In the Moment
By Fran Hill The cicadas were singing last night. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, that means just six weeks until the first frost. I am not ready for that. Here in South Dakota, it is a favorite...
View ArticleTough Times Call for Tough Kennels
By John Andrews Doug Sangl and Lyle Van Kalsbeek knew hard times were coming. The Great Recession had just hit, and business at their plastics molding company in Tea was slowing to a crawl. They needed...
View ArticleMajor or Not?
By Paul Higbee When writing about Hot Springs for South Dakota Magazine several years ago, I flashed back to fifth grade, green mimeograph paper and talking my way out of an academic jam. As I’ve...
View ArticleBeyond the Chair
By Michael Zimny James "JJ" Janis wants people with disabilities to come out into the open and talk about them, but he also wants people to see beyond the mechanized wheelchair that helps him get...
View ArticleCowboy Up at Interior
There's a rodeo nearly every weekend during summer in South Dakota, and few are as steeped in tradition as the gathering in Interior. Cowboys have challenged each other's roping and riding skills there...
View ArticleElephant Rebellion in Elkton
By Katie Hunhoff Elkton had a rollicking start. In 1893, during a national depression, the local businesses printed their own aluminum money and a federal agent came to town and confiscated $15,000...
View ArticleA Man and His Guitar
By Jami Lynn Editor's Note: This is the fourth installment of Dakota Duets, a statewide exploration of music featuring Spearfish singer/songwriter Jami Lynn and musicians from around South Dakota....
View ArticleWest River Odyssey
By Christian Begeman My immediate family gathered this month in Mobridge. It was the first time we’d all been together in several years. From a family of six on the farm to a family of more than 20...
View ArticleTrial and Error at the Community Garden
By Rebecca Johnson ((img|community-garden-07-26-18.jpg|width=400)) The Johnsons hone their gardening skills in Yankton's community garden. Our lawn is too shady to grow vegetables, so my husband and I...
View ArticleSummer Swirl
By Fran Hill Recently, South Dakota Magazine conducted a very scientific and exacting Facebook poll. Zesto and B&G Milky Way were pitted against each other for favorite South Dakota summer ice...
View ArticleThe Missing Amidons
By John Andrews Editor’s Note: Sioux Falls historian Bruce Blake died in February of 2017. This story is revised from the November/December 2014 issue of South Dakota Magazine. To order a copy or to...
View ArticleTraveling Pine Ridge Today
By Bernie Hunhoff ((img|pine-ridge-today-08-07-18-1.jpg|width=400)) Horseback riding remains a common form of transportation on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Photo by Jerry Grier. Nowhere in South Dakota...
View ArticlePaddling the Cheyenne
By Michael Zimny Floating down the Cheyenne River is like a meander through time. Prickly pear and yucca tap the seams between multi-hued geologic age-layers, like fossil-rich black Pierre shale and...
View ArticleCatfishing With Nata
By Rebecca Johnson ((img|catfish-03-24-15-4.jpg|width=600)) Nata Jones and her husband Brad enjoy fishing at Apple Tree, a peaceful bay by the Missouri River east of Springfield. Catfishing is a...
View ArticleDiscovering Ground Cherries
By Fran Hill ((img|ground-cherries-08-16-18-2.jpg|width=400)) A bounty of ground cherries procured at the Burke Area Farmers Market. I grew up with a variety of apple, pear, plum and chokecherry trees...
View ArticleLittle Manor on the Prairie
By Katie Hunhoff ((img|prairie-house-manor-08-20-18-4.jpg|width=400)) Andy and Jenny Todd, owners of the Prairie House Manor Bed and Breakfast in De Smet, appreciate the connection to Laura Ingalls...
View ArticleMy Favorite Time of Year
By John Andrews ((img|amateur-baseball-08-21-18.jpg|width=400)) Dell Rapids and Canova square off in a state tournament game at Mitchell's Cadwell Park. I know one South Dakotan who lives all year in...
View ArticleA Voice for All Genres
By Jami Lynn ((img|dakota-duets-erin-castle-08-22-18.jpg|width=400)) Jami Lynn and Erin Castle perform "Brush and String" for the fifth installment of Dakota Duets. Editor's Note: This is the fifth...
View ArticleWienerbrau Memories
By Laura Johnson Andrews After reading “A Time-Traveled Treat” (May/June 2018), Katie Hunhoff’s story about Swedish kringle, Shirley Drefs of Corsica was inspired to write in with a recipe of her own —...
View ArticleCurrent Issue
September/October 2018 ((img|SeptOct18.jpg|width=250)) This is a cropped version of The Grand Reunion Hunt by Madison artist John Green. The Buzz at Prairie Moon Farm: Peeking inside a Clay County...
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