50 Interesting & Fun Facts About South Dakota State Visual Story

By Sarah Hartness

Introduction

50 Interesting & Fun Facts About South Dakota State Visual Story

There are many interesting and fun facts about South Dakota state, including scary, historical, and...

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South Dakota Fun Facts

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Badlands National Park is 244,000 acres in size

Badlands National Park is a 244,000-acre protected parkland in the southwestern part of South Dakota...

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Black Hills National Forest contains 1.2 million acres of land

The national forest has a lot of forested hills and mountains that extend into Wyoming...

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South Dakota was originally a part of the Dakota Territory

One of the fun South Dakota history facts is that the The Dakota Territory was...

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The South Dakota home of Laura Ingalls Wilder is in De Smet

The home was built in 1895, and she lived here from 1896 until she died...

Jacob Boomsma/Shutterstock.com

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The Orpheum Theater Center is the oldest theater in Sioux Falls

It was built in 1913 and originally was opened as a vaudeville theater. The theater...

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One of the US vice presidents was born in South Dakota

Hubert Humphrey, the 38th Vice President of the United States, was born in Wallace, South...

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The coyote is the state animal

It was adopted as the South Dakota state animal in 1949 since it is native...

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Its state song is called "Hail South Dakota"

It was composed by Deecort Hammitt and was adopted as the state song in 1943...

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The ring-necked pheasant is the official state bird

The South Dakota state bird is native to Asia, but A.E. Copper and E.L. Ebbert...

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The American Pasque flower was made the state flower in 1903

This vibrant purple flower is also called the May Day flower and was adopted as...

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In 1947 the Black Hills Spruce was made the state tree

It became the official South Dakota state tree in 1947 and is an evergreen. The...

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Milk is the official state drink as of 1986

It became the official South Dakota state drink in 1986 and is an ode to...

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The honey bee was declared the state insect in 1978

South Dakota produces a lot of honey every year. The honey bee became the official...

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The state fossil is the triceratops

One of the fun facts about South Dakota is that the state has a "state...

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Rose quartz has been the official state mineral since 1966

Rose quartz was first discovered in South Dakota near Custer around 1880. It was adopted...

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Fairburn agate is the state gemstone

The Fairburn agate was discovered close to Fairburn, South Dakota, which is where it gets...

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The geographic center of the United States is in South Dakota

The geographic center is north of Belle Fourche, South Dakota, which is in west-central South...

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This state has extreme temperatures

In the winter, temperatures drop well below freezing, and low temperatures are around 0 F...

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The South Dakota state fair is in Huron

The state fair is the largest carnival in South Dakota and takes place during Labor...

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Its history dates back at least 17,000 years

South Dakota has a rich history that dates back at least 17,000 years from when...

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Interesting Facts About South Dakota

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South Dakota is the 17th-largest state

The total area of South Dakota, including land and water, is 77,116 square miles. The...

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Millions of people visit Mount Rushmore every year

In 2021, over 2.5 million people went to the national memorial to see the rock...

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South Dakota is bordered by six other states

To the north, South Dakota is bordered by North Dakota. To the east is Minnesota...

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The largest city in this state is Sioux Falls

To date, the population in Sioux Falls is just over 196,500 people, and the city...

sframe/Depositphotos.com

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There are some famous South Dakotans

One of the most famous is the Indian chief Crazy Horse, who is memorialized as...

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The South Dakota state capitol is the second smallest in the US

Pierre, the capital of South Dakota, has a population of over 14,000, which is almost...

jjbooma/Depositphotos.com

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Pierre is the capital of this state

The city sits on the Missouri River, and it was the temporary capital in 1889...

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Its population is just under 900,000 people

South Dakota is one of the least populated states in the US . The states...

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The lowest point in this state is Big Stone Lake

The lowest point in the lake is 966 feet above sea level. The lake is...

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The highest point in South Dakota is Black Elk Peak

This mountain peak in the Black Hills is 7,242 feet above sea level. It is...

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Some Native American tribes still live here

There are nine federally recognized reservations, and they are scattered throughout the state. The Sisseton...

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The Oglala Lakota tribe still lives in this state today

The Oglala are a subtribe of the Lakota people, which is made up of a...

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The Missouri River runs through South Dakota

It is the second-longest river in the United States. It is a tributary of the...

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Custer State Park is a 71,000-acre wildlife preserve

The park is a popular place for recreational activities, like hiking, boating, camping, and swimming...

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Outlaw Jesse James supposedly jumped Devil's Gulch

He was involved in a manhunt after he robbed a bank. The posse chasing him...

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Its nickname is the Mount Rushmore State

The state nickname comes from the renowned Mount Rushmore National Memorial, which is in the...

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The Hotel Alex Johnson opened in Rapid City in 1928

The hotel is part of the Historic Hotels of America program. The hotel is mentioned...

Cheri Alguire/Shutterstock.com

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The Crazy Horse Memorial is in the Black Hills

This famous South Dakota landmark, which sits in the massive Black Hills forest, is a...

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Historical Facts About South Dakota

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South Dakota did not have a state flag until 1909

It was designed by Ida Anding, who was a radio operator and stenographer at the...

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Its state seal and motto were created by Dr. Joseph Ward

They were both adopted by the state in 1885 and then modified four years later...

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South Dakota became the 40th state on November 2, 1889

It was signed into statehood at the same time as North Dakota. However, the two...

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This state was part of the Louisiana Purchase

The Louisiana Purchase was the deal made between the US and France for part of...

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The name Dakota comes from a Sioux word

Dakota is a Sioux word that means "allies." Depending on the Native American dialect, the...

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Scary Facts About South Dakota

Kenneth Sponsler/Shutterstock.com

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This state has poisonous spiders

Black widows live in the state and are identifiable by the two red triangles on...

Kenneth Sponsler/Shutterstock.com

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The historic Bullock Hotel opened in 1896 and is haunted

Seth Bullock, the former sheriff of Deadwood, opened the three-story hotel, formerly a warehouse, in...

Nagel Photography/Shutterstock.com

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Sica Hollow State Park is a spooky park

It was, unfortunately, the place where a lot of Native Americans died, many along the...

Kenneth Sponsler/Shutterstock.com

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Wild Bill Hickok was shot in South Dakota

He was killed during a poker match in Nuttal & Mann's Saloon by Jack McCall...

Kenneth Sponsler/Shutterstock.com

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Weird Facts About South Dakota

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Dakota State University is the school's eighth name

The school opened before South Dakota was even a state. It was originally called Madison...

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Wind Cave National Park is one of the oldest national parks in the US

The park is an important part of South Dakota history and was established in 1903...

Tami Freed/Shutterstock.com

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South Dakota has an official state soil

Houdek Soil was introduced as the state soil in 1990, and it is the most...

Conclusion

Conclusion

All these interesting South Dakota facts reveal there is so much more to this state...

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