CultureGramsTM States Edition 2017 South Dakota The Mount Rushmore State Established 1889 40th State Besides the Mount Rushmore State, South Dakota is also known as the Coyote State, the Sunshine State, and the Blizzard State. Dakota is a Sioux word that means “allies” or “friends.” Each year around three million people visit Mount Rushmore National Memorial, which is located near the city of Keystone. The faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln on Mount Rushmore are each 60 feet (18 m) tall. One billion pounds of rock were removed to build the monument. Many dinosaur fossils have been found in South Dakota, including those of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. One of the smallest state capitals, Pierre (pronounced “peer”) is named after Pierre Chouteau Jr., a 19th-century fur trader. The annual Oz Festival in Aberdeen showcases L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. About 1,500 buffalo roam in Custer State Park. One buffalo can weigh 2,000 pounds (907 kg). The city of Deadwood was a mining town in the Black Hills known for its lawlessness. Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane are buried there. The Black Hills are the highest mountains east of the Rockies. Until its closure in 2002, the Homestake Mine in Lead was the largest gold mine in the United States. Clark is known as the Potato Capital of South Dakota and is home to an annual mashed potato wrestling contest. Climate South Dakota has dramatic weather. Like other states in the middle of North America, South Dakota sometimes experiences huge temperature swings. These changes can happen very quickly. In Rapid City on 10 January 1911, the temperature dropped a total of 47°F (26°C) in just 15 minutes! In Spearfish in January of 1943, the temperature rose an entire 49°F (27°C) in only two minutes! Summers are usually pleasant, but they can bring temperatures above 100°F (38°C). Winter days are often far below freezing, and heavy blizzards may strike. Blizzard winds reach 70 miles per hour (113 km/h). During the summer, long dry periods called droughts can kill a season’s crops. Both tornadoes and floods are common. It’s no wonder people say you’ve got to be tough to live in South Dakota. Average Seasonal High and Low Temperatures Spring: 57/33°F Summer: 83/57°F Fall: 59/34°F Winter: 30/9°F Geography 1 TM CultureGrams South Dakota Travel across South Dakota and you will see many beautiful landscapes. These have earned South Dakota the name Land of Infinite Variety. The massive Missouri River cuts down the middle of South Dakota. To the east of the Missouri lie the Prairie Plains. Ancient glaciers turned the land there into rolling hills and some of the richest farmland on the continent. The western two-thirds of the state is part of the Great Plains, where rounded hills rise above flat grasslands. The Badlands region of the Great Plains has strange, unique rock formations created by thousands of years of wind and water. To the southwest, the Black Hills hold dense forests and rich minerals like gold. South Dakota is the 17th largest state, with an area of 77,121 square miles (199,742 square kilometers). Resources and Economy Farming is the backbone of South Dakota. Farms and ranches cover about 90 percent of its land. The rich, black soil of the east produces some of the nation’s leading amounts of hay, rye, wheat, soybeans, and corn. Ranches on the western grasslands raise beef cattle and sheep. Dairies, flour mills, and meatpacking plants turn these products into items you can buy at the store. South Dakotans also make farm and construction equipment to support their farms and ranches, and they export this equipment to all parts of the country. In addition to farming and its related industries, many people work in fields such as education, health, and tourism. Time Line Before the arrival of Europeans, the Mound Builders live near the Missouri River AD 1600 AD 1682 French explorer René-Robert Cavelier (Sieur de La Salle) explores the Mississippi River; France claims South Dakota land 1743 François and Louis-Joseph la Vérendrye become the first Europeans to reach South Dakota AD 1800 1803 The French sell the Louisiana Territory, including South Dakota, to the United States 1804 Lewis and Clark begin their exploration of the new U.S. territory 1817 Joseph La Framboise establishes the first permanent white settlement in South Dakota, at Fort Pierre 1861 The U.S. government creates the Dakota Territory 2 TM CultureGrams South Dakota 1868 Red Cloud’s War ends with the Laramie Treaty, which promises the Black Hills to the Sioux 1873 The railroad reaches South Dakota 1874 Gold is