Category: columns-travel

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Meet the Beasts

By Katie Hunhoff

Labor Day weekend is summer’s last hurrah for many. If you’re traveling around South Dakota to enjoy the holiday, stop and appreciate the inventiveness and creativity of our fellow South Dakotans at one of our unique roadside attractions featuring wild things. There’s Bear Country USA, Dinosaur Park and Reptile Gardens, sure, but here are three you may not know about.

A Lot of Bull

Drivers see South Dakota at 75 miles an hour crossing the state on Interstate 90, but many slow down, gawk and even swerve as they pass the Montrose exit 25 miles west of Sioux Falls. It’s probably the 60-foot tall scrap iron longhorn bull that diverts their attention. The bull is the centerpiece of Wayne Porter’s Sculpture Park, which comprises 10 acres of welded dragons, butterflies and other mythical creatures. Porter spends seven days a week at his park during the summer working on new projects and greeting visitors. It’s an ironic venture for Porter, who told us in 2007 that he studied political science and history at South Dakota State University because he thought an art career would be too time consuming. He even tried sheep ranching in Hand County before turning to sculpture full time.

His creations make people laugh and think. There’s a boy on a sled, a man’s hand reaching out from a brain for ideas and vultures lined up like fence posts. Everyone’s favorite, though, is the longhorn, made from 8-inch square steel plates from abandoned railroad tracks.

South Dakota’s Heaviest Bird

Another hard-to-miss animal resides about two hours north of Porter’s park. Most Chinese ring-necked pheasants measure two or three feet from beak to tail and weigh less than five pounds. They are dwarfed by the Tinkertown Pheasant, easily our state’s heaviest bird. The Walters, proprietors of a country store along U.S. Highway 212 about 12 miles west of Watertown, built the concrete bird in 1950. They later added a concrete donkey they called Depression Nag. Girl Scouts from Clark paint the pair each summer.

Pheasants were introduced to South Dakota over 100 years ago and legislators declared it our state bird. Each fall hunters flock here to bag their limit. Plenty of South Dakota towns claim to be the”Pheasant Capital.” Huron, Gregory and Redfield each boast giant, plastic pheasants to support the claim, but those are lightweights compared to Tinkertown’s everlasting rooster.

A Haven in the Hills

Mike Welchynski, founder of the Spirit of the Hills Wildlife Sanctuary, and friend.

More agile (and dangerous) animals can be seen outside of Spearfish at the Spirit of the Hills Wildlife Sanctuary. Don’t be startled if you hear the roar of an African lion or the deep growl of a black bear. They’re supposed to be there, and Mike Welchynski is taking good care of them. Welchynski founded the sanctuary in 1999 as an escape for exotic animals victimized by illegal breeding farms and abusive carnivals and circuses. Welchynski grew up surrounded by animals in the woods of Manitoba and created an animal sanctuary there. Spearfish residents Johanna Meier and Guido Della Vecchia, who were touring Canada with the Black Hills Passion Play in 1998, convinced Welchynski to establish a sanctuary in South Dakota. Today more than 300 cougars, African lions, tigers, camels, tropical birds and other creatures (including dogs, cats, horses, hamsters and others) live on 200 acres of rocky Ponderosa pine forest on the edge of Spearfish. The playful, harmless critters roam free, but the more dangerous wild animals reside in spacious cages.

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Sertoma Butterfly House and Marine Cove

By Rebecca Johnson

It was my birthday last Saturday and, among other festivities, my husband and I visited the Sertoma Butterfly House and Purdy Marine Cove at 4320 Oxbow Avenue in Sioux Falls. The Butterfly House opened in 2002 and was built with funding from the Noon Sertoma Club. The Purdy Marine Cove addition, made possible by donations from Charles Purdy, opened the fall of last year. The butterfly flight room is a popular winter destination because it’s kept at a temperate 80 degrees, but that temp felt cool compared to the 95 degree weather.

Nearly 1,000 butterflies from around the world flit around the little indoor garden with waterfalls, streams and skylight for natural light. I found the Blue Morpho to be most remarkable, with its shimmering wings and impressive size. Many were at least 4 inches wide.

