South Dakota

South Dakota was part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, but few non-Natives came other than trappers.  In 1831, the first steamship came up the Missouri to buy furs and, with easier river travel, more people began to come.  In 1861, the US established the Dakota Territory, including both of today's Dakotas and much of Wyoming and Montana.

The 1862 Homestead Act allowed a farmer to claim 160 acres of land if he built a house and farmed for 5 years, and many came.  The Sioux were upset about the invasion into their land which had been granted them by the US government.  Lt. Col. Custer's men were sent to control the Sioux but, instead, spent most of their time gold prospecting.  Custer's 1874 report to his superior of lots of gold created a gold rush.  The government tried to force the Sioux to sell but Sitting Bull refused.  So the government forces starved them into agreeing.  (More than 100 years later, the US Supreme Court ordered the US government to pay the Lakota $120 million for the illegal seizure of its land.  The Lakota have refused to take the money but instead want 1,000,000 acres of the Black Hills returned to them.)

Black Hills of South Dakota

In the 1890 Massacre at Wounded Knee Creek, US troops killed 300 Lakota - men, women and children.  Forty years later, during WWII, the Lakota code talkers helped save the US troops - the Japanese never figured out what code they were intercepting.

Thanks to Alaska, South Dakota is at the geographic center of the US.

The largest hail in US history - 8" - fell in SD in 2010.

SD has the US's largest population of Hutterites, a communal Anabaptist group that emigrated in 1874 from Europe.  SD has the US's 3rd largest population of Native Americans (after Alaska and New Mexico).

SD elected officials have term limits: 2 consecutive terms for the executive branch and 4 consecutive terms for the legislative branch.  The Legislature meets in odd-numbered years for 40-day sessions and in even-numbered years for 35-day sessions (which sounds like as good a way as any to keep legislation to a minimum).

Capitol of South Dakota

Homestead Mine, the largest gold mine in the Americas, closed in 2001 after 125 years of production.

SD population is split 50/50 urban/rural.

SD has the highest US high school graduation rate and the 5th highest US SAT scores.  2/3 of high school graduates go on to college.

"Dances with Wolves" was filmed at Triple U Buffalo Ranch near Ft. Pierre.

The world's largest and most complete remains of a Tyrannosaurus rex were found in SD and are now at The Field Museum in Chicago.

Tyrannosaurus rex at the Field Museum

Jewel Cave, protected as a national monument, is the 3rd longest cave in the world; the 6th longest is Wind Cave, protected as a national park.  Both are in South Dakota.