The South Dakota State Fair is an annual state fair held in Huron, South Dakota . It is held for five days over Labor Day Weekend. The fair is operated by the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
115-413: 44°21′50″N 98°13′52″W / 44.364°N 98.231°W / 44.364; -98.231 This South Dakota -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . South Dakota This is an accepted version of this page South Dakota ( / d ə ˈ k oʊ t ə / ; Sioux : Dakȟóta itókaga , pronounced [daˈkˣota iˈtokaga] )
230-429: A continental climate with four distinct seasons, ranging from cold, dry winters to warm and semi-humid summers. During the summers, the state's average high temperature is often close to 90 °F (32 °C), although it cools to near 60 °F (16 °C) at night. It is not unusual for South Dakota to have severe hot, dry spells in the summer with the temperature climbing above 100 °F (38 °C) several times
345-487: A German manufacturer of pressure washing and steam cleaning machines, conducted a free cleanup operation which lasted several weeks, using pressurized water at over 200 °F (93 °C). Other efforts to conserve the monument have included replacement of the sealant applied originally to cracks in the stone by Gutzon Borglum, which had proved ineffective at providing water resistance. The components of Borglum's sealant included linseed oil, granite dust, and white lead, but
460-811: A Visitor Center, the Lincoln Borglum Museum , and the Presidential Trail. On October 15, 1966, Mount Rushmore was listed on the National Register of Historic Places . A 500-word essay giving the history of the United States by Nebraska student William Andrew Burkett was selected as the college-age group winner in a 1934 competition, and that essay was placed on the Entablature on a bronze plate in 1973. In 1991, President George H. W. Bush officially dedicated Mount Rushmore. In 2004, Gerard Baker
575-425: A grand Hall of Records where America's greatest historical documents and artifacts could be protected and shown to tourists. He managed to start the project, but cut only 70 feet (21 m) into the rock before work stopped in 1939 to focus on the faces. In 1998, a repository was constructed inside the mouth of the cave housing 16 enamel panels with biographical and historical information about Mount Rushmore as well as
690-456: A historian for the state of South Dakota. Robinson originally wanted the sculpture to feature American West heroes, such as Lewis and Clark , their expedition guide Sacagawea , Oglala Lakota chief Red Cloud , Buffalo Bill Cody , and Oglala Lakota chief Crazy Horse . Borglum chose the four presidents instead. Peter Norbeck , U.S. senator from South Dakota, sponsored the project and secured federal funding. Construction began in 1927 and
805-408: A low temperature of no less than −20 °F (−29 °C). The two wettest months of the year are May and June. Orographic lift causes brief but strong afternoon thunderstorms during the summer. Mount Rushmore has been depicted in multiple films, comic books, and television series. Its functions vary from settings for action scenes to the site of hidden locations. Its most famous appearance
920-410: A modern silicone replacement for the cracks is now used, disguised with granite dust. In 1998, electronic monitoring devices were installed to track movement in the topology of the sculpture to an accuracy of three millimeters. The site was digitally recorded in 2009 using a terrestrial laser scanning method as part of the international Scottish Ten project, providing a high-resolution record to aid
1035-568: A national rate of 12.8%. The effect of rural flight has not been spread evenly through South Dakota, however. Although most rural counties and small towns have lost population, the Sioux Falls area, the larger counties along Interstate 29 , the Black Hills, and many Indian reservations have all gained population. As the reservations have exercised more sovereignty, some Sioux have returned to them from urban areas. Lincoln County near Sioux Falls
1150-439: A rural lifestyle, South Dakota has recently sought to diversify its economy in other areas to both attract and retain residents. South Dakota's history and rural character still strongly influence the state's culture. Humans have lived in what is today South Dakota for several thousand years. The first inhabitants were Paleoindian hunter-gatherers, and disappeared from the area around 5000 BC. Between 500 AD and 800 AD,
1265-744: A semi-nomadic people known as the Mound Builders lived in central and eastern South Dakota. In the 14th century, the Crow Creek Massacre occurred, in which several hundred men, women, and children were killed near the Missouri River . By 1500, the Arikara (or Ree) had settled in much of the Missouri River valley. European contact with the area began in 1743, when the LaVérendrye brothers explored
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#17330941951551380-507: A state dominated by agriculture to one with a more diversified economy. The tourism industry has grown considerably since the mid-twentieth century, with the Black Hills becoming more important as a destination. The financial service industry began to grow in the state as well, with Citibank moving its credit card operations from New York to Sioux Falls in 1981, a move that has been followed by several other financial companies. South Dakota
1495-470: A state first. Key events in the 20th century included the Dust Bowl and Great Depression , increased federal spending during the 1940s and 1950s for agriculture and defense, and an industrialization of agriculture that has reduced family farming. Eastern South Dakota is home to most of the state's population, and the area's fertile soil is used to grow a variety of crops. West of the Missouri River, ranching
1610-498: A year. Winters are cold with January high temperatures averaging below freezing and low temperatures averaging below 10 °F (−12 °C) in most of the state. The highest recorded temperature is 120 °F (49 °C) at Usta on July 15, 2006 and the lowest recorded temperature is −58 °F (−50 °C) at McIntosh on February 17, 1936. Average annual precipitation in South Dakota ranges from semi-arid conditions in
1725-532: Is a common target; examples include the aforementioned facial replacements in Superman II and Mars Attacks! as well as natural disasters in works like the 2006 miniseries 10.5: Apocalypse and terrorist attacks as in the 1997 film The Peacekeeper . An atypical representation of the monument appears in the 2013 film Nebraska , where instead of being treated with reverence it is criticized for being unfinished. The Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868) had granted