Touching the butterflies is discouraged because it could damage their sensitive feet, but if one lands on your hair or clothes it is OK to take it for a ride. Kory Willard, Volunteer Coordinator and General Curator, had tips for those who would like to pick up a hitchhiker.”The best thing you can do is wear bright clothing, like the type of clothing that will show up under black light,” says Willard.”That’s the type of UV perspective butterflies will perceive.” He also suggests coming on a sunny day and sitting quietly in direct sunlight on one of the garden’s benches.

And flash photography is OK in the butterfly flight room, but not so in the darkened Marine Cove housing the tropical fish.”Some of the fish can perceive beyond the boundaries of the tank they are in,” says Willard.”With flash photography it stimulates a fear response in a lot of fish because it simulates lightning, signaling a pending storm or crashing waves.” Even so, it’s fun to just observe the thirteen freshwater and saltwater aquariums with their kaleidoscope of colors. The newest attraction is the 2,500 gallon touch pool made possible by a donation from Richard and Eloise Elmen and designed by Willard and Grant Anderson, Curator of Fishes. It’s a bit like a tropical petting zoo where we found the stingrays to be quite slimy and the sharks a bit scratchy. But I’m not sure how to describe the starfish. You will have to find out for yourself.

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Our Vinegar Town

By Katie Hunhoff

Roslyn was best known as the birthplace of Myron Floren until Lawrence Diggs moved to town and opened the International Vinegar Museum. Now the tiny town of 183 is visited by people from across the country who want to learn more about vinegar and see a slice of small town life.

Diggs was living in San Francisco when he purchased some balsamic vinegar and wanted to find out how to make his own.”I started tracking down information and borrowing books from around the world,” Diggs told us when we interviewed him for South Dakota Magazine.”The more I found out, the more interested I got.” He not only found out how vinegar was made, but he uncovered the sociological, historical and economic aspects of the versatile liquid.

He relocated to Roslyn in 1989. Townspeople opened their handsome old brick town hall to Diggs when he decided to pursue opening a vinegar museum. Since then, Diggs has also published books and traveled across the U.S. and overseas to teach others about vinegar.

Volunteers from a non-profit group called CARE (Community Advancement of Roslyn and Eden) took over museum operations in 2008. One of the museum highlights is vinegar tasting. A variety of flavors are available; several you wouldn’t associate with vinegar, like tequila lime, strawberry champagne and raspberry. Museum volunteer Mary Wagner said some visitors buy vinegar by the case.

The museum is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, Friday through Sunday. A $2 fee is charged, but”instant scholarships” are awarded for anyone who finds it a hardship. The museum also hosts the annual Vinegar Festival, to be held on June 16 in 2012. Call 605-486-0075 for more information.


Chicken Adobo

Editor’s note: this recipe originally appeared in the July/August 1996 issue of South Dakota Magazine. To subscribe, call 800-456-5117.

This is a traditional dish of the Philippines, usually served with rice and, Diggs told us, the chicken’s head. Diggs encourages cooks to add cinnamon or nutmeg to this stew and make your own call on the chicken head.

In a large pot, place the following ingredients:

1 chicken, cut into small pieces
1 cup vinegar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 bay leaf
5 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons salt
5 peppercorns
2 mild red peppers

Chop the peppers if you want a hotter, spicier stew. Otherwise, add them whole near the end of the cooking time for a milder flavor. Cook slowly, until chicken starts to come off bones and gravy begins forming. If the stew is too sour, add a little more water. Remove some of the oil if desired.

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Geocache Hunt Begins

South Dakota Magazine has again hidden a geocache somewhere in eastern South Dakota. Last year 111 people climbed the 180 steps of the Couglin Campanile in Brookings to find our first hidden cache.

Legend says $50,000 worth of gold is buried near this year’s location. We’re not that generous, but you will find a coupon inside a tin box that you can redeem for a prize. Use the notebook to record your name, dates and notes from your journey. The geocache will be active through Labor Day.

Coordinates are:
N 43∞ 15.052
W 98∞ 41.708

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Governor’s Snowmobile Ride

By Rebecca Johnson

I spoke to Diane Hiles of De Smet yesterday while she and her husband, Greg, headed to the Hills for the 32nd annual Governor’s Snowmobile Ride. Hiles is the secretary of the Town and Country Snowdrifters Snowmobile Club, hosts of this year’s ride. The event takes place at Hardy Camp, a Forest Service station in Lead. Winter weather has been unseasonably warm but Hiles says the trails are in excellent condition for the 200 people expected to attend. She and Greg were able to snowmobile the Black Hills trails last week to test them.

