Black Hills: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Mountain range in South Dakota and Wyoming, United States}} |
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{{About|the region in South Dakota|other places}} |
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[[image:black-hills-sd.jpg|frame|The Black Hills]] |
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{{Infobox mountain |
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The '''Black Hills''' are a small, isolated [[mountain range]] rising from the [[Great Plains]] of [[North America]] in western [[South Dakota]] and extending into [[Wyoming]], [[United States|USA]]. Set off from the main body of the [[Rocky Mountains]], the region is somewhat of a geological anomaly—accurately described as an "island of trees in a sea of grass." The Black Hills are home to the tallest peaks of continental North America east of the Rockies. |
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| name = Black Hills |
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| photo = Needles Highway 05.jpg |
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| photo_caption = [[Needles (Black Hills)|The Needles]], Black Hills |
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| highest = [[Black Elk Peak]] |
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| elevation_ft = 7244 |
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| elevation_ref = {{NAVD88}}<ref name="ngs">{{cite ngs |id=OT0810 |name=Harney |access-date=2023-05-06}}</ref><ref name=otm>{{cite opentopomap|Black Elk Peak|43.865848|-103.532432|2023-05-06}}</ref> |
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| listing = [[List of the most isolated major summits of the United States|Isolated summits of the United States]] |
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| coordinates = {{coord|43.865847725|N|103.532431997|W|type:mountain_region:US-SD_scale:100000_source:NGS|format=dms|display=inline,title}} |
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| coordinates_ref = <ref name="ngs"/> |
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| country = [[United States]] |
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| subdivision1_type = State |
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| subdivision1 = {{enum|[[South Dakota]]|[[Wyoming]]}} |
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| geology = {{enum|Shale|sandstone|limestone|slate|quartzite|granite}} |
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| age = {{enum|Precambrian|Paleozoic|Mesozoic|Cenozoic|Tertiary}} |
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| orogeny = [[Trans-Hudson orogeny|Trans-Hudson]] and [[Laramide orogeny|Laramide]] |
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| area_mi2 = 5000 |
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| area_ref = |
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| length_mi = |
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| width_mi = |
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| length_orientation = northwest-southeast |
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| map = USA |
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| map_alt = Map of the USA highlighting the Black Hills in South Dakota |
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| map_size = 280 |
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| range_coordinates = |
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| range_coordinates_ref = |
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| native_name = {{native name list |
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|tag1 =lkt |
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|name1 =Ȟe Sápa |
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|italics1 =no |
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|paren1 =yes |
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|tag2 =chy |
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|name2 =Moʼȯhta-voʼhonáaeva |
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|italics2 =no |
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|paren2 =yes |
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|tag3 =hid |
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|name3 =awaxaawi shiibisha |
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|italics3 =no |
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|paren3 =yes |
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}} |
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| other_name = |
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| fetchwikidata = ALL |
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}} |
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{{Black Hills and Badlands}} |
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The '''Black Hills''' is an isolated [[mountain range]] rising from the [[Great Plains]] of [[North America]] in western [[South Dakota]] and extending into [[Wyoming]], United States.<ref>{{cite gnis|1267020|Black Hills}}</ref> [[Black Elk Peak]], which rises to {{convert|7242|ft|m}}, is the range's highest summit.<ref>{{cite ngs|id=OT0810|designation=Black Elk|access-date=2011-05-10}}</ref> The name of the range in [[Lakota language|Lakota]] is ''{{lang|lkt|Pahá Sápa}}''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Clavin |first1=Tom |last2=Drury |first2=Bob |title=The Heart of Everything That Is: The Untold Story of Red Cloud, An American Legend |date=2013 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=9781451654684 |page=4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tQRcBAAAQBAJ |access-date=5 August 2022}}</ref> It encompasses the [[Black Hills National Forest]]. It formed as a result of an upwarping of ancient rock, after which the removal of the higher portions of the mountain mass by stream erosion produced the present-day [[topography]]. The hills are so called because of their dark appearance from a distance, as they are covered in [[evergreen]] trees.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/blackhills/faq/index.shtml#q2|title=Black Hills National Forest — Frequently Asked Questions|publisher=[[United States Forest Service]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2024-04-29 |title=Black Hills {{!}} South Dakota, Wyoming, Map, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Black-Hills |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2023-04-20 |title=Geography and Geology of the Black Hills |url=https://www.moon.com/travel/trip-ideas/geography-geology-black-hills/ |access-date=2024-05-28 |website=Moon Travel Guides |language=en-US}}</ref> |
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[[Tribe (Native American)|American Indian tribes]] have a long history in the Black Hills and consider it a sacred site.<ref>{{cite web |title=Black Hills – Stories of the Sacred |url=https://sites.coloradocollege.edu/indigenoustraditions/sacred-lands/the-black-hills-the-stories-of-the-sacred/ |publisher=Colorado College |access-date=5 August 2022 |archive-date=28 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128195755/https://sites.coloradocollege.edu/indigenoustraditions/sacred-lands/the-black-hills-the-stories-of-the-sacred/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> After conquering the [[Cheyenne]] in 1776, the [[Lakota people|Lakota]] took the territory of the Black Hills, which became central to their culture. In 1868, the [[Federal government of the United States|federal US government]] signed the [[Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868]], establishing the [[Great Sioux Reservation]] west of the Missouri River, and exempting the Black Hills from all non-indigenous settlement “forever”; however, when [[American pioneer|American settlers]] discovered [[gold]] here as a result of [[George Armstrong Custer]]'s [[Black Hills Expedition]] in 1874, a [[gold rush]] swept in miners. The US government conquered the Black Hills and forcibly relocated the Lakota, following the [[Great Sioux War of 1876]], to five smaller reservations in western South Dakota, selling off {{convert|9|e6acre|km2|abbr=unit}} of their former land. Unlike most of South Dakota, the Black Hills were settled primarily by [[European Americans]] from population centers to the west and south of the region, as miners flocked there from earlier gold boom locations in Colorado and Montana.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://sites.coloradocollege.edu/indigenoustraditions/sacred-lands/the-black-hills-the-stories-of-the-sacred/|title=Black Hills – Stories of the Sacred|date=2012-11-18|website=Indigenous Religious Traditions|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-26|archive-date=2020-05-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200517151611/http://sites.coloradocollege.edu/indigenoustraditions/sacred-lands/the-black-hills-the-stories-of-the-sacred/|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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Native Americans have inhabited the area since at least 7000 B.C. The [[Arikara]] arrived by 1500 A. D., followed by the [[Cheyenne]], [[Crow]], [[Kiowa]] and [[Pawnee]]. The [[Lakota]] |
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arrived from [[Minnesota]] in the eighteenth century and drove out the other tribes, claiming the land, which they called ''Paha Sapa'', for themselves. |
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As the economy of the Black Hills has shifted away from natural resources ([[mining]] and [[Logging|timber]]) since the late 20th century, the [[Hospitality industry|hospitality]] and [[tourism]] industries have grown to take its place. Locals tend to divide the Black Hills into two areas: "The Southern Hills" and "The Northern Hills." The Southern Hills is home to [[Mount Rushmore|Mount Rushmore National Memorial]], [[Wind Cave National Park]], [[Jewel Cave National Monument]], [[Black Elk Peak]] (the highest point in the United States east of the Rockies), [[Custer State Park]] (the largest state park in South Dakota), the [[Crazy Horse Memorial]], and [[The Mammoth Site]] in [[Hot Springs, South Dakota|Hot Springs]], the world's largest [[mammoth]] research facility. |
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After the public discovery of [[gold]] in the 1870s, the conflict over control of the region sparked the last major [[Indian Wars|Indian War]] on the Great Plains, the [[Black Hills War]]. The 1868 [[Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868)|Treaty of Fort Laramie]] had previously confirmed the [[Lakota]] (Teton Sioux) ownership of the mountain range. But with that treaty being contested, they additionally claimed rights to the land saying that in their culture it was considered the [[axis mundi]], or sacred center of the world. However, some consider the claim a dubious pretension to keep the gold-rich territory since the Sioux tribe had only discovered the Black Hills about 100 years earlier (1765) and that they themselves took the land by force from its previous residents (the Cheyenne tribe) in 1776. |
