Misplaced Pages

#479520

39-530: The highway travels through Wind Cave National Park . The northern 14 miles (23 km) of the highway is also known as the Needles Highway . The Needles Highway, along with the concurrency with US 16A , are also part of the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway . Portions of the highway are also a section of Custer State Park's Wildlife Loop. Because of the highway's mountainous, curving nature, it

78-666: A concurrency and proceed east, passing Legion Lake. The roads split after just under 1.5 miles (2.4 km). After splitting from US 16A, the route is known as the Needles Highway. This segment is 14 miles (23 km) long. Finished in 1922, the highway is named after the high granite " needles " it winds among. The portion of the Needles Highway between the intersection with SD 89 and the intersection with US-16A runs through Custer State Park, and requires an annual South Dakota park license granting access to all state parks, recreation areas and lakeside use areas. Along this stretch lies

117-505: A diverse ecosystem with eastern and western plant and animal species. Wildlife that inhabits this park include raccoons , elk , bison , coyotes , skunks , badgers , ermines , black-footed ferrets , cougars , bobcats , red foxes , minks , whooping crane , pronghorn and prairie dogs . The Wind Cave bison herd is one of only four free-roaming and genetically pure herds on public lands in North America. The other three herds are

156-413: A 180° hairpin turn only a one-half mile (800 m) from the southern end. This results in the route taking a westerly track, though it eventually turns back north and crosses Beaver Creek. Three miles (4.8 km) into the route, it bridges itself and executes a 270° turn. The route enters Custer State Park one mile (1.6 km) north of US 385. Unless you travel the 16A route non-stop, admission to

195-430: A considerable rise in temperature. Being that Wind Cave is located in the great plains, these temperature rises have already started to affect the park and the area around it. The average temperature rise across the plains has been two degrees Fahrenheit, with some areas seeing increases as high as five degrees Fahrenheit. This trend is projected to cause drought like conditions in the area. Several roads run through

234-448: A place they consider sacred as the site where they first emerged from the underworld where they had lived before the demiurge creation of the world . Originally called Washun Niya, Wind Cave played an important role in the traditions and culture of the Lakota people. The fables of these people tell the story of Tokahe, the first human to emerge from the cave, symbolizing an emergence from

273-457: A small cave with many large openings. Rapid weather changes, accompanied by rapid barometric changes, are a feature of western South Dakota weather. If a fast-moving storm was approaching on the day the Bingham brothers found the cave, the atmospheric pressure would have been dropping fast, causing the cave's higher-pressure air to rush out all available openings, creating the wind for which Wind Cave

312-635: A wine cave. I’ve been to the Wind Cave in South Dakota, which I suggest you go to.” South Dakota public figures, including the state's Representative Dusty Johnson , used it to promote tourism to Wind Cave National Park. The cave is featured in Dan Jorgensen's novel And the Wind Whispered . Custer County, South Dakota Custer County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota . As of

351-502: Is a national park of the United States located 10 miles (16 km) north of the town of Hot Springs in western South Dakota . Established on January 3, 1903 by President Theodore Roosevelt , it was the sixth national park in the U.S. and the first cave to be designated a national park anywhere in the world. The cave is notable for its calcite formations known as boxwork , as well as its frostwork . Approximately 95 percent of

390-554: Is closed during the winter. Highway 87 begins at US 385 in Wind Cave National Park , east of Pringle and west of the park headquarters. North of US 385, the route crosses Cold Spring Creek and provides access to the upstream Lake Norbeck, named after Senator Peter Norbeck , instrumental in establishing several of the national and state parks in the Black Hills. From the start, SD 87 is a very twisting and winding route, with

429-406: Is land and 2.1 square miles (5.4 km ) (0.1%) is water. As of the 2020 census , there were 8,318 people, 3,794 households, and 2,552 families residing in the county. The population density was 5.3 inhabitants per square mile (2.0/km ). There were 4,837 housing units. As of the 2010 census , there were 8,216 people, 3,636 households, and 2,427 families in the county. The population density

SECTION 10

#1733086195480

468-419: The 2020 census , the population was 8,318. Its county seat is Custer . The county was created in 1875, and was organized in 1877. It was named after General George Armstrong Custer . Custer County is home to two of the three longest caves in the United States : Jewel Cave National Monument and Wind Cave National Park . Custer County lies on the west line of South Dakota. Its west boundary line abuts

507-658: The Black Hills Playhouse . The highway passes through two tunnels blasted through sheer granite walls — Iron Creek Tunnel and Needles Eye Tunnel. That part of the road is almost exclusively used by sightseers. Just after Needles Eye Tunnel, Highway 87 serves as the northern terminus of SD 89 . After this junction, SD 87 has one more tunnel, Hood Tunnel. It then provides access to the Sylvan Lake Resort. The route finally ends at US 16 /385 south of Hill City . Wind Cave National Park Wind Cave National Park

