Buzz
From its lush prairies and rugged mountains to its rolling hills, it’s easy to see why early American pioneers were drawn to South Dakota. Over time, the state captivated prospectors with the lure of gold and enticed travelers from around the globe with its stunning parks and historical landmarks. Here are 25 fascinating tidbits about South Dakota, America's 40th state (or maybe the 39th?) in the Union.
1. South Dakota is known by several nicknames, including the Mount Rushmore State, the Coyote State, and the Sunshine State. Another, perhaps more apt, name is the Blizzard State. The Artesian State is also used due to the state's abundance of artesian wells, and sometimes it’s called 'The Land of Plenty' or 'The Land of Infinite Variety.'
2. South Dakota's most iconic landmark is the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, a massive sculpture carved into a granite mountain in the Black Hills between 1927 and 1941. Created to draw visitors to this remote area, it features the faces of four U.S. presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. Each face is 60 feet tall, and the entire project was completed in just 14 years with a budget under $1 million.
iStock
3. The famous Mount Rushmore got its name from Charles E. Rushmore, a lawyer from New York City. In 1884, he was visiting the Black Hills to inspect property titles and asked a local what the mountain was called. The local responded, 'Never had a name, but from now on we’ll call it Rushmore.'
4. While Mount Rushmore draws over 2 million visitors annually, it might one day be overshadowed by the mountain sculpture of Lakota warrior Chief Crazy Horse. This private project, which has been under development since 1948, is expected to reach 563 feet in height and 641 feet in length, making it the world’s largest stone sculpture if completed.
5. For those who prefer solitude, South Dakota might be the ideal place. It ranks as the fifth least populous state and the fifth least densely populated among all 50 states.
6. When it comes to population, Pierre, the state capital of South Dakota, is the second least populous capital in the U.S. As of the 2010 census, it had only 13,646 residents, with Montpelier being the smallest at 7,855.
7. Pierre, South Dakota is the only U.S. state capital that doesn’t share at least one letter with its state name.
8. Although Pierre is the state capital of South Dakota, its largest city is Sioux Falls, which has a population close to 170,000.
9. South Dakota’s state motto is 'Under God the People Rule,' its state song is 'Hail! South Dakota!' and its state flower is the pasque flower, which blooms wild across the state’s prairies each spring.
10. Sioux Falls, South Dakota was once known as the 'Divorce Capital of the Nation.' In the early 20th century, most states required a year of residency and proof of adultery for a divorce, but Sioux Falls only required three to six months and allowed six grounds for divorce. As a result, over 6,000 divorces were granted from 1889 to 1909, many of which involved non-residents. To honor this reputation, a historical marker was recently placed downtown.
11. In the late 1950s, Raven Industries, based in Sioux Falls, developed the first modern hot air balloon system.
12. Belle Fourche, a small ranch town in South Dakota, claims to be the geographic center of North America. While the town celebrated this distinction with a large stone compass, the true center is actually about 20 miles to the north, marked by a simple red-tipped fence post.
13. Notable individuals from South Dakota include TV journalist Tom Brokaw, actress January Jones, Nobel laureate Ernest O. Lawrence, who invented the cyclotron particle accelerator, and Hubert Humphrey, the 38th Vice President of the U.S. Laura Ingalls Wilder also wrote about her time on a South Dakota homestead in her beloved Little House series.
Wikipedia//CC BY 2.0
14. Each year, Clark, a tiny farming town in South Dakota, throws a big celebration for its main crop: the potato. Potato Day includes a Best Decorated Potato Contest, a Potato Dish Cooking Contest, and even a Mashed Potato Wrestling Contest, where adults wrestle in a massive tub of mashed potatoes.
15. For fans of quirky roadside attractions, the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota is a must-see. This unique venue, built in the Moorish Revival style, is adorned with murals made from thousands of bushels of local corn, grain, and grasses.
Wikipedia//CC BY-SA 3.0
16. Over the years, the Badlands National Park in southwestern South Dakota has been a rich source of fossils, some dating back as far as 35 million years. Both scientists and amateur fossil hunters have uncovered long-extinct animals such as three-toed horses, antelope-like creatures, creodonts (carnivorous mammals), and more.
17. One of the most famous dinosaurs ever found, Sue the T. Rex, was discovered near the Badlands in 1990. At 42 feet long and 12 feet tall at the hips, she is considered the largest and most complete T. rex ever unearthed. You can see Sue on display at The Field Museum in Chicago as part of its permanent collection.
Wikipedia//CC BY-SA 2.0
18. The film The Revenant (2015), based on the 2002 novel, fictionalizes the story of Hugh Glass, a 19th-century frontiersman who was left for dead by his companions after a bear attack. In the movie, Glass survives his wounds and journeys through the snow-covered South Dakota wilderness to seek vengeance on the man who abandoned him.
19. With over 180 miles of explored and mapped passages, Jewel Cave in South Dakota’s Black Hills is currently the third-largest cave in the world.
20. When early pioneers ventured into the Black Hills, they learned that Native Americans in the area possessed gold. Word of the discovery spread quickly, leading to an 1874 expedition of over 1,000 men from the U.S. Army’s 7th Cavalry in search of the precious metal. Small amounts were found in Custer, South Dakota, sparking the Black Hills Gold Rush as people from across the country flocked to the region hoping to strike it rich.
21. The largest and deepest gold mine in the U.S. was located in Lead, South Dakota. The Homestake Mine, which opened in 1876, remained operational until it closed in 2002.
22. During the Black Hills Gold Rush, prospectors flocked to lawless frontier towns like Deadwood, where brothels, gambling, and drinking were common, and disputes were often settled through gunfights. The town’s wild past was brought to life in the HBO drama Deadwood, which aired for three seasons from 2004 to 2006.
23. South Dakota’s name comes from the Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who originally inhabited the area. It is believed that the word "Dakota" means "friend" or "ally" in the Sioux language.
24. Would you prefer to live in South Dakota or on Mars? That’s a question recently posed by the South Dakota Governor’s Office of Economic Development. They launched an ad campaign last spring encouraging potential residents to pick South Dakota over the prospect of colonizing the Red Planet. Their reasoning? Earth has air, and it also offers jobs—something Mars lacks. The ad boldly asks, "Why die on Mars when you can live in South Dakota?"
iStock
25. Three states in the U.S. have officially designated rodeo as their state sport: Texas, Wyoming, and South Dakota.
