The “Shrine of Democracy” is a must see while visiting the western part of the Midwest. Rapid City is the major city in the area with a regional airport.
We flew into Minneapolis in 2017 and did drive a 10-day circle tour using I-90 and I-94. The Great Plains looked absolutely beautiful.
We picked a jeep over a small four-door sedan. It was a fun ride and every one noticed us.
We did stop in the Badlands which is over 62 miles away east of Rapid City.
The sedimentary rocks and canyons have been extensively eroded away by the elements. The dry climate adds character to the already bright black/blue and red colors of the soil and rock.
There is a two-hour ride through this National Park off of I-90.
Half-way in the park is a welcomed Visitors Center.
Walking the canyon ridges can be dangerous. It did not stop the braver or fool-hardy travelers.
With each trail there came a warning.
The sheep paid no attention to us.
All along I-90 are huge display signs advertising Wall Drug.
These signs reach out 650 miles from Minnesota to Billings, Montana. By the time one reaches Wall, SD., you just have to stop to see what all the commotion is about.
Just west of the Badlands is Wall, South Dakota. A man named Ted Hustead thought of a clever idea of attracting people into this small community. Actually, it was his wife, Dorothy, that came up with the idea of promoting “free ice-water” for the many travelers going to Mount Rushmore. I had to get that “free-ice-water” too.
Today Wall Drug Store is a combination of many businesses making the area into a roadside, but tacky, attraction.
My favorite attraction at Wall Drug is the Zoltar Fortune Telling Machine. The guy looks so real.
55 miles away from Wall Drug complex is Rapid City. It is a community of less than 100,000 people. At one time, The Rushmore Hotel & Suites was the place to stay.
For years celebrities would stay at this establishment.
Even with the chain hotels today, The Rushmore is popular with tourist groups.
Our room was rather funky to say the least. It was definitely different.
Through the town of Rapid City are life-size statues of every President. One of my favorites who died when I was nearly eight years old is pictured below.
Close by up on the hill is Dinosaur Park. Developed in the 1930’s by the Works Project Administration, it provided much needed work.
Life-size dinosaurs entertain on top of this hill over-looking the city. On a clear day, it is said one could see the Badlands from the top.
We were visiting during sunset.
There is a much-welcomed bathroom at the visitor’s center too.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is but 27 miles south from Rapid City. How do I know this?
There is a small community with plenty of hotels near Mount Rushmore called Keystone. The big advantage of staying in Keystone is seeing Mount Rushmore at night and early morning hours.
Literally, a four-lane highway will take you all the way to Rushmore’s impressive Visitor’s Center.
An extensive museum tells the story about how and when Mount Rushmore was created.
An amazing fact that I remember is that “no one died” in making these 60-foot statues of Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. These carvings are on a mountain 5700 feet high.
Like Wall Drug, the concept of Mount Rushmore was initiated with the idea of creating something so big to attract people around the nation and the world.
A guy named Doane Robinson is credited with this idea of carving up a portion of the Black Hills to promote tourism in the region. Like the Keven Costner’s movie, “Field of Dreams,” the concept of “build it and they will come” is so true.
The main sculptor is a man named Gutzon Borglum. You may have seen Stone Mountain in Georgia? Those Confederates are his and so is Mount Rushmore.
It took over 14 years to complete from 1927 to 1941. This project was so popular that even Congress approved of it. On the premise is the Borglum Museum. A sculptor’s studio was built to create models for the original carvings.
Close by is the well paved Presidential Trail that will take you reasonably close through Ponderosa pines to see Mount Rushmore.
I liked the small cave that created a different perspective of the Monument.
Unfortunately, the “cafe” that was in the Alfred Hitchcock movie staring Gary Grant in “North by Northwest” is no longer there. It has been replaced.
A road winds around Black Elk Peak that gives an interesting perspective too.
About 17 miles southwest of Mount Rushmore is the Crazy Horse Memorial. When finally completed, this memorial will be 563 high (compared that to the 60-foot Rushmore figures!).
This famous carving has been going on since 1948. The patriot Crazy Horse was an actual Oglala Lakota warrior that actually fought against General Armstrong Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn on June 25/26th, 1876.
The sculpture was started by a Polish-American, Korczak Ziolkowski. His family has taken over since his death in 1982. The Oglala Lakota Indians make it well known that this memorial is a non-profit undertaking and accepts “NO” federal or state funding.
To get even close to the memorial one is charged $30 per car. To get even closer there is a bus that will take you up to the base for even more money.
In 2018, the Foundation raked in over $12.5 million dollars in admissions. No one knows when this memorial will be finished. It is well past its 70-year due date
There is an inviting museum on the premises.
The food concession is also another big money maker as there are no other restaurant for miles.
There are a number of quality sculptures on the grounds.
Some people consider this memorial to be a rip-off. We look at it as supporting an Indian tribe. It is far better visiting the memorial than loosing monies in an Indian casino!
Heading south for 40 miles is a “Mammoth Site” in Hot Spring, SD. Along the way, we came across this rather interesting “bicycle sculpture.”
The Mammoth Site consists of 61 mammoths that have been uncovered. About 20,000 years ago, these mammoths got themselves stuck in a huge sink-hole and could not get out.
A construction worker unearthed a complete skull and tusk in 1974. The museum is now under a non-profit organization. The experience of seeing so many ancient mammoths is well worth the time and a few dollars.
About 28 miles northwest of Rapid City is Sturgis made famous for the motorcycle rally every August. We had just missed this huge rally as the community was back to normal.
About 40 miles from Rapid City is the western town of Deadwood. Don’t know how much of the original town is left as the main street is filled with hotels, cafés and shops.
Outside of town is the Keven Costner creation called “Tatanka” which exhibits the history of the American buffalo. For $12 dollars, we missed this segment as I taught about the American West for years. Plus, there were very few people visiting when we were there. Kevin must be getting a good tax-write-off.
Reachable in a few hours is Devil’s Tower. Along the way, we came across true country travelers.
Lastly, I have to admit this one story. As we were entering the Devil’s Tower National Memorial Park, I videoed a segment—which I later placed on Facebook—with the music from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. At that time in 2017, Facebook had not placed a restriction on using syndicated music with personal videos. We still smile on what we created.
