Geographic Center of the United States

This flag, on a private ranch in Butte County, South Dakota, is at the Geographic Center of the United States of America. The nearest town is Belle Fourche, about 20 miles to the south.

Embedded in concrete at the base of the flag is a reference mark (Center - No. 1) placed by the U. S. Coast Guard and Geodetic Survery in 1962. The flag and marker is surrounded by open prairie as far as the eye can see in all directions. The center of the United States is in the middle of nowhere.

Abbie Gardner Monument

Located just north of the town of Redfield, Spink County, South Dakota, this monument reads: "Abbie Gardner was delivered to her rescuers on May 30, 1857, after eighty three days of captivity among the Sioux Indians following the Spirit Lake Massacre in Iowa." The tablet was placed by the Charlotte Warrington Turner Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution.

The Gardner family came to Lake Okoboji in July 1856 from New York. Because it was too late in the season to plant and harvest crops, the family brought enough food to last the winter months. They managed to build one cabin by winter, but weather prevented them from finishing a second. At the time of the massacre, Rowland Gardner, his wife, a son, two daughters, a son-in-law, and two grandchildren occupied the Gardner Cabin. A third daughter was in Springfield, Minnesota, at the time of the massacre.

By late winter in 1856, both the settlers and Dakota leader Inkpaduta's people were running out of supplies. Tensions ran high as Inkpaduta's people tried unsuccessfully to get food from the settlers. Finally, on March 8, anger turned into violence. Over several days, Inkpaduta's band killed 33 settlers and abducted four women, including Abbie Gardner. No one recorded the Dakota's losses. After the Okoboji attack, Inkpaduta's band travelled north, unsuccessfully attacked Springfield, Minnesota, settlers, and then fled west to the Dakotas where they killed two of the four captives. Later that spring, Inkpaduta released Abbie and another Okoboji captive after ransom was paid by Indian Agents from Minnesota.

After her release, Abbie Gardner joined her sister in Hampton, Iowa. In August 1857, she married Cassville Sharp. They raised two children before separating sometime in the 1880s.

Returning to Arnolds Park in 1891, Abbie purchased the cabin, operating it as one of Iowa's first tourist attractions until her death in 1921. For a quarter, or ten cents for children, visitors could see the displays in her log cabin museum and listen to her stories of the Spirit Lake Massacre, her captivity, and rescue. In her later years Abbie forgave the Native Americans and even developed a lifelong interest and admiration for Native-American culture. She collected many examples of Native-American artifacts which she displayed in her museum located in the log cabin. She collected pipestone from southwestern Minnesota and brought it back to Arnolds Park where she commissioned her neighbors to carve miniature replicas of the Spirit Lake Monument (dedicated in 1895). She sold these replicas as souvenirs in her museum shop. As part of her tourist business, Abbie Gardner-Sharp sold her book, The Spirit Lake Massacre, postcards, and other souvenirs.

Abbie died in Colfax, Iowa, in 1921.

Photos by J. Stephen Conn. Information source, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=14621814

Clark, South Dakota Veterans Monument

This monumnet in Clark, South Dakota honors veterans from Clark County who fought for American expansion in wars from the War of the Rebellion (1861-1865) to present. Plaques on all sides of the monument give tribute to Clark County citizens who have fought in America's wars.

I found the plaque to the War of the Rebellion, pictured below, to be particularly revealing. This small county in what was then the Dakota Territory, sent a very large number of soldiers to the "War to prevent Southern Independence." This was a full quarter-century before South Dakota was granted statehood in 1889. It was also during the same time of the Indian Wars in which the United States systematically slaughtered the Plains Indians, breaking treaty after treaty, in order to steal their land and their gold.

Actually, these two wars were both parts of the United States' much larger, campaign of conquest, which also included the Mexican-American War, the Spanish-American War, and others. President Ulysses S. Grant acknowledged as much when he said, "The Southern rebellion was largely the outgrowth of the Mexican war."
Spurred by the zealous but misguided notion of Manifest Destiny, and through relentless decades of wars and atrocities, the United States evolved from a confederation of sovereign, independent states into a world-wide empire with an all powerful centralized government.

