to spend at least a full day in the park so you can take your time driving the routes, hike some trails, and take some wonderful photographs. Lil Dude Troll certainly enjoyed his trip here and he's sure you will too!

Lil Dude isn't afraid of a rattlesnake -
as long as it is dead and enclosed in a
glass display case! 

Just inside the park on the prairie just
before the "bad lands" begins. 

Hiking a trail into the bad lands.

Hiked just a short distance and the
bad lands start just down the trail. 

Bad lands for sure!

In another area of the park where the
prairie grasses come right up to the
canyons of the bad lands.

Don't forget to watch out for those
rattlesnakes!

Crazy Horse Memorial

In the Black Hills of South Dakota is the Crazy Horse mountain monument. Work began on the huge undertaking in 1948 and there is still a long, long way to go before it is completed. If it ever is completed, it will be the world's largest non-religious sculpture.

The memorial is comprised of the mountain sculpture, a visitor center, the Indian Museum of North America, and the Native American Cultural Center. 

The mountain in 2014

Work began on June 3, 1948 by Korczak Ziolkowski, a noted sculptor who worked under Gutzon Borglum on Mount Rushmore. When work began, only a small 2-lane road led to the site and a small unremarkable visitor center was built at the foot of the mountain. Entrance was free. Korczak and his wife, Ruth, lived nearby and while Ruth raised their 10 children, he diligently worked blasting away the mountain's rocks. The government offered to help with the funding, but it was refused in favor of private donations and funds raised at the visitor center to ensure the government would not place unwanted demands on the project. Korczak often worked 6 and 7 days a week until his death in 1982. Upon his death, Ruth took over the project. 

What the monument will eventually
look like

No time-table has been given with a projected completion date, but a 6-lane highway now leads to the site which is visited by over 1 million tourists each year. Numerous manned toll-booths located before arriving at the parking lot ensure each visitor pays the $10 entrance fee. Work on the mountain slowly continues.

The large, ornate gate near the visitor center

The inside of the very large, very ornate
visitor center

Mt. Rushmore

To promote tourism in South Dakota, a man named Doane Robinson came up with the idea of a huge carving in the Black Hills of 4 United States presidents.  Chosen to represent the first 150 years of American history were presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. Danish-American sculptor Gutzon Borgium was hired to to design and lead the project.

Over 400 workers began work on the project in 1927 and the first face was completed in 1934. The last face was not completed until 5 years later in 1939. Originally, the carvings were to be of the 4 presidents from head to waist, but Gutzon died in March, 1941 and construction was halted for a short time. Gutzon's son, Lincoln Borgium took over leadership of the project, but funding was depleted by October, 1941 so work was stopped and the carving remains today as it was at that point.

Welcome to Mt. Rushmore, Lil Dude!

Robinson's idea has been an outstanding success as Mt. Rushmore is visited by over 2 million people each year and the huge carving has become an iconic symbol of America.

Heading up to famous Mt. Rushmore

The walkway to the overlook

From the viewing area

To get a much better & closer look, you need to walk
the Presidential Trail.

The Presidential Trail is a bit of a walk with a number of
stairs, but very worth it!

If you haven't been to Mt. Rushmore, Lil Dude Troll says
you should add it to your Bucket List!

Historical Mount Moriah Cemetery

Located in Deadwood, South Dakota is Mount Moriah Cemetery, the famous final resting place for several notorious Old West legends, outlaws, madams and murderers. Located on a mountain plateau above the city, the cemetery was established in 1878 and quickly began filling up with residents of Deadwood whose lives were ended by gunfire, mining accidents, Indians on the warpath, alcohol poisoning and other assorted calamities along with a few who died of natural causes.  

Among the eternal residents are Wild Bill Hickok (shot in the back of his head and killed by the drunken coward Jack McCall while he sat at a table in a saloon playing cards), Calamity Jane (notorious Old West female character who claimed to be Wild Bill Hickok's mistress and mother of his child, she died at age 51 of complications from alcoholism and is buried next to Wild Bill), Reverend Henry Weston Smith (preacher in Deadwood who was killed by Indians), "Potato Creek" Johnny (a 4 foot 1 inch miner who found one of the world's largest gold nuggets near Deadwood), and Seth Bullock who died in 1919 of cancer. Bullock, the first sheriff of Deadwood, brought law and some order to the town. Wild Bill was killed just one day after Bullock became sheriff. A week later, Wyatt Earp made it known he wanted to be sheriff. Bullock confronted him and told him Deadwood did not need his services. Rather than face him in a gunfight, Earp left town and returned to Dodge City. Seth later saw military service as one of Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders.

   If you visit Mount Moriah, give yourself plenty of time to wonder around this interesting cemetery and wear comfortable walking shoes. Please remember, this is a sacred place and while there, be respectful, take nothing but photographs and do no harm.

Bust of Wild Bill Hickok on his grave

Many of the graves are enclosed with ornate
 iron fencing

A number of the graves are buried almost
directly in the sides of the mountain.

Checking Out South Dakota

South Dakota joined America as the 40th state on November 2, 1889. It is the 17th largest state in size at 77,121 square miles, but is only 46th in population with less than 845,000 residents. 

Most Americans think of South Dakota as mountainous due to it being the location of the Black Hills with the famous Mt. Rushmore National Memorial and the still incomplete mountain sculpture of Crazy Horse, but the majority of the state is actually rolling, temperate grasslands. 

The town of Spearfish was founded in 1876 during
the gold rush. It got the name from the fact it is
on a creek where the Indians used to spear the
fish for their supper.

The Black Hills have always been considered sacred land by the Sioux Indians. In 1868, the western half of present day South Dakota, which included the Black Hills, was acknowledged as belonging to the Sioux in the Treaty of Laramie. However, a military expedition into these sacred mountains led by George Custer found gold and when word got out, white miners and fortune seekers by the thousands invaded Sioux territory. When the military did not stop these illegal incursions, war broke out. Eventually the military defeated the Sioux and the Indians were forced out of the area onto reservations. The Sioux still consider the Black Hills to be their sacred land and in the 1970's, sued the United States in an effort to get the land back. The tribe won their court case at the Supreme Court level and the government was ordered to pay them a large monetary settlement. The financial offer was refused because the tribe insists the land is theirs and they will not settle for anything other than getting it back. The case is still open and not settled more than 35 years later.

Entering Deadwood, South Dakota

There are so many things to see and do in South Dakota that every troll should visit at least once in their life. From Mt. Rushmore to the Custer State Park, from Badlands National Park to the multiple stunning scenic byways to drive, you are sure to find many enjoyable ways to spend your time here!

Deadwood's history museum and information center

The Adams Museum in downtown Deadwood

At the Stamper Jewelry store outside of Deadwood.
Stamper has become widely known for its custom
jewelry featuring silver and Black Hills gold.

Statue of a miner outside Deadwood. Perhaps it is a tribute
to Potato Creek Johnny, a miner who stood only 4 feet 1 inch
tall. He came to the Black Hills in 1883 at the age of 18 and
spent years looking for gold. While prospecting on Potato
Creek, he found one of the world's largest nuggets, 7 3/4 oz of
solid gold. Johnny kept prospecting and entertained visitors
with his stories of Deadwood's early years until he died in
1943 at the age of 77.

Lil Dude at Bridal Veil Falls. In the Black Hills on the
Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway, water cascades down a
shear 60-foot cliff. Two more falls even more impressive
are just a short hike away. With beautiful views around
almost every curve of this 20-mile drive, it proves to be
one of the prettiest in America.