Under the Lights
By Christian Begeman It was March 23, a Thursday. The first game of the NCAA men’s Sweet 16 had tipped. I was coming off a late winter sick spell. I hadn’t been sick at all during the winter, so when...
View ArticleMay/June 2023
((img|MayJune23.jpg|width=250)) While collecting guidelines on hat etiquette for this issue, Belle Fourche writer and rancher Sentel Schreier modeled a few styles for the venerable Weather Hat...
View ArticleTravel Like It’s 1938
((img|travel-like-1938-1.jpg|width=759)) Franklin Roosevelt was president and Leslie Jensen was governor of South Dakota in 1938. Ted Turner, now the biggest private landowner in the state, was born...
View ArticleA Grand Entrance
By Christian Begeman For the second year in a row, spring came late to the Northern Plains. Winter lingered through March and early April. In southeastern South Dakota, we had two days of almost 80...
View ArticleJuly/August 2023
((img|JulyAug23.jpg|width=250)) Sailors of all ages enjoy the inland waters of South Dakota. These youngsters sail a boat called Nito on Lewis and Clark Lake. Photo by Bernie Hunhoff Red Magic:...
View ArticleWest River Green
By Christian Begeman The mixed grass prairies of western South Dakota can seldom be described as vibrant. In my experience, the extended verdant green I’ve seen West River this growing season typically...
View ArticleMalchow Plaza
By Bernie Hunhoff ((img|malchow-plaza-8-1-23-1.jpg|width=400)) Brodie Mueller (center) and Carly Pochop (right) created Market on the Plaza, a coffee shop and gift store with South Dakota arts, crafts...
View ArticlePine Needle Basketry
By Bernie Hunhoff ((img|pine-baskets-8-1-23-1.jpg|width=400)) Trisha Blair's baskets continue a centuries-old practice that traces to the Anasazis of the Southwest. Trisha Blair believes that anyone...
View ArticleAlways on Our Minds
By John Andrews ((img|mccall-8-1-23-1.jpg|width=759)) A marker to Jack McCall stands in Yankton's Sacred Heart Cemetery, but does not mark his actual grave. That remains one of many mysteries that...
View ArticleReaching New Heights
By John Andrews ((img|resurveying-black-elk-peak-8-7-23-1.jpg|width=759)) Paul Horsted (left) and surveyors Jerry Penry and Kurt Luebke conducted what they believe to be the first accurate survey of...
View ArticleFun and Games
By John Andrews ((img|garness-games-8-14-23-1.jpg|width=400)) Dustin and Hezel Garness build larger-than-life games in their Hartford workshop. It all began with Kubb, a game that legend says...
View ArticleThe Joys of Farm Toys
By Bernie Hunhoff ((img|farm-toys-8-21-23-5.jpg|width=400)) Ken Girard (above) and his brother, Mike, understand the human impulse to collect. Their office walls and warehouses are adorned with their...
View ArticleSeptember/October 2023
((img|SeptOct23.jpg|width=250)) Hiking Palmer Gulch in the Black Hills is an autumn tradition for Stephanie Palmer of Pierre. Photo by Chad Coppess Beautiful Delusions of Autumn: Three pretty, quiet...
View ArticleThe Violinist and the Sculptor
By Paul Higbee ((img|violinist-and-the-sculptor-8-28-23-5.jpg|width=400)) Ruth Ann Karlen has traveled across the country to research and preserve the nearly-forgotten history of a woman who...
View ArticleLate Summer Blues
By Christian Begeman I recently went through a spot of late summer blues. You might think I’m referring to the upcoming end of summer, and that is a bit disconcerting, but that isn’t exactly it. Late...
View ArticleLife in the Gap
By Bernie Hunhoff ((img|buffalo-gap-9-5-23-1.jpg|width=759)) The namesake gap in the hills can be found by taking Highway 101 (aka the 7-11 Road) northwest of Buffalo Gap about 2 miles. The opening...
View ArticleElk Magic
By Katie Hunhoff ((img|bugling-elk-9-11-23-1.jpg|width=400)) Elk bugle during the fall as part of the mating season ritual. We sat in the truck and waited for the October sun to set over the gentle...
View ArticleDesert or Not?
By Bernie Hunhoff ((img|west-river-desert-9-18-23-1.jpg|width=759)) The flora of western South Dakota, which includes cactus, yucca and deep-rooted native grasses, reflect the region's semi-arid...
View ArticleGetting Lost in the Woods
By Christian Begeman There weren’t many trees in the landscapes of my youth. Looking out our living room window, a thin line of cottonwoods and other smaller trees lined the banks of a western arm of...
View ArticleThe Buzz from Prairie Moon Farm
By Laura Johnson Andrews ((img|prairie-moon-farm-10-2-23-1.jpg|width=450)) The Freemans of Prairie Moon Farm include (from left) Harry, Willa, Elena, Grace and Harrison (not pictured). Grace Freeman...
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