South Dakota Trivia & Tidbits - Page 13

Looking for South Dakota trivia? Try our list South Dakota little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

Needles Highway in Custer State Park near Custer (pop. 1,860) is a natural roller coaster winding among granite spires that resemble needles poking up from the ground.

first appeared: 7/28/2002

Established as a trading post in 1832, Fort Pierre (pop. 1,991) is the state’s oldest continuously occupied white settlement.

first appeared: 7/21/2002

In 1901, James “Scotty” Philip helped save the buffalo from extinction after buying a herd of 50 and growing it to 1,000 near Fort Pierre (pop. 1,991).

first appeared: 7/14/2002

Si Tanka Huron Tribal University in Huron (pop. 11,893) is the nation’s first off-reservation, tribal-controlled university. The school was created April 26, 2001, when Si Tanka College in Eagle Butte (pop. 619) bought Huron University in Huron.

first appeared: 7/7/2002

In 2000, South Dakota mines produced 265,000 ounces of gold, valued at $74 million, and 79,800 ounces of silver.

first appeared: 6/30/2002

The Crystal Springs Ranch rodeo arena in Clear Lake (pop. 1,335) was built on a drained duck pond and bills itself “America’s Most Natural Rodeo Bowl.”

first appeared: 6/23/2002

Memorabilia from the family of Hubert Humphrey can be seen at Humphrey Drug Store in Huron (pop. 11,893), where the former vice president worked during the 1930s.

first appeared: 6/16/2002

In 1990, fossil hunter Sue Hendrickson discovered the nearly perfect remains of a Tyrannosaurus rex in the Black Hills. Named Sue, the 42-foot dinosaur sold at public auction for $8.36 million to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.

first appeared: 6/9/2002

One of the country’s best preserved military forts is the 1864 Fort Sisseton in Lake City (pop. 47) where 14 original buildings still stand.

first appeared: 6/2/2002

The burning bluffs along Snake Creek near Hot Springs (pop. 4,129) are caused by lightning strikes and chemical reactions in the oil-rich shale. Once ignited, the cavities can smoke for months or years.

first appeared: 5/26/2002

More than 8 percent of the state’s residents are American Indians, primarily members of the Sioux tribes: the Dakota, Nakota, and Lakota.

first appeared: 5/19/2002

With more than 127 miles of mapped passageways, Jewel Cave near Custer (pop. 1,860) is believed to be the world’s third-longest cave.

first appeared: 5/12/2002

The restored three-story Bullock Hotel in downtown Deadwood (pop. 1,380) was built in 1895 by Seth Bullock, the town’s first sheriff.

first appeared: 5/5/2002

In the late 1800s or early 1900s, a sheepherder built the 14-foot Silent Guide Monument to mark a water hole that never runs dry near Philip (pop. 885).

first appeared: 4/28/2002

The Flaming Fountain in Pierre (pop. 13,876) spews water with so much natural gas that it is lighted to create a memorial of water and flame to the state’s veterans.

first appeared: 4/21/2002

At 7,242 feet, Harney Peak near Custer (pop. 1,860) is the state’s highest point and the highest elevation east of the Rocky Mountains.

first appeared: 4/14/2002

According to legend, in the 1870s, French goldsmith Henri LeBeau created the grape and leaf motif that remains the trademark of the state’s official jewelry—Black Hills gold.

first appeared: 4/7/2002

South Dakota has 4.5 million acres of land owned by American Indian tribes, ranking fourth in the nation behind Arizona, Montana, and New Mexico.

first appeared: 3/31/2002

Making about 1.5 million storm doors a year, Larson Manufacturing Co. in Brookings (pop. 18,504) is the nation’s largest producer of storm doors.

first appeared: 3/24/2002

St. Joseph’s Indian School opened in Chamberlain (pop. 2,338) in 1927 as a boarding school for Lakota children, ages 6-20. It now has more than 200 students and includes Lakota studies in their coursework.

first appeared: 3/17/2002

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