South Dakota – Mount Rushmore State

Greetings from South Dakota Postcard. Available at Legends' General Store.

Greetings from South Dakota Postcard. Available at Legends’ General Store.

South Dakota is rich in history, scenic views, and historic figures — from the Indian Wars to the outlaw days of Deadwood to the building of Mount Rushmore; this beautiful state has much to offer!

Enjoy the fabled Black Hills, an uplifted island of pine-clad mountains rising from the Great Plains, with impressive pinnacles, mysterious geologic formations, and dense forests.

Check out the Badlands that have been met with a mix of dread and fascination, beginning with nomadic tribes more than 10,000 years ago.

Read about the death of Wild Bill Hickok in DeadwoodCalamity Jane’s eccentric behavior, check out South Dakota’s 54 State Parks, three National Parks, numerous ghost towns, and its many historical sites.

We’re sure you will enjoy the great faces and great places of South Dakota.

Welcome to Black Hills Legends!

Kathy R. Weiser-Alexander
Editor

 

The South Dakota flag features the state seal surrounded by a blazing golden sun in a field of sky blue. Letters reading “South Dakota, The Mount Rushmore State,” the official state nickname, are arranged in a circle around the sun.

Mount Rushmore, photo by Kathy Alexander.

Mount Rushmore, photo by Kathy Alexander.

Postcard, Deadwood 1876.

Postcard, Deadwood 1876.

Crazy Bears House in Okaton, South Dakota.

Crazy Bears House in Okaton, South Dakota.

Articles:

Arikara War – The First Plains Indian War

Badlands National Park

Banshee Of The Bad Lands

Bedrock City – Gone Today

The Black Hills of South Dakota

Corps of Discovery – The Lewis & Clark Expedition

Crazy Horse – A Sacred Hero

Deadwood – Rough & Tumble Mining Camp

Black Hills Historic Characters & Tales

Al Swearengen & the Notorious Gem Theater

Con Stapleton – Deadwood Marshal

The Deadwood Stage

Deadwood Photo Gallery

Calamity Jane – Wild Woman of the West

Charlie Utter, Bill Hickok’s Best Pard

Deadwood, South Dakota Timeline

Haunted Bullock Hotel

HBO’s Deadwood – Facts & Fiction

George Hearst – Father of a Mining and Publishing Empire

Jack Langrishe – Entertaining the Old West

Jack McCall – Cowardly Killer of Wild Bill Hickok

John Perrett, aka Potato Creek Johnny

Lucretia “Aunt Lou” Marchbanks – The Greatest Cook in the Black Hills

Martha Bullock – A Pillar of Deadwood Society

Nat Love, aka: “Deadwood Dick” – The Greatest Black Cowboy in the Old West

The Painted Ladies of Deadwood Gulch

Samuel Fields – The Shakespearian Orator

Seth Bullock – Finest Type of Frontiersman

Solomon Star – A Natural Deadwood Leader

Wild Bill Hickok & the Deadman’s Hand

Fort Pierre Chouteau – The Largest Trading Post on the Great Plain

Ghost Towns & Mining Camps of South Dakota

Lakota, Dakota, Nakota – The Great Sioux Nation

The Mighty Missouri River

Sica Hollow State Park – A Spooky & Beautiful Place

The Legend of Sica Hollow

Sitting Bull – Lakota Chief & Holy Man

South Dakota Fun Facts and Trivia

South Dakota Indian Battles

South Dakota Photo Gallery

South Dakota Postcards

Spotted Tail – Warrior, Chief & Negotiator

Red Cloud – Lakota Warrior & Statesman

Writing Credits

©Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated February 2024.

Also See:

Destinations Across America

National Parks

United States Geography

U.S. States