The world's only Corn Palace began as "The Corn Belt Exposition" in 1892, a promotional enterprise established to showcase the rich agricultural region of the James Valley. The exposition became a popular annual event, and an icon of the American prairie. The Corn Palace has occupied three different buildings since 1892. Adorned each autumn with corn, grains, and native grasses in decorative patterns and themes, the Corn Palace has hosted famous entertainers, politicians, and community events. Now well into its second century and going strong, the Corn Palace has become a symbol of South...

Rising out of the prairie, the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming had long been rumored to have promising quantities of gold. Sacred to the Lakota, the Black Hills was part of the land reserved for them in the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868. However, the tide of prospectors seeking their fortune in the Black Hills was difficult to stem. Members of the 1874 Custer expedition, lead by Gen. George Armstrong Custer, found gold. In 1875, scientists Henry Newton and Walter Jenney conducted an expedition and confirmed the rumors. By 1876, the trickle of prospectors and settlers coming to the Black...

From prairie to river's edge, the Pierre and Fort Pierre area resounds with historical adventure. Visited in 1743 by French explorers-the Verendrye brothers-and by Lewis and Clark in 1804, Fort Pierre was established as a significant fur trading post in 1817 and served briefly as a military fort in 1855. The decaying port settlement was revived during the Black Hills gold rush of 1875, outfitting bull trains. For over a decade, it bustled with freighting activity and stagecoach travel on the Fort Pierre-Deadwood gold trail. When the Chicago, Northwestern Railroad reached the Missouri River in...

Rimmed by Crow Peak and Lookout and Spearfish Mountains, like jewels in a crown, Spearfish, the Queen City, reigns over an area of scenic beauty. Originating from the Black Hills gold rush era, Spearfish has prospered from the days of the open range, its rich agricultural valley, the surrounding mining communities, and eventually tourism. Over 200 vintage photographs document its historical past. Scenic Spearfish Canyon and the Black Hills Passion Play attract thousands of tourists annually. Spearfish is the home of Black Hills State University, which began as a normal school and now has an...