Sioux Falls

Across South Dakota, almost to Minnesota

Three nights, 2-day stop here, with time for 2 visits. Although, we mustn’t forget our visit enroute, in Mitchell, SD, to see the The Worlds Only Corn Palace! The exterior of the Moorish Revival building is decorated with “crop art”, i.e. the murals and designs covering the building are made from corn and other grains, and a new design is constructed each year.

First day visit to 1 new National Park Site:

Pipestone National Historic Site (#308), on a day trip into Minnesota. Here, for over 3,000 years, Indigenous people have quarried the red stone to make pipes used in prayer and ceremony. “When you pray with this pipe, you pray for and with everything.” -Black Elk. Pipestone: An Unbroken Legacy is a 22-minute movie about the cultural significance of the pipestone quarries and the sacred pipe.

It is a tradition that continues to this day and makes this site sacred to many people. Currently 23 tribes have people with permits to quarry pipestone here. They quarry by hand, using modern tools (i.e. shovels, wheelbarrows), but no explosives, even though they have to go through many layers of Quartzite to get to the Pipestone (or Catlinite, named for the white-guy who “discovered” it less than 200 years ago.)

We spent an afternoon visiting the site, including time at the Visitor Center, where 3 artists were demonstrating how they work with Pipestone. We also went to a Ranger Talk at the Exhibition Quarry, and walked the trails, in part by working quarries, where we even saw 3 people working in one.

Ranger Jessie in the Exhibition Quarry, pointing out the Pipestone beneath the Quartzite
One carver in VC demonstating making pipes from Pipestone
Field of Sumac, used as medicine, often mixed with tobacco and smoked
Winnewissen Falls
Trail past Quartzite Cliffs
Joe Taylor Pit, Mdewankanton Dakota (1860-1933), named after quarrier and carver who taught others for decades. His family still quarries here.

Yesterday, the Falls!

Late in the afternoon, after chores, we spent 90 minutes wandering around Falls Park, checking out the Falls of the Big Sioux River, for which the city was named. Luckily, we got there in time to go up into the observation tower, which gave us a great perspective of the park.