Michael and Larissa had their first engagement visit to South Dakota July 15 through 22.
I used their itinerary as the starting point for research.
Rapid City is the main airport and so the starting and ending point.
- Badlands
Nat’l Park is 7 miles south of Wall
- Okaton (pop. 36), Murdo (pop 461), Draper (pop 75),
Vivian (pop 119),…
- Gregory County is
all Republican, except in electing Jimmy Carter. Gregory (pop 1254).
- MILK'S CAMP - a nearly forgotten village founded by
the renowned Chief Milk. Most original residences are now gone, but pow wow
grounds remain along Ponca Creek as well as an Episcopal Church. Chief Milk is
buried on a hill above the old church.
- [ The Corn Palace is not on the way, but rather 2 hours drive from Milk's Camp, in the town of Mitchell. Something to see if you have the time and interest! ]
- Lakota
Pow Wow is there the last weekend in July.
It's a 3-Hour Drive (West
and South) to Pine Ridge.
- Dallas (pop 122), Colome (pop 286),
- Winner (pop 2861)- Tripp County seat
& serves neighboring Todd County too, and hometown of Delores Taylor, the co-creator and
star (as Jean) of the Billy Jack films,
was born and raised in Winner;
- Okreek (pop 269, on Rosebud Reservation),
- Mission
(pop 1236) on Res, Price is Right’s Bob Barker grew up here. Sinte Glesca
University, a private tribal college, is here;
- Martin - Lakota: pažóla
otȟúŋwahe; "Knoll City" (pop 1071),
- Swett (It was put up for sale as a ghost town in 2014 and as of Nov2016 had not found a buyer),
- Batesland - Lakota: íŋyaŋ šála; "Red Stone," (pop 115).
- Oglala
(pop 1290) 98.78% Native American. 13.4
sq miles;
- Red Shirt - In 2009, the village consisted of abt 23 houses in two
clusters, the Red Shirt School (both the modern school (constructed 2005-2008)
with two large domes, and the older school buildings, a dance ring, sports
fields, community buildings, and a sewage plant. As the community is the
closest on Pine Ridge Reservation to Rapid City, it is a desirable place to
live as it offers a relatively easy year-round commute. Red Shirt is the last
community (that is, at the end of the pipeline) served by the massive Mni Wiconi
water project which pumps water from the Missouri River near Fort Pierre up to
the Rosebud and Pine Ridge Reservations. The village is located near the
Cheyenne River but outside the flood area of the river.
- Hermosa - pop 392. 88.7% White. 3.8% American Indian.
.48 sq mile.
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It is a 4-hour drive (East
and South) to Milk's Camp for Youth Leadership Camp. Lodging there was in the town of Gregory.
Some places and possible points of interest along the way-
Along the way from Milk's Camp to Pine Ridge—
PINE RIDGE--Lakota: Wazí Aháŋhaŋ Oyáŋke--, an Oglala Lakota Native American reservation, created March 1889. Among the poorest US counties. (pop 3308 in 2010), 94.2%
Native American, 3.72% White, 1.36% 2 or more races, <1 3.2="" area-="" miles.="" other="" races.="" span="" sq="">
The Heritage Center at Red Cloud Indian School is likely a partner organization for our project.
Wounded Knee is about 20 minutes drive from Pine Ridge. Pop.
382 (2010). The town is named for the Wounded Knee Creek which runs through the
region. Historical Site Museum.
Drive about 90 minutes to Rapid
City –
Along the way—
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