Becoming More of a Patriotic American

This last weekend Jay and I went to South Dakota. Yep, South Dakota. It was pretty great I feel closer to being a more patriotic American because of it. I have always wanted to see Mount Rushmore and the Devil’s Tower (still in Wyoming on the way to South Dakota). It was a pretty drive this fall and I got to see many of the wonders of the USA.

First we went to the Devil’s Tower in Northern Wyoming. It was pretty spectacular how this column tower just protrudes out of the ground. I guess it was a result of volcanic activity.

The History & Legends of the Devil’s Tower:

Devils Tower is a monolithic igneous intrusion or volcanic neck. It rises dramatically 1,267 feet above the surrounding terrain and the summit is 5,112 feet above sea level. Devils Tower was the first declared United States National Monument, established on September 24, 1906, by President Theodore Roosevelt.

There are many different native American legends about the tower but my favorite one is this:

“According to the Native American tribes of the Kiowa and Lakota Sioux, some girls went out to play and were spotted by several giant bears, who began to chase them. In an effort to escape the bears, the girls climbed atop a rock, fell to their knees, and prayed to the Great Spirit to save them. Hearing their prayers, the Great Spirit made the rock rise from the ground towards the heavens so that the bears could not reach the girls. The bears, in an effort to climb the rock, left deep claw marks in the sides, which had become too steep to climb. (Those are the marks which appear today on the sides of Devils Tower.) When the girls reached the sky, they were turned into the star constellation the Pleiades.”

After Devils Tower we headed towards Deadwood, I have always heard so much about Deadwood and how great it is so we’d though it would be nice to stay there for the night. First we got a hotel and the Franklin Silverado which was right downtown. Let me just say it was really nice down stairs but after we got upstairs and we in our $120 a night crap of a room that had multiple alive and dead wasps flying around it we decided to go some place else. Yeah, wasps! So we ended up at the Iron Horse Inn that was just a couple blocks away we had to pay a little more but we didn’t have any wasps here! After we got settled, we went to dinner and then did some gambling. And I mean minimual I think I only spent $30 on gambling. I have too hard of time loosing my hard earned money so we ended up drinking and I got pretty tipsy and tired then we ended up going back to the room and passed out J.

The next morning we headed towards Mount Rushmore, which again was a pretty drive. I feel more of an American now that I have seen Mouth Rushmore. I was kind of surprise how small it was from a distance (except it is Hugh!) As one of Jay’s friends said it was pretty boring but it is something everyone needs to see.

History of Mount Rushmore:

Mount Rushmore features 60-foot (18 m) sculptures of the heads of former United States presidents (in order from left to right) George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. The entire memorial covers 1,278.45 acres and is 5,725 feet above sea level.

“South Dakota historian Doane Robinson is credited with conceiving the idea of carving the likenesses of famous people into the Black Hills region of South Dakota in order to promote tourism in the region. Robinson's initial idea was to sculpt the Needles; however, Gutzon Borglum rejected the Needles site and chose the larger Mount Rushmore. Borglum also decided the sculpture should have a more national focus, and chose the four presidents whose likenesses would be carved into the mountain. After securing federal funding, construction on the memorial began in 1927, and the presidents' faces were completed between 1934 and 1939. Upon Gutzon Borglum's death in March 1941, his son Lincoln Borglum took over construction. Although the initial concept called for each president to be depicted from head to waist, lack of funding forced construction to end in October 1941.”

After our brief visit to Mount Rushmore, we headed to the Jewel Cave. Which I guess is the 2^nd longest cave in the world. Yep in South Dakota. I was very pretty in the cave but I must be more closterphobic then I think because I had this pressure on my chest and hard time breathing at times now there.

History of Jewel Cave:

Frank and Albert Michaud, two local prospectors, discovered the cave in 1900, when they felt cold air blowing out of a small hole in a canyon. It is unknown whether any previous inhabitants of the area were aware of the natural cave opening, which was not large enough for a person to enter.

After enlarging the cave entrance with dynamite, the Michauds found a cavern lined with calcite crystals, which led them to name it "Jewel Cave." The brothers tried to capitalize on the discovery, widening the opening, building walkways inside, and opening it to tourists. Although their venture was unsuccessful, news of the discovery eventually reached Washington. President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Jewel Cave a National Monument on February 7, 1908.

After the wonders of Jewel Cave we were going to stay in the Black Hills area one more night but then decided to save some money and head home which was only a 4 hour drive back to Casper.

It was a great little mini vacation and got to learn more about American (and Indian) heritage then I knew before. I also got a Passport to the National Parks, where each place you visit you can get a ‘cancelation’ and stamp of each place. So now I’m excited to go other places in the US and fill up my passport.

Things I learned:

Black Hills South Dakota was actually pretty cool and a lot of history.

I am more of an American now J.

I love experiencing time with Jay outside of Casper.

I like going on these mini vacations, which surprising cost more money than they should.

Theodore Roosevelt must love this area of the USA since he made each of these places a memorial, monument or park.