This is long overdue but it's been a busy 9 months. I had so many pictures to edit, it took awhile. After my dive trip to Egypt we spent some time in Golden, CO and then took a trip to Pocatello, ID to visit our long time friends, Jim and Tressa. We then headed north to our summer job in Hill City, SD.
We’ve been to SD before, registered our vehicles, gotten our driver licenses and visited with my son, Jeremy. (He lives in Whitewood, between Deadwood and Sturgis). This year we wanted a change of scenery and settled on the Black Hills! Green pine trees, lots of lakes, rivers, bison and lots of rolling hills and impressive rock formations.
Hill City is the second oldest town in the Black Hills area and has lots of charm. (1876) After the gold rush died out, tin was the next big boom. After tin mining went bust, Hill City depended on the railroad to bring tourists and goods. It’s only about 15 minutes from Mount Rushmore and 45 minutes from Deadwood. There are lots of wineries and breweries in town. Believe it or not, we did not get to all of them.
Custer is 30 minutes south, with the Crazy Horse Memorial in between. It is the oldest city in South Dakota’s Black Hills. (1875) The building fronts look like an old Western town. Custer was established after Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer and his 7th Cavalry discovered gold in the Black Hills. Now, Custer is the central point for accessing Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, and the Wind Cave and Jewel Cave National Monuments. It boasts the oldest saloon in the Black Hills area, established during the gold rush.
We worked at a small RV park, Black Elk Resort. On our time off we explored. Jim fished the reservoirs and streams, we drove Needles Highway, Iron Mountain Highway, lots of back roads and all through Custer State Park. Many of the recreation areas were built and developed by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) in the 30’s and 40’s. There is so much history here!
My pictures tell the stories so here are links to the Google albums so you can enjoy last summer right along with us.
Castle Creek at Deerfield Reservoir
Wildlife Loop, Custer State Park
Lakota history from Deadwood's museums
Deadwood history from the museums
A fun day in Deadwood, Labor Day weekend
Grace Coolidge Trail, Custer State Park
We were truly blessed to meet Aaron, the owner of Sawtooth RV Campground and Cabins while we were in Hill City. Next summer we will be managing his RV Park and will have the opportunity to visit all the places we did not get to last summer, LoL. Sawtooth RV Park
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