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Author: Jerry

Pierre, SD

Pierre, SD

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The history of Pierre, South Dakota, is intertwined with the broader history of the American West and the development of the Dakotas as territories and states. The area around present-day Pierre was inhabited by various Native American tribes, including the Dakota Sioux. The region was rich in natural resources and was used for hunting, fishing, and gathering. European explorers, fur traders, and settlers began to arrive in the region in the 18th and 19th centuries. The area was explored by French and British fur traders, and it played a significant role in the fur trade economy.

When South Dakota became a state in 1889, Pierre was chosen as the state capital. This decision was influenced by Pierre’s central location within the state and its accessibility via the Missouri River. As the capital of South Dakota, Pierre saw significant growth in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Government buildings, schools, and infrastructure were established to support the state government and the growing population. Agriculture, especially wheat farming, played a significant role in the economy of the region.

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Mandan (Bismark), ND

Mandan (Bismark), ND

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Mandan Indian Village

The Mandan, Hidatsas, and Arikaras Indians lived in this area from 1200 AD until the 1800’s within communities of 300 to 2000 or more residents. A Mandan village, now known as On-A-Slant Village was located inside the Fort Abraham Lincoln state park and just a short distance from the campground. This particular village was settled in the 1500’s and occupied for at least 200 years before being decimated by a smallpox epidemic that killed about 80% of the inhabitants. Survivors of the epidemic moved further north. Lewis and Clark camped across the Missouri river from this village on October 20, 1804, and again on August 18, 1806. They recorded that the settlement was in ruins and had been abandoned for at least 25 years. We paid for a ranger guided tour of the village and it was well worth it as we go to tour two earthlodges closed to self-guided tours as well as gaining additional knowledge about life for the Indians in this area.

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Medora, ND

Medora, ND

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Medora

The town of Medora located in the western central part of North Dakota, was named after Medora von Hoffman, the wife of a prominent French nobleman and financier named Marquis de Mores. The Marquis de Mores was an influential figure in the founding of the town and played a significant role in the history of the region.

In the late 1800s, the Marquis de Mores established the town of Medora as a hub for his various business endeavors, which included ranching and meatpacking. He saw the potential of the region’s ranching industry and believed that he could create a successful meatpacking operation in the area.

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Hill City, SD

Hill City, SD

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Since we’ve been living full time in our RV, this is our second visit to this area. See the Hill City 9/2021 post for more information about the area from our first visit. The first time we were here for a week at the end of September. This time we stayed two weeks so we had a bit more time to just enjoy this beautiful area. We did a few familiar things along with some new ones. Sylvan Lake remains a favorite outdoor spot to visit and the Rafter J Bar Ranch RV Resort is our new favorite commercial RV park. The picture at the top of this post is of the view from our patio at site 161. We spent a lot of time just sitting and enjoying the view!

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Lusk, WY

Lusk, WY

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Prarie View Campground

Park Review – Prairie View Campground

Rating: ⭐⭐
Location:  Lusk, WY
Type: Commercial Park
Site Quality / Amenities: Roads and pads are gravel. There is a picnic table at each site and all sites are 50/30A with full hookups.
Access: Easy access from US-18 west of Lusk.
Staff: The owner checked us in and he was both helpful and talkative. He provided tips on getting gas and restaurants to try in town as well as a history of flooding in the area – they had been getting a lot of rain.
Cellular/WiFi: Verizon was decent at about 6 Mbps download and 13 Mbps upload. AT&T was also about 6 Mbps download and 3.5 Mbps upload.
Restaurants: We didn’t end up eating in town.
Nearby parks: We drove by BJ’s Campground in town and confirmed that the sites there would have been too short for us.
What we liked: We were not assigned a site so we were able to pick whatever site we chose.
What we didn’t like: The sites do not angle to the road inside the park so we had to go across the grass area which was a bit scary given all the rain they had been getting but we didn’t sink in. Many of the sites had trees that encroached into the site. Overall the sites were barely long enough for us and the truck and the park roads were a bit tight to navigate.
Verdict: We’d stay here again for an overnight. There’s not a lot to do in Lusk although they did have a museum in town. There were also several restaurants as well as options for fuel.