We checked out of our KOA near Mt. Rushmore and made the 49-mile drive through the Black Hills to our new park in Deadwood, SD. The park was on the border between Deadwood and Lead as the cities are almost connected and usually spoken as one, although normally Lead and Deadwood. These are old gold rush towns and are now mostly tourist stops!
Upon looking for things to see, we found the Center of the Nation memorial park in the town of Belle Fouche which sounded interesting and like other unique places that we tend to add to our list. The drive from Deadwood took us north out of the Black Hills and back into the prairie. In town there is a large park for the memorial display, but the actual center of the nation is about 20 miles further north.
(As a note, the original, continuous 48 state center is located just outside of Lebanon, KS. But when Alaska and Hawaii were added the geographic center shifted west and north to Belle Fouche.)
We drove north about 13 miles and turned onto a dirt road toward the marker. All was going okay until we were hit by a tremendous surprise thunderstorm! I couldn’t see out the windshield as the winds picked up to 25-30 mph! And it was still windy but with slightly less rain when we came to the turnout for the marker. There was still a 100 yd walk to the actual marker and flagpole. So, I put on my rain jacket and, leaving Gail in the Jeep, went to unlock the gate and bravely head out. Check the photos and video to see the marker! It wasn’t too bad going out but, on the way back I had to walk into the wind! It was gusting so hard that I was almost blown over several times into the mud. And the mud was sticking to my shoes! And the windward (driver’s) side of the Jeep was covered in a layer of mud as well! It turned out to be another great addition to our stories as we laughed about the whole thing afterward! (PS – we found a drive thru car wash back in Belle Fouche so I could see out the driver side and rear windows!)
After cleaning the Jeep, we headed back into the Hills at the town of Spearfish, SD (which we were very impressed with) and on to the Spearfish Canyon Scenic Drive! The drive is similar to the Needles Hwy but different as it is a canyon with high rocky walls and waterfalls! The first falls, Bridal Veil Falls, were right on the road but didn’t have an impressive fall of water. But other people who had already stopped were looking not at the falls but something in the trees. It turned out to be 4 mountain goats (2 adults and 2 kids) along the creek. Pretty cute!
Back on the road to the next stop in Savoy, SD and a short hike to Spearfish Falls (and it was the best of the 3). And then another short drive to the parking lot for Roughlock Falls. A short walk led to the falls but not a good view.
In summary, we had a beautiful drive, saw 3 waterfalls, mountain goats, torrential rain and wind, center of the nation marker, and a couple of deer on the way back. And arrived at the RV after 7:30! Long day.
One more day in Deadwood before heading further west. Gail first wanted to stop at the Chubby Chipmunk near the RV park. It is famous for its hand dipped chocolates and is rated the best in the Black Hills. We ended up getting 3 pieces each although we could have bought more, they looked so good!
Then our next goal was to find the Friendship Tower on Mt. Roosevelt. This is not well marked on the charts but with some good navigation from my trusty navigator (of course I meant Gail) we found the parking lot. (And the most decorated pit toilet of the entire trip). And after a brisk hike up the trail to the peak, we found the tower. It is a solid rock tower overlooking the hills with a striking view!
The story behind the tower is that it was built as a tribute by Seth Bullock to his lifelong friend, Theordore Roosevelt. Bullock was a popular figure in the area and founder of Belle Fouche. Later he was the sheriff of Deadwood. The location was originally called Sheep Mountain, but Bullock proposed changing it to Mt Roosevelt and constructing the tower in his friend’s honor. Built in 1919 shortly after Roosevelt died, it was finished and dedicated on July 4th.
Back down the hill and into the town of Deadwood itself. We walked the main street and ducked into several of the tourist shops. In the distillery store, Gail got some “mint sipping cream” (kind of like Baileys) and then we went next door to the Bloody Nose Saloon for lunch.
Deadwood is also famous as the location where Wild Bill Hickock (James Butler Hickock) was shot while playing poker in the nuttal & mann’s saloon by Jack McCall. History has him holding a hand of two pair of aces and 8’s which became the “dead man’s hand” to poker players even today. McCall was tried and hanged for the murder (and his trial is still reenacted daily in downtown Deadwood!) We found the memorial to Hickock that was sculpted by Korczak Ziolkowski (same as the Crazy Horse designer).
We got to watch another reenactment of a card game disagreement and shoot out in the middle of Main Street. The story goes that neither man was actually shot as they were both bad with guns and their actual guns (one supposedly had a derringer) and ammo were questionable. The only damage was to a new store window and an onlooker who was wounded in the leg.
Our final stop in Deadwood was to the Mount Moriah Cemetery to see the gravesite for both Hickock and Calamity Jane (Martha Jane Cannary Burke). There are lots of stories about both of them together and separately if you want to look them up. But here the story becomes a mix of fact and fiction. Some say they had a serious relationship and others say that they only really met in passing. But it is also said that she had always insisted that she be buried next to him. And so they are.
So now we have completed our time in the Black Hills and South Dakota as well as the 5th leg of our trip! We are moving on to more adventures tomorrow so we hope you will come along.
Grove Yacht 