South Dakota

South Dakota — page 1 — (cid:3)(cid:43)(cid:3)(cid:43)(cid:3)(cid:43)(cid:3)SOUTH DAKOTA (cid:43)(cid:3)(cid:43)(cid:3)(cid:43) THE MOUNT RUSHMORE STATE What makes South Dakota unique There are treeless wide-open spaces with rolling prairies fertile farmland and sprawling cattle ranches There are forested mountains with rocky spires that reach toward the blue Western sky There are small farm towns large Indian reservations and bustling cities There are lakes and mighty rivers along with the bone-dry Badlands with their steep ravines and rainbow-colored cliffs Gold mines Old West shoot-outs a palace made of corn herds of bison zoos dinosaurs rodeos the list goes on and on Most notable of all is Mount Rushmore National Memorial a must-see sculpture carved into the side of a Black Hills mountain More than 3 million people come each year to gaze up at the 60-foot 18-m high granite faces of Presidents George Washington Thomas Jefferson Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln That is why South Dakota is nicknamed The Mount Rushmore State A hiker looks across Badlands National Park Paths wind through the rugged fossil-ﬁlled rock formations 4 SOUTH DAKOTA

South Dakota — page 2 — Mount Rushmore National Monument was created by sculptor Gutzon Borglum About 90 percent of the carving was done using dynamite Jackhammers and hand chisels were used for the ﬁne details More than 400 carvers many suspended by ropes worked for 14 years until the monument was completed on October 31 1941

South Dakota — page 3 — (cid:3)(cid:43)(cid:3)(cid:43)(cid:3)(cid:43)(cid:3)SOUTH DAKOTA (cid:43)(cid:3)(cid:43)(cid:3)(cid:43) QUICK FACTS Name The word Dakota means friend or ally in the language of the Native American Sioux nation State Capital Pierre population 14,002 Date of Statehood November 2 1889 40th state Population 858,469 46th-most populous state Area Total Land and Water 77,116 square miles 199,730 sq km 17th-largest state Largest City Sioux Falls population 171,544 Nickname The Mount Rushmore State The Coyote State Motto Under God the People Rule State Bird Ring-Necked Pheasant 6 SOUTH DAKOTA

South Dakota — page 4 — (cid:3)(cid:43)(cid:3)(cid:43)(cid:3)(cid:43)(cid:3)THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (cid:43)(cid:3)(cid:43)(cid:3)(cid:43) Pasque State Flower Pasque State Mineral Rose Quartz State Tree Black Hills Spruce State Song Hail South Dakota Rose Quartz Highest Point Harney Peak 7,242 feet 2,207 m Lowest Point Big Stone Lake 966 feet 294 m Average July High Temperature 86 F 30 C Record High Temperature 120 F 49 C in Usta on July 15 2006 Average January Low Temperature 8 F 13 C Record Low Temperature 58 F 50 C in McIntosh on February 17 1936 Average Annual Precipitation 20 inches 51 cm Black Hills Spruce Harney Peak Big Stone Lake Number of U S Senators 2 Number of U S Representatives 1 U S Postal Service Abbreviation SD QUICK FACTS 7

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