Doland, South Dakota - Home of Hubert H. Humphrey

Doland is the county seat of Spink County, South Dakota. Humphrey Drive, pictured here, is the main business district of the small town and is named for Hubert H. Humphrey who grew up here.

Humphrey graduated from Doland High School. He later went on to become mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota, a United States Senator from Minnesota and Vice President of the United States. He was the 1968 Democratic nominee for President of the United States.

Big Stone Lake, Minnesota & South Dakota

Big Stone Lake is a long, narrow freshwater reservoir covering 12,610 acres of surface area. It stretches 26 miles from end to end and averaging around 1 mile wide. The lake is the source of the Minnesota River, which flows 332 miles to the Mississippi River. The lake is fed by the Little Minnesota River at its north end.

Big Stone Lake is very popular with anglers who may catch more than 30 different species of freshwater fish. The most popular are walleye, northern pike and bluegills. The lake is stocked once every two years with 7,000,000 walleye fry. There are 12 public accesses along the length of the lake for fishing use.

The lake boasts two state parks: Hartford Beach State Park in South Dakota and Big Stone Lake State Park in Minnesota. These offer boat launch areas, beaches, campgrounds, hiking trails and other amenities.

www.bigstonelake.com

Summit of Harney Peak, South Dakota

Harney Peak, rising to 7,242 feet above sea level, is the highest point in South Dakota and also the highest point in North America east of the Rocky Mountains. It is located in the Black Elk Wilderness Area of the Black Hills National Forest of southwestern South Dakota. The jutting rocky summit of the mountain is capped by an abandoned stone lookout tower which is on the National Register of Historic Places. The peak is named for General William S. Harney who was comander of the military in the Black Hills in the late 1870s.

Two popular hiking routes lead to the summit, one from Sylvan Lake and the other from Horse Thief Lake. I hiked the six-mile (round trip) trail from Sylvan Lake in the 1980s, during my quest to climb the highest point in every state. It is a very scenic hike and not too difficult. Nearby attractions include Custer State Park, with its large herd of free-roaming American Bison, and the very popular Mt. Rushmore National Memorial.

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Pioneer settlers called this land "Bad" because it was not good for farming. But it is a very good land for sightseeing, recreation and wildlife. Visitors will find almost a quarter million acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires, blended with the lartgest mixed grass prairie remaining in the United States. This is home to American bison, pronghorn and the most endangered animal in the United States, the black-footed ferret.

The Stronghold Unit of the Badlands National Park is co-managed by the Ogala Sioux tribe of American Indians and includes sites of 1890s Ghost Dances. There are also pioneer farmsteads to explore, fossils to find, and trails to hike. Visitor centers offer gift and book shops, orientation films, restrooms and a restaurant. There are two rustic campgrounds where sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

This is the American landscape of legend and old western movies. When the famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright visited here he remarked, "I was totally unprepared for the revelation called the Dakota Bad Lands." Perhaps this magical place will catch you by surprise too.

The Corn Palace, Mitchell, South Dakota

There's not another building on earth quite like the Mitchell Corn Palace.

Established in 1892 and originally called "The Corn Belt Exposition" the third and present building was completed 1921. The unique thing about the Corn Palace is that the entire exterior of the building is made of grains grown and harvested by South Dakota growers. They come in an amazing variety of designs and colors. The exterior of the Palace is completely stripped down every year and new murals are created, so you could make an annual visit and it will never look the same.

The outside walls are noted for their murals, designed by local artists. New materials are applied to the building each year, depicting life in South Dakota. Thousands of bushels of corn, grasses, wild oats, brome grass, blue grass, rye, straw and wheat are used after every growing season.
The Corn Palace serves as a multi-use center for Mitchell and the surrounding area. Throughout the year it is used for exhibitions, stage shows, sports events, etc. The Palace was conceived as a unique way of promoting the agricultural abundance that comes from South Dakota's fertile soil. It draws more than a half million visitors annually. This South Dakota Icon stands proudly as a tribute to the agricultural heritage of the state.

Admission is free to look around the Corn Palace, where you will see a very interesting display of exhibits. South Dakota items are for sale in the gift shop.