1840-619: Is a landlocked state in the North Central region of the United States . It is also part of the Great Plains . South Dakota is named after the Dakota Sioux tribe, which comprises a large portion of the population — with nine reservations currently in the state — and has historically dominated the territory. South Dakota is the 17th-largest by area , but the fifth-least populous , and
1955-452: Is another privately owned attraction in the Black Hills. It is a working paleontological dig and has one of the world's largest concentrations of mammoth remains. At the 2022 estimate South Dakota's population was 909,824 on July 1, 2022, a 2.61% increase since the 2020 United States census . In 2020, 6.5% of South Dakota's population was reported as under 5, 24.5% under 18, and 17.7% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 49.7% of
2070-481: Is as the location of the final chase scene in the 1959 film North by Northwest . It is used as a secret base of operations by the protagonists in the 2004 film Team America: World Police , and the secret underground city of Cíbola is located there in the 2007 film National Treasure: Book of Secrets . In the Phineas and Ferb episode Candace Loses Her Head , both Phineas and Ferb sculpt Candace's face on
2185-602: Is built on land that was illegally taken from the Sioux Nation in the 1870s. The Sioux continue to demand return of the land , and in 1980 the US Supreme Court ruled in United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians that the taking of the Black Hills required just compensation, and awarded the tribe $ 102 million. The Sioux have refused the money, and demand the return of the land. This conflict continues, leading some critics of
2300-488: Is flowing downhill, providing watering spots for animals. In addition, stones like sandstone and limestone help to hold groundwater , creating aquifers . A 2016 investigation by the U.S. Geological Survey found unusually high concentrations of perchlorate in the surface water and groundwater of the area. A sample collected from a stream had a maximum perchlorate concentration of 54 micrograms per liter, roughly 270 times higher than samples taken from locations outside
2415-527: Is home to a large herd of bison . Badlands National Park was established in 1978, and features an eroded, brightly colored landscape surrounded by semi-arid grasslands. Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the Black Hills was established in 1925. The sculpture of four U.S. Presidents was carved into the mountainside by sculptor Gutzon Borglum . Other areas managed by the National Park Service include Jewel Cave National Monument near Custer ,
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#17330941951552530-510: Is often considered part of Tornado Alley , and South Dakota experiences an average of 30 tornadoes each year. Severe blizzards and ice storms often occur during winter. South Dakota has several sites administered by the National Park Service . Two national parks have been established in the state, both in its southwestern region. Wind Cave National Park , established in 1903 in the Black Hills , has an extensive cave network and
2645-631: Is the predominant agricultural activity, and the economy is more dependent on tourism and defense spending. Most of the Native American reservations are in West River . The Black Hills , a group of low pine-covered mountains sacred to the Sioux, is in the southwest part of the state. Mount Rushmore , a major tourist destination, is there. South Dakota has a temperate continental climate , with four distinct seasons and precipitation levels ranging from moderate in
2760-467: The 1858 Treaty , ceding most of present-day eastern South Dakota to the United States. Land speculators founded two of eastern South Dakota's largest present-day cities: Sioux Falls in 1856 and Yankton in 1859. In 1861, the Dakota Territory was established by the United States government (this initially included North Dakota , South Dakota, and parts of Montana and Wyoming ). Settlement of
2875-471: The Black Hills near Keystone, South Dakota , United States. The sculptor, Gutzon Borglum , named it the Shrine of Democracy , and oversaw the execution from 1927 to 1941 with the help of his son, Lincoln Borglum . The sculpture features the 60-foot-tall (18 m) heads of four United States presidents: George Washington , Thomas Jefferson , Theodore Roosevelt , and Abraham Lincoln , chosen to represent
2990-658: The Ku Klux Klan , one of the Stone Mountain memorial's funders, had been having disagreements with the Stone Mountain Memorial Association, and on September 24, 1924, travelled to South Dakota to meet Robinson. Borglum's original plan was to make the carvings in 150-meter-high granite pillars known as the Needles ( Hiŋháŋ Káǧa ). However, the eroded Needles were too thin to support sculpting. Also, some in
3105-647: The Lakota there. In 1980 the Supreme Court and Congress ordered compensation to be offered but the Lakota still refuse to accept it, insisting on return of their land. A growing population in the Dakota Territory caused political dissatisfaction between northern and southern territory residents, with the southern half being always more populated. Following the territorial capital being moved from Yankton to Bismarck in
3220-517: The Lewis and Clark Expedition to explore the region. In 1817, an American fur trading post was set up at present-day Fort Pierre , beginning continuous American settlement of the area. In 1855, the U.S. Army bought Fort Pierre but abandoned it in 1857 in favor of Fort Randall to the south. Settlement by Americans and Europeans was by this time increasing rapidly, and in 1858 the Yankton Sioux signed
3335-566: The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail , the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site , which features a decommissioned nuclear missile silo and a separate missile control area several miles away, and the Missouri National Recreational River . The Crazy Horse Memorial is a large mountainside sculpture near Mount Rushmore being built using private funds. The Mammoth Site near Hot Springs
