Located just outside of Sioux Falls is the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. This is a federal research facility that monitors Earth land changes. The facility is also the operational center for Landsat satellites and the depository for the world's largest collection of space-based data of the Earth's land areas. In the lobby of the building there is a monitor with a real-time downlink from the Landsat 8 satellite.
Replicas of two Landsat satellites are on display in the building's lobby, along with many pictures of the Earth's surface taken by various satellites. Many of the satellite pictures look like modern art!
The Good Earth State Park at Blood Run is one of the oldest sites of long-term human habitation in the United States. Although the name of the site sounds like a battlefield, the name "Blood Run" comes from the iron deposits in the area that cause the waters in the nearby creeks to have a reddish coloration.
Archaeologists have dated occupancy at the "Blood Run" site back to at least 6,500 B.C. and it is believed that the population peaked between 1650 and 1710. At its peak, the area population was estimated to be about 10,000 people.
"Blood Run" was a major trade center along the Big Sioux River and the place where tribes gathered to hold ceremonial celebrations. The most highly prized trade item was the beautiful soft red stone known as Pipestone, which was mined from quarries at what is now Pipestone National Monument in southwestern Minnesota. Large pieces of this extremely valuable stone were brought to the area where it was traded to tribes from all over North America. The soft stone it easy to work with and was used to make ceremonial items, including pipes.
Canton (population 3,057) was first settled in 1861 by L.P. Hyde and he built a house on the site that was later replace with a courthouse. The name "Canton" was picked for the town's name, because the settlers believed that on the globe the area was exactly opposite of Canton, China.
Most of the early settlers were from Norway, so they brought many of their native customs with them. Since there were no large hills in the area, in 1912 they constructed a large ski-jump tower with a vertical drop of 275 feet and started holding ski-jump tournaments. The tournaments became very popular and the U.S. National Tournaments of 1925, 1930, and 1935 were held at this location. In 1932 the U.S. Olympic Team trials were held here and Sverre Fretheim made a record jump of 192 feet. In 1944 the tower was destroyed by a high wind and it was never rebuilt.
There are a number of interesting sites and historic buildings in the community of Canton; and, of course, I managed to park next to the 1898 bank building that is now the "Canton Quilt Retreat."
Augustana Seminary was founded in 1860 in Chicago by the Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Ausustana Synod to "...educate young men for the holy ministry...and to prepare men for the profession of teaching." The seminary gained the nickname "The School on Wheels" because in the process of looking for a permanent location, the facility moved to Paxton (Illinois), Marshall (Wisconsin), and Beloit (Iowa). Then, with the westward migration of many Norwegians, and by the offer of a three-story building by the citizens of Canton, the facility was moved to Canton in 1884.
In 1917, the Norwegian Lutheran Church in America merged with Augustana College and the Lutheran Normal School in Sioux Falls, and the Canton facility was closed. The facility was later reopened as the Augustana Academy and operated as a high school of the Lutheran Church until 1971. In 1995 the building was completely renovated and now houses 21 one-bedroom apartments and five two-bedroom apartments.
One of the old churches in Canton has been converted into the "Garden of Eat'n" restaurant and the old train depot is now a museum. In front of the depot there is a monument recognizing the achievements of Ernest and John Lawrence, who were born in Canton.
Ernest was a professor of Physics and founded the Lawrence Berkeley Radiation Laboratory in California. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for inventing the Cyclotron.
John was a physician and is known as the "Father of Nuclear Medicine." He founded the Donner Laboratory and was the first physician to use radioisotopes in medicine. He was also the first physician to use the Cyclotron invented by his brother to treat cancer patients with a particle beam.
Newton Hills State Park is located south of Canton and is part of a geological feature called the "Coteau des Prairie," a narrow strip of rolling hills created by glaciers during the last ice age. The park contains a shady campground and many miles of hiking trails. Also found in the area are artifacts and burial mounds from about 300 B.C. to 900 A.D.
Alcester (population 807) was founded in 1879 by a company that had access to future plans of the Chicago Northwestern Railroad's route into Dakota Territory. The company was able to purchase 135 acres of private land adjacent to the proposed railroad alignment and then when the railroad arrived they sold the lots for $50 each, making a substantial profit.
In 1921 Deecort Hammitt formed the Alcester Community Band that played every Saturday night for a number of years. The band also held a variety of concerts in the Alcester Opera House. Deecort Hammitts went on to composed the song "Hail South Dakota," which became the state song in 1943.
There is a nice veterans memorial in town and I knew that I liked this town when I saw their sign that indicated U-Turns were permitted! (Since I often have to turn around to go back and take a picture, I have been know as the "King of U-Turns" and practice my profession at some unusual times and places. One time my sister-in-law was ridding with me when I made a U-Turn and she commented that it was the first time that she had ever been ridding with someone when they made a U-Turn in the middle of a bridge!)
Elk Point has an interesting history. The area was first established as a Hudson's Bay Trading Post in 1755 and received its name from the abundant elk population that was found in the area. Then, on August 22, 1804, the Lewis and Clark Expedition made camp at this site and Clark recorded in his journal that there were a "Great deel of Elk Sign" around the camp. When the Military Road was built from Sioux City to Fort Randall in the Dakota Territory, a settlement was established at Elk Point in 1859, making it one of the oldest communities in South Dakota.
Today Elk Point has a population of 1,993 people and is the county seat of Union County.
The Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve, located in the southeast corner of South Dakota, was donated to the people of South Dakota in 1984 by grandchildren of the original homesteaders as a "Place for Inner Renewal." There is a visitor center, restored historical buildings, interpretive exhibits, education programs and 10 miles of hiking trails that wind through prairie, forest, and along the river. Within the Nature Preserve there are "...over 100 species of birds, a variety of native plants and a number of different animals."
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