The ride starts at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday with brunch, registration and introduction of special guests. Hiles says Governor Dennis Daugaard and his advisory council are expected to attend, as well as U.S. House Representative Kristi Noem. Invitations are extended to all state legislators and at least 12 plan to participate from Sioux Falls, Baltic, Mitchell, Big Stone City, Rapid City, Spearfish and Lead. SDSA provides snowmobiles for the invited guests with help from Yamaha Motor Corporation and Arctic Cat.

The large crew of snowmobilers will split up with experienced riders designated as group leaders through the Black Hills trails maintained by Hardy Camp. The day culminates with a meal and social gathering for riders to visit about their experiences of the day. “The ride was started by the South Dakota Snowmobile Association (SDSA) as a way to showcase the trail system in the Black Hills,” says Hiles. “SDSA works for the good of the snowmobiling sport, trying to make sure the trail system continues to operate both East River and West River.”

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Racing Through the Black Hills

By Chad Coppess

My job is to promote South Dakota as a travel destination. I do that with photography, but not always through means you’d expect.

My use of photography as a promotional tool has taken some interesting turns over the years, one of which is video gaming. As a relaxing pastime, I play car racing video games and that took a creative turn when I began”painting” race cars for the game”NASCAR Racing 2003″.

Other players of the game can download the cars to use in the game at www.racingrafix.com, a website run by an online friend of mine in Texas.

After painting hundreds of cars, many with South Dakota-related sponsor logos, inspiration struck about making an even bigger splash in the video gaming world. I reached out to a race track builder. Jeff (I don’t even know his full name) in Chicago creates new tracks for those of us who race in the game.

A few email discussions determined that my photographs of South Dakota scenery could make a great backdrop for some fun tracks.”Rushmore Scenic Byway” was born with photos of the Black Hills landscape forming the virtual horizon, including Mount Rushmore, the Needles, Harney Peak and Crazy Horse Memorial. Using Photoshop, I blended several photos into one extra-long panoramic image that encircles the race track, so no matter where a driver turns he sees the Black Hills around him.

We decided to give the track a 1950s feel, so I included buildings and billboards for tourist attractions of that era. Racers negotiate through or past pigtail bridges, tunnels, the 1880 Train, Dinosaur Park and signs for Reptile Gardens, Sitting Bull Caverns, Thunderhead Underground Falls, and more.

“Rushmore Scenic Byway” was a smashing success, with over 1,000 downloads spreading the South Dakota message across the world. We quickly began planning a sequel –“Badlands Byway.” I shot a 360-degree panoramic photo in Badlands National Park for the horizon in this track, which worked well.

With some leftover ideas from”Rushmore Scenic Byway,” we completed a South Dakota track trilogy with”Black Hills Backroads,” this time in black and white. We replaced the completed Mount Rushmore with an under-construction version and removed most of the billboards to drop the timeline of the setting back to the 1940s.

Both”Badlands Byway” and”Black Hills Backroads” have been well-received with hundreds of downloads. The success of these projects has prompted me to approach other video game developers about including South Dakota in more games. We’ll see if anyone bites and how my photos might be utilized in the future.

If you are still a bit confused about all of this, maybe a video featuring all three tracks in action will help.

Chad Coppess is the senior photographer at the South Dakota Department of Tourism. He lives in Pierre with his wife, Lisa. To view more of his work, visit www.dakotagraph.com.

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How Will the Corn Palace Look in 10 Years?

By John Andrews

Louis Beckwith would still recognize Mitchell’s Corn Palace if he were alive today. The corn murals, spires and flags are similar to those that adorned the first palace in 1892, built after Beckwith and fellow businessman L.O. Gale marched up and down Main Street and collected $3,700 in pledges toward its construction.

Unfortunately times have changed. Visitors aren’t coming in droves today like they did for the 1892 Corn Belt Exposition, for which the original palace (built two blocks further south) was constructed. Doug Dailey and the Tourism/Corn Palace Area Development Committee are trying to figure out how to reverse that trend. The solution might lie in a $20 million to $50 million renovation of the 90-year-old Corn Palace and the neighborhood surrounding it.