3450-461: The Old West , such as Lewis and Clark , Red Cloud , Sacagawea , John C. Fremont , and Crazy Horse , and instead decided to depict four American presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. The four presidential faces were said to be carved into the granite with the intention of symbolizing "an accomplishment born, planned, and created in the minds and by
3565-541: The Philippines , Mexico , Sudan and Ethiopia . The center of population of South Dakota is in Buffalo County , in the unincorporated county seat of Gann Valley . According to HUD 's 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report , there were an estimated 1,389 homeless people in South Dakota. In 2022, South Dakota had the lowest drug overdose death rate of any US state, at 11.3 per 100,000 people. According to
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3680-541: The Pick–Sloan Plan was passed as part of the Flood Control Act of 1944 by the U.S. Congress, resulting in the construction of six large dams on the Missouri River, four of which are at least partially in South Dakota. Flood control, hydroelectricity , and recreational opportunities such as boating and fishing are provided by the dams and their reservoirs. In recent decades, South Dakota has been transformed from
3795-776: The Public Religion Research Institute in 2020, 73% of the adult population were Christian. Per the Pew Research Center 's separate 2014 study, the largest religious denominations in Christianity by number of adherents as a percentage of South Dakota's population in 2014 were the Catholic Church with 22 percent, evangelical Protestants with 25 percent, and mainline Protestants with 32 percent. Together, all kinds of Protestants accounted for 57 percent. Those unaffiliated with any religion represented 18 percent of
3910-583: The Secretary of the South Dakota State Historical Society , Doane Robinson , who would come to be known as the "Father of Mount Rushmore", learned about the "Shrine to the Confederacy", a project to carve the likenesses of Confederate generals into the side of Stone Mountain , Georgia, that had been underway since 1915. Seeking to boost tourism to South Dakota, Robinson began promoting
4025-643: The bur oak , the Black Hills spruce , and the cottonwood . Nine species of shrubs grow near Mount Rushmore. There is also a wide variety of wildflowers, including especially the snapdragon , sunflower , and violet . Towards higher elevations, plant life becomes sparser. However, only approximately five percent of the plant species found in the Black Hills are indigenous to the region. The area receives about 18 inches (460 mm) of precipitation on average per year, enough to support abundant animal and plant life. Trees and other plants help to control surface runoff . Dikes, seeps, and springs help to dam up water that
4140-419: The fifth-least densely populated of the 50 United States . Pierre is the state capital , and Sioux Falls , with a population of about 213,900, is South Dakota's most populous city . The state is bisected by the Missouri River , dividing South Dakota into two geographically and socially distinct halves, known to residents as " East River " and " West River ". South Dakota is bordered by North Dakota to
4255-437: The ring-necked pheasant , has adapted well to the area after being introduced from China . Growing populations of bald eagles are spread throughout the state, especially near the Missouri River . Rivers and lakes of the grasslands support populations of walleye , carp , pike , bass , and other species. The Missouri River also contains the pre-historic paddlefish . Due to a higher elevation and level of precipitation,
4370-405: The 1930s, several economic and climatic conditions combined with disastrous results for South Dakota. A lack of rainfall, extremely high temperatures and inappropriate cultivation techniques produced what was known as the Dust Bowl in South Dakota and several other plains states. Fertile topsoil was blown away in massive dust storms, and several harvests were completely ruined. The experiences of
4485-616: The 1950s and 1960s, local Lakota Sioux elder Benjamin Black Elk (son of medicine man Black Elk , who had been present at the Battle of the Little Bighorn ) was known as the "Fifth Face of Mount Rushmore", posing for photographs with thousands of tourists daily in his native attire. The South Dakota State Historical Society notes that he was one of the most photographed people in the world over that 20-year period. Borglum originally envisioned
4600-406: The 1990 and the 2000 census. During that time, nine counties had a population loss of greater than 10%, with Harding County , in the northwest corner of the state, losing nearly 19% of its population. Low birth rates and a lack of younger immigration has caused the median age of many of these counties to increase. In 24 counties, at least 20% of the population is over the age of 65, compared with
4715-467: The 2022 census estimate, the racial composition of the population was: Source: Ethnically, 4.9% of South Dakota's population was of Hispanic , Latino, or Spanish origin (they may be of any race). Ethnicity for the remainder of the population is not similarly accounted by the federal government. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 25.4% of South Dakota's population younger than age 1 were 'minorities' as of 2011, meaning they had at least one parent who
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4830-414: The Black Hills ecology differs significantly from that of the plains. The mountains are thickly blanketed by various types of pines , including ponderosa and lodgepole pines , as well as spruces . Black Hills mammals include deer , elk (wapiti) , bighorn sheep , mountain goats , pine marten , and mountain lions , while the streams and lakes contain several species of trout . South Dakota has
4945-459: The Black Hills of South Dakota, so the geologic formations of the heart of the Black Hills region are also evident at Mount Rushmore. The batholith magma intruded into the pre-existing mica schist rocks during the Proterozoic , 1.6 billion years ago. Coarse grained pegmatite dikes are associated with the granite intrusion of Black Elk Peak and are visibly lighter in color, thus explaining
5060-553: The Black Hills such as Cora Babbitt Johnson , protested against carving the Needles on environmental and religious grounds. On August 14, 1925, Borglum summitted Black Elk Peak while scouting alternative locations, and reportedly said upon seeing Mount Rushmore, "America will march along that skyline." He chose Mount Rushmore, a grander location, partly because it faced southeast and enjoyed maximum exposure to sunlight. Borglum rejected Robinson's original plan of depicting characters from
