On my way to Alta, Wyoming from Illinois on September 02, 2021 I stopped at Keokuk, IA for business. I had wanted to go to Keokuk for a few months, but it would have been a long, one day, round trip. On my way to Wyoming it only added an hour and a half to that long trip!
So, while in Keokuk I saw the sights. Keokuk is a Mississippi river town where you would expect to find Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn and Becky.
Railroads which used the Keokuk Union Depot: • Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway; • Wabash Railroad; • Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad (“Rock Island Lines”); • Chicago, Burlington & Quincy (“Burlington Route”); • Keokuk & Western Railroad; • St. Louis, Keokuk & Northwestern Railroad. For more railroad details: https://www.keokukuniondepot.org/history.html
Black arrow points to the Sam Macchette Pony Express Station.
Ever been in Gothenburg, NE? Early Friday morning September 03, 2021 I was heading west on I-80 towards Alta, Wyoming when I saw a sign for an original Pony Express Station in Gothenburg, NE. Since I had never been to a Pony Express Station I pulled off I-80 and found there was also a Sod House in this small town. So I followed the arrows through town to the original location of the Sam Macchette, Pony Express Station, which was originally located south of Gothenburg.
No entrance fees to these small museums run by volunteers. Great little town to stop and stretch after driving over 700 miles from Illinois.
The Pony Express was a delivery service for newspapers and mail using relays of young horse-mounted riders that operated for about 18 months between 1860 to 1861. This service took about 10 days for delivery between Missouri to California. It was put out of business by the railroad and telegraph services.
Stations were about 5 to 25 miles apart depending on the terrain for riders to exchange their tired mounts for fresh ones, Riders, who could not weigh over 125 pounds, they rode about 75–100 miles at a time, day and night. The riders were paid $125 a month. (As a comparison, the wage for unskilled labor at the time was about $0.43–$1 a day!)
Legend has it that “Buffalo Bill” Cody helped build a few Stations further west and did some riding for the Pikes Peak Express Company. Pikes Peak Express Company was the owner of 157 Stations.
Some Nevada Stations were attack by Indians allowing horses to be released. Now maybe ancestors of the Wild Mustangs seen at the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Courtesy Black Hills & Badlands Tourism Association. No Copyright claimed as to reproduced works.
The Prairie Homestead was on my list of stops if………….. I would not go out of my way to visit the Prairie Homestead, but it is less than a mile from the Pinnacle east entrance to the Badlands National Park and only a 15 minute drive from Wall, SD. It is not part of the Badlands National Park, but it is so close to the park, and it has a small admission, it’s worth your time. So I chose to visit the homestead on Tuesday, September 21, 2021.
This touristy stop is what is left of a family’s homestead from the old 1862 Homestead Act. The Prairie Homestead is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and it is a State Designated Historic Site.
There is an informative movie of early pioneer life and attire, before heading out to explore the old original buildings. I took the self-guided walking tour of the sod home, root cellar, outhouse, chicken coop and barn.Some original furnishings and machinery are also on display.
And, their Badlands t-Shirts are less expensive than the same shirts sold inside the park!
FYI; Prairie Dogs are actually Squirrels.
I felt like I had just stepped off the pages of Little House on the Prairie after my visit!
Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, Visitor Center.
The Minuteman Missile National Historic Site consists of three units along a 15 mile stretch of route I-90 that I was taking home to Illinois, near Wall, SD. By the time I arrived at the site in late September, tours had been terminated for the year and I could not take the elevator down into the silo. There was no one stopping me and others from opening gates into the fenced in Minuteman sites on Tuesday, September 21, 2021, so………………………..
From MAD to START: By the 1950’s the United States and the Soviet Union had enough nuclear power to obliviate the other side! This was known as the Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD): both sides knowing that any attack upon the other would result in devastating to them also.
The US had over 1,000 Minuteman sites. I never realized that there had been so many silos hidden among ranches, prairie grasslands and forests I drove by when driving through Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Missouri, in 1986.
In the 1980’s both countries wanted world peace without the looming threat of nuclear war. Arms reduction began in 1991 with the signing of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).
The treaty retired these Minuteman II missiles which led to the establishment of the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site. The treaty removed 80% of all these strategic nuclear weapons.
Control sites were destroyed, silos were blown up and fenced in. Many South Dakota ranchers now use these fenced in areas to store hay and farm equipment.
"Minuteman-land is eerie. On the surface, no weapon is visible. But beneath the empty prairies and forested hills gyroscopes are eternally spinning …. each ready to steer holocaustal destruction to a pre-selected target." --- John Hubbell, 1962
Badlands National Park is in South Dakota. Its dramatic landscapes span layered rock formations, steep canyons and towering spires. Bison, Bighorn Sheep and Prairie Dogs inhabit its sprawling grasslands. The Badlands Loop Road (Highway 240) winds past scenic lookouts along the Badlands Cliff Shelf Wall. Several hiking trails are available depending on your skill and your fear level of hiking narrow ledges along the canyons.
