South Dakota – ipl Stately Knowledge: Facts about the United States

South Dakota

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AbbreviationSD
Source: United States Postal Service – Abbreviations
CapitalPierre
Population814,180
Source: Resident Population Data – 2010 Census
GovernorDennis Daugaard (Republican, to January 2015)
Entered the UnionNov. 2, 1889
as the 40th state
MottoUnder God the people rule
NicknameThe Mount Rushmore State, The Coyote State
FlowerAmerican pasqueflower
BirdRing-necked pheasant
SongHail! South Dakota
Professional Sports TeamsNo NFL, MLB, NBA, WNBA, MLS, or NHL teams.
(sports listing policy)
Origin of NameFrom the Sioux tribe, meaning allies
Historical SitesMt. Rushmore is famous for its likenesses of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt
Points of InterestThe World’s Only Corn Palace in Mitchell; The city of Deadwood where Wild Bill Hickok was killed in 1876 and where gambling was recently legalized to recapture the city’s Old West flavor
Bordering StatesSouth Dakota borders North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana.
FlagSouth Dakota's flag

Follow these links to read articles about South Dakota from Encyclopedias and Almanacs:

Official State Links

Other State Links

  • 50states.com: South Dakota
    http://www.50states.com/sdakota.htm
    The site provides a wealth of information about South Dakota. It includes everything from the highest point to county profile to climate.
  • Things To Do in South Dakota
    http://www.thingstodo.com/states/SD/index.htm
    ThingsToDo.com is an online guide to information about South Dakota’s entertainment, recreation, and travel, and includes the state’s interesting facts, famous people, and special events.
  • Roadside America: South Dakota Attractions
    http://www.roadsideamerica.com/map/sd.html
    Roadside America describes itself as an online guide to offbeat attractions. This site offers reviews of “weird sites along the highway” in South Dakota.
  • Black Hills.com
    http://www.blackhills.com/
    This is an online directory linking dozens of websites related to the state of South Dakota.
  • Mount Rushmore National Monument
    http://www.nps.gov/moru/
    Here is the official National Park Service website for the famous South Dakota landmark.
  • FedStats: MapStat: United States: South Dakota
    http://www.fedstats.gov/qf/states/46000.html
    Fast access to statistics from more than 100 federal agencies on “economic and population trends, crime, education, health care, aviation safety, energy use, farm production and more” in South Dakota.
  • The Black Hills are the highest mountains east of the Rockies.
  • A memorial to Crazy Horse is being carved in granite near Custer.
  • The Badlands of SD, a region of barren ravines and cliffs, were created by volcanic action as well as by wind and water erosion.
  • The Spirit Mound near Vermillion served as a vantage point for Lewis and Clark as they viewed the Prairie Plains.
  • The Mammoth Site in Hot Springs has 100 Columbian and Woolly Mammoth fossils buried there.
  • Some of the logs in Petrified Wood Park in Lemmon weigh more than 10,000 pounds. Others contain the fossilized remains of snakes and early marine life.
  • Sitting Bull’s grave sits on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River near Mobridge. It wasn’t always there. In 1953 under the cover of darkness, a group of South Dakotans snuck into ND, exhumed his bones (with his relatives’ permission) and reburied them in their rightful home.

Some Famous People from this State

  • Sitting Bull (1834?-1890), Chief of Hunkpappa Sioux. He defended Black HIlls, led the Teton Sioux to Canada, and was killed during arrest.
  • Tom Brokaw (1940- ), TV newscaster. He is the anchor of “NBC Nightly News”.
  • Crazy Horse (1840?-1877), Oglala chief. He led the Teton Sioux in defense of Black HIlls and died resisting arrest.
  • Gertrude Bonnin (Zitkala-Sa), Sioux writer and pan-Indian activist.
  • Cheryl Ladd (1951- ), actress. She was famous for her role in the TV series, Charlie’s Angels.