discovered in the Black Hills 1876 The Sioux fight to keep their land in the Sioux War 1878–87 New settlers move to the Dakota Territory in the Dakota Boom 1889 The Dakota Territory is split, and South Dakota becomes the 40th state 1890 Federal troops from the Seventh Cavalry kill hundreds of Sioux in the Wounded Knee Massacre 1900 1927–41 Gutzon Borglum sculpts the Mount Rushmore National Monument 1930s Drought (a dry period) and the Great Depression hurt South Dakota farmers 1944–66 Dams are built along the Missouri River 1973 Members of the American Indian Movement (AIM) seize Wounded Knee 3 TM CultureGrams South Dakota 1980 The U.S. Supreme Court awards more than $100 million to the Sioux Nation as payment for the U.S. government illegally taking the Black Hills; the Sioux refuse the offer, wanting the land instead 1988 South Dakota suffers from severe drought conditions 2000 2007 South Dakota passes a law requiring students to stay in school until they graduate or turn 18 2009 Smoking is banned (outlawed) in all indoor public places PRESENT The Sioux Take Over Native American tribes were the first inhabitants of what was to become South Dakota. In 1700 the Arikara and the Cheyenne were the major tribes living there. Then the Sioux migrated (moved from one area to another) from the northwest and began to push the other tribes out. Over the next hundred years, the Sioux became the dominant tribe of the northern Great Plains. They lived in tepee villages and followed the moving herds of buffalo. Era of Exploration Two French Canadian brothers, François and Louis-Joseph La Vérendrye, were the first Europeans to reach South Dakota, in 1743. The area stayed under French control until 1803, when the French sold South Dakota to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase. The next year, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark traveled up the Missouri River through South Dakota. They explored the new territory and reported on their discoveries. Pioneers Move In Not many white settlers lived in South Dakota until the 1850s, when they began moving into the rich farmland of the east. Because there weren’t a lot of trees around, many settlers built homes called soddies with blocks of prairie grass and dirt. When the railroad reached the area in 1873, it became even easier for people to move there. Towns and villages sprang up all over the region. By 1889, South Dakota had enough people to become a state. Red Cloud’s War The arrival of the settlers was not good news for the Sioux. Now they had to compete for land. When gold was discovered in Montana, the government began building a trail that cut through Sioux land. Red Cloud, the chief of the 4 TM CultureGrams South Dakota Oglala Sioux, led attacks on the soldiers who protected the trail builders. This was called Red Cloud’s War. Red Cloud won, and the government agreed to stop the trail’s construction. They also promised that the Sioux could have the entire Black Hills region. Black Hills Gold The government did not keep its promise for very long. Miners flooded into the Black Hills when gold was discovered there in 1874. The army tried to keep the miners off of the Sioux lands at first, but this became too difficult. Then gold-mining towns, like Deadwood and Lead, were built. The Sioux had to fight to keep the land they considered sacred. Sioux leaders, like Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, attacked the mining camps. They also defeated U.S. troops in the Battle of the Little Bighorn in Montana and other battles. Eventually, however, the Sioux were forced onto reservations (land set aside by the government for Native Americans to live on). Wounded Knee In 1890, the government was afraid that the Sioux would fight again, so they decided to arrest Sitting Bull in the hope of preventing a possible rebellion. But Sitting Bull was killed during the attempted arrest. The army soon captured Sitting Bull’s followers and took them to Wounded Knee Creek. On the morning of December 29th, a shot was heard, and the soldiers opened fire on the captives. Twenty-five soldiers and close to 200 Sioux men, women, and children were killed in the tragic Wounded Knee Massacre. The Dust Bowl As in the past, South Dakota’s weather played a big role in the state’s history during the 20th century. Severe drought (a dry period) hit South Dakota farmers hard in 1910 and 1911, causing crops to fail and forcing many to leave the state for good. Even worse, during the 1930s, conditions were so dry that the Midwest earned the nickname the Dust Bowl. Huge dust storms blew away the topsoil needed to grow crops. Many families lost everything.