Over 700 Years in the Making

Jul 13, 2017

Good Earth State Park at Blood Run, South Dakota’s newest state park just southeast of Sioux Falls, is one of the oldest sites of long-term human habitation in the United States. Rebecca Johnson, our special projects coordinator, visited the National Historic Landmark recently to hike the trails. Here are some of her photos.

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Early occupants of the Blood Run village were primarily Oneota Tradition peoples, including Ponca, Omaha, Ioway and Otoe.
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Blood Run is the largest Oneota cultural site discovered so far in the upper Midwest.
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The verdant area was an ideal place for seasonal ceremonies from 1300 - 1700 A.D. due to the abundant wildlife and close proximity to the Big Sioux River.
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Ample tree cover gave protection from the wind.
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Pipestone or catlinite deposits helped make it a significant trading center.
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The high hills and bluffs were an optimal place for indigenous people to pray to the Creator.
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By 1720, Blood Run was abandoned, though it became a place of white settlement in the late 1800s.
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Housing and commercial development eventually covered some of the land, but the core remained with old growth trees and native prairie.
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Good Earth State Park was officially dedicated in 2013.
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Six miles of hiking trails wind through the park’s 650 acres.
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A visitors center was dedicated in May 2017.
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It features an interactive exhibit highlighting the Oneota culture.

Comments

08:48 am - Thu, August 3 2017

Deane Grav said:

Great pictures. Thanks for sharing your thoughs.

09:09 am - Thu, August 3 2017

James C Schaap said:

I've been there before, but not since the park was created. I'll have to visit soon. Thanks for this.

11:15 am - Thu, August 3 2017

Douglas Shearer said:

If these early indigenous peoples are so important to you, then why did white settlers try to annihilate all of them!?? Come on now...talk about hypocrisy! And where are the Native Americans today? On reservations that flourish with poverty, alcoholism, spousal and child abuse and abhorrent living conditions.

11:36 am - Fri, August 4 2017

Peggy DeHoet said:

There was a time when we white people were stupid, and maybe we still are. Their remnants give us a picture into their past and how they lived...and survived!!. But now we realize the importance of what these native people taught us, the importance of their culture and the fact that they lived here thousands of years ago.

08:33 am - Fri, August 10 2018

Kay Sherriff said:

Great Pictures.....Maybe a link to address .. hours... directions ...or did I miss something?