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Attractions in the Northern Hills include [[Spearfish Canyon]], historic [[Deadwood, South Dakota|Deadwood]], and the [[Sturgis Motorcycle Rally]], held each August. The first Rally was held on August 14, 1938, and the 75th Rally in 2015 saw more than one million bikers visit the Black Hills. [[Devils Tower National Monument]], located in the Wyoming Black Hills, is an important nearby attraction and was the United States' first national monument.<ref>{{cite web|first=Ray H. |last=Mattison |url=http://www.nps.gov/deto/historyculture/places.htm |title=The First Fifty Years|publisher=[[National Park Service]] |year=1955 |access-date=January 19, 2012 }}</ref> |
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Although rumors of [[gold]] in the Black Hills had circulated in North America for decades (See [[Thoen Stone]] and [[Pierre-Jean De Smet]]), Brevet Major General [[George Armstrong Custer]] of the [[7th US Cavalry]] led an expedition into the Black Hills in 1874; an official announcement of the presence of gold was made through newspaper reporters who accompanied the expedition. The following year, the first detailed survey of the Black Hills was conducted by the [[Newton-Jenney Party]]. The surveyor for the party, Dr. [[Valentine McGillycuddy]], was the first person to ascend to the top of [[Harney Peak]], the highest point in the Black Hills, reaching 7242 feet above sea level. |
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==History== |
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During the 1875– 1878 [[gold rush]], thousands of miners went to the Black Hills; in 1880, the area was the most densely populated part of [[Dakota Territory]]. There were three large towns in the Northern Hills: [[Deadwood, South Dakota|Deadwood]], [[Central City, South Dakota|Central City]], and [[Lead, South Dakota|Lead]]. Around these lay groups of smaller gold camps, towns, and villages. [[Hill City, South Dakota|Hill City]] and [[Custer, South Dakota|Custer City]] sprang up in the Southern Hills, and railroads were already reaching the previously remote area. From 1880 on, the gold mines yielded about $4,000,000 annually, and the silver mines about $3,000,000 annually. |
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===Early history=== |
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[[Image:Inyan-Kara.jpg|thumb|right|Inyan Kara is a sacred mountain to Lakota.]] |
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Although the written history of the region begins with the Sioux domination of the land over the native Arikara tribes, researchers have carbon-dating and stratigraphic records to analyze the early history of the area. Scientists have been able to utilize carbon-dating to evaluate the age of tools found in the area, which indicate a human presence that dates as far back as 11,500 BC with the [[Clovis culture]]. Stratigraphic records indicate environmental changes in the land, such as flood and drought patterns. For example, large-scale flooding of the Black Hill basins occurs at a probability rate of 0.01, making such floods occur on average once in every 100 years. During The Medieval Climate Anomaly, or the [[Medieval Warm Period]], flooding increased in the basins. A stratigraphic record of the area shows that during these 400 years, thirteen 100-year floods occurred in four of the region's basins, while the same four basins from the previous 800 years only experienced nine floods. |
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Following the defeat of the Lakota and their [[Cheyenne]] and [[Arapaho]] allies in 1876, the United States "purchased" the region from the Lakota. However, no actual purchase was ever completed and the area remains under dispute to this day. In 1980, the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] ruled that the Black Hills were illegally taken and that remuneration of the initial offering price plus interest — over $100 million — be paid. The Lakota refused the settlement, as they wanted the return of their land instead. The Lakota Nation still demands the return of the Black Hills to this day; with the help of former Senator [[Bill Bradley]] of New Jersey, a bill was introduced in [[Congress of the United States|Congress]] for the return of a portion of the Black Hills. The bill eventually failed due to lack of support from the South Dakota congressional delegation. |
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===Indigenous history=== |
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Unlike the rest of the Dakotas, the Black Hills were settled primarily from population centers to the west and south of the region, as miners flocked there from earlier gold boom locations in Colorado and Montana. Today, the South Dakota side of the Black Hills is economically and socially more like Wyoming or Colorado than the Dakotas. The nearby reservations and [[Ellsworth Air Force Base]] make for a unique diversity in population unlike the rest of Wyoming or South Dakota. |
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[[File:Black hills from space.jpg|thumb|right|2006 [[Space Shuttle]] image of the Black Hills]] |
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The [[Arikara]] arrived by AD 1500, followed by the [[Cheyenne]], [[Crow people|Crow]], [[Kiowa]], and [[Arapaho]]. The [[Lakota people|Lakota]] (also known as [[Sioux]]) arrived from [[Minnesota]] in the 18th century and displaced the other tribes that lived there, who eventually moved to what became known as the [[Western United States]].<ref name=pbs>{{cite web |url= https://www.pbs.org/buffalowar/buffalo1.html |title=The Buffalo War |publisher=[[Public Broadcasting Service]]|access-date=2023-05-06}}</ref><ref>World Archaeology, Oct., 1996, Vol. 28, No. 2, Sacred Geography (Oct., 1996), pp. 177-189</ref> They claimed the land, which they called ''{{lang|lkt|Ȟe Sápa}}'' (Black Mountains).<ref name=":0">{{cite journal |last=Dowling |first=Sarah |year=2019 |title=Property, Priority, Place: Rethinking the Poetics of Appropriation |url= |journal=Contemporary Literature |volume=60 |issue=1 |pages=98–125 |doi=10.3368/cl.60.1.98 |access-date=}}</ref> The mountains commonly became known as the Black Hills (''Pahá Sápa'' in Lakota).<ref name=":0" /> |
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===Colonization and exploration=== |
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[[File:Custerblackhills.jpg|thumb|left|Gold miners in the Black Hills]] |
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[[File:Prairiecabin.jpg|thumb|left|Abandoned cabin near [[Dewey, South Dakota|Dewey]] in the southern Black Hills]] |
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[[François de La Vérendrye|François]] and [[Louis-Joseph Gaultier de La Vérendrye|Louis de La Vérendrye]] probably traveled near the Black Hills in 1743.<ref>{{cite web|title=History of the Black Hills|url=http://www.nps.gov/archive/wica/history_of_the_black_hills.htm|publisher=U.S. National Park Service|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100517062419/http://www.nps.gov/archive/wica/history_of_the_black_hills.htm|archive-date=2010-05-17}}</ref> Fur trappers and traders also had some dealings with the American Indians that lived there. |
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[[American pioneer|Americans settlers]] increasingly encroached on Lakota territory. In order to secure safe passage of settlers on the [[Oregon Trail]], and to end intertribal warfare, the United States government proposed the [[Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868)|Fort Laramie Treaty]] of 1868, which established the [[Great Sioux Reservation]] west of the Missouri River and acknowledged indigenous control of the Black Hills. The treaty protected the Black Hills "forever" from American settlers. Both the Sioux and Cheyenne also claimed rights to the land, saying that their cultures considered it the ''[[axis mundi]]'', or sacred center of the world. |
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Although rumors of [[gold]] in the Black Hills had circulated for decades (see [[Thoen Stone]] and [[Pierre-Jean De Smet]]), confirmation of the deposits came first in 1874, when Brevet Major General [[George Armstrong Custer]] of the [[7th US Cavalry]] led an [[Black Hills Expedition (1874)|expedition]] there and discovered gold in [[French Creek (South Dakota)|French Creek]]. An official announcement of gold was made by the newspaper reporters accompanying the expedition. The following year, the [[Newton-Jenney Party]] conducted the first detailed survey of the Black Hills. The surveyor for the party, [[Valentine McGillycuddy]], became the first European American to ascend to the top of [[Black Elk Peak]]. This highest point in the Black Hills is {{convert|7242|ft}} above sea level. |
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During the [[Black Hills gold rush|1875–1878 gold rush]] thousands of miners went to the Black Hills; in 1880, the area was the most densely populated part of the [[Dakota Territory]]. Three large towns developed in the Northern Hills: [[Deadwood, South Dakota|Deadwood]], [[Central City, South Dakota|Central City]], and [[Lead, South Dakota|Lead]]. Around these clustered groups of smaller gold camps, towns, and villages. [[Hill City, South Dakota|Hill City]] and [[Custer, South Dakota|Custer City]] sprang up in the Southern Hills. Railroads were quickly constructed to the previously remote area. From 1880 onward the gold mines yielded about $4,000,000 annually, and the silver mines about $3,000,000 annually. |
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===American seizure=== |
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{{Main|Seizure of the Black Hills}} |
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[[File:Inyan-Kara.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Inyan Kara Mountain|Inyan Kara]]'' is a sacred mountain to the [[Lakota people]]]] |
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The conflict over control of the region sparked the [[Black Hills War]] (1876), also known as the Great Sioux War, the last major [[Indian Wars|Indian War]] on the Great Plains. Following the defeat of the Lakota and their Cheyenne and Arapaho allies in 1876, the United States occupied the Black Hills in disregard of past treaties. Despite their forced relocations, the Lakota never accepted the validity of the US appropriation. They have continued to try to reclaim the property,<ref>{{cite AV media |publisher=Centre Communications |location=[[Irwindale, California]] |title=Eyanopopi: The Heart of the Sioux |access-date=December 3, 2012 |date=1988 |url=http://www.library.arizona.edu/help/how/find/films/indian/e.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130104164108/http://www.library.arizona.edu/help/how/find/films/indian/e.html |archive-date=January 4, 2013 }}</ref> and had also filed a lawsuit against the [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. federal government]]. |
