Two mature bighorn sheep pose in green meadow Photo: Paul Horsted
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Custer State Park
Custer
State Park is South Dakota's first and largest state park. Its
history dates back to 1897, when just eight years after South
Dakota joined the union, Congress granted to the state sections 16
and 36 in every township as school lands. South Dakota had
difficulties attempting to administer the scattered blocks of state
school lands embedded in the Black Hills timberland. In 1906,
negotiations were opened to exchange the scattered lands for a
solid block. In 1910, South Dakota relinquished all rights to over
60,000 acres of timberland within the Black Hills Forest Reserve in
exchange for nearly 50,000 acres of forest in Custer County and
about 12,000 acres in Harding County. Together, these two parcels
were designated Custer State Forest in 1912. After action by the
State Legislature, having been prompted by the urging of "prairie
statesman" Governor Peter Norbeck, Custer State Forest became
Custer State Park.
The park grew rapidly in the 1920s, acquired
additional lands; during the 1930s the Civilian Conservation Corps
made many park improvements. CCC men laid out campgrounds and
picnic areas, built a massive park museum, miles of roads, sturdy
bridges and a stone fire tower, but, most importantly, constructed
three dams creating Stockade, Center and Legion Lakes, all of which
provide for water-based recreation. An additional 22,900 acres were
added to the park in 1964. Today, the park encompasses some 73,000
acres, making it one of the largest national parks in the country.
Its ecosystems range from prairie to pines to unique geological
formations of the Sylvan Lake area. The park is home to one of the
nation's largest publicly owned bison herds, as well as elk, deer,
bighorn sheep and mountain goats. Four state-owned, privately
operated resorts offer dining, lodging, and recreational
opportunities to the park's 1.8 million annual visitors. The
mission of Custer State Park remains to preserve, protect, and
enhance the natural, cultural, and recreational attributes of the
park, "the Crown Jewel of South Dakota."
The project is documented with a short report on the
history of the Park, 50th and 70th anniversary editions of
South Dakota Conservation Digest devoted to Custer State
Park, a 1999 issue of the Park's tabloid magazine
Tatanka,
several promotional brochures, including one for the Park's Buffalo
Roundup and one for the annual Bison Auction, a glossy photo book
entitled
A Piece of Paradise: A Story of Custer State
Park, and a videotape: "Custer State Park: Let Yourself Run
Wild."
Originally submitted by: John R. Thune, Representative (At Large).
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