South Dakota Badlands , Black Hills & Nebraska

a bit of South Dakota history:

Did you know: When gold was found in the Black Hills the land belonged to the Native Americans by a peace treaty signed in the 1868? That made the white man aliens to the land. Due to the small military at the time they tried but could not keep the white man out and eventually gave up. So I guess you could say the gold miners stole the land back due to sheer numbers of the time. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Hills_Gold_Rush for more information on this.

We add South Dakota and Nebraska to our map.

A couple of sunrise photos from our campground.

A double rainbow after the rain -what a treat. The camp owner said they usually have doubles when it rains here.
One of the many tunnels in the Custer State Park. It requires honking before you enter.
Long horn sheep - aren't they beautiful. Some of the animals we saw in our drives.
Wild turkeys are everywhere. Ready for thanksgiving?
Wild burros were very friendly. If you stop they came up to the window. They are known as begging burros.
Prairie Dogs were all over the flatlands. These came up to the parking lot as a family was feeding them. Usually they run away.
A herd of Prong Horn Sheep grazing by the side of the road.
There are many roads like this in the Custer State Park. The road we ended up on is in the second photo.This is in Hot Springs and is a hot mineral waterfall that goes into a pool. It is and has been used for years by the Natives as well as all the local peoples for healing.
This Saloon is in Scenic SD and has longhorn skulls all over the sign.

This is an example of the castle rocks that is also a tunnel in the Badlands. Several photos of the Badlands are shown below.
Numerous formations like this an be seen everywhere.
This one is called Chimney Rock - double click for a closer look.
It is really beautiful.
There is a lot of red to the land as shown in these mountains.
One of the many lakes in the area.

Close enough for a quick trip to Chadron Nebraska and a look of the area. And another State is added.
Various photos of the countryside.

I love old buildings regardless of the shape theysare in.