5175-529: The Black Hills to the Lakota people in perpetuity, but the United States took the area from the tribe after the Great Sioux War of 1876 . Members of the American Indian Movement led an occupation of the monument in 1971, naming it "Mount Crazy Horse", and Lakota holy man John Fire Lame Deer planted a prayer staff on top of the mountain. Lame Deer said that the staff formed a symbolic shroud over
5290-461: The Black Hills, long considered sacred by Native Americans, differs from its surroundings to such an extent it can be considered separate from the rest of western South Dakota. At times the Black Hills are combined with the rest of western South Dakota, and people often refer to the resulting two regions divided by the Missouri River as West River and East River . Eastern South Dakota generally features higher precipitation and lower topography than
5405-546: The Dust Bowl, coupled with local bank foreclosures and the general economic effects of the Great Depression , resulted in many South Dakotans leaving the state. The population of South Dakota declined by more than 7% between 1930 and 1940. Economic stability returned with the U.S. entry into World War II in 1941, when demand for the state's agricultural and industrial products grew as the nation mobilized for war. In 1944,
5520-411: The Missouri River create four large reservoirs: Lake Oahe , Lake Sharpe , Lake Francis Case , and Lewis and Clark Lake . South Dakota can generally be divided into three regions: eastern South Dakota, western South Dakota, and the Black Hills . The Missouri River serves as a boundary in terms of geographic, social, and political differences between eastern and western South Dakota. The geography of
5635-643: The Mount Rushmore National Memorial Act, signed by Coolidge, which authorized up to $ 250,000 in matching funds. The 1929 presidential transition to Herbert Hoover delayed funding until an initial federal match of $ 54,670.56 was acquired. Carving started in 1927 and ended in 1941 with no fatalities. Between October 4, 1927, and October 31, 1941, Gutzon Borglum and 400 workers sculpted the colossal 60-foot-high (18 m) carvings of United States Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln to represent
5750-571: The U.S. broke the Treaty of Fort Laramie and asserted control over the area, leading to an influx of settlers and prospectors. Among those prospectors was New York mining promoter James Wilson, who organized the Harney Peak Tin Company, and hired New York attorney Charles E. Rushmore to visit the Black Hills and confirm the company's land claims. During a visit in 1884 or 1885, Rushmore saw Six Grandfathers and asked his guide, Bill Challis,
5865-555: The U.S. government." Senator Norbeck and Congressman William Williamson of South Dakota introduced bills in early 1925 for permission to use federal land, which passed easily. South Dakota legislation had less support, only passing narrowly on its third attempt, which Governor Carl Gunderson signed into law on March 5, 1925. Private funding came slowly and Borglum invited President Calvin Coolidge to an August 1927 dedication ceremony, at which he promised federal funding. Congress passed
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#17330941951555980-433: The area formed the shoreline of an ancient inland sea. Much of South Dakota (except for the Black Hills area) is dominated by a temperate grassland biome. Although grasses and crops cover most of this region, deciduous trees such as cottonwoods , elms, and willows are common near rivers and in shelter belts . Mammals in this area include bison , deer , pronghorn , coyotes , and prairie dogs . The state bird,
6095-426: The area, mostly by people from the eastern United States as well as western and northern Europe , increased rapidly, especially after the completion of an eastern railway link to Yankton in 1873. In 1874, gold was discovered in the Black Hills during a military expedition led by George A. Custer and miners and explorers began illegally entering land promised to the Lakota. Custer's expedition took place despite
6210-438: The area. The report concluded the probable cause of the contamination was the aerial fireworks displays that had taken place on Independence Days from 1998 to 2009. The National Park Service also reported that at least 27 forest fires around Mount Rushmore in that same period (1998 to 2009) have been caused by fireworks displays. A study of the fire scars present in tree ring samples indicates that forest fires occur in
6325-665: The carving to end. Borglum had also planned a massive panel in the shape of the Louisiana Purchase commemorating in eight-foot-tall (2.4 m) gilded letters the Declaration of Independence , U.S. Constitution , Louisiana Purchase, and seven other territorial acquisitions from the Alaska purchase to the Panama Canal Zone . In total, the entire project cost US$ 989,992.32 (equivalent to $ 20.5 million in 2023). Nick Clifford,
6440-473: The conservation of the site. This data was made publicly accessible online. The flora and fauna of Mount Rushmore are similar to those of the rest of the Black Hills region of South Dakota. Birds including the turkey vulture , golden eagle , bald eagle , red-tailed hawk , swallows and white-throated swifts fly around Mount Rushmore and nest in the ledges of the mountain. Smaller birds, including songbirds, nuthatches , woodpeckers and flycatchers inhabit
6555-499: The east to semi-arid in the west. The state's ecology features species typical of a North American grassland biome. While several Democrats have represented South Dakota for multiple terms in both chambers of Congress , the state government is largely controlled by the Republican Party , whose nominees have carried South Dakota in each of the last 14 presidential elections . Historically dominated by an agricultural economy and
6670-557: The east. Encroaching miners and settlers triggered a number of Indian wars , ending with the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1890. As the southern part of the former Dakota Territory , South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889, simultaneously with North Dakota . They are the 39th and 40th states admitted to the union; President Benjamin Harrison shuffled the statehood papers before signing them so that no one could tell which became
