Rapid City Facts
Fact 1: While many Americans are familiar with the faces of the four presidents carved into Mount Rushmore, not many realize that the sculpture, as originally envisioned, is incomplete. Sculptor Gutzon Borglum initially hoped for the sculptures to extend to the waist, showing the presidents' suit jackets and hands. A model of Borglum's intentions can be seen in the visitors center. An interesting side note is that, had the presidents been carved in total, they would stand approximately 465 feet tall.
Fact 2: Except as portrayed by Hollywood, much of Western life in past centuries seems to have been lost. A few men, however, have stemmed the tide of forgetfulness. One of them was Badger Clark, born a minister's son and self-fashioned into a cowboy. Clark, through words, preserved the glorious impressions of wide-open spaces and rugged individuality and was named South Dakota's first poet laureate in 1937. Clark's most famous work is "A Cowboy's Prayer."
Fact 3: Native American culture runs strong in the region around Rapid City, which comes as no surprise, given that the Lakota Sioux have been in the region for ages. Traditionally plains-dwellers and buffalo hunters, they fought valiantly for their lands during periods of white usurpation. Today, many Lakota live on reservations or have adapted to present-day culture, and their art-, craft-, and goldwork are highly desirable as a way of regaining that rich, endangered heritage. The Journey Museum details this Native American culture with respect.
Fact 4: Certainly one of the most transforming events in Rapid City's history was the Flood of 1972. On June 9, torrential waters rushed through the town and, in six hours, eradicated manmade structures and natural features without discretion. Canyon Lake Dam failed, and 238 people lost their lives in the flood. In the years since, a floodway has been established along Rapid Creek, creating – where development once flourished – an open buffer of greenspace in hopes of heading off any subsequent tragedies.
Fact 5: During the summer of 1927, President Calvin Coolidge vacationed at Custer State Park, accompanied by the First Lady, dogs in tow. Quickly enamored of the place, the president took up trout-fishing and enjoyed himself immensely, marveling at the ease with which he caught specimens. What Coolidge didn't know was that the park service was stocking the waters nightly and discreetly cordoning off the stream for his benefit. In essence, he was shooting fish in a barrel!
Fact 6: Many visitors to Western South Dakota take as a reminder of their visit a piece of "Black Hills Gold" jewelry. Exclusive to the area, this type of jewelry is known for its motif of grapes and grape leaves in pink, green, and gold tones. Each piece is handmade and makes use of silver and copper additives to achieve the gold's distinctive colors. Legend has it that the style of the jewelry was created after a French goldsmith in the Black Hills dreamt of grape leaves and created in gold what he saw in his vision.
Fact 7: The reinvigorated town of Deadwood (northwest of Rapid City) was a locus for Western raucousness – and gambling – in the late 19th century. In fact, it was here, in the Number 10 Saloon, that Wild Bill Hickok was shot and killed. (The hand he was holding – two pair, black aces and black eights – has come to be known as the "dead man's hand.") Hickok now lies buried in the town's Mount Moriah Cemetery, and Calamity Jane, another legend of the West, rests beside him – at her request.
Fact 8: After Kevin Costner filmed "Dances with Wolves" in the region, he and his brother, Dan, opened a casino in Deadwood called the Midnight Star. The Main Street complex boasts gaming facilities, a sports bar, and an upscale restaurant and includes a wealth of memorabilia from Costner's life and films. The casino helped breathe new life into Deadwood, which had foundered for years until legal gambling was reintroduced in 1989.
Fact 9: Although the gold rush in South Dakota is long gone, the town of Lead (pronounced "Leed") still holds close its heritage. The Homestake Gold Mine, founded in 1876, produced gold until it finally closed in 2001. Once known as the western hemisphere's deepest, oldest, and largest gold mine, Homestake is now open as a tourist attraction – complete with surface tours, artifacts, and a gift shop – at 160 West Main Street.
Fact 10: In Wall, SD, rests one of the region's most well-known roadside attractions and tourist traps – Wall Drug Store. It first opened during the Depression as a place for folks to get free ice water, and it's grown in decades since into a venerable paean to kitsch. Shops, cafeterias, exhibits on local history, and other less refined attractions still call to folks, as do the many billboards scattered throughout the region. Not all people appreciate Wall's charm, but everyone can take advantage of its free water. And yes, there is a pharmacy.
HI: 87°