“We’re wondering if it’s starting to get tired and showing its age,” says Dailey, a Mitchell attorney who grew up in town.”Being from Mitchell, you don’t recognize the importance of tourism when you’re younger. I graduated in the Corn Palace, I went to youth wrestling in the Corn Palace, and every August there’s a weeklong carnival. There are a lot of memories for a lot of locals, but we think there’s memories to be made for people from all across the state.”

The current palace is the city’s third, built at the corner of Main and Sixth in 1921. It’s unique because not only is it a tourist attraction advertised around the globe, it’s also the city’s events center, hosting meetings, athletic contests and other functions. And that’s part of the problem.”It’s tough to host tourists with events and vice versa,” Dailey says.”We want to try to accommodate both.”

In the committee’s early days, there was talk of a”fourth generation” corn palace, an entirely new structure built in a different location.”But we recognized that the current corn palace is very iconic and recognizable to people worldwide, so we want to preserve the building we have now and improve it,” Dailey says.

In the short them that’s meant incorporating a historical video that plays regularly throughout the summer and adding Cornelius, a fiberglass corn statue outside the palace that makes for a good children’s photo op. But the committee has bigger ideas: added seating and better sightlines, green space, an outdoor stage, more parking and a return to the more ornate corn decorations found in early photographs of the Corn Palace.

“We think there’s been a change in tastes among tourists,” Dailey says.”The Corn Palace is something you can look at and appreciate its history, but people are more interested in ‘edutainment,’ a combination of education and entertainment. They don’t discern between the two. Right now there are less things for kids to do there. The Corn Palace itself is not really a destination. It’s maybe a stopover.”

Ultimately the renovation could include the Corn Palace neighborhood and the entire downtown business district. The committee is getting help from an architectural firm, and plans to hold a public input meeting Jan. 5 before concepts are presented later in the month.

Dailey equates a Corn Palace makeover to Sioux Falls’ Phillips to the Falls project that refurbished an area of downtown.”Everybody’s very proud of Mitchell and the Corn Palace,” Dailey says.”We want to get others around the state to recognize that it’s not just a tourist trap but something special.”

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Walk On Water in Yankton

By Bernie Hunhoff

Now the historic bridge will be a pathway for joggers and walkers, baby carriages, bicyclists, skateboarders and the like. It is the longest pedestrian bridge in the USA that connects two states over a major river. The Newport Bridge, an 1896 railroad bridge that links Kentucky and Cincinnati, had that distinction until today. It is 2,670 feet long, and was redone for foot traffic about a decade ago. The Meridian easily surpasses it at 3,013 feet. The third longest is a new structure, the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, built to connect Omaha with Council Bluffs, Iowa. It measures 2,224 feet.
Today at 3 p.m. the Meridian Bridge will be re-opened to the public after being closed for three years. But the bridge will never see another 18-wheeler … and it isn’t even likely to carry a compact car.

Eventually, Yanktonians and Nebraskans hope that walking/biking paths will connect the Meridian Bridge to the bridge over Gavins Point Dam, about four miles to the west. A path already exists on the South Dakota side, and Nebraska officials are making plans for theirs. The 12-mile loop would instantly become one of the most unique trails in the USA, taking hikers and bikers past eagle roosts, quaint restaurants, a sailing marina, small farms and forested river bottom. City officials in Yankton also hope to design and build an attractive plaza at the foot of the bridge.

The Meridian is one of the very few double-decker bridges in the nation. It took its name from the Meridian Highway (US Hwy 81) that cuts through the Americas from Winnipeg to Panama City. Yankton citizens took it upon themselves to fund and build the bridge in 1924 because they thought state officials were too slow in getting the project started. They paid for it with tolls until the debt was retired in 1953.

The bottom deck was intended for rail traffic, but a north-south train route to Yankton never materialized, so officials sent northbound traffic on the top and southbound traffic below. Its classic towers were designed with hydraulic lifts to allow ships to pass underneath. However, ships have been as rare as trains.

Cars and trucks traveled the bridge to the tune of 5,000 or more a day until a new bridge was completed in 2008. Historians on both sides of the river objected to having the old bridge destroyed. In fact, local leaders agreed that they would settle for a plain design on the new bridge so long as the savings were directed to preserving the Meridian as a footbridge.

So beginning this Thanksgiving week, after a very long wait and $4 million or more of your tax dollars, the old Meridian will once again carry traffic. Now you can walk on the Missouri without getting your feet wet.

