West River Paradise
By Christian Begeman I spent the 2017 Memorial Day weekend immersed some of our state’s most iconic scenery. Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, Badlands National Park, Custer State Park and Wind Cave...
View ArticleOn the Quartzite Trail
By John Andrews There’s a geologic treasure in southeastern South Dakota that has been here longer than our famed petrified forests or the prehistoric fossils painstakingly brushed from the soil....
View ArticleDakota Skies
By Robert Adams ((img|Eric-Sprecher-Milky-Way-06-02-17.jpg|width=759)) The Milky Way can easily be seen in rural South Dakota, where light pollution is minimal. Photo by Eric Sprecher Earth-orbiting...
View ArticleOn the Vine
Our May/June issue includes a feature on the the art of growing grapes in South Dakota. We gathered several photos for the article — too many to print. Here are some that didn’t make the magazine.
View ArticleThe Scent of Colome
By Michael Zimny Outhouse curator Richard Papousek’s contribution to humanity is more olfactory than “The Factory.” His Outhouse Museum in Colome is a small shrine to the historic design of private...
View ArticleA Special Occasion Sandwich
By Fran Hill I live in a small town without a grocery store. That is pretty common in the rural areas of South Dakota, and I am fortunate that neighboring towns offer shopping options. However, that...
View ArticleHutchinson County's Holstein War
By Kim Wilcox ((img|holstein-06-01-17-2.jpg|width=500)) Hutchinson County "cowboys," dignitaries and ship's crew posed for this picture aboard the West Arrow before beginning the journey. People in...
View ArticleHappy 200th Birthday
Fort Pierre, South Dakota’s oldest organized town, became a community when Joseph La Framboise opened a trading post at the junction of the Bad and Missouri rivers. Fort LaFramboise fizzled out, but in...
View ArticleAdvice from South Dakota Dads
In honor of Father’s Day, we asked South Dakota Magazine staff members for their favorite bits of fatherly advice, pet phrases and the like. If you’re a South Dakota dad looking to make your mark, take...
View ArticleThe Stars of Summer
By Katie Hunhoff In 2009 Madison slugger Kevin Leighton hit his 500th home run for the Canova Gang. He broke the state record 169 homers before. Leighton was just one of many memorable South Dakota...
View ArticleSummer Magic
By Fran Hill This week marks the official first day of summer. Bring on pool days, camping trips, cookouts and flip-flops. When the sun is high in the sky, we all scramble to take advantage of the...
View ArticleOur Three States
By Patrick S. Halley America is a great country for diversity. The notion of freedom and opportunity has attracted foreigners to our shores for more than 200 years and created the patchwork of...
View ArticleFarewell to Spring
By Christian Begeman Summer is upon us once again. It really wasn’t that long ago that I saw the last of the snow on the ground. May 3 to be exact. It was up in the ditch near West Nidaros Lutheran as...
View ArticleCake in Moderation
By Fran Hill A few weeks ago, I was attending an event and ran into some friends. We gleefully chatted the evening away covering recent events in our lives and happenings around the state....
View ArticleLooping Along
Photography by Stephen Gassman Story by Katie Hunhoff “I would rather be remembered as an artist than as a United States senator,” said Peter Norbeck. If art imitates nature, then Norbeck’s wish is...
View ArticleBrimming With Enthusiasm
By Michael Zimny ((img|zimny-07-10-17-4.jpg|width=400)) At Star of the West in Belle Fourche, Brad Montague makes cowboy hats for West River ranchers as well as sports and television stars. Is the...
View ArticleDuncan Donuts
Our July/August issue includes a story by Staci Perry on the Flandreau Bakery and Coffee Bar. Two generations of the Duncan family have been baking tasty treats there for 88 years. Perry visited the...
View ArticleOver 700 Years in the Making
Good Earth State Park at Blood Run, South Dakota’s newest state park just southeast of Sioux Falls, is one of the oldest sites of long-term human habitation in the United States. Rebecca Johnson, our...
View ArticleHappy 200th
By Katie Hunhoff It’s birthday season for several South Dakota towns, but the biggest celebration this year will be for Fort Pierre, the state’s first community to turn 200. But take note, our oldest...
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