6785-438: The emigration of educated young adults to larger South Dakota cities, such as Rapid City or Sioux Falls, or to other states. Mechanization and consolidation of agriculture has contributed greatly to the declining number of smaller family farms and the resulting economic and demographic challenges facing rural towns. However, the state often ranks highly for its way of life, and Gallup's well-being index in 2018 named South Dakota
6900-448: The existing carvings. The Mount Rushmore area is underlain by well drained alfisol soils of very gravelly loam (Mocmount) to silt loam (Buska) texture, brown to dark grayish brown. Mount Rushmore has a dry-winter humid continental climate ( Dwb in the Köppen climate classification ). It is inside a USDA Plant Hardiness Zone of 5a, meaning certain plant life in the area can withstand
7015-463: The face of Theodore Roosevelt was dedicated. The Sculptor's Studio – a display of unique plaster models and tools related to the sculpting – was built in 1939 under the direction of Borglum. Borglum died from an embolism in March 1941. His son, Lincoln Borglum , continued the project. Originally, it was planned that the figures would be carved from head to waist, but insufficient funding forced
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#17330941951557130-682: The fact that the Sioux had been granted the entire western half of present-day South Dakota ( West River ) in 1868 by the Treaty of Laramie as part of the Great Sioux Reservation . The Sioux declined to grant mining rights or land in the Black Hills, and war broke out after the U.S. failed to stop white miners and settlers from entering the region. Eventually the U.S. won and broke up the Great Sioux Reservation into five reservations, settling
7245-483: The first 150 years of American history. These presidents were selected by Borglum because of their role in preserving the Republic and expanding its territory. The carving of Mount Rushmore involved the use of dynamite , followed by the process of "honeycombing", where workers drill holes close together, allowing small pieces to be removed by hand. In total, about 450,000 short tons (410,000 t) of rock were blasted off
7360-421: The geology of this area. The Black Hills are in the southwestern part of South Dakota and extend into Wyoming . This range of low mountains covers 6,000 sq mi (16,000 km ), with peaks that rise from 2,000 to 4,000 feet (600 to 1,200 m) above their bases. The Black Hills are the location of Black Elk Peak (7,242 ft or 2,207 m above sea level), the highest point in South Dakota and also
7475-474: The granite of the overlying sediments and the softer adjacent schist. Some schist does remain and can be seen as the darker material just below the sculpture of Washington. The tallest mountain in the region is Black Elk Peak (7,242 ft or 2,207 m). Borglum selected Mount Rushmore as the site for several reasons. The rock of the mountain is composed of smooth, fine-grained granite. The durable granite erodes only 1 inch (25 mm) every 10,000 years, thus
7590-406: The hands of Americans for Americans". The Lakota and other local indigenous communities objected to the overall plan as constituting desecration of their sacred lands, and to the racist and sometimes violent anti-indigenous policies of the four presidents depicted. For the Lakota and other tribes, the monument "came to epitomize the loss of their sacred lands and the injustices they've suffered under
7705-564: The happiest, healthiest state in the United States. South Dakota is in the north-central United States, and is considered a part of the Midwest by the U.S. Census Bureau; it is also part of the Great Plains region. The culture, economy, and geography of western South Dakota have more in common with the West than the Midwest. South Dakota has a total area of 77,116 square miles (199,730 km ), making
7820-529: The highest point in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains . Two-billion-year-old Precambrian formations, the oldest rocks in the state, form the central core of the Black Hills. Formations from the Paleozoic Era form the outer ring of the Black Hills; these were created between roughly 540 and 250 million years ago. This area features rocks such as limestone , which were deposited here when
7935-518: The idea of a similar monument in the Black Hills, representing "not only the wild grandeur of its local geography but also the triumph of western civilization over that geography through its anthropomorphic representation." Robinson initially approached sculptor Lorado Taft , but Taft was ill at the time and uninterested in Robinson's project. Robinson next sought the help of then-U.S. Senator Peter Norbeck , who had established Custer State Park when he
8050-400: The land in the anticipated state of South Dakota belonged to the Sioux. Eventually, in the 1887 general election, Dakota Territory residents voted for the division, so it was divided in half and Republican President Benjamin Harrison signed proclamations formally admitting South Dakota and North Dakota to the union on November 2, 1889. Harrison had the papers shuffled to obscure which one
8165-502: The last remaining carver, died in November 2019 at age 98. Harold Spitznagel and Cecil Doty designed the original visitor center, finished in 1957, as part of the Mission 66 effort to improve visitors' facilities at national parks and monuments across the country. Ten years of redevelopment work culminated with the completion of extensive visitor facilities and sidewalks in 1998, such as
8280-579: The legislature passed a law to make English the "common language" of the state. Since 2019, "the language of the Great Sioux Nation , comprised of three dialects, Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota " is the official indigenous language. As of the 2000 census, 1.90% of the population age 5 or older speak German at home, while 1.51% speak Lakota or Dakota , and 1.43% Spanish. As of 2010, 93.46% (692,504) of South Dakota residents age 5 and older spoke English as their primary language . 6.54% of
8395-657: The light-colored streaks on the foreheads of the presidents. The Black Hills granites were exposed to erosion during the Neoproterozoic , but were later buried by sandstone and other sediments during the Cambrian . Remaining buried throughout the Paleozoic , they were re-exposed again during the Laramide orogeny around 70 million years ago. The Black Hills area was uplifted as an elongated geologic dome. Subsequent erosion stripped
