The Story of South Dakota In 100 Landmarks

America turns 250.

Let's go find the candles.

Looking for a history lesson that doesn't feel like homework? You've found it. At 250history.com, the Semiquincentennial Series brings each state's distinctive landmarks to center stage to tell their fast and fun story.

We've wandered through big cities, tiny towns, muddy trails, and neon-lit highways-uncovering 5,000 historic gems along the way.

The Semiquincentennial isn't just a mouthful-it's a reminder that history is alive, sometimes weird, and always waiting to be rediscovered.

Whether you're traveling by road, by printed page, or by imagination; whether you are a lifelong native or visiting for a week, we invite you to explore 100 South Dakota landmarks that illuminate the one-of-a-kind story of the Mount Rushmore State.

Soddies... "Cement City"... grain palaces... Czechs... Monument

Movement... Fair Price filling stations... Hollywood star turns... "wa-

ter cure"... Great Sioux Wars... ghost towns... the CCC... "Builder of

the Prairie"... lungers... the golden age of motoring... town baseball...

igloos... "Prairie Cathedrals"... fire towers... Lustron Houses... B-36

Peacemakers... POW camps... grottoes... pigtail bridges... Meskers...

welcome centers... "Hub City of the Dakotas"... round barns... petri-

fied wood... This book will have you telling stories like a native in no

time.

The photos and stories collected here are a fast and fun way to learn

the explanations behind the quirks, the traditions and the secrets that

make South Dakota uniquely South Dakota. Where was the first fed-

eral execution in the Dakota Territory? Solved. What school has pro-

duced the most Rhodes scholars in South Dakota? A mystery no more.

What was the largest piece of gold ever discovered in South Dakota?

Identified. Where was the first professional football game played in

the state? Revealed. Where was the first wire-and concrete dinosaur

built? No one knows for sure.

It is a story only South Dakota can call its own. A story told in 100 landmarks. Almost all the selections within are open to the public, or at least visible from public spaces. So, fire up the GPS and see the story of the Mount Rushmore State standing in plain sight on South Dakota streets!