To the west of the Black Hills of South Dakota lies one of the last remaining Minuteman Missile launch sites in the United States, left over from the cold war. With a functioning launch facility and consisted of 150 Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles in their launch silos. Today, visitors and satellites can look down on the silo whose cover has been replaced with a transparent sheet to allow a view of the unarmed missile, complying with the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. fficially disarmed in 1992 the site remains one of the historic sites of the cold war era.
However, many tourists by pass this historic site for another, much larger one at Mount Rushmore located near Keystone, South Dakota there is 150 years of presidential history carved into the geological formation with 60-foot stones carvings of presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. The National Park Services hosts over two million people each year venturing to see this wonder that took 14 years, 1927 to 1941 to complete.
When statehood was proposed for both North and South Dakota, there was a slight war of words as to which state should be admitted first. While both states were admitted on the same day, since North Dakota is first alphabetically, it is listed in all directories as being first. Benjamin Harrison, to avoid argument, had his aides shuffles the paperwork for statehood and then pull the pages for his signature, signing them into statehood without his being able to see which he was signing first. He reportedly never did look to see which was signed first.
Mines in the Black Hills are rich in gold, silver, copper and lead and is home to the Homestake Mine, which at over 8,000 feet deep is the deepest gold mine in the United States. In addition to being home to the deepest mine, South Dakota is also home to the highest mountain peak between the Rocky Mountains and the French Alps. Harney Peak in the Black Hills at 7,242 feet draws over 70,000 people each year who attempt to reach the summit. The Black Hills was once considered to be the home of the United Nations and Hot Springs is home to the largest naturally heated indoor swimming pools in the world, heated by natural hot springs.
Near Faith, South Dakota an amazing discovery of “Sue” the largest and most complete fossil of a Tyrannosaurus rex was discovered in 1990. It is now on display in Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History and is about 90 percent complete.
The Missouri River runs through the central part of the state and visitors interested in exploration are invited to take some of the same paths as early explorers Lewis and Clark as they embarked on their expedition to survey the country’s newly acquired regions.
