You Are Entering South Dakota

Most of the bronze's figures have moved since it was cast. Harney Peak became Black Elk Peak on August 11, 2016, by vote of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names; its Lakota name is Hiŋháŋ Káǧa, and a survey that September put the summit rock at 7,231 feet, not 7,247. The Homestake Mine stopped producing at the end of 2001 after more than forty million troy ounces and is now the Sanford Underground Research Facility. The state now counts 77,116 square miles. The reverse still sends drivers north with a compliment for the Red River Valley.

What the plaque says

You Are Entering South Dakota CREATED with its TWIN, North Dakota, 2 November 1889, its 77,047 square miles ranks 15th in size. Those square miles include; exceptional corn land in the SE, grass land in the W, wheat land in the N and PRODUCTIVE land all over. Its lowest point, BIG STONE, is 979 feet above sea level; its high- est, HARNEY PEAK, at 7,247 feet is the highest point in the U. S. A. east of the Rockies. The BLACK HILLS "THE AMERICAN ALPS" are scenically unsurpassed and are the richest "100 MILE SQUARE" minerally in the world. MT. RUSHMORE, "THE SHRINE OF DEMOCRACY" is visited by hundreds of thousands annually. Its BADLANDS are weirdly beautiful and undeniably bad. ANNUALLY it ranks in the first ten states in the production of wheat, corn, oats, barley, rye, grass, and cattle. Its HOMESTAKE MINE is the greatest gold producer in the western hemisphere. SOUTH DAKOTA is "ECONOMICALLY, PHYSICALLY, RECREATIONALLY" a State of "INFINITE VARIETY." Its economy is well balanced. FIRST visited by white men, VERENDRYE, in 1743, for a century it was a fur traders paradise with a most romantic history. ITS highways are well marked; roadside PARKS frequent; historic markers, such as this, are to be found therein and adjacent to historic sites. Our MOTTO "UNDER GOD THE PEOPLE RULE" is symbolic of life in South Dakota. Welcome to our State. Erected 1956 by South Dakota State Highway Commission You are now leaving South Dakota and about to enter North Dakota our twin State at creation, a great State of the land. Famous for its Red River Valley, wheat and a progressive and self-reliant people.

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Savo Monument — 6.6 mi
• Colon Campbell Fur Post — 11 mi
• Aurland — 13 mi
• Civilian Conservation Corps Camp - Sand Lake — 18 mi