Black Hills National Forest - South Dakota

 Print This Post

The Black Hills: Natural Beauty, Stunning History

The Great Plains lie flat from horizon to horizon.  However, in the northern distance lies a black smudge against the blue sky.  Traveling nearer, visitors are stunned to see black mountains thrusting skyward from the seemingly featureless plains.  These are the Black Hills Paha Sapa to the Lakota who knew this as sacred ground.  The Black Hills are not truly black, but are thickly forested with ponderosa pines, so that they appear black from a distance.

The Black Hills National Forest is one of the largest tourist draws in South Dakota.  The stunning granite peaks soaring over 7,000 feet in the air, the beauty of the area, the incredible wildlife, the immense history and heritage of the area and, yes, the gold, bring millions of people to the mountain range each year.

Originally, the Black Hills were home to several tribes of American Indians, thought the arrival of the Lakota Sioux drove the other tribes from the region.  The Lakota determined that the area was sacred land and white settlers were few and far between.  Until gold was discovered, that is.  Once the great Black Hills Gold Rush took effect, the army could no longer restrain the great flood of miners and prospectors surging into the area.  The last of the Indian Wars erupted, leading to disputes that last until today.  The Black Hills are still contested territory, with many Lakota still determined to regain their sacred lands.

Today, gold mining (panning) continues, though only as a tourist attraction.  There are several active gold mines nearby, but none in the National Forest, itself.  The area is now home to park rangers, rather than warring Indian bands, though the area is still incredibly wild.  There are western ghost towns scattered throughout the Black Hills, testament to the rapid growth and death of gold boomtowns in the Old West.

The area is rich still, however.  While gold is no longer the source of that wealth, the area enjoys one of the richest diversities of animal life in the state.  Nature walks, hiking, camping, biking and exploring are all fantastic ways to get to know this rich land.  Gold panning can still be found, as can tours of historical areas such as Deadwood and Custer City.  A trip to the Black Hills National Forest is a history lesson as well as a great way to appreciate the immense natural beauty of the area.