The Lakota saw this area as bountiful hunting with transitory camps. Then came the French trappers, frustrated by the lands sharp peaks and crumbling rock, regarding the area as “Bad Lands,” therefore the name.
Custer State Park’s granite peaks, canyons, boulders and crystal clear lakes with sandy beaches and open grasslands are impressive! Custer State park is located within the Black Hills National Forest. Of all my planned stops in September, 2021, I did not allocate enough time for the Custer State Park area.
Lieutenant Colonel, George A. Custer led an expedition that he claimed discovered gold along French Creek in 1874.
Note how the pillars, towers, and spires, known as Needles were thought to be candidates for sculptures.The 2004 film, National Treasure: Book of Secrets starring Nicholas Cage, has scenes filmed at Sylvan Lake.The 2004 film, National Treasure: Book of Secrets starring Nicholas Cage, has scenes filmed at Sylvan Lake.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is the massive sculptured with 60-ft high granite faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. The Mount Rushmore Memorial Monument symbolizes America and her history which enriches all US citizens culturally.
It was completed in 1941 under the direction of Gutzon Borglum and his son Lincoln. Gutzon decided that the monument should have a national theme and chose four important presidents, saying: “America will march along that skyline.”
It wasn’t until 1991 when George H. Bush officially dedicated Mount Rushmore. Mount Rushmore is one of the top tourist attraction in the US and receives about two million visitors a year.
There is no fee to enter Mt. Rushmore, (named for Charles Rushmore) but there is a 24 hour parking fee. When purchasing a souvenir I presented my Senior National Park Pass to the clerk and he took care of my parking. What a Country!
Alice said: ‘The evening lighting ceremony is truly amazing which includes patriotic music.”
The Big Thunder Gold Mine in Keystone, SD was on my “to do list” if………… Expecting it to be very touristy. It won’t be on my “Must See List” but I felt cost was well worth my time and I have no regrets. I enjoyed my time at the Big Thunder Gold Mine. It is nice and you can see Mt. Rushmore in the distance on their front porch. For a touristy activity you can pan for gold at an extra cost. I did not pan for gold.
There is still gold to be mined, but the present owner has determined he can make more money as a tourist attraction.
After viewing Mt. Rushmore in the distance from the front porch of the Big Thunder Gold Mine, I set the coordinates of my GPS and headed for the Mount Rushmore National Monument.
The final stay on Uncle Jack’s, September, 2021, adventure was at the Hill City, SD, Holiday Inn. I arrived in Hill City, Thursday, September 16, 2021 and left on the 21st. Hill City has a population of about 1,000. I used Hill City as the center (see map below) for visiting my final State Park, National Parks, Forests and Wildlife Preserves. And, it’s only a 14 hour drive home! I tried to stay at a hotel at the same tme as friends were in Keystone, SD. Their hotel did not have a room available for these days. After visiting Keystone, I’m glad I stayed in Hill City!
Travel stop options from Hill City, SD. I could have stayed in Hill City much longer based on all the options available.
I stayed at the Badlands Motel in Medora, ND for two nights when exploring the Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP). My route from Bowman, ND took me across the Great Western Cattle Trail.
I was traveling on route I-94 to Medora and stopped at the TRNP Painted Canyon car and truck rest stop turnout. This is a non-vehicle entrance into that section of the park without a fee. And, where the Painted Canyon Trail trailhead is located (a hike that was on my to do list).
The TRNP lies in western North Dakota, where the Great Plains meet the rugged Badlands. A habitat for Bison, Wild Mustangs, Prairie Dogs, and more. The sprawling park has 3 sections linked by the Little Missouri River. The park is known for the South Unit’s colorful Painted Canyon with a Scenic Loop Drive winds past several overlooks and many trailheads. The Elkhorn Ranch Unit was closed when I visited the TRNP.
Painted Canyon car and truck rest stop turnout.Painted Canyon Trail.
Driving down Coal Vein Road to view 60-million-year layers of rock which tell a story of the geologic history of the Badlands. From ancient swamps to recent coal fires, this landscape is constantly changing. Black layer is Coal which is the remains of ancient plants and animals that lived in Everglade like swamps. There was an area I drove by of coal burning which had started after being struck by lightening! When the coal layer has burnt out it collapses changing the landscape above. There are copies of a brochure available at the Coal Vein Traihead describing the color layers seen. Link to a copy of this brochure — https://www.nps.gov/thro/planyourvisit/upload/Coal-Vein-508.pdf
Jack's Travel Blog 