8510-595: The location, as with many other national monuments, derives from its immediate recognizability; "there are no substitutes for iconic resources such as the Statue of Liberty , the Lincoln Memorial , or Mount Rushmore. These locations are one of a kind places". However, Mount Rushmore also provides access to a surrounding environment of wilderness, which distinguishes it from the typical proximity of national monuments to urban centers like Washington, D.C., and New York City. In
8625-412: The monument for her 15th birthday. In some films, the presidential faces are replaced with others; examples include the 1980 film Superman II and the 1996 film Mars Attacks! where the villains add their faces to the monument, and the 2003 film Head of State where the newly elected president's face is added. In works showing attacks on landmarks to signify the scope of a threat, Mount Rushmore
8740-490: The monument to refer to it as a "Shrine of Hypocrisy". Mount Rushmore and the surrounding Black Hills ( Pahá Sápa ) are considered sacred by Plains Indians such as the Arapaho , Cheyenne , and Lakota Sioux , who used the area for centuries as a place to pray and gather food, building materials, and medicine. The Lakota called the mountain "Six Grandfathers" ( Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe ), symbolizing ancestral deities personified as
8855-665: The mountain's name; Challis replied that the mountain didn't have a name, but that it would henceforth be named after Rushmore. The name "Mount Rushmore" continued to be used locally, and was officially recognized by the United States Board of Geographic Names in June 1930. By the 1920s, South Dakota had become a U.S. state, and was a popular destination for road trippers visiting the Black Hills National Forest , Wind Cave National Park , and Needles Highway . In 1923,
8970-478: The mountainside. The image of Thomas Jefferson was originally intended to appear in the area at Washington's right, but after the work there was begun, the rock was found to be unsuitable, so the work on Jefferson's figure was dynamited, and a new figure was sculpted to Washington's left. The chief carver of the mountain was Luigi Del Bianco , an artisan and stonemason who emigrated to the U.S. from Friuli in Italy and
9085-420: The nation's birth, growth, development, and preservation. Mount Rushmore attracts more than two million visitors annually to the memorial park which covers 1,278 acres (2.00 sq mi; 5.17 km ). The mountain's elevation is 5,725 feet (1,745 m) above sea level. Borglum chose Mount Rushmore in part because it faces southeast for maximum sun exposure. The carving was the idea of Doane Robinson ,
9200-475: The nation's largest population of Hutterites , a communal Anabaptist group which emigrated in 1874 from German-speaking villages in what today is Ukraine but at that time was part of the Russian Empire . American Indians , largely Lakota , Dakota , and Nakota (Sioux), are predominant in several counties and constitute 20 percent of the population in West River . The seven large Indian reservations in
9315-740: The national average; Ziebach County ranked as the poorest county in the nation in 2009. The unemployment rate in Fort Thompson , on the Crow Creek Reservation , is 70%, and 21% of households lack plumbing or basic kitchen appliances. A 1995 study by the U.S. Census Bureau found 58% of homes on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation did not have a telephone. The reservations' isolation also inhibits their ability to generate revenue from gaming casinos, an avenue that has proved profitable for many tribes closer to urban centers. In 1995,
9430-403: The north, Minnesota to the east, Iowa to the southeast, Nebraska to the south, Wyoming to the west, and Montana to the northwest. Humans have inhabited the area for several millennia, with the Sioux becoming dominant by the early 19th century. In the late 19th century, European-American settlement intensified after a gold rush in the Black Hills and the construction of railroads from
9545-470: The northern part, calls for dividing the territory increased. South Dakota held constitutional conventions in 1883, 1885, and 1889. Other account(s) state that the real reason for the split was a political lure for four Republican senators instead of two from the Republican dominated Dakota Territory and in their push to split the territory, Republican congressmen also ignored the uncomfortable fact that much of
9660-429: The northwestern part of the state (around 15 inches or 380 mm) to semi-humid around the southeast portion of the state (around 25 inches or 640 mm), although a small area centered on Lead in the Black Hills has the highest precipitation at nearly 30 inches (760 mm) per year. South Dakota summers bring frequent, sometimes severe, thunderstorms with high winds, thunder, and hail. The state's eastern part
9775-490: The ponderosa forests surrounding Mount Rushmore around every 27 years. Large fires are not common. Most events have been ground fires that serve to clear forest debris. The area is a climax community with an equilibrium such that a pine beetle infestation would threaten the forest. Mount Rushmore is largely composed of granite . The memorial is carved on the northwest margin of the Black Elk Peak granite batholith in
9890-645: The population spoke a language other than English. 2.06% (15,292) of the population spoke Spanish, 1.39% (10,282) spoke Dakota , and 1.37% (10,140) spoke German. Other languages spoken included Vietnamese (0.16%), Chinese (0.12%), and Russian (0.10%). Over the last several decades, the population in many rural areas has declined in South Dakota, in common with other Great Plains states. The change has been characterized as " rural flight " as family farming has declined. Young people have moved to cities for other employment. This trend has continued in recent years, with 30 of South Dakota's counties losing population between
10005-595: The population. As of the 2020 census, South Dakota ranked fifth-lowest in the nation in population and population density, only North Dakota , Alaska , Vermont , and Wyoming have fewer residents. Of the people residing in South Dakota, 65.7% were born in South Dakota, 31.4% were born in another U.S. state, 0.6% were born in Puerto Rico, U.S. Island areas, or born abroad to American parent(s), and 2.3% were born in another country. The top countries of origin for South Dakota's immigrants and refugees in 2018 were Guatemala ,
