South Dakota Trivia & Tidbits - Page 16

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

Warned by Yankton Sioux to stay away from a small hill called Spirit Mound because they thought demons lived there, explorers Lewis and Clark, nevertheless, visited the site and found nothing. The mound is marked by a historical marker north of Vermillion (pop. 10,066).

first appeared: 6/3/2001

At 7,242 feet above sea level, Harney Peak near Custer (pop. 1,853) is the highest spot in South Dakota. It’s also the nation’s highest point east of the Rocky Mountains.

first appeared: 5/27/2001

Mount Rushmore has been featured on the license plates of the state since 1955. This year the plates are red, white, and blue.

first appeared: 5/20/2001

Sylvan Lake in the Black Hills is a popular mountain lake that once was a favorite fishing spot of President Calvin Coolidge. It’s south of Hill City (pop. 774) in Custer State Park.

first appeared: 5/13/2001

The Institute of American Indian Studies at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion (pop. 10,066) has one of the largest collections of oral history in the nation, with more than 5,200 recordings of Native American language, singing, and cultural traditions.

first appeared: 5/6/2001

All military records, banners, and relics of the state are preserved in the Office of the Adjutant General in Pierre (pop. 13,422), unless they’re being displayed elsewhere on a temporary basis.

first appeared: 4/29/2001

Teenagers who are first- time offenders in Belle Fouche (pop. 4,924) have their cases tried by a Teen Court in which other teens prepare, hear, and judge the cases.

first appeared: 4/22/2001

The largest landowner in South Dakota is the federal government, which manages 2.7 million acres, or 5.6 percent, of the state’s landmass.

first appeared: 4/15/2001

A slight rise between Big Stone Lake and Lake Traverse, on the state’s northeastern border with Minnesota, divides the waters that flow north to Hudson Bay and south to the Gulf of Mexico.

first appeared: 4/8/2001

The Tekakwitha Fine Arts Center opened in 1988 in Sisseton (pop. 2,190) to showcase the work of American Indian artists. It contains more than 500 pieces of art.

first appeared: 4/1/2001

To honor those who inhabited the Western Hemisphere before Columbus arrived, South Dakota created Native American Day in 1990. It is a legal state holiday.

first appeared: 3/25/2001

At 18.3 million acre-feet, Lake Oahe on the Missouri River north of Pierre is the nation’s third-largest manmade reservoir. Holding its waters in place is the nation’s second-largest embankment dam, made of 92,000 cubic yards of earth.

first appeared: 3/18/2001

Named after the Sioux word which means “nesting place for birds,” Waubay National Wildlife Refuge near Waubay (pop. 584) is a 4,650-acre sanctuary for about 100 bird species, including ducks, geese, and other waterfowl.

first appeared: 3/11/2001

Charles Phillips Ingalls, father of Laura Ingalls Wilder who wrote the Little House books, is buried in the city cemetery at DeSmet (pop. 1,209), where he died in 1902 at the age of 66.

first appeared: 3/4/2001

Measuring 50-by-200 feet, the world’s largest natural, indoor warm water swimming pool is Evans’ Plunge in Hot Springs (pop. 4,112).

first appeared: 2/25/2001

With a population of 13,357, Pierre is the second-smallest state capital city in the nation. Montpelier, Vt., is smaller.

first appeared: 2/18/2001

More than 91 miles of passageways and caverns have been found in Wind Cave National Park near Hot Springs (pop. 3,891). Park rangers estimate less than 10 percent of the cave’s actual length has been explored.

first appeared: 2/11/2001

—The Homestake near Lead (pop. 3,376), one of the nation’s top gold mines, produced 160,000 ounces of the precious metal last year.

first appeared: 2/4/2001

After winning the Medal of Honor as a Marine pilot in World War II, Joe J. Foss of Sioux Falls served as the governor of the state from 1955 to 1959.

first appeared: 1/28/2001

Explorers Meri-wether Lewis and William Clark visited present-day South Dakota in 1804 and 1806 on their historic journey to and from the Pacific Ocean.

first appeared: 1/21/2001

jump to page: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17

newspaper partner login create account

Recent

Popular

Recipes

Below are the most recent American Profile articles:

Below are the most recent, highest rated American Profile articles:

Below are the most recent, highest rated American Profile recipes:

Relish

Spry

Below are the most recent articles from our Relish sister site. Click on the "Spry" tab above to see the most recent articles from our other sister site.

Below are the most recent articles from our Spry sister site. Click on the "Relish" tab above to see the most recent articles from our other sister site.