Discover the Mount Rushmore State: Top 16 Fun Facts About South Dakota You Won't Believe!

1. Corn Palace: Corny Entertainment Central

Sounds like an a-maize-ing place to pre-game: The Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota, doubles as both a quirky tourist attraction and a versatile venue for all things entertainment - from stage shows and meetings to high school basketball tournaments that have earned it a spot in the top 10 places for the sport in America, according to USA Today. In true corn-tastic fashion, students from Dakota Wesleyan University annually redecorate the exterior with multicolored murals crafted from corn and other grains, elevating it to an agricultural homage of global renown.
Source => cornpalace.com

2. Mount Rushmore: Presidential Giants

In a land where presidential heads are as tall as a six-story building and not just big-headed politicians: South Dakota proudly showcases the colossal Mount Rushmore National Memorial, featuring 60-foot high sculptures of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, making it an iconic U.S. landmark visited by millions annually.
Source => netstate.com

Did you know President Benjamin Harrison played an "eeny, meeny, miny, moe" game when admitting North and South Dakota to the Union? The signing order is a perplexing riddle that remains unsolved to this day!

=> Fun Facts about North-Dakota

3. Pine Ridge Reservation: Land of Tribal Challenges

Call it a reservation without reservation: The Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, sprawled across a whopping 2.1 million acres, is the largest Native American reservation in the state. Despite this immense size, the residents face challenges such as a lack of water and land, leading to issues like poverty, high unemployment rates, and serious health concerns. Nonetheless, efforts are being made to create a brighter future for the communities who call Pine Ridge home.
Source => re-member.org

4. Wall Drug Store: Thirst-Quenching Attraction

They say good things come to those who wait, but in South Dakota, great things come to those who hydrate: The Wall Drug Store has been a major attraction since the 1930s, enticing 2 million visitors annually with its iconic hand-painted signs, thanks to Dorothy Hustead's clever idea of advertising on Route 16 and offering free ice water to thirsty travelers.
Source => walldrug.com

5. Sturgis Motorcycle Rally: Biker Buffs' Bonanza

Who needs a wheelie good time when you've got the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally?! This half-a-million-strong biker bonanza puts the "rev" in "revelry" and keeps South Dakota rockin' and rollin': In 2022, Sturgis Motorcycle Rally projections estimated a turnout of 505,000 people, down 5.4% from the previous year. The South Dakota Department of Transportation counts these biker buffs with road tube counters, tallying one vehicle for every two axles headed to the event. Despite a 14% dip in tax collections for the year, vendors still find South Dakota a prime pit stop for business.
Source => sturgis.com

6. World's Only Corn Palace: Corn-tastic Destination

Next time you're feeling a bit corny, consider taking a trip to South Dakota: the state boasts the world's only Corn Palace, an indoor arena adorned with intricate corn murals that are redesigned annually since 1892, celebrating the flourishing agricultural legacy of the region.
Source => nps.gov

7. Crazy Horse Memorial: Chiseling a Colossal Tribute

In a stone-cold race against time, the artists behind the Crazy Horse Memorial are chiseling away at what might just be Mount Rushmore's stony-faced next-door neighbor: This monument, located in South Dakota, has been under construction since 1948 and is dedicated to the Oglala Lakota warrior, Crazy Horse. Set to stand on Thunderhead Mountain, it will become the world's second tallest statue once completed, measuring a whopping 641 feet long and 563 feet high with Crazy Horse's face alone towering at 87 feet 6 inches high.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

8. Pheasant Hunter's Paradise: Fearsome Fowl Fiesta

Who needs a Flamin' Pheonix when the real party is in South Dakota, land of the fearsome pheasant: The state boasts an annual harvest of 1.2 million roosters over the past decade, with hunting aficionados flocking to its ample public lands and private territories with government-approved access such as Walk-In Areas, Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program areas, and Game Production Areas. South Dakota's dedication to providing top-tier hunting experiences has transformed it into a pheasant hunter's paradise.
Source => fieldandstream.com

9. Coyote: Official South Dakota Mascot

Who says coyotes only belong in Looney Tunes' Wile E. antics? South Dakota most certainly doesn't: The state designated the wily coyote as their official state animal in 1949, showcasing their admiration for its adaptability and sharp hunting prowess on the open terrain.
Source => sdsos.gov

10. Homestake Mine: Golden Legacy in Lead

In the wild, gold rush days of South Dakota, they struck the mother lode—not of comedy, but of gold: Lead, South Dakota was once the site of the Homestake Mine, one of the largest gold mines in the nation, which ran for over 120 years and produced a whopping 40 million ounces of gold, bringing prosperity and population growth to the town. Today, the former mine has transformed into the Sanford Underground Research Facility, where visitors can dig into the golden history of this once-lucrative site.
Source => westernmininghistory.com

11. Presidential Ice Cream: Founding Father's Frosty Treat

Scoop up some presidential goodness: Thomas Jefferson, the third US president, penned the first-known American vanilla ice cream recipe, and after two years of dedicated research, Mount Rushmore's Food Service Manager Lloyd Shelton teamed up with Pride Dairy to recreate it – now visitors to South Dakota can indulge in the founding father’s frosty delight.
Source => listen.sdpb.org

12. Mitchell Corn Palace: Corn-struction Marvel

If you thought your neighbor's corny garden art was impressive, buckle up for this: South Dakota is home to the world's only corn palace in Mitchell, originally constructed in 1892 as a testament to the area's agricultural prowess, and annually rebuilt from the ground up, using thousands of bushels of corn, grasses, and grains to host events throughout the year and lure in tourists far and wide!
Source => en.wikipedia.org

13. Mammoth Site: Prehistoric Party Pad

If mammoths could talk, they'd definitely be bragging about their wild parties in South Dakota: Home to the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, this active paleontological dig has uncovered the world's largest concentration of mammoth remains with a current count of 61, including both North American Columbian mammoths and three woolly ones, which might have felt a tad out of place. Turns out, Ice Age animal celebrities like camels, llamas, giant short-faced bears, and wolves also attended this prehistoric jamboree. Now that's some ancient ice-breaking trivia for you!
Source => blackhillsbadlands.com

14. KELO-TV: South Dakota's Scorching Station

If TV stations had mixtapes, South Dakota's KELO-TV would have a fire one: In the 1950s, it became the state's primary NBC station, adding satellite stations in Florence/Watertown and Reliance/Pierre to its playlist and dropping ABC like it's hot. Its broadcast dominance was so lit that it led the FCC to approve the only-ever waiver allowing one company to own two top-four stations.
Source => northpine.com

15. Black Elk Peak: Pinnacle of the Black Hills

In South Dakota, even the hills have eyes... upon the majestic Black Elk Peak: Standing tall as the highest peak east of the Rocky Mountains, this natural wonder is nestled in the sprawling Black Hills National Forest, covering over 1.25 million acres of ponderosa pines, aspen, bur oak, birch, grassland prairie, and epic mountain views across South Dakota and Wyoming.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

16. Wind Cave: Bacteria's Exclusive Clubhouse

Who needs a microbial matchmaker when you have South Dakota's Wind Cave? Home to more exclusive bacteria than an elite singles' club for microorganisms: This lengthy labyrinth houses over 4,000 bacterial species, many of which are unidentified and found only in the cave's subterranean lakes, over 500 feet below the surface. Scientists from the University of Akron are now studying these cave-dwelling couples, hoping they may lead to the production of life-saving compounds like antibiotics.
Source => nps.gov