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===20th century=== |
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On July 23, 1980, in ''[[United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians]]'', the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] ruled that the Black Hills were illegally seized by the federal U.S. government and ordered remuneration of the initial offering price plus interest, nearly $106 million. The Lakota refused the settlement, as they wanted the Black Hills returned to them. The money remains in an interest-bearing account but the Lakota still refuse to take the money. They have declined to accept the money, because acceptance would legally terminate their demands for return of the Black Hills. The money remains in a [[Bureau of Indian Affairs]] account accruing [[compound interest]]. As of 2011, the Sioux's award plus interest was "about $1 billion" or "1.3 billion" (equivalent to $1.35 to $1.76 billion in 2023).<ref>{{cite web |date=2014-11-11 |title=Black Hills Are Beyond Price to Sioux |url=http://www.bellevuecollege.edu/diversitycaucus/aiff/cbe.htm |access-date=2024-05-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111171159/http://www.bellevuecollege.edu/diversitycaucus/aiff/cbe.htm |archive-date=2014-11-11 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Streshinsky |first=Maria |date=2011-02-09 |title=Saying No to $1 Billion |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/03/saying-no-to-1-billion/308380/ |access-date=2024-05-26 |work=The Atlantic |language=en |issn=2151-9463}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-08-24 |title=Why the Sioux Are Refusing $1.3 Billion |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/north_america-july-dec11-blackhills_08-23 |access-date=2024-05-26 |website=PBS NewsHour |language=en-us}}</ref> |
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===21st century=== |
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In 2012, [[United Nations]] [[United Nations Special Rapporteur|Special Rapporteur]] [[James Anaya]] conducted a 12-day tour of Indigenous lands to determine how the US is following the [[United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples]], endorsed in 2010 by the [[Obama administration]]. Anaya met with tribes in seven states on [[Indian reservation|reservations]] and in urban areas as well as with members of the Obama administration and the [[Senate Committee on Indian Affairs]]. In an appeal issued August 21, 2012, Anaya brought a sale of over 1,900 acres of land in Black Hills by the Reynolds family to the attention of the US government and asked that it disclose measures taken by federal or state governments to address Sioux concerns over the sale of the land within Reynolds Prairie. These acres consist of five land tracts, including the sacred Pe' Sla site for Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota peoples; natives to the Black Hills fundraised to buy the land during the Reynolds' sale.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spdb.ohchr.org/hrdb/22nd/public_-_UA_USA_21.08.12_(18.2012).pdf|title=Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples|last=Anaya|first=James|date=21 August 2012|website=United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007232546/https://spdb.ohchr.org/hrdb/22nd/public_-_UA_USA_21.08.12_(18.2012).pdf|archive-date=7 October 2018}}</ref> |
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On January 15, 2013, the US responded, telling Anaya that it "understands several tribes purchased the Pe' Sla sacred site around November 30, 2012" meaning the Pe' Sla is officially Sioux land.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spdb.ohchr.org/hrdb/22nd/USA_02.01.13_(18.2012).pdf|title=OHCHR Registry No. 01-13|last=Rice|first=Susan|date=15 January 2013|website=United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner|access-date=7 October 2018|archive-date=8 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181008061506/https://spdb.ohchr.org/hrdb/22nd/USA_02.01.13_(18.2012).pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> After 2,022 acres of Pe' Sla (Reynolds Prairie) were granted Federal Indian trust status by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in March 2016, the Shakopee Mdewakanton tribe released a statement acknowledging the 2012 land purchase of 1,940 acres of Pe' Sla and also stated that this purchase was the result of a joint effort by the Rosebud, Shakopee Mdewakanton, Crow Creek, and Standing Rock Sioux Tribes.<ref name=sacredpurchase>{{cite news|url=https://shakopeedakota.org/sacred-site-persquo-sla-gains-indian-land-status/#:~:text=Pe'%20Sla%20is%20a%20known,fundraising%2C%20the%20land%20was%20purchased.|title=Sacred Site Pe' Sla Gains Indian Land Status|publisher=Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community|date=March 14, 2020|access-date=December 21, 2020}}</ref> In March 2017, [[Pennington County, South Dakota|Pennington County]] agreed to abandon its claim to the Pe' Sla area and recognize its Federal Indian trust status.<ref name=pesla>{{cite news|url=https://www.kotatv.com/content/news/Tribes-win-federal-trust-status-for-Pe-Sla-property-in-Black-Hills-417068793.html|title=Tribes win federal trust status for Pe Sla property in Black Hills|first=Stewart|last=Huntington|publisher=KOTA TV|date=March 24, 2017|access-date=December 21, 2020}}</ref> In 2016, the Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribe of Oklahoma, the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Montana and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota bought land near the sacred [[Bear Butte]] site for $1.1 million.<ref name=auctionsuccess>{{cite news|url=https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/tribes-buy-bear-butte-land-for-1-1m/article_8ee1dae9-2acf-57c1-8cdc-346cbd2fdf99.html|title=Tribes buy Bear Butte land for $1.1M|first=Tom|last=Griffith|publisher=Rapid City Journal|date=November 1, 2016|accessdate=March 3, 2021}}</ref> In 2018, the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Montana and the Arapahoe Tribe of Oklahoma teamed together to purchase land near Bear Butte for $2.3 million.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://rapidcityjournal.com/community/northern-hills/1-020-acres-near-bear-butte-sells-to-tribes-for-2-3-million/article_c2dd1304-6c49-52a7-b47b-3eb5be14ab5c.html|title=1,020 acres near Bear Butte sells to tribes for $2.3 million|first=Jim|last=Holland|publisher=Rapid City Journal|date=November 22, 2018|accessdate=March 3, 2021}}</ref> |
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==Geology== |
==Geology== |
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{{More citations needed|section|date=December 2023}} |
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[[Image:Black-Hills-Road.jpg|thumb|right|The Black Hills are marked by beautiful settings of adjacent prairie and mountains.]] |
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[[File: Gold-quartz placer nugget, Lead SD.jpg|thumb|Gold-quartz placer nugget, found near Lead; about 1 cm wide]] |
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[[Image:The Black Hills88.jpg|thumb|right|The Black Hills.]] |
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The [[geology]] of the Black Hills is complex. A [[Tertiary]] mountain-building episode is responsible for the uplift and current [[topography]] of the Black Hills region. This uplift was marked by [[volcano|volcanic]] activity in the northern Black Hills. The southern Black Hills are characterized by [[Precambrian]] [[granite]], [[pegmatite]], and [[metamorphic rock|metamorphic]] rocks that comprise the core of the entire Black Hills uplift. This core is rimmed by [[Paleozoic]], [[Mesozoic]], and [[Cenozoic]] [[sedimentary]] rocks. |
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The [[stratigraphy]] of the Black Hills is laid out |
The [[geology]] of the Black Hills is complex. A [[Tertiary]] mountain-building episode is responsible for the uplift and current [[topography]] of the Black Hills region. This uplift was marked by [[volcano|volcanic]] activity in the northern Black Hills. The southern Black Hills are characterized by [[Precambrian]] [[granite]], [[pegmatite]], and [[metamorphic rock|metamorphic]] rocks that comprise the core of the entire Black Hills uplift. This core is rimmed by [[Paleozoic]], [[Mesozoic]], and [[Cenozoic]] [[sedimentary]] rocks. The [[stratigraphy]] of the Black Hills is laid out like a target, as it is an oval [[dome (geology)|dome]], with rings of different rock types [[Strike and dip|dipping]] away from the center. |
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===Precambrian=== |
===Precambrian=== |
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[[ |
[[File:Black Elk Peak hike 03.jpg|thumb|left|The granite core of the Black Hills rises {{convert|7244|ft|m}} at [[Black Elk Peak]]]] |
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The 'bulls eye' of this target is called the [[granite]] core. The granite of the Black Hills was emplaced by [[magma]] generated during the [[Trans-Hudsonian orogeny]] and contains abundant [[pegmatite]]. The core of the Black Hills has been [[Radiometric dating|dated]] to 1.8 billion years. There are other localized deposits that have been dated to around 2.2 to 2.8 billion years. One of these is located in the northern hills and is called Elk Creek Granite though it has been metamorphosed into [[gneiss]]. The other is called the Bear Mountain complex and is located in the west central part of the hills. |
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[[Image:Pcdeadwoodcontact.jpg|thumb|right|Angular unconformity near Rapid City]] |
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Making a concentric ring around the core is the [[Metamorphic rock|metamorphic]] zone. The rocks in this ring are all very old, as much as 2.0 billion years and older. This zone is very complex, filled with many diverse rock types. The rocks were originally [[sedimentary]] rocks until there was a collision between the North American continent and a terrane. This collision, called the Trans-Hudsonian Orogeny, caused the original rocks to fold and twist into a vast mountain range. Over the millions of years these tilted rocks, which in many areas are tilted to 90 degrees or more, eroded. Today we see the evidence of this erosion in the Black Hills, where the metamorphic rocks end in an angular [[unconformity]] below the younger sedimentary layers. |
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The 'bull's eye' of this target is called the [[granite]] core. The granite of the Black Hills was emplaced by [[magma]] generated during the [[Trans-Hudson orogeny]] and contains abundant pegmatite. The core of the Black Hills has been [[Radiometric dating|dated]] to 1.8 billion years. Other localized deposits have been dated to around 2.2 to 2.8 billion years. One of these is located in the northern hills. It is called French Creek Granite although it has been metamorphosed into [[gneiss]]. The other is called the Bear Mountain complex, and it is located in the west-central part of the hills. |
