South Dakota: The Mount Rushmore State

South Dakota: The Mount Rushmore State — page 1 — INTRODUCTION What makes South Dakotans proud Residents of South Dakota take pride in the beautiful and vast landscape of their state which offers both mountains and plains They cherish the rich Native American culture that has remained strong Many South Dakotans take pride in the state’s early settlers some of them ancestors who turned the wild plains into productive farmland They also treasure the strong farming communities that uphold the work ethic of the pioneers South Dakotans have an incredible national memorial in their state Mount Rushmore This massive sculpture commemorates four important presidents of the United States George Washington Thomas Jefferson Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln Mount Rushmore represents the birth of the United States its political struggles and its path to freedom and democracy Mount Rushmore is a memorial of the birth growth and development of the United States 4 SOUTH DAKOTA The quartzite rock cliffs in Palisades State Park are ancient The 50-foot-high cliffs are thought to be 1 2 billion years old South Dakota is officially known as the Mount Rushmore State It is also called the Sunshine State for its ample sunshine Another nickname is the Coyote State because coyotes roam the land Pierre is the capital of South Dakota It took 14 years to create Mount Rushmore Work on the memorial began in 1927 and ended in 1941

South Dakota: The Mount Rushmore State — page 2 — INTRODUCTION 5 South Dakota is part of the Great Plains region of the United States It is bordered by Minnesota and Iowa to the east Other Great Plains states border the rest of South Dakota North Dakota lies to the north Nebraska is to the south and Wyoming and Montana are to the west About 8,500 miles of state and federal highways serve motor vehicle traffic in the state Travelers can drive to South Dakota on two interstate highways Interstate 90 runs east-west and Interstate 29 runs north-south in the eastern part of the state The largest airports are in Sioux Falls and Rapid City The Sioux Falls Regional Airport is the busiest airport in the state serving some 600,000 passengers a year Although several rail-freight lines run through South Dakota passenger train service is not available The speed limit on rural roads in South Dakota like most states is 10 miles per hour less than that on interstate highways South Dakota Location Map The Dakota Sioux phrase how kola is the state greeting It means hello friend The geographic center of the United States is about 20 miles north of Belle Fourche The spot moved there from Kansas in 1959 when Alaska and Hawaii became states The Yellow Stonewas the first steamboat to power up the Missouri River as far as Fort Tecumseh which is now called Fort Pierre Scientists have found bones from three-toed horses and saber-toothed cats that once roamed South Dakota’s land Capital Pierre Interstate highways 43 70 86 Mi 140 Km Scale 0 0 Population 754,844 Size 77,121 square miles Highest peak Harney Peak 7,242 feet

South Dakota: The Mount Rushmore State — page 3 — Millions of tourists visit South Dakota each year Many people come to gaze upon the famed Mount Rushmore National Memorial Some visitors come to witness the natural beauty of the Badlands Others come to learn about the state’s frontier past a time of both promise and conflict During this period in South Dakota’s history there were many clashes over territory most often between early settlers and Native Americans Visitors to the state can also learn about the rowdy and lawless times of the early pioneer days when towns such as Deadwood were havens for outlaws and gunmen In the same period miners were swarming over the Black Hills panning for gold This rich and colorful history brings many people to South Dakota During the gold rush of the 1870s the city of Deadwood was known as the toughest town in the Dakota Territory 6 SOUTH DAKOTA The Badlands Wilderness Area in Badlands National Park stretches across 64,000 acres North Dakota and South Dakota are the only two states to have entered the Union on the same day Nov 2 1889 North Dakota is considered the 39th state to join the Union and South Dakota is considered the 40th because S follows N in the alphabet The state’s highest point is Harney Peak in the Black Hills at 7,242 feet above sea level

South Dakota: The Mount Rushmore State — page 4 — INTRODUCTION 7 The state seal is a symbol of life in South Dakota representing the state’s past and present The seal displays some of the state’s more important natural resources and industries farming ranching forestry manufacturing and mining It features a farmer plowing his fields a steamboat chugging down a river and cattle grazing A smelting furnace represents mining long one of the state’s main industries The official state motto Under God the People Rule runs along the top of the seal The seal was adopted in 1885 four years before the state was admitted to the Union The South Dakota flag features the state seal in the center set against a field of blue and surrounded by the name of the state and its nickname the Mount Rushmore State In the Black Hills granite outcroppings have resisted erosion forming tall granite pillars known as the Needles The state seal was adopted in 1889 The state slogan is Great Faces Great Places The slogan refers to the Mount Rushmore monument and also to the interesting people and places across the state The slogan appears on license plates and some road signs Since 1890 visitors have gone to the town of Hot Springs to splash in its spring-fed indoor swimming pool There are about 150 public libraries and branches in the state including several bookmobiles

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