LOCAL AREA

Mt. Rushmore National Memorial is a huge mountain sculpture of four US Presidents, located near Keystone, in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The Presidents depicted are: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. These four Presidents were chosen to represent the founding, growth and preservation of the United States. The work was designed by the sculptor John Gutzon Borglum (March 25, 1871- March 6, 1941).

Crazy Horse Memorial is the world's largest sculpture-in-progress. The project was started in 1948 at the request of Chief Henry Standing Bear who invited sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski to carve a mountain to honor the heritage, tradition and culture of North American Indians. Its namesake, Crazy Horse, was a war leader of the Oglala Lakota Tribe and a prominent leader in the Sioux resistance to white encroachment on the Black Hills. He is revered by the Sioux as one of their greatest leaders.

President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Devils Tower the first national monument in 1906. The one of a kind natural wonder escalates to 1,267 feet above the Belle Fourche River, just across the South Dakota border in Wyoming. There are over eight miles of hiking trails and technical rock climbing available for visitors to enjoy. Also known as Bears Lodge, the tower is considered a sacred worship site by many Native Americans who leave colorful prayer cloths tied to trees near its base.

Situated on a mountainous plateau overlooking Deadwood Gulch is historic Mt. Moriah Cemetery. Established in 1878 by the Lawrence County Commission, Mt. Moriah is the final resting place of Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Seth Bullock, and other notable figures of the Wild West. By tradition, the American flag flies over the cemetery 24 hours a day, rather than merely from sunrise to sunset.

The Days of ’76 began as a way to honor Deadwood’s first pioneers - the prospectors, miners, muleskinners and madams who poured into the Black Hills in 1876 to settle the gold-filled gulches of Dakota Territory. Since the first celebration in 1924, the Days of ‘76 has grown into a legendary annual event with a historic parade and an award-winning PRCA rodeo. Opened in 2013, the Days of ’76 museum houses an impressive collection of Western and American Indian artifacts, photos, and artwork.