All who love Christmastime and trains should rendezvous in Hill City this holiday season. (Anyone who doesn’t love Christmastime and trains might plan to see a doctor.) The South Dakota State Railroad Museum is fun any season of the year, but the locomotives and train exhibits truly shine during the holidays when Rick Mills and his crew add tinsel, holly and lights. The museum’s annual Trees & Trains exhibit is open December weekends and Christmas Eve day. It’s alongside South Dakota’s 1880 Train, which transforms into the Holiday Express every December. Families make lasting memories on the two-hour journey, steaming through the Black Hills in winter. The 1880 crew has implemented many COVID-19 policies to keep you and your family safe. All aboard! Several of Hill City’s favorite restaurants are open year-round, including the beautifully decorated Alpine Inn, a Black Hills staple, and a new place, Pizzeria Mangiamo, that features artisan wood-fire pizzas — one of South Dakota’s very few new restaurants to open during the pandemic.
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A Winter Walk on River Street
With its unique sandstone architecture, fun shops, tasty eateries and, of course, the flowing waters that gave it its name, Hot Springs is a delightful stop for travelers. Bernie Hunhoff recently took a stroll down River Street in the Fall River County town with camera in hand. Here’s what he found.
Autumn Arrives at Shadehill
Sioux Falls photographer Christian Begeman was in the midst of a West River trip when he alerted us to the quickly changing landscape around the Shadehill Reservoir in Perkins County.”It was pretty colorful out there yesterday,” he reported as September turned to October.”Hugh Glass would have wept.”
Glass, of course, is the mountain man who was mauled by a grizzly bear near the Grand River in 1823. Left for dead by the members of his party, Glass crawled 200 miles across the West River prairies to Fort Kiowa. Any tears he may have shed would probably have been in rage toward his friends or pain for his badly broken leg rather than the foliage. Fortunately, we have no such worries, and can simply enjoy the yellows and oranges of autumn descending upon the Shadehill country.
A Heavenly Visitor
South Dakota stargazers have turned their attention to a new addition in the night sky: Comet NEOWISE, first discovered on March 27 and now streaking across the heavens. It’s the brightest visible comet since Hale-Bopp in 1997 and should remain visible through July. In the morning, the comet appears low on the northeastern horizon and shifts to the northwestern horizon in the evening.”Find the big dipper, line up the two stars that make the bottom of the dipper and let them point you to the comet,” says photographer Christian Begeman, who traveled the state and recorded NEOWISE from several rural locations.
Spring Warbler Roundup
Spring is a great time for birding. Dozens of species make appearances in South Dakota during their northern migration, including warblers. These tiny songbirds are sometimes called the jewels of the spring migration because they don’t typically show up at backyard feeders. You have to seek them out. Christian Begeman hit the warbler jackpot while strolling through Palisades State Park May 16 and 17. He found several varieties, along with plenty of other more commonly seen birds.
More Winter by the River
Almost every morning, you’ll find retired Yankton High School teacher and debate coach Paul Harens along the Missouri, scouting for fresh views of our old river town. We shared a few of his cold-weather shots in “Winter by the River,” a story in our January/February 2020 issue, but here are a few more for your enjoyment. Look for more of Harens’ work on Instagram.
The Mouth of the James
Most autumns, it’s not easy for boaters and photographers to explore the mouth of the James River because of low water levels. This year, however, the river has been at record-high levels, so South Dakota Magazine dispatched a pontoon boat. Here’s some of what we found.
Rainy Days in the Black Hills
The fall colors have peaked through Spearfish Canyon, and more than a foot of snow is predicted in some parts of the Black Hills Wednesday through Friday. Christian Begeman toured the Hills last weekend, and found cool and rainy days preceding our first winter blast.
Arcing Across the Big Sioux
Last weekend, crews began installing the first half of Sturgis sculptor Dale Lamphere’s massive Arc of Dreams. The stainless steel sculpture, which is nearly the length of a football field, will consist of two arms curving up from the banks of the Big Sioux River in downtown Sioux Falls. The 18-foot gap in the middle symbolizes the leap of faith people must often take to make their dreams come true. Photos by Paul Schiller.
Snowy Mountain Winter
Photographer John Mitchell shared these photos of the snowy season in Spearfish and the surrounding Black Hills. See more of his work at SoDakMoments.com.
Photos from Spearfish and the surrounding Black Hills, taken January 2019 by John Mitchell.
Photos from Spearfish and the surrounding Black Hills, taken January 2019 by John Mitchell.
Photos from Spearfish and the surrounding Black Hills, taken January 2019 by John Mitchell.
Photos from Spearfish and the surrounding Black Hills, taken January 2019 by John Mitchell.
Photos from Spearfish and the surrounding Black Hills, taken January 2019 by John Mitchell.
Photos from Spearfish and the surrounding Black Hills, taken January 2019 by John Mitchell.
Photos from Spearfish and the surrounding Black Hills, taken January 2019 by John Mitchell.