10120-482: The population. The breakdown of other religions was <1% Muslim, <1% Hindu and 1% Buddhist. The number of Jewish people in South Dakota is under 400, the lowest total in any of the fifty states. Mount Rushmore This is an accepted version of this page The Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a national memorial centered on a colossal sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore ( Lakota : Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe , or Six Grandfathers ) in
10235-423: The potential addition as Trump's "dream" in 2018. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in an August 2024 interview that President Joe Biden is a “Mount Rushmore kind of president” and stated his likeness should be added to the monument. Tourism is South Dakota's second-largest industry, and Mount Rushmore is the state's top tourist attraction. 2,185,447 people visited the park in 2012. The popularity of
10350-428: The presidents' faces "which shall remain dirty until the treaties concerning the Black Hills are fulfilled." The 1980 United States Supreme Court decision United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians ruled that the Sioux had not received just compensation for their land in the Black Hills, which includes Mount Rushmore. The court proposed $ 102 million as compensation for the loss of the Black Hills. This compensation
10465-403: The presidents' faces were completed between 1934 and 1939. After Gutzon Borglum died in March 1941, his son Lincoln took over as leader of the construction project. Each president was originally to be depicted from head to waist, but lack of funding forced construction to end on October 31, 1941, and only Washington's sculpture includes any detail below chin level. The sculpture at Mount Rushmore
10580-687: The region. The LaVérendrye group buried a plate near the site of modern-day Pierre , claiming the region for France as part of greater Louisiana . In 1762 the entire region became part of the Spanish Louisiana until 1802. By the early 19th century, the Sioux had largely replaced the Arikara as the dominant group in the area. In 1803, the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory , an area that included most of South Dakota, from Napoleon Bonaparte , and President Thomas Jefferson organized
10695-457: The six directions: north, south, east, west, above (sky), and below (earth). In the latter half of the 19th century, expansion by the United States into the Black Hills led to the Sioux Wars . In the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie , the U.S. government granted exclusive use of all of the Black Hills, including Six Grandfathers, to the Sioux in perpetuity. Six Grandfathers was a significant part of
10810-456: The southeastern corner of South Dakota. Layers deposited during the Pleistocene epoch, starting around two million years ago, cover most of eastern South Dakota. These are the youngest rock and sediment layers in the state, the product of several successive periods of glaciation which deposited a large amount of rocks and soil, known as till , over the area. The Great Plains cover most of
10925-554: The spiritual journey taken in the early 1870s by Lakota leader Black Elk ( Heȟáka Sápa , also known as "The Sixth Grandfather") that culminated at the nearby Black Elk Peak ( Hiŋháŋ Káǧa, "Making of Owls"). U.S. general George Armstrong Custer summited Black Elk Peak a few years later in 1874 during the Black Hills Expedition , which triggered the Black Hills Gold Rush and Great Sioux War of 1876 . In 1877,
11040-568: The state occupy an area much diminished from their former Great Sioux Reservation of West River, which the federal government had once allocated to the Sioux tribes. South Dakota has the third-highest proportion of Native Americans of any state, behind Alaska and New Mexico . Five of the state's counties are wholly within the boundaries of sovereign Indian reservations . Because of the limitations of climate and land, and isolation from urban areas with more employment opportunities, living standards on many South Dakota reservations are often far below
11155-454: The state the 17th largest in the Union. Black Elk Peak , formerly named Harney Peak, with an elevation of 7,242 ft (2,207 m), is the state's highest point, while the shoreline of Big Stone Lake is the lowest, with an elevation of 966 ft (294 m). South Dakota is bordered to the north by North Dakota ; to the south by Nebraska ; to the east by Iowa and Minnesota ; and to
11270-492: The surrounding pine forests. Terrestrial mammals include the mouse, least chipmunk , red squirrel , skunk , porcupine , raccoon , beaver , badger , coyote , bighorn sheep , bobcat , elk , mule deer , yellow-bellied marmot , and American bison . The striped chorus frog, western chorus frog , and northern leopard frog also inhabit the area, along with several species of snake. Grizzly Bear Brook and Starling Basin Brook,
11385-473: The texts of the documents Borglum wanted to preserve there. The repository consists of a teakwood box inside of a titanium vault placed in the ground with a granite capstone. The ongoing conservation of the site is overseen by the National Park Service. Maintenance of the memorial requires mountain climbers to monitor and seal cracks annually. Due to budget constraints, the memorial is not regularly cleaned to remove lichens . However, in 2005 Alfred Kärcher ,
11500-571: The time. Barack Obama was asked about his own potential addition in 2008 and he joked that his ears were too large. Donald Trump has on occasion expressed interest in his own addition to the mountain. During a 2017 rally in Ohio, Trump said, "I'd ask whether or not you some day think I will be on Mount Rushmore ... If I did it joking, totally joking, having fun, the fake news media will say, 'He believes he should be on Mount Rushmore.' So I won't say it." South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem , described
11615-573: The tram upgraded so it could reach the top of Mount Rushmore for the ease of workers. By July 4, 1934, Washington's face had been completed and was dedicated. The face of Thomas Jefferson was dedicated in 1936, and Abraham Lincoln's on September 17, 1937. In 1937, a bill was introduced in Congress to add the head of civil-rights leader Susan B. Anthony , but a rider was passed on an appropriations bill requiring federal funds be used to finish only those heads that had already been started at that time. In 1939,
