Page 444 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - USA

442  THE GREA T PLAINS

w Black Hills

Known to the Lakota Sioux as Paha Sapa, these majestic Deadwood
hills were a mysterious, sacred place where Native Americans
would retreat to seek guidance from the Great Spirit. In 1874, SOUTH DAKOTA
George Armstrong Custer’s (see p573) expedition discovered Rapid
City
evidence of gold deposits in the thickly forested, oddly shaped
Custer
granite hills. A series of misleading treaties followed, forcing WYOMING
the Sioux to relinquish their land, as miners, speculators, and
settlers rushed into these once-sacred hills to stake their claims.
Today, the Black Hills harbor some of the state’s most visited Locator Map
attractions, particularly Mount Rushmore National Memorial. Black Hills
The 125-mile by 65-mile (201-km by 105-km) area is linked Area illustrated
by US 85, US 385 and US 16, which meanders from Rapid Deadwood
City, the main center in the area, to Wyoming.

Crazy Horse Memorial
When complete, the Rapid
statue of the great Sioux City
warrior the Crazy Horse
will be the world’s largest
sculpture. So far, only the
nine-story-high face is
finished. The carving
began in 1948 and Hill City
when complete, the •
sculpture will be 641-ft
(195-m) long and
563-ft (172-m) high. • Keystone
•
Mt. Rushmore
National Memorial
•
Crazy Horse
Memorial
Custer •

• Custer
Jewel Cave
National Monument State Park
Jewel Cave National Monument
The underground attractions in the third-
longest cave in the world are more varied
than those at Wind Cave. Tough spelunking
(cave exploring) tours allow participants into Wind Cave
some of the more astounding areas. A simpler Pringle • National Park
paved route offers a broad overview.

Historic Deadwood
The restored downtown
re-creates Deadwood’s
past as a wild, lawless gold-
mining town. Gunfighter
Wild Bill Hickok was shot
here in 1876, and Calamity
The
Jane also left her mark here. • Mammoth Site
Today, visitors try their luck 0 kilometers 10 •
in the historic gaming halls. Hot
0 miles 10
Springs
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp460–62 and pp463–5

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