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===Paleozoic=== |
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[[File:Black Hills angular deformity.jpg|thumb|right|The angular [[unconformity]] between the Deadwood Formation and the underlying [[Precambrian]] rocks near Rapid City.]] |
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The final layers of the Black Hills consist of sedimentary rocks. The oldest of which lies on top of the metamorphic layers at a much shallower angle. This rock called the Deadwood Formation is mostly [[sandstone]] and was the original source of [[gold]] found in the [[Deadwood, South Dakota|Deadwood]] area. Above the Deadwood Formation lies the Englewood Formation and Paha Sapa [[limestone]] which is the souce of the more than 200 [[caves]] found in the Black Hills, including [[Jewel Cave]] and [[Wind cave]]. The Minilusa Formation is next and is composed of highly variable sandstones and limestones followed by the Opeche [[shale]] and the Minnikata limestone. |
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Making a concentric ring around the core is the [[metamorphic rock|metamorphic]] zone. The rocks in this ring are all very old, as much as 2 billion years and older. This zone is very complex, filled with many diverse rock types. The rocks were originally [[sedimentary]] until there was a collision between the North American continent and a [[terrane]]. This collision, called the Trans-Hudson Orogeny, caused the original rocks to fold and twist into a vast mountain range. Over millions of years, these tilted rocks, which in many areas are tilted to 90 degrees or more, eroded. Today we see the evidence of this erosion in the Black Hills, where the metamorphic rocks end in an angular [[unconformity]] below the younger sedimentary layers. |
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===Mesozoic=== |
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===Paleozoic=== |
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The next rock layer, the Spearfish Formation forms a valley around the hills called the red valley. It is mostly a red shale with beds of [[gypsum]]. These shale and gypsum beds as well as the nearby limestone beds of the Minnikata are used in the manufacture of [[cement]] at a cement plant in [[Rapid City, South Dakota|Rapid City]]. Next is the shale and sandstone Sundance Formation which is topped by the [[Morrison Formation]] and the Unkpapa sandstone. |
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The final layers of the Black Hills consist of sedimentary rocks. The oldest lie on top of the metamorphic layers at a much shallower angle. This rock called the [[Deadwood Formation]] is mostly [[sandstone]] and was the source of [[gold]] found in the [[Deadwood, South Dakota|Deadwood]] area. Above the Deadwood Formation lies the Englewood Formation and Pahasapa [[limestone]], which is the source of the more than 200 [[caves]] found in the Black Hills, including [[Jewel Cave National Monument|Jewel Cave]] and [[Wind Cave National Park|Wind Cave]]. The Minnelusa Formation is next and is composed of highly variable sandstones and limestones followed by the Opeche [[shale]] and the Minnekahta limestone. |
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===Mesozoic=== |
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The outermost feature of the dome stands out as a hogback ridge. This ridge is made out of the Lakota Formation and the Fallriver sandstone which are collectively called the Inyan Kara Group. Above this the layers of rocks are less distinct and are all mainly grey shale with three exceptions, the Newcastle sandstone, the Greenhorn limestone which contains many [[shark teeth]] [[fossil]]s, and the Niobrara Formation which is composed mainly of [[chalk]]. These outer ridges are called [[cuesta]]s. |
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The next rock layer, the [[Spearfish Formation]], forms a valley around the hills called the Red Valley and is often referred to as the Race Track.<ref name=redvalley>{{cite gnis|1267034|Red Valley}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gorp.com/parks-guide/travel-ta-black-hills-national-forest-rapid-city-sidwcmdev_066660.html |title=Black Hills National Forest — Environment |website=Gorp.com |access-date=2010-07-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128223711/http://www.gorp.com/parks-guide/travel-ta-black-hills-national-forest-rapid-city-sidwcmdev_066660.html |archive-date=2010-11-28 }}</ref> It is mostly red [[shale]] with beds of [[gypsum]], and circles much of the Black Hills. These shale and gypsum beds, as well as the nearby [[limestone]] beds of the Minnekahta, are used in the manufacture of [[cement]] at a cement plant in [[Rapid City, South Dakota|Rapid City]]. Next is the shale and sandstone [[Sundance Formation]], which is topped by the [[Morrison Formation]] and the Unkpapa sandstone. |
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The outermost feature of the dome stands out as a [[hogback (geology)|hogback ridge]]. The ridge is made out of the Lakota Formation and the Fallriver sandstone, which are collectively called the [[Inyan Kara Mountain|Inyan Kara]] Group. Above this, the layers of rocks are less distinct and are all mainly grey shale with three exceptions: the Newcastle sandstone; the Greenhorn limestone, which contains many [[shark tooth|shark teeth]] [[fossil]]s; and the Niobrara Formation, which is composed mainly of [[chalk]]. These outer ridges are called [[cuesta]]s. |
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===Cenozoic=== |
===Cenozoic=== |
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[[Image:Fallingrock.jpg|thumb|right|Fallingrock cliff in Dark Canyon. The rock is of Paleozoic age but is capped with a Cenozoic gravel terrace.]] |
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The preceding [[stratum|layers]] were deposited horizontally. All of them can be seen in core samples and well logs from the flattest parts of the [[Great Plains]]. It took a period of [[tectonic uplift|uplift]] to bring them to their present topographical levels in the Black Hills. This uplift called the [[Laramide orogeny]], began around the beginning of the [[Cenozoic]] and left a line of [[igneous]] rocks through the northern hills superimposed on the rocks already discussed. This line extends from [[Bear Butte]] in the east to [[Devils Tower National Monument|Devils Tower]] in the west. Evidence of Cenozoic [[volcanic]] eruptions, if this happened, has long since been eroded. |
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[[Image:Fallingrock.jpg|thumb|right|Fallingrock cliff on Dark Canyon. Paleozoic in age but it is capped with a Cenozoic gravel terrace.]] |
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The preceding [[stratum|layers]] were deposted in a horizontal manner. All of them can be seen in core samples and well logs from the flatest parts of the [[great plains]]. It took a period of uplift to bring them to their present topographical levels in the Black Hills. This uplift called the [[Laramide orogeny]] began around the beginning of the [[Cenozoic]] and left a line of [[igneous]] rocks through the northern hills superimposed on the rocks already disscused. This line extends from [[Bear Butte]] in the east to [[Devils Tower]] in the west. Evidance of Cenozoic [[volcanic]] eruptions, if this happened, has long since been eroded away. |
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The Black Hills also has a 'skirt' of [[gravel]] covering |
The Black Hills also has a 'skirt' of [[gravel]] covering them in areas, which are called [[Pediment (geology)|pediments]]. Formed as the waterways cut down into the uplifting hills, they represent the former locations of today's rivers. These beds are generally around 10,000 years old or younger, judging by the artifacts and fossils found. A few places, mainly in the high elevations, are older, as old as 20 million years, according to camel and rodent fossils found. Some gravels have been found but for the most part, these older beds have been eroded.{{citation needed|date=October 2015}} |
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==Biosystems== |
==Biosystems== |
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[[File:Sylvan Lake 2017 black hills.jpg|alt=|left|thumb|[[Sylvan Lake, South Dakota|Sylvan Lake]], located in [[Custer State Park]]]] |
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As with the geology, the biology of the Black Hills is complex. Most of the Hills are a fire-climax [[Ponderosa Pine]] forest, with [[White Spruce|Black Hills Spruce]] (''Picea glauca'' var. ''densata'') occurring in cool moist valleys of the Northern Hills. Oddly, this [[endemic]] variety of spruce does not occur in the moist [[Bear Lodge Mountains]], which make up most of the Wyoming portion of the Black Hills. Large open parks (mountain meadows) with lush grassland rather than forest are scattered through the Hills (especially the western portion), and the southern edge of the Hills, due to the rainshadow of the higher elevations, are covered by a dry pine [[savannah]], with stands of [[Mountain Mahogany]] and [[Rocky Mountain Juniper]]. Wildlife is both diverse and plentiful. Black Hills creeks are known for their trout, while the forests and grasslands offer good habitat for [[American Bison]], White-tailed and Mule [[Deer]], [[Pronghorn]], [[Bighorn Sheep]], [[mountain lion]]s, and a variety of smaller animals, like [[prairie dogs]], [[Yellow-bellied Marmots]], and [[Red Squirrel]]s. Biologically, the Black Hills is a meeting and mixing place, with species common to regions to the east, west, north, and south. The Hills do however, support some endemic taxa, the most famous of which is probably [[White-winged Junco]] (''Junco hyemalis aikeni''). The furthest point from the ocean in the North America is located in the Black Hills. |
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As with the geology, the biology of the Black Hills is complex. Most of the Hills are a fire-climax [[ponderosa pine]] forest, with [[White spruce|Black Hills spruce]] (''Picea glauca'' var. ''densata'') occurring in cool moist valleys of the Northern Hills. Oddly, this [[Endemism|endemic]] variety of spruce does not occur in the moist [[Bear Lodge Mountains]], which make up most of the Wyoming portion of the Black Hills. Large open parks (mountain meadows) with lush grassland rather than forest are scattered through the Hills (especially the western portion), and the southern edge of the Hills, due to the rainshadow of the higher elevations, are covered by a dry pine [[savannah]], with stands of [[mountain mahogany]] and [[Rocky Mountain juniper]]. |
