South Dakota

South Dakota

South Dakota gained its name from the Dakota Sioux Tribe that once inhabited the pine-filled Black Hills in the southwest corner. There, bison roamed, and gold prospectors established the infamous Deadwood in the 1870s. The Missouri River curves through the center of the state, dividing the land into distinct geographic regions: the rolling hills and fertile soil to the east, and the Black Hills and rugged Great Plains to the west. Across the landscape, visitors can gaze at the sculpted faces of great American presidents at Mount Rushmore or the likeness of Native American hero Crazy Horse and his mount at Crazy Horse Memorial.

The land and history meet in the southwestern region of the…