RonnieAdventure #0274 - Sioux Falls (South Dakota) and vicinity (2017)

Arriving at the Sioux Falls Airport, you are greeted by a large statue of Joe Foss, Korean War Ace and former governor of South Dakota, and a statue of Charles Lindbergh as a child.

Since we were in town for a Canistota High School Class Reunion, we decided to spend a few extra days in the area and enjoy some RonnieAdventudres!

One of my favorite places to visit in Sioux Falls is Falls Park on the Big Sioux River. The river cuts through some of the oldest Quartzite in the State of South Dakota and the rock is very hard and resistant to erosion; so it is estimated that the falls have changed little in the last 10,000 years.

First stop in the Park is the Visitor Information Center, which has an Observation Tower that you can climb for an overall view of the falls.

There are a number of walking paths that follow the river as it runs through the Park. 

The seven-story Queen Bee Mill was constructed on the east bank of the river in 1881. However, after the mill was completed it was discovered that there was an inadequate supply of water to drive the mill's equipment; so the plant closed in 1883. Then, in 1908, the Sioux Falls Light and Power Company constructed a new building that housed three 500-kilowatt hydroelectric generators to provide consistent power for the Queen Bee Mill. 

In 1956 a fire destroyed the mill, but the power plant continued to operate and supply power for Sioux Falls until 1974. In 1977 the power plant building was abandoned and donated to the City of Sioux Falls. The building has now been renovated and converted into the Falls Overlook Cafe.

The old Minnehaha County Courthouse in downtown Sioux Falls was constructed from local Sioux Quartzite and has now been converted into a museum with three floors for regional history. Construction on the building started in 1889 and when completed in 1893 it was considered to be the "largest courthouse between Chicago and Denver." The museum has now joined with the Pettigrew Home and Museum to become the Siouxland Heritage Museums. 

The Cathedral of Saint Joseph is located just a few blocks from the Pettigrew Home and Museum and is open to the public for self-guided tours. 

Augustana University is located in Sioux Falls and since their nursing program affiliated with many of the same facilities as the South Dakota State University nursing program, we have many good friends that graduated from Augustana. 

The USS South Dakota Battleship (BB-57) was in active service from 1942 until 1947 and was the lead ship of her class. In 1947 the ship was placed on reserve status and then sold in 1962 with the sitpulation that approximately $2 million of equipment would be donated to the State of South Dakota. The equipment has now been memorialized in a Sioux Falls park where it is displayed within a concrete outline of the ship's main deck.  

The Porter Sculpture Park, located west of Sioux Falls on Interstate 90 at the Montrose Exit 374, in 2010 was listed as one of Time magazine's top 50 American Roadside Attractions. There are over 50 sculptures that were made from scrap metal, old farm equipment and railroad tie plates. The 60-foot tall bull head took three years to build, weighs 25 tons, and is equal in size to the heads of Mount Rushmore.