546-700: The Yellowstone Park bison herd , the Henry Mountains bison herd in Utah , and on Elk Island in Alberta, Canada . The Wind Cave bison herd is currently brucellosis -free. The black-footed ferret and whooping crane are on the endangered species list. The whooping crane population in Wind Cave National Park is considered a non-self-sustaining wild population. Throughout the years, the great plains have seen

585-442: The atmospheric pressure of the cave and the outside air. When the air pressure is higher outside the cave than inside it, air flows into the cave, raising the cave's pressure to match the outside pressure. When the air pressure inside the cave is higher than outside it, air flows out of the cave, lowering the air pressure within the cave. A large cave such as Wind Cave with only a few small openings will "breathe" more obviously than

624-403: The 3,636 households, 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.2% were married couples living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.3% were non-families, and 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.65. The median age was 50.3 years. The median income for a household in

663-539: The United States , though it is only the second longest cave in Custer County, South Dakota behind Jewel Cave . Despite the close proximity, no connection has ever been found between Wind Cave and Jewel Cave and most geologists believe the caves are not connected. Above ground, the park includes the largest remaining natural mixed grass prairie in the United States. The passages of the cave are said to " breathe " as air continually moves into or out of them, equalizing

702-406: The bedrock, allowing it to weather faster than the calcite. The resultant intersecting fins form open chambers and protrude from the surrounding bedrock by amounts ranging from 0.6 to 1.2 m. Lower levels of the cave have boxworks mixed with frostwork and cave popcorn . Helictite bushes were also first discovered in Wind Cave. Moonmilk is found on many surfaces, while calcite rafts are found in

741-522: The cave by white Americans was in 1881, when the brothers Tom and Jesse Bingham heard wind rushing out from a 10-inch (25 cm) by 14-inch (36 cm) hole in the ground. According to the story, when Tom looked into the hole, the wind exiting the cave blew his hat off of his head. From 1881 to 1889, few people ventured far into Wind Cave. Then in 1889 the South Dakota Mining Company hired Jesse D. McDonald to oversee their mining claim on

780-420: The cave by candlelight on guided tours. These early tours were physically demanding and sometimes involved crawling through narrow passages. Like the nearby Jewel Cave National Monument , currently the third longest cave in the world, Herb and Jan Conn played an important role in cave exploration during the 1960s. The park is in an unincorporated area of Custer County . Wind Cave National Park protects

819-452: The cave site. The South Dakota Mining Company may have hoped to find valuable minerals, or it may have had commercial development of the cave in mind from the start. No valuable mineral deposits were found, and the McDonald family began developing the cave for tourism. Jesse initially hired his son Alvin (age 16 in 1890) and, beginning in 1891, Alvin's brother Elmer, to explore and help develop

SECTION 20

#1733086195480

858-439: The cave. Alvin fell in love with the cave and kept a cave diary. Others who worked at Wind Cave and helped explore it between 1890 and 1903 include Katie Stabler, Emma McDonald (Elmer's wife), Inez McDonald (Emma and Elmer's daughter), and Tommy McDonald (brother of Elmer and Alvin). By February 1892 the cave was open for visitors; the standard tour fee was apparently $ 1.00 (equivalent to roughly $ 30 in 2021). Tourists explored

897-566: The caves, down to the Minnelusa. Geologic uplift started during the Laramide Orogeny , which lowered the water table, draining the cave system and enlarging it. Today the water level is 150 m below the surface, which amounts to a drop of 0.4 m every 1000 years. Boxwork was first noted in Wind Cave. These calcite fins were once cracks filling gypsum and anhydrite. Calcite-gypsum pseudomorphs are common. The released sulfuric acid weakened

936-430: The county border. The county terrain is mountainous, especially its western portion. The terrain slopes to the east; its lowest point is its NE corner at 2,461 ft (750 m) above sea level (ASL). Its highest point is a mountain crest along the north boundary line, at 6,657 ft (2,029 m) ASL. Custer County has a total area of 1,559 square miles (4,040 km ), of which 1,557 square miles (4,030 km )

975-485: The county was $ 46,743 and the median income for a family was $ 58,253. Males had a median income of $ 39,194 versus $ 29,375 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 24,353. About 4.3% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line , including 10.9% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over. The county is divided into two areas of territory: Custer County voters are strongly Republican. In only one national election since 1936 has

1014-418: The east boundary line of the state of Wyoming . The Cheyenne River flows northeastward along the upper portion of the county's east boundary. Battle Creek flows southeastward in the upper eastern part of the county, discharging into Cheyenne River along the county's northeastern boundary line. Spring Creek flows northeastward through the upper eastern part of the county, discharging into the river just north of

