Our road trip out west was not going to be an easy drive.
Instead of taking the interstate, we decided state highway 34 would be more interesting and it would be an easy linkup to the Native American Scenic Byway at Fort Thompson.
The rain eased a little when we stopped at Wessington Springs. The main attraction here appears to be, of all things, the Shakespeare Garden and Anne Hathaway Cottage. But we were just interested in a coffee and donuts at Sweet Grass Bakery which came with a good reputation. And good they both were too.
But a little further down the road, weather conditions deteriorated considerably and we abandoned our Scenic Byway plans and headed directly to the South Dakota capital Pierre.
But a little further down the road, weather conditions deteriorated considerably and we abandoned our Scenic Byway plans and headed directly to the South Dakota capital Pierre.
At least we got glimpses of the Missouri River towards the end of this leg although it was obvious that it was the upper reaches of the Lake Sharpe dam. We were now on the Lewis and Clark trail and I wondered what they would think of the current state of this once mighty river.
Pierre has a population of around 14000 making it the second least populated capital in the USA.
Founded in 1880 on the east bank of the Missouri River opposite Fort Pierre it has been the state capital since South Dakota gained statehood on November 2, 1889. Fort Pierre was named after Pierre Chouteau, Jr., a major American fur trader from St. Louis, Missouri, who was of colonial French origin.
Despite the weather, the town was busy with traffic and people going places.
We had a good Mexican lunch at a crowded Guadalajara.
Two of the major attractions here are the State Capitol and the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center. The visitors car park for the former was too far a walk in the torrential rain so we opted for the latter.
The Center opened in 1989 to preserve and interpret the heritage and culture of the people of South Dakota beginning with the stories of Native tribes who inhabited the land before statehood and to follow the state's history into the 21st century.
It is an impressive building nestled into a bluff north of the capitol.
It is an impressive building nestled into a bluff north of the capitol.
The 63,000 sq ft (5850㎡) underground building serves as a reminder of the earth-berm lodges of the Arikara Indians who historically lived throughout the Missouri River Valley. The building is covered with native prairie sod from Jones County and landscaped with native grasses and plants just like the sod houses and dugouts of early prairie settlers.
The Museum’s main exhibit, ‘’The South Dakota Experience’’, includes three galleries that illustrate the history of the state from its earliest inhabitants to present day.
Oyate Tawicoḣ’aŋ: The Ways of the People explores the history, heritage, and culture of the Oceti Ṡakowiŋ (The Seven Council Fires), more commonly known as the Sioux.
Proving Up: shares the experiences of explorers, trappers, settlers, miners, and immigrants to a remote territory and how pioneers and statesmen established a booming state.
Changing Times: examines the changes and challenges the people of South Dakota faced during the 20th century and follows the state’s history from the boom of the railroads and automobile to the bust of the drought and Depression. This gallery highlights the introduction of power on the plains, telephone communication, and the shrinking of space between neighbours with the construction of highways and interstates.
This is a warts and all exhibition covering the dispossession of Native American land and subsequent treaty violations with resultant conflict to the struggles the pioneers endured with the environment to
progress stemming from mechanisation and advances in technology.
We spent a couple of hours here.
Highly recommended for adults and for kids with many interactive exhibits to play with (like milk a cow!).
We stayed in Fort Pierre across the river in another time zone (Mountain time) which is thankfully conveniently ignored and where I got another Lewis and Clark ‘fix’.
A major encounter which affected the destiny of all inhabitants of the region occurred in Fort Pierre on September 24-28, 1804. At the mouth of the Bad River, in present-day Fischers Lilly Park, members of Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery met for the first time with the Lakota people, known to them as the Teton Sioux. Differences in trade objectives, diplomacy, and the lack of an interpreter lead to an armed confrontation, the closest Lewis and Clark came to a premature end to their expedition.
The confrontation was diffused, largely through the efforts of Chief Black Buffalo, and the expedition continued. The flag of the United States was flown for the first time over present-day South Dakota at this council with the Lakota.
Dinner for us that night was at the Cattleman's Club Steakhouse which came highly recommended by numerous sources.
The place was jumping despite the atrocious weather and we had to wait 30 minutes for a table.
Well worth it, however, with the best prime rib (medium rare) I have ever tasted and an introduction to Meiomi Californian Pinot Noir.
No comments:
Post a Comment