South Dakota Trivia & Tidbits - Page 2

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

—Snow White, Dorothy and Cinderella are among characters from children’s books, nursery rhymes and fables at the free theme park Storybook Island, open since 1959 in Rapid City (pop. 59,607).

first appeared: 1/11/2009

—Built in 1920, the State Game Lodge set in a ponderosa pine forest at Custer State Park Resort in Custer (pop. 1,860) served as the summer White House for Calvin Coolidge in 1927.

first appeared: 12/29/2008

—The shaggy white-haired Rocky Mountain goats that roam the Black Hills aren’t natives; they’re descendants of six escaped goats that were a gift to Custer State Park from Canada in 1924.

first appeared: 11/30/2008

—The oldest known photograph of a tornado was taken Aug. 28, 1884, of a twister near Howard (pop. 1,071). The photo is in the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service collection.

first appeared: 11/16/2008

—The Thomsen Center Archeodome in Mitchell (pop. 14,558) covers an open archaeology dig in a prehistoric Indian village, allowing year-round excavation and access for visitors.

first appeared: 11/2/2008

—In 1930, jockey Earl Sande won the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes to earn the coveted Triple Crown. Sande was born in 1898 in Groton (pop. 1,356).

first appeared: 10/19/2008

—Rodeo is the official state sport and traces its roots to the Old West when cowboys gathered after cattle roundups and celebrated with informal competitions showing off their horsemanship and roping skills. Rodeos can be found in arenas across the state throughout the year.

first appeared: 10/5/2008

—Belle Fourche (pop. 4,565) is known as “South Dakota’s Antique Capital” because of its many antiques and collectibles stores on Main Street.

first appeared: 9/21/2008

—At Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, 20 miles east of Wall (pop. 818), visitors can tour a former launch control facility and a missile silo containing a Minuteman II training missile, relics of the Cold War.

first appeared: 9/7/2008

—Life-size wax figures depict famous historical scenes, including the framers of the Constitution gathered to sign the Declaration of Independence and President George Bush at “Ground Zero” after 9/11, at the National Presidential Wax Museum in Keystone (pop. 311).

first appeared: 8/24/2008

—Spearfish Creek in Spearfish (pop. 8,606) has the distinction of freezing from the bottom up, rather than the top down. The creek moves too swiftly to allow ice to form on top, but turbulence from its rocky bed slows the water long enough for it to freeze below the surface.

first appeared: 8/10/2008

—Hobo Day is a beloved homecoming tradition begun in 1912 at South Dakota State University in Brookings (pop. 18,504) to boost school spirit. Students and faculty dress in dingy clothing, men are unshaven and women wear their hair in braids.

first appeared: 7/27/2008

—Scenes from the 2007 movie National Treasure: Book of Secrets, starring Nicolas Cage, were filmed in the Black Hills at Mount Rushmore National Memorial and Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park.

first appeared: 7/13/2008

—Dinosaur researchers worldwide visit The Black Hills Institute of Geological Research in Hill City (pop. 780), which houses the world’s most extensive collection of Tyrannosaurus rex fossil material.

first appeared: 6/29/2008

—Toby Flint, 17, of Brookings (pop. 18,504) was honored with a 2008 Prudential Spirit of Community Award for designing and building a picnic and fishing area for a city park.

first appeared: 6/15/2008

—Highmore (pop. 851) didn’t have any competition to be the county seat of Hyde County (pop. 1,671). It’s the only town in the county, although the settlements of Holabird, Stephan and Mac’s Corner are listed on some state maps.

first appeared: 6/1/2008

—The official state animal is the coyote, which hunts the open prairies and fields across the entire state, but is found in its greatest numbers along the Missouri River and its tributaries, and in the Black Hills.

first appeared: 5/18/2008

—Annie Donna Tallent was the first white woman to enter the Black Hills region, arriving with the Gordon-Russell gold prospecting party in 1874, although the American Indian land wasn’t officially open to white settlers.

first appeared: 5/4/2008

—Levi Johnson of Tea (pop. 1,742) chugged 5.5 ounces of Tabasco sauce (about three bottles) in 30 seconds last November to beat the previous Tabasco drinking world record of 5.07 ounces. The hot feat is subject to verification by Guinness World Records.

first appeared: 3/9/2008

—Cartoonist Chris Browne of Sioux Falls took over Hagar the Horrible when his father, the late Dik Browne, retired in 1988. The cartoon about the lovable Viking is syndicated internationally in more than 1,900 newspapers.

first appeared: 2/24/2008

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.