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==Tourism and economy== |
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[[Image:IM000704 (2).JPG|thumb|250px|The Black Hills opposite [[Mount Rushmore]]]] |
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The region is home to [[Mount Rushmore National Memorial]], [[Wind Cave National Park]], [[Jewel Cave National Monument]], [[Harney Peak]] (the highest point east of the Rockies), [[Custer State Park]] (the largest state park in the US), [[Bear Butte State Park]], [[Devils Tower National Monument]], and the [[Crazy Horse Memorial]] (the largest sculpture in the world). The Black Hills also hosts the [[Sturgis Motorcycle Rally]] each August. Started in 1940, the 65th Rally in 2005 saw more than 550,000 bikers visit the Black Hills; the rally is a key part of the regional economy. |
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Wildlife is both diverse and plentiful. Black Hills creeks are known for their trout, while the forests and grasslands offer good habitat for [[American bison]], white-tailed and mule [[deer]], [[pronghorn]], [[bighorn sheep]], [[mountain lion]]s, and a variety of smaller animals, like [[prairie dog]]s, [[American marten]]s, [[American red squirrel]]s, [[Northern flying squirrel]]s, [[yellow-bellied marmot]]s, and [[fox squirrel]]s. Biologically, the Black Hills is a meeting and mixing place, with species common to regions to the east, west, north, and south. It supports some endemic taxa, including [[white-winged junco]] (''Junco hyemalis aikeni''). Some other endemics are Cooper's Rocky Mountain snail, Black Hills subspecies of [[red-bellied snake]], and a Black Hills subspecies of [[southern red-backed vole]]. Some birds that are only in the Black Hills and not the rest of [[South Dakota]] are [[pinyon jay]], [[Canada jay]], [[American three-toed woodpecker|three-toed woodpecker]], [[black-backed woodpecker]], [[American dipper]], [[ruffed grouse]], and others. |
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The George S. Mickelson Memorial Trail is a recently opened multi-use path through the Black Hills. It follows the abandoned track of the historic railroad route from Edgemont to Deadwood. The train used to be the only way to bring supplies to the miners in the Hills. The trail is about 110 miles in length, and can be used by hikers, cross-country skiers, and bikers. The cost is two dollars per day, or ten dollars annually. |
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==Regions of the Black Hills== |
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Today, the major city in the Black Hills is [[Rapid City, South Dakota|Rapid City]], with an incorporated population of over 70,000 and a metropolitan population of 125,000. It serves a market area covering much of five states: North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana. In addition to tourism and mining (including coal, specialty minerals, and the now declining gold mining), the Black Hills economy includes ranching (sheep and cattle, primarily, with [[American Bison|buffalo]] and [[ratites]] becoming more common), timber (lumber), Ellsworth Air Force Base, and some manufacturing, including jewelry (Black Hills Gold Jewelry), cement, electronics, cabinetry, guns and ammunition. In many ways, the Black Hills functions as a very spread-out urban area with a population (not counting tourists) of 250,000. Other important Black Hills cities include [[Belle Fourche, South Dakota|Belle Fourche]], a ranching town; [[Spearfish, South Dakota|Spearfish]], home of [[Black Hills State University]]; Deadwood, a historic and well-preserved gambling mecca; its twin city of Lead, home of the now-closed Homestake Mine (gold); Keystone outside Mount Rushmore; [[Hill City, South Dakota|Hill City]], a timber and tourism town in the center of the Hills; [[Custer, South Dakota|Custer]], a mining and tourism town and headquarters for Black Hills National Forest; Hot Springs, an old resort town in the southern Hills; Sturgis, originally a military town (Fort Meade, now a VA center, is located just to the east); and Newcastle, center of the Black Hills petroleum production and refining. |
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[[File:Black Hills National Forest Districts Map.pdf|thumb|Black Hills National Forest Districts Map]] |
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The northern Black Hills approximate [[Lawrence County, South Dakota|Lawrence]] and [[Meade County, South Dakota|Meade]] Counties and are roughly equivalent to the Northern Hills District of the [[Black Hills National Forest]]. The central Black Hills (the Mystic District of the Black Hills National Forest) are located in [[Pennington County, South Dakota|Pennington County]] west of Rapid City. The southern Black Hills are in Custer and Fall River Counties and are administered in the national forest's Hell Canyon District. Finally, Wyoming's Black Hills follow the Bearlodge District, approximately [[Weston County, Wyoming|Weston]] and [[Crook County, Wyoming|Crook]] Counties. |
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==Black Hills in popular culture== |
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Geologically separate from the Black Hills are the [[Elk Mountains (South Dakota)|Elk Mountains]], a small range forming the southwest portion of the region. |
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Several major motion pictures have been filmed in the Black Hills including ''[[North by Northwest]]'', ''[[How the West Was Won (film)|How the West Was Won]]'', ''[[A Man Called Horse]]'', ''[[Lakota Woman]]'' and ''[[Dances with Wolves]]''. The Black Hills has been the setting of still more movies or portions thereof, including [[Walt Disney]]'s "The One and Only Genuine Original Family Band" and several movies based on [[Louis L'Amour]] novels. [[Steven Spielberg]]'s "Into the West" includes a story line involving the discovery of gold in the Black Hills. The Black Hills is also the setting for the popular [[HBO]] series ''[[Deadwood (TV series)|Deadwood]]'', although the show is actually filmed in [[California]]. However, the City Fathers of Deadwood have created a wooden "false front" street similar to the television set and the original town — a series of fires in the late 1800s destroyed all the original log and frame buildings, which were replaced with the brick and stone structures which grace the city today. |
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It is actually in the middle of the Great plains and the Rocky mountains. |
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==Tourism and economy== |
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The film ''[[Calamity Jane (1953 film)|Calamity Jane]]'' included the song "[[The Black Hills of Dakota]]," a salute to the mountains that the characters were traveling through. |
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[[File:Black Hills, Mount Rushmore National Park.jpg|thumb|Black Hills opposite [[Mount Rushmore]]]] |
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[[File:Homestake works mine 1889.jpg|thumb|Homestake Mine in 1889]] |
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The region is home to [[Mount Rushmore National Memorial]], [[Wind Cave National Park]], [[Jewel Cave National Monument]], [[Black Elk Peak]], [[Custer State Park]] (the largest state park in South Dakota, and one of the largest in the US), [[Bear Butte State Park]], [[Devils Tower National Monument]], and the [[Crazy Horse Memorial]]. The Black Hills also hosts the [[Sturgis Motorcycle Rally]] each August. The rally was started in 1940 and the 65th Rally in 2005 saw more than 550,000 bikers visit the Black Hills. It is a key part of the regional economy.<ref>{{cite news |title=2017 Sturgis Rally economic impact reportedly $738 million |url=https://www.blackhillsfox.com/content/news/2017-Sturgis-Rally-economic-impact-reportedly-738-million-450642483.html |access-date=14 November 2018 |work=KEVN TV |agency=Gray Digital Media |date=12 October 2017}}</ref> |
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The song "[[Rocky Raccoon]]" by [[The Beatles]], makes a reference to "the black mining hills of Dakota", where the song's protagonist allegedly lives. |
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The [[George S. Mickelson Trail]] is a recently opened multi-use path through the Black Hills that follows the abandoned track of the historic railroad route from [[Edgemont, South Dakota|Edgemont]] to [[Deadwood, South Dakota|Deadwood]]. The train used to be the only way to bring supplies to the miners in the Hills. The trail is about {{convert|110|mile}} in length, and can be used by hikers, cross-country skiers, and cyclists. The cost is $4 per day or $15 annually. |
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[[Pain of Salvation]] recorded a song referring to the disposition of the [[Lakota]], titled "Black Hills", on their [[One Hour by the Concrete Lake]] album. |
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Today, the major city in the Black Hills is [[Rapid City, South Dakota|Rapid City]], with an incorporated population of roughly 75,000 and a metropolitan population of 145,000. It serves a market area covering much of five states: North and [[South Dakota]], [[Nebraska]], [[Wyoming]], and [[Montana]]. In addition to tourism and mining (including coal, specialty minerals, and the now declining gold mining), the Black Hills economy includes ranching (sheep and cattle, primarily, with [[American bison|bison]] and [[ratites]] becoming more common), timber (lumber), [[Ellsworth Air Force Base]], and some manufacturing, including [[Black Hills gold jewelry]], cement, electronics, cabinetry, guns and ammunition. |
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The Black Hills also made an attempt at secession from the United States in the book [[World War Z]] |
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In many ways, the Black Hills functions as a very spread-out urban area with a population (not counting tourists) of 250,000. Other important Black Hills cities and towns include: |
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The Black Hills were referenced in Bright Eyes' song "Four Winds." |
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* [[Belle Fourche, South Dakota|Belle Fourche]], a ranching town |
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* [[Custer, South Dakota|Custer]], a mining and tourism town and headquarters for [[Black Hills National Forest]] |
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* [[Deadwood, South Dakota|Deadwood]], a historic and well-preserved gambling mecca |
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* [[Hill City, South Dakota|Hill City]], a timber and tourism town in the center of the Hills, where the [[Black Hills Central Railroad]] operates historic steam trains over the former CB&Q line to Keystone |