1053-522: The hills in search of gold, which was against the treaty with the Lakota people, though the government did little to punish such offenses. In 1875 the Lakota title to the land was deemed invalid due to their lack of structural development and supposed “wasting” of the land. When the Dawes Act was passed in 1877, the site was opened to settlers and effectively sealed the dispossession of the Lakota from their ancestral lands. The first documented discovery of

1092-406: The lower levels of the cave system. During the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primary debate on December 19, 2019 , candidate Senator Amy Klobuchar referenced the Wind Cave as part of an attack on fellow candidate Mayor Pete Buttigieg , who had hosted a campaign fundraiser in a purported wine cave. Klobuchar remarked, “I came here to make a case for progress, and I have never even been to

1131-471: The overlying Pennsylvanian Minnelusa Formation. These red sands and clays filled in cavities. Those cavities not filled in were coated in dogtooth spar . Subsequent deposition of the Permian Opeche Shale, Permian Minnekahta Limestone , Triassic Spearfish Formation , and Tertiary White River Group followed. Paleocene and Eocene erosion removed these overlying sediments, in the area of

1170-420: The park and there are 30 miles (48 km) of hiking trails on the surface. The park had an estimated 656,397 visitors in 2018. More than 109,000 people toured the cave itself in 2015, the most since 1968 before cave tours were limited to 40 people each. The Wind Cave visitor center features three exhibit rooms about the geology of the caves and early cave history, the park's wildlife and natural history, and

1209-483: The park requires an entrance license; as of 2022, for a 1 to 7day pass the fee is $ 20 per vehicle, an annual park entrance license is $ 36. Highway 87 then becomes part of the park's Wildlife Loop, and runs through the town of Blue Bell . At milepost 17.180 (27.649 km), Highway 87 intersects U.S. Route 16A . From this point onward, the road is part of the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway. The two routes form

South Dakota Highway 87 - Misplaced Pages Continue

1248-499: The tribe into a legal relationship with the U.S. government. Another Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868 redefined and reduced the borders of Lakota land within the Black Hills. Article two within that treaty allowed for forts to be built within Lakota land and in 1874 General George A. Custer began surveying the land and mistakenly reported a significant presence of gold, despite the geologist on his team of surveyors saying there were no quantities of substance. Miners then began to invade

1287-401: The underworld. His story and presence at Wind Cave is an important part of Lakota history, and heavily influences their origin story. Wind Cave and other areas throughout the Black Hills were important to the native people in other ways beyond spirituality. Nicknamed, euphemistically, as a “supermarket,” the areas surrounding the cave provided abundant resources for native survival. Often during

1326-578: The upper 76 m of the Mississippian Pahasapa Limestone . Deposited in an inland sea, chert , gypsum , and anhydrite lenses within the limestone are evidence of high periods of evaporation. When sea levels dropped at the end of the Mississippian, dissolution of the limestone formed a Kaskaskia paleo karst terrain, complete with solution fissures , sinkholes , and caves. Thus, an unconformity exists between this limestone and

1365-410: The winter seasons, such areas served as ideal spots for camps; much of the game they hunted preferred the shelter provided by the cave and made these areas ideal to become Lakota settlements and hunting grounds. The eventual dispossession of the Lakota people followed the consistent history of dispossession of indigenous peoples across the country. In 1851 a Treaty was formed at Fort Laramie , entering

1404-548: The work of the Civilian Conservation Corps in the park. Elk Mountain Campground, located in a ponderosa pine forest, is about 1.25 miles (2.0 km) from the visitor center. The campground has 75 sites for tents and recreational vehicles and is open year-round with campfire programs offered in the summer and limited services available in the winter. The three levels making up the Wind Cave system are located in

1443-409: The world's discovered boxwork formations are found in Wind Cave. Wind Cave is one of the best known examples of a breathing cave . The cave is recognized as the densest cave system in the world, with the greatest passage volume per cubic mile. Wind Cave is the seventh longest cave in the world with 154.2 miles (248.16 km) of explored cave passageways (as of 2021 ) and the third longest cave in

1482-528: Was 5.3 inhabitants per square mile (2.0/km ). There were 4,628 housing units at an average density of 3.0 units per square mile (1.2 units/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 94.2% white, 2.9% American Indian, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% black or African American, 0.4% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 42.1% were German , 13.1% were Irish , 11.4% were English , 10.8% were Norwegian , and 7.9% were American . Of

1521-467: Was named. The Lakota , Cheyenne , and other Native American tribes who traveled through and made camps around the area were aware of the cave's existence, as were early Euro-American settlers, but there has been no recorded evidence discovered that anyone actually entered it. The Lakota ( Sioux ), an indigenous people who live in the Black Hills region of South Dakota, spoke of a hole that blew air,

#479520