Leah.3 24-11

By Leah

AASouth Dakota's biggest industry is agriculture. We produce wheat, corn, alfalfa, soybeans, cattle, pigs, and sheep to name a few.

BBThe bison once numbered 60,000,000. The white pioneers, hunters, and soldiers hunted and killed until the population declined to under 1,000. Today they are back to 250,000 and protected by federal law.

CCThe Sioux Indian Chiefs fought for the land west of the Missouri River to Montana to remain Indian land. The Laramie Treaty was broken by the government and the Natives were forced off.

Red Cloud

Crazy HorseSitting Bull

DDGold was discovered near Deadwood and Lead in 1876.Deadwood soon became known as one of the “Wildest Towns in the West”- home to Wild Bill Hickok and “Calamity Jane” known as a sharpshooter.

EEBig Stone Lake is the point of lowest elevation (below sea level) at 962 ft. The highest point is Harney Peak in the Black Hills (above sea level) at 7,242 ft.

Harney Peak

Big Stone Lake

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40th

South Dakota became the fortieth state in the United States in 1889. Dakota territory became North Dakota

and South Dakota. No one knows for sure which state was really first because president Harrison shuffled the papers. North Dakota came first alphabetically so it was named the thirty-ninth state.

GGThe Great Dakota Boom was the discovery of gold in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Mining towns sprang up and were populated by gold seekers. (1874)

HH The Homestead Act of 1862 gave acres of free land to settlers (home steaders) if

they built a home and lived on the land for at least five years.

IIMost South Dakotans have European roots. Immigrants from Germany, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark make up the ancestry of many South Dakotans.

JJ James (Wild Bill) Butler Hickok was the fastest shot in the West . He was shot and killed by James McCall. Seven months later James McCall was hanged for the crime.

KKKorczak Ziol Kowski began work on the Crazy Horse monument in the Black Hills. When completed, it will be the largest sculpture in the world.

LLewis’ and Cark’s expedition, known as the Corps of Discovery, entered what is now South Dakota on August 21, 1804. They spent fifty-four days there.

MMount Rushmore was carved by Gutzom Borglum and his son. The four Presidents chosen for the monument were: Abraham Lincoln, who held the country together during the civil war, George Washington, who represents the beginning of our nation, Teddy Roosevelt, who allowed the building of the Panama Canal, and Thomas Jefferson , who purchased the Louisiana Territory.

NThe number of counties in South Dakota is 66. Each county has a county seat where county government offices are located- the courthouse. We live in Yankton county. Yankton is the county seat.

OOscar Howe was one of South Dakota’s famous artists. He was born on the Crow Creek Indian Reservation in 1915. He taught at USD.

PIn 1889 Pierre became the state capital. It had a small population and not much commerce, but it was located in the center of the state.

QA quick factoid: Bell Fourche, SD is the geographic center of the United States.

RRNine reservations in South Dakota opened up new land for non-native people.

Oahe Big Bend

Fort Randall

Gavins Point

Montana

NorthDakota

Wyoming

Nebraska

Kansas

Missouri

Iowa

SouthDakota

Colorado

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Lake Francis Case

Big Bend Dam

Lake Sharpe

Oahe Dam and Lake Oahe

Lewis and Clark Lake

Gavins Point Dam

Fort Randall Dam

TTTerry Peak and Deer Mountain are enjoyed for snow skiing near the town of Lead in the Black Hills.

UU

Jewel Cave

Wind Cave

The underground world in South Dakota takes us to Jewel Cave and Wind Cave in the

Black Hills. They are the third and seventh longest in the world. Jewel Cave is 122 miles long and Wind Cave is 93 miles long.

VVThe Verendrye brothers were two French explorers who buried a lead plate into what is now Pierre, South Dakota and claimed it for France. (1743)

WWOne of the saddest events in the Indian Wars of the West was the Wounded Knee Massacre in 1870. Nearly three hundred Natives, including women and children, were killed. This led to the Natives moving onto reservation. 1890

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Explorers in South Dakota (that were the earliest known) came from Europe. In 1743, the Verendrye Brothers left a lead plate near Fort Pierre.

YYYankton was the capitol of Dakota Territory from 1861-1883.

ZZ

Zitakala-Sa, a Yankton Dakota Sioux, was born in 1876 and died in 1938. She became active in working for women’s rights in Washington, D.C. when women had no power or influence. She also was known as Gertrude Simmons Bonnin.

factoidSome South Dakota historical figures are: Crazy Horse (Sioux Chief); Hubert Humphrey (U.S. Vice President); Paul Goble and Laura Ingalls (authors); and Billy Mills (Olympic Gold Medal winning track star).