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* [[Hot Springs, South Dakota|Hot Springs]], an old resort town in the southern Hills |
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* [[Keystone, South Dakota|Keystone]], a tourism town just outside Mount Rushmore |
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* [[Lead, South Dakota|Lead]], home of the now-closed [[Homestake Mine (South Dakota)|Homestake Mine]] (gold) and the [[Sanford Underground Research Facility]] |
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* [[Newcastle, Wyoming|Newcastle]], center of the Black Hills petroleum production and refining |
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* [[Spearfish, South Dakota|Spearfish]], home of [[Black Hills State University]] |
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* [[Sturgis, South Dakota|Sturgis]], originally a military town (Fort Meade, now a VA center, is located just to the east). |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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* [[ |
* [[Cypress Hills (Canada)]], a similar landform |
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* [[ |
* [[The Black Hills of Dakota (song)]] |
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==References |
==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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*[[Encyclopedia Americana]] |
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'''Bibliography''' |
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== External links == |
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* {{cite journal|url=http://www.amff.com/assets/images/archived-journals/1985-Vol12-No2web.pdf|title=Fly Fishing in the Black Hills ca 1910|author=Zieske, Scott|journal=The American Fly Fisher|publisher=American Museum of Fly Fishing|location=Manchester, VT|volume=12|number=2|date=Spring 1985|pages=22–25|access-date=2014-11-19|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906122435/http://www.amff.com/assets/images/archived-journals/1985-Vol12-No2web.pdf|archive-date=2015-09-06}} |
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*[http://menotomymaps.com/gold_claim_maps.asp Gold Claims maps] [[1877 map showing gold claims in the Black Hills]] |
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*[http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/blackhills/ National Forest Federal Website] [[Black Hills National Forest]] |
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*[http://www.nps.gov/wica/ Wind Cave Federal Website] [[Wind Cave National Park]] |
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*[http://www.nps.gov/jeca/ Jewel Cave Federal Website] [[Jewel Cave National Monument]] |
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*[http://www.nps.gov/moru/ Mount Rushmore Federal Website] [[Mount Rushmore National Memorial]] |
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{{SouthDakota}} |
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==External links== |
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{{coor title dm|44|00|N|104|00|W|}} |
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{{Commons category|Black Hills}} |
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* {{cite EB1911|wstitle=Black Hills |volume=3 |short=x}} |
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* [http://www.fs.usda.gov/blackhills Black Hills National Forest] |
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* [http://www.sacredland.org/black-hills/ Black Hills] article on the Sacred Lands Film Project website |
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{{Mountains of South Dakota}} |
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{{Mountains of Wyoming}} |
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{{Black Hills, South Dakota}} |
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{{Native Americans in the Black Hills}} |
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{{South Dakota}} |
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{{Wyoming}} |
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{{Mount Rushmore}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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[[Category:Black Hills| ]] |
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[[Category:Mount Rushmore]] |
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[[Category:Physiographic sections]] |
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[[Category:Mountain ranges of South Dakota]] |
[[Category:Mountain ranges of South Dakota]] |
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[[Category:Mountain ranges of Wyoming]] |
[[Category:Mountain ranges of Wyoming]] |
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[[Category:Regions of South Dakota]] |
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[[Category:Regions of Wyoming]] |
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[[Category:Great Plains]] |
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[[Category:Tertiary volcanism]] |
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[[Category:Sacred mountains of the Americas]] |
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[[Category:Religious places of the Indigenous peoples of North America]] |
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[[Category:Lakota mythology]] |
[[Category:Lakota mythology]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Economy of South Dakota]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Great Sioux War of 1876]] |
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[[Category:Landforms of Lawrence County, South Dakota]] |
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[[Category:Landforms of Meade County, South Dakota]] |
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[[Category:Landforms of Pennington County, South Dakota]] |
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[[da:Black Hills]] |
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[[Category:Landforms of Custer County, South Dakota]] |
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[[Category:Landforms of Weston County, Wyoming]] |
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[[Category:Landforms of Crook County, Wyoming]] |
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[[pl:Góry Czarne (USA)]] |
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Latest revision as of 06:30, 19 October 2024
Black Hills | |
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Highest point | |
Peak | Black Elk Peak |
Elevation | 7,244 ft (2,208 m) NAVD 88[1][2] |
Listing | Isolated summits of the United States |
Coordinates | 43°51′57″N 103°31′57″W / 43.865847725°N 103.532431997°W[1] |
Dimensions | |
Area | 5,000 sq mi (13,000 km2) |
Naming | |
Native name | |
Geography | |
Country | United States |
State | South Dakota and Wyoming |
Geology | |
Orogenies | Trans-Hudson and Laramide |
Rock age(s) | Precambrian, Paleozoic, Mesozoic, Cenozoic and Tertiary |
Rock type(s) | Shale, sandstone, limestone, slate, quartzite and granite |
Southwestern South Dakota |
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Sculptures |
Geologic and natural history |
Mountains |
Caves |
Forests and wildernesses |
Lakes |
Scenic byways |
Historic sites |
The Black Hills is an isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, United States.[3] Black Elk Peak, which rises to 7,242 feet (2,207 m), is the range's highest summit.[4] The name of the range in Lakota is Pahá Sápa.[5] It encompasses the Black Hills National Forest. It formed as a result of an upwarping of ancient rock, after which the removal of the higher portions of the mountain mass by stream erosion produced the present-day topography. The hills are so called because of their dark appearance from a distance, as they are covered in evergreen trees.[6][7][8]
American Indian tribes have a long history in the Black Hills and consider it a sacred site.[9] After conquering the Cheyenne in 1776, the Lakota took the territory of the Black Hills, which became central to their culture. In 1868, the federal US government signed the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868, establishing the Great Sioux Reservation west of the Missouri River, and exempting the Black Hills from all non-indigenous settlement “forever”; however, when American settlers discovered gold here as a result of George Armstrong Custer's Black Hills Expedition in 1874, a gold rush swept in miners. The US government conquered the Black Hills and forcibly relocated the Lakota, following the Great Sioux War of 1876, to five smaller reservations in western South Dakota, selling off 9 million acres (36,000 km2) of their former land. Unlike most of South Dakota, the Black Hills were settled primarily by European Americans from population centers to the west and south of the region, as miners flocked there from earlier gold boom locations in Colorado and Montana.[10]
As the economy of the Black Hills has shifted away from natural resources (mining and timber) since the late 20th century, the hospitality and tourism industries have grown to take its place. Locals tend to divide the Black Hills into two areas: "The Southern Hills" and "The Northern Hills." The Southern Hills is home to Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, Black Elk Peak (the highest point in the United States east of the Rockies), Custer State Park (the largest state park in South Dakota), the Crazy Horse Memorial, and The Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, the world's largest mammoth research facility.
Attractions in the Northern Hills include Spearfish Canyon, historic Deadwood, and the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, held each August. The first Rally was held on August 14, 1938, and the 75th Rally in 2015 saw more than one million bikers visit the Black Hills. Devils Tower National Monument, located in the Wyoming Black Hills, is an important nearby attraction and was the United States' first national monument.[11]
History
[edit]Early history
[edit]Although the written history of the region begins with the Sioux domination of the land over the native Arikara tribes, researchers have carbon-dating and stratigraphic records to analyze the early history of the area. Scientists have been able to utilize carbon-dating to evaluate the age of tools found in the area, which indicate a human presence that dates as far back as 11,500 BC with the Clovis culture. Stratigraphic records indicate environmental changes in the land, such as flood and drought patterns. For example, large-scale flooding of the Black Hill basins occurs at a probability rate of 0.01, making such floods occur on average once in every 100 years. During The Medieval Climate Anomaly, or the Medieval Warm Period, flooding increased in the basins. A stratigraphic record of the area shows that during these 400 years, thirteen 100-year floods occurred in four of the region's basins, while the same four basins from the previous 800 years only experienced nine floods.