11730-405: The two streams in the memorial, support fish such as the longnose dace and the brook trout . Mountain goats are not indigenous to the region. Those living near Mount Rushmore are descendants of a herd that Canada gifted to Custer State Park in 1924, which later escaped. At lower elevations, coniferous trees, mainly the ponderosa pine , surround most of the monument. Other trees include
11845-665: The west by Wyoming and Montana . The geographical center of the U.S. is 17 miles (27 km) west of Castle Rock in Butte County . The North American continental pole of inaccessibility is between Allen and Kyle , 1,024 mi (1,648 km) from the nearest coastline. The Missouri River is the largest and longest river in the state. Other major South Dakota rivers include the Cheyenne , James , Big Sioux , and White Rivers. Eastern South Dakota has many natural lakes, mostly created by periods of glaciation. Additionally, dams on
11960-925: The western part of the state. Smaller geographic regions of this area include the Coteau des Prairies , the Dissected Till Plains , and the James River Valley. The Coteau des Prairies is a plateau bordered on the east by the Minnesota River Valley and on the west by the James River Basin. Further west, the James River Basin is mostly low, flat, highly eroded land, following the flow of the James River through South Dakota from north to south. The Dissected Till Plains, an area of rolling hills and fertile soil that covers much of Iowa and Nebraska, extends into
12075-503: The western two-thirds of South Dakota. West of the Missouri River the landscape becomes more arid and rugged, consisting of rolling hills, plains, ravines, and steep flat-topped hills called buttes . In the south, east of the Black Hills, lie the South Dakota Badlands . Erosion from the Black Hills, marine skeletons which fell to the bottom of a large shallow sea that once covered the area, and volcanic material all contribute to
12190-453: Was Governor in 1919. Norbeck cautiously supported Robinson's plan, and Robinson began campaigning for it publicly. Some in the local community also supported Robinson's plan, but many opposed it vigorously. On August 20, 1924, Robinson wrote to Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor of "Shrine to the Confederacy", asking him to travel to the Black Hills region to determine whether the carving could be accomplished. Borglum, who had involved himself with
12305-405: Was appointed superintendent of the park, the first and so far only Native American in that role. Baker stated that he will open up more "avenues of interpretation", and that the four presidents are "only one avenue and only one focus." In 1937, when the sculpture was not yet complete, a bill in Congress supporting the addition of women's rights activist Susan B. Anthony failed. When the sculpture
12420-489: Was chosen to work on this project because of his understanding of sculptural language and ability to imbue emotion in the carved portraits. The national monument is in an unincorporated area in Pennington County , adjacent to the town of Keystone. In 1933, the National Park Service took Mount Rushmore under its jurisdiction. Julian Spotts helped with the project by improving its infrastructure. For example, he had
12535-407: Was completed in 1941, the sculptors said that the remaining rock was not suitable for additional carvings. This stance was shared by RESPEC, an engineering firm charged with monitoring the stability of the rock in 1989. Proposals of additional sculptures include John F. Kennedy after his assassination in 1963, and Ronald Reagan in 1985 and 1999 – the latter proposal receiving a debate in Congress at
12650-489: Was more than sturdy enough to support the sculpture and its long-term exposure. The mountain's height of 5,725 feet (1,745 m) above sea level made it suitable, and because it faces the southeast, the workers also had the advantage of sunlight for most of the day. It is not possible to add another president to the memorial, because the rock that surrounds the existing faces is not suitable for additional carving, and because additional sculpting could create instabilities in
12765-544: Was not non-Hispanic white. As of 2000, the five largest ancestry groups in South Dakota are German (40.7%), Norwegian (15.3%), Irish (10.4%), Native American (8.3%), and English (7.1%). German Americans are the largest ancestry group in most parts of the state, especially in East River (east of the Missouri River), although there are also large Scandinavian-descended populations in some counties. South Dakota has
12880-470: Was signed first and the order went unrecorded. On December 29, 1890, the Wounded Knee Massacre occurred on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation . Commonly cited as the last major armed conflict between the United States and the Lakota Sioux Nation , the massacre resulted in the deaths of at least 146 Sioux, many of them women and children. 31 U.S. soldiers were also killed in the conflict. During
12995-497: Was the first state to eliminate caps on interest rates . In 2007, the site of the recently closed Homestake gold mine near Lead was chosen as the location of a new underground research facility, the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory . Despite a growing state population and recent economic development, many rural areas have been struggling over the past 50 years with locally declining populations and
13110-402: Was the seventh fastest-growing county (by percentage) in the United States in 2010. The growth in these areas has compensated for losses in the rest of the state. South Dakota's total population continues to increase steadily, albeit at a slower rate than the national average. Religious self-identification, per Public Religion Research Institute 's 2022 American Values Survey According to
13225-509: Was valued at $ 1.3 billion in 2011, and – with accumulated interest – nearly $ 2 billion in 2021. In 2020, Oglala Lakota Nation citizen and Indigenous activist Nick Tilsen explained that his people would not accept a settlement, "because we won't settle for anything less than the full return of our lands as stipulated by the treaties our nations signed and agreed upon." Construction on the Crazy Horse Memorial began in 1940 elsewhere in
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