We hope to see you there.

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Sacred Bear Butte

By Rebecca Johnson

I’m always on the lookout for new hiking trails in South Dakota, but there are a few that keep me coming back. One such trail would be Summit Trail at Bear Butte. I got hooked after first visiting with my parents when I was a teenager. The scenery and view were amazing, but I was fascinated by the butte’s spiritual significance. We saw many colorful prayer flags tied to tree branches. There were pouches and cans of tobacco that I assumed were left for offerings. As the strong winds blew through the trees and tangled my hair, I knew there was something going on here that was much bigger than me.

Bear Butte, located just outside Sturgis, was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1981. The area is sacred to many Native American tribes. According to Cheyenne custom, this is where holy man Sweet Medicine met the Creator and the Four Sacred Persons who guard the Universe. It is still the site for many traditional religious ceremonies and visitors are asked to be respectful. I recall seeing a sign asking us not to photograph religious artifacts or anyone in prayer.

Summit Trail is 1.85 miles long and winds to Bear Butte’s highest point, 4,426 feet above sea level. It takes about 2-3 hours, depending on how often you stop to contemplate the meaning of life. It’s windy at the top, so bring a jacket, and there’s an amazing view of the Black Hills, Sturgis and the surrounding states.

Plans to drill oil near Bear Butte sparked controversy earlier this year when SD Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Board of Minerals authorized Nakota Energy, LLP to construct up to 24 oil wells one and one-half miles west of Bear Butte. And about 360 acres of the oil field were within the Bear Butte National Historic Landmark boundary. The South Dakota Historic Preservation Office and many American Indian groups quickly objected because laws protecting cultural, archaeological and historic sites were not obeyed.

This spring the board did revoke the original permit and granted a new one with stricter guidelines. Now only five wells can be drilled and they must not be within view from Highway 79. I assume you will still be able to see them from the summit of the butte. Personally I would prefer the landscape not be marred. I’d rather not have to see any oil wells at all near one of my favorite hiking spots in South Dakota.

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Adams House Stories

By Rebecca Johnson

I hope some visiting Deadwood for last weekend’s Festival of Books took time to stop at the Historic Adams House. My husband and I toured last summer and the stories the tour guide shared were the real highlight.

First owners Harris and Anna Franklin were rich and they wanted a house that showed it. The arrival of the railroad in Deadwood made if feasible for them to build the extravagant Queen Anne-style home in 1892. A Chicago architect designed the home with central heating, hot and cold running water and electric lights. Servants could be summoned by electric bells and the family could even communicate by telephone within the house.

After Anna died in 1901, Harris sold the house to his son for $1. It was sold again in 1920 to W.E. and Alice Adams. W.E. was a wealthy retailer, wholesale grocer, and six-time mayor of Deadwood. The couple raised two daughters who later married successful husbands and moved out of state. Everything seemed grand until their daughter Lucile contracted typhoid fever in Detroit and died in 1912.

More misfortune befell the family in 1925. Alice, who had been ill with cancer, chose to travel to California for the birth of their first grandchild. She died suddenly in her daughter Helen’s home, causing Helen to go into labor. Helen died the following day and the baby died soon after.

W.E.’s family had been entirely wiped out, but he met his second wife in 1926 on a passenger train traveling from Denver to Deadwood. The widowed Mary Mastrovich Vicich was only 28 when the 72-year-old businessman courted her. Their relationship was considered scandalous by some, but the couple married a year later. They enjoyed seven years of travel and charity work together until W.E. died of a stroke in 1934. Mary inherited the home and in 1936 she closed up its contents and moved to California. Everything was left intact for over 50 years, even a jar full of cookies. You can see the cookie jar on display, although I believe the cookies have been changed.

We heard more stories on the tour including passageways that were possibly installed to allow trysts with a maid — but I can’t remember which man was supposed to have used them and I don’t want to start any rumors. I believe there was also talk of a ghost or two.

Unfortunately I don’t have pictures of the intricate interior architecture or extravagant furniture. Non-flash photography was once allowed but a couple of charlatans ruined it for the average tourist. Adams Museum staff found that visitors had photographed the home’s relics and were offering them for sale on Ebay. You are still welcome to photograph the garden and have your picture taken on the porch.