Indigenous history
[edit]The Arikara arrived by AD 1500, followed by the Cheyenne, Crow, Kiowa, and Arapaho. The Lakota (also known as Sioux) arrived from Minnesota in the 18th century and displaced the other tribes that lived there, who eventually moved to what became known as the Western United States.[12][13] They claimed the land, which they called Ȟe Sápa (Black Mountains).[14] The mountains commonly became known as the Black Hills (Pahá Sápa in Lakota).[14]
Colonization and exploration
[edit]François and Louis de La Vérendrye probably traveled near the Black Hills in 1743.[15] Fur trappers and traders also had some dealings with the American Indians that lived there.
Americans settlers increasingly encroached on Lakota territory. In order to secure safe passage of settlers on the Oregon Trail, and to end intertribal warfare, the United States government proposed the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868, which established the Great Sioux Reservation west of the Missouri River and acknowledged indigenous control of the Black Hills. The treaty protected the Black Hills "forever" from American settlers. Both the Sioux and Cheyenne also claimed rights to the land, saying that their cultures considered it the axis mundi, or sacred center of the world.
Although rumors of gold in the Black Hills had circulated for decades (see Thoen Stone and Pierre-Jean De Smet), confirmation of the deposits came first in 1874, when Brevet Major General George Armstrong Custer of the 7th US Cavalry led an expedition there and discovered gold in French Creek. An official announcement of gold was made by the newspaper reporters accompanying the expedition. The following year, the Newton-Jenney Party conducted the first detailed survey of the Black Hills. The surveyor for the party, Valentine McGillycuddy, became the first European American to ascend to the top of Black Elk Peak. This highest point in the Black Hills is 7,242 feet (2,207 m) above sea level.
During the 1875–1878 gold rush thousands of miners went to the Black Hills; in 1880, the area was the most densely populated part of the Dakota Territory. Three large towns developed in the Northern Hills: Deadwood, Central City, and Lead. Around these clustered groups of smaller gold camps, towns, and villages. Hill City and Custer City sprang up in the Southern Hills. Railroads were quickly constructed to the previously remote area. From 1880 onward the gold mines yielded about $4,000,000 annually, and the silver mines about $3,000,000 annually.
American seizure
[edit]The conflict over control of the region sparked the Black Hills War (1876), also known as the Great Sioux War, the last major Indian War on the Great Plains. Following the defeat of the Lakota and their Cheyenne and Arapaho allies in 1876, the United States occupied the Black Hills in disregard of past treaties. Despite their forced relocations, the Lakota never accepted the validity of the US appropriation. They have continued to try to reclaim the property,[16] and had also filed a lawsuit against the U.S. federal government.
20th century
[edit]On July 23, 1980, in United States v. Sioux Nation of Indians, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the Black Hills were illegally seized by the federal U.S. government and ordered remuneration of the initial offering price plus interest, nearly $106 million. The Lakota refused the settlement, as they wanted the Black Hills returned to them. The money remains in an interest-bearing account but the Lakota still refuse to take the money. They have declined to accept the money, because acceptance would legally terminate their demands for return of the Black Hills. The money remains in a Bureau of Indian Affairs account accruing compound interest. As of 2011, the Sioux's award plus interest was "about $1 billion" or "1.3 billion" (equivalent to $1.35 to $1.76 billion in 2023).[17][18][19]
21st century
[edit]In 2012, United Nations Special Rapporteur James Anaya conducted a 12-day tour of Indigenous lands to determine how the US is following the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, endorsed in 2010 by the Obama administration. Anaya met with tribes in seven states on reservations and in urban areas as well as with members of the Obama administration and the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. In an appeal issued August 21, 2012, Anaya brought a sale of over 1,900 acres of land in Black Hills by the Reynolds family to the attention of the US government and asked that it disclose measures taken by federal or state governments to address Sioux concerns over the sale of the land within Reynolds Prairie. These acres consist of five land tracts, including the sacred Pe' Sla site for Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota peoples; natives to the Black Hills fundraised to buy the land during the Reynolds' sale.[20]
On January 15, 2013, the US responded, telling Anaya that it "understands several tribes purchased the Pe' Sla sacred site around November 30, 2012" meaning the Pe' Sla is officially Sioux land.[21] After 2,022 acres of Pe' Sla (Reynolds Prairie) were granted Federal Indian trust status by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in March 2016, the Shakopee Mdewakanton tribe released a statement acknowledging the 2012 land purchase of 1,940 acres of Pe' Sla and also stated that this purchase was the result of a joint effort by the Rosebud, Shakopee Mdewakanton, Crow Creek, and Standing Rock Sioux Tribes.[22] In March 2017, Pennington County agreed to abandon its claim to the Pe' Sla area and recognize its Federal Indian trust status.[23] In 2016, the Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribe of Oklahoma, the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Montana and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of South Dakota bought land near the sacred Bear Butte site for $1.1 million.[24] In 2018, the Northern Cheyenne Tribe of Montana and the Arapahoe Tribe of Oklahoma teamed together to purchase land near Bear Butte for $2.3 million.[25]
Geology
[edit]This section needs additional citations for verification. (December 2023) |
The geology of the Black Hills is complex. A Tertiary mountain-building episode is responsible for the uplift and current topography of the Black Hills region. This uplift was marked by volcanic activity in the northern Black Hills. The southern Black Hills are characterized by Precambrian granite, pegmatite, and metamorphic rocks that comprise the core of the entire Black Hills uplift. This core is rimmed by Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic sedimentary rocks. The stratigraphy of the Black Hills is laid out like a target, as it is an oval dome, with rings of different rock types dipping away from the center.
Precambrian
[edit]The 'bull's eye' of this target is called the granite core. The granite of the Black Hills was emplaced by magma generated during the Trans-Hudson orogeny and contains abundant pegmatite. The core of the Black Hills has been dated to 1.8 billion years. Other localized deposits have been dated to around 2.2 to 2.8 billion years. One of these is located in the northern hills. It is called French Creek Granite although it has been metamorphosed into gneiss. The other is called the Bear Mountain complex, and it is located in the west-central part of the hills.
Making a concentric ring around the core is the metamorphic zone. The rocks in this ring are all very old, as much as 2 billion years and older. This zone is very complex, filled with many diverse rock types. The rocks were originally sedimentary until there was a collision between the North American continent and a terrane. This collision, called the Trans-Hudson Orogeny, caused the original rocks to fold and twist into a vast mountain range. Over millions of years, these tilted rocks, which in many areas are tilted to 90 degrees or more, eroded. Today we see the evidence of this erosion in the Black Hills, where the metamorphic rocks end in an angular unconformity below the younger sedimentary layers.
Paleozoic
[edit]The final layers of the Black Hills consist of sedimentary rocks. The oldest lie on top of the metamorphic layers at a much shallower angle. This rock called the Deadwood Formation is mostly sandstone and was the source of gold found in the Deadwood area. Above the Deadwood Formation lies the Englewood Formation and Pahasapa limestone, which is the source of the more than 200 caves found in the Black Hills, including Jewel Cave and Wind Cave. The Minnelusa Formation is next and is composed of highly variable sandstones and limestones followed by the Opeche shale and the Minnekahta limestone.
Mesozoic
[edit]The next rock layer, the Spearfish Formation, forms a valley around the hills called the Red Valley and is often referred to as the Race Track.[26][27] It is mostly red shale with beds of gypsum, and circles much of the Black Hills. These shale and gypsum beds, as well as the nearby limestone beds of the Minnekahta, are used in the manufacture of cement at a cement plant in Rapid City. Next is the shale and sandstone Sundance Formation, which is topped by the Morrison Formation and the Unkpapa sandstone.
The outermost feature of the dome stands out as a hogback ridge. The ridge is made out of the Lakota Formation and the Fallriver sandstone, which are collectively called the Inyan Kara Group. Above this, the layers of rocks are less distinct and are all mainly grey shale with three exceptions: the Newcastle sandstone; the Greenhorn limestone, which contains many shark teeth fossils; and the Niobrara Formation, which is composed mainly of chalk. These outer ridges are called cuestas.
Cenozoic
[edit]The preceding layers were deposited horizontally. All of them can be seen in core samples and well logs from the flattest parts of the Great Plains. It took a period of uplift to bring them to their present topographical levels in the Black Hills. This uplift called the Laramide orogeny, began around the beginning of the Cenozoic and left a line of igneous rocks through the northern hills superimposed on the rocks already discussed. This line extends from Bear Butte in the east to Devils Tower in the west. Evidence of Cenozoic volcanic eruptions, if this happened, has long since been eroded.
The Black Hills also has a 'skirt' of gravel covering them in areas, which are called pediments. Formed as the waterways cut down into the uplifting hills, they represent the former locations of today's rivers. These beds are generally around 10,000 years old or younger, judging by the artifacts and fossils found. A few places, mainly in the high elevations, are older, as old as 20 million years, according to camel and rodent fossils found. Some gravels have been found but for the most part, these older beds have been eroded.[citation needed]
Biosystems
[edit]As with the geology, the biology of the Black Hills is complex. Most of the Hills are a fire-climax ponderosa pine forest, with Black Hills spruce (Picea glauca var. densata) occurring in cool moist valleys of the Northern Hills. Oddly, this endemic variety of spruce does not occur in the moist Bear Lodge Mountains, which make up most of the Wyoming portion of the Black Hills. Large open parks (mountain meadows) with lush grassland rather than forest are scattered through the Hills (especially the western portion), and the southern edge of the Hills, due to the rainshadow of the higher elevations, are covered by a dry pine savannah, with stands of mountain mahogany and Rocky Mountain juniper.
Wildlife is both diverse and plentiful. Black Hills creeks are known for their trout, while the forests and grasslands offer good habitat for American bison, white-tailed and mule deer, pronghorn, bighorn sheep, mountain lions, and a variety of smaller animals, like prairie dogs, American martens, American red squirrels, Northern flying squirrels, yellow-bellied marmots, and fox squirrels. Biologically, the Black Hills is a meeting and mixing place, with species common to regions to the east, west, north, and south. It supports some endemic taxa, including white-winged junco (Junco hyemalis aikeni). Some other endemics are Cooper's Rocky Mountain snail, Black Hills subspecies of red-bellied snake, and a Black Hills subspecies of southern red-backed vole. Some birds that are only in the Black Hills and not the rest of South Dakota are pinyon jay, Canada jay, three-toed woodpecker, black-backed woodpecker, American dipper, ruffed grouse, and others.
Regions of the Black Hills
[edit]The northern Black Hills approximate Lawrence and Meade Counties and are roughly equivalent to the Northern Hills District of the Black Hills National Forest. The central Black Hills (the Mystic District of the Black Hills National Forest) are located in Pennington County west of Rapid City. The southern Black Hills are in Custer and Fall River Counties and are administered in the national forest's Hell Canyon District. Finally, Wyoming's Black Hills follow the Bearlodge District, approximately Weston and Crook Counties.
Geologically separate from the Black Hills are the Elk Mountains, a small range forming the southwest portion of the region.
Tourism and economy
[edit]The region is home to Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, Black Elk Peak, Custer State Park (the largest state park in South Dakota, and one of the largest in the US), Bear Butte State Park, Devils Tower National Monument, and the Crazy Horse Memorial. The Black Hills also hosts the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally each August. The rally was started in 1940 and the 65th Rally in 2005 saw more than 550,000 bikers visit the Black Hills. It is a key part of the regional economy.[28]
The George S. Mickelson Trail is a recently opened multi-use path through the Black Hills that follows the abandoned track of the historic railroad route from Edgemont to Deadwood. The train used to be the only way to bring supplies to the miners in the Hills. The trail is about 110 miles (180 km) in length, and can be used by hikers, cross-country skiers, and cyclists. The cost is $4 per day or $15 annually.
Today, the major city in the Black Hills is Rapid City, with an incorporated population of roughly 75,000 and a metropolitan population of 145,000. It serves a market area covering much of five states: North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, and Montana. In addition to tourism and mining (including coal, specialty minerals, and the now declining gold mining), the Black Hills economy includes ranching (sheep and cattle, primarily, with bison and ratites becoming more common), timber (lumber), Ellsworth Air Force Base, and some manufacturing, including Black Hills gold jewelry, cement, electronics, cabinetry, guns and ammunition.
In many ways, the Black Hills functions as a very spread-out urban area with a population (not counting tourists) of 250,000. Other important Black Hills cities and towns include:
- Belle Fourche, a ranching town
- Custer, a mining and tourism town and headquarters for Black Hills National Forest
- Deadwood, a historic and well-preserved gambling mecca
- Hill City, a timber and tourism town in the center of the Hills, where the Black Hills Central Railroad operates historic steam trains over the former CB&Q line to Keystone
- Hot Springs, an old resort town in the southern Hills
- Keystone, a tourism town just outside Mount Rushmore
- Lead, home of the now-closed Homestake Mine (gold) and the Sanford Underground Research Facility
- Newcastle, center of the Black Hills petroleum production and refining
- Spearfish, home of Black Hills State University
- Sturgis, originally a military town (Fort Meade, now a VA center, is located just to the east).
See also
[edit]- Cypress Hills (Canada), a similar landform
- The Black Hills of Dakota (song)
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Harney". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved 2023-05-06.
- ^ "Topographic map of Black Elk Peak". opentopomap.org. Retrieved 2023-05-06.
- ^ "Black Hills". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ "Black Elk". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved 2011-05-10.
- ^ Clavin, Tom; Drury, Bob (2013). The Heart of Everything That Is: The Untold Story of Red Cloud, An American Legend. Simon & Schuster. p. 4. ISBN 9781451654684. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
- ^ "Black Hills National Forest — Frequently Asked Questions". United States Forest Service.
- ^ "Black Hills | South Dakota, Wyoming, Map, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2024-04-29. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
- ^ "Geography and Geology of the Black Hills". Moon Travel Guides. 2023-04-20. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
- ^ "Black Hills – Stories of the Sacred". Colorado College. Archived from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
- ^ "Black Hills – Stories of the Sacred". Indigenous Religious Traditions. 2012-11-18. Archived from the original on 2020-05-17. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
- ^ Mattison, Ray H. (1955). "The First Fifty Years". National Park Service. Retrieved January 19, 2012.
- ^ "The Buffalo War". Public Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 2023-05-06.
- ^ World Archaeology, Oct., 1996, Vol. 28, No. 2, Sacred Geography (Oct., 1996), pp. 177-189
- ^ a b Dowling, Sarah (2019). "Property, Priority, Place: Rethinking the Poetics of Appropriation". Contemporary Literature. 60 (1): 98–125. doi:10.3368/cl.60.1.98.
- ^ "History of the Black Hills". U.S. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2010-05-17.
- ^ Eyanopopi: The Heart of the Sioux. Irwindale, California: Centre Communications. 1988. Archived from the original on January 4, 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
- ^ "Black Hills Are Beyond Price to Sioux". 2014-11-11. Archived from the original on 2014-11-11. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
- ^ Streshinsky, Maria (2011-02-09). "Saying No to $1 Billion". The Atlantic. ISSN 2151-9463. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
- ^ "Why the Sioux Are Refusing $1.3 Billion". PBS NewsHour. 2011-08-24. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
- ^ Anaya, James (21 August 2012). "Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples" (PDF). United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 October 2018.
- ^ Rice, Susan (15 January 2013). "OHCHR Registry No. 01-13" (PDF). United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 October 2018. Retrieved 7 October 2018.
- ^ "Sacred Site Pe' Sla Gains Indian Land Status". Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. March 14, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ Huntington, Stewart (March 24, 2017). "Tribes win federal trust status for Pe Sla property in Black Hills". KOTA TV. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ Griffith, Tom (November 1, 2016). "Tribes buy Bear Butte land for $1.1M". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
- ^ Holland, Jim (November 22, 2018). "1,020 acres near Bear Butte sells to tribes for $2.3 million". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
- ^ "Red Valley". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ "Black Hills National Forest — Environment". Gorp.com. Archived from the original on 2010-11-28. Retrieved 2010-07-27.
- ^ "2017 Sturgis Rally economic impact reportedly $738 million". KEVN TV. Gray Digital Media. 12 October 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2018.
Bibliography
- Zieske, Scott (Spring 1985). "Fly Fishing in the Black Hills ca 1910" (PDF). The American Fly Fisher. 12 (2). Manchester, VT: American Museum of Fly Fishing: 22–25. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-06. Retrieved 2014-11-19.
External links
[edit]- Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). 1911. .
- Black Hills National Forest
- Black Hills article on the Sacred Lands Film Project website
- Black Hills
- Mount Rushmore
- Physiographic sections
- Mountain ranges of South Dakota
- Mountain ranges of Wyoming
- Regions of South Dakota
- Regions of Wyoming
- Great Plains
- Tertiary volcanism
- Sacred mountains of the Americas
- Religious places of the Indigenous peoples of North America
- Lakota mythology
- Economy of South Dakota
- Great Sioux War of 1876
- Landforms of Lawrence County, South Dakota
- Landforms of Meade County, South Dakota
- Landforms of Pennington County, South Dakota
- Landforms of Custer County, South Dakota
- Landforms of Weston County, Wyoming
- Landforms of Crook County, Wyoming