Heavens Angels Around The World

Angel Bon Bon

South Dakota:
The legends of Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull and the Arikara, Cheyenne and Sioux Indian tribes still reverberate across the land.

In 1805, into this unexplored territory we now call South Dakota, the Lewis and Clark expedition wound its way up the Missouri River on their epic journey to the Pacific Northwest.

As the geography of America expanded, and details of this new land (west of the Mississippi) spread to the east, settlers by the thousands arrived in the Dakota's.

The Indian's sacred land was now violated, and their understandable reaction was bloody and severe.

When gold was discovered in the Black Hills in 1876, the land was inundated with miners and prospectors. The Indians rebelled again, but were eventually defeated, and relegated to reservation life.

This large slice of the American West is today home to huge cattle ranches, productive farms and modern cities.

The Badlands and Black Hills, including Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Monument are major attractions, and the state welcomes millions of annual visitors.

South Dakota

The current flag was adopted in 1963, and was modeled after previous versions.

The sky blue field displays the state seal surrounded by rays of the sun. Previous versions used the words, "Sunshine State" around the seal. That was changed in 1992 to read, "The Mount Rushmore State."

Official name: South Dakota
Capital: Pierre
Statehood: Nov. 2, 1889 the 40th state
State nickname: The Mount Rushmore State
Name for residents: South Dakotans
State motto: Under God the people rule
Abbreviation: SD

South Dakota's Historical Event's:

18,000 bc-13,000 bc The first humans appear in South Dakota during this period.
ad 1742-1743 François and Louis-Joseph de La Vérendrye pass through the South Dakota region.
about 1750 Lakota Sioux begin to move into South Dakota from the east.
1804 Meriwether Lewis and William Clark pass through South Dakota on their way to the Pacific Ocean.
1823 Lakota join the United States Army in an attack against the Arikara, eventually driving them out of South Dakota.
1827 Pierre Chouteau, Jr., becomes regional manager of American Fur Company; the capital of South Dakota is eventually named after him.
1854 A Brulé Sioux chief is killed by U.S. troops; 19 soldiers are killed in retaliation.
1855 United States troops kill about 100 Brulé in retaliation for killings in 1854.
1861 The Dakota Territory is established.
1868 Red Cloud's War ends in the Treaty of Fort Laramie, which gives the Black Hills to the Sioux.
1874 George Armstrong Custer leads an expedition into the Black Hills and finds gold.
1875 The U.S. government ceases trying to prevent miners from entering the Black Hills; a gold rush begins.
1889 South Dakota enters the Union as the 40th state (November 2).
1890 Hundreds of Sioux are massacred at Wounded Knee Creek.
1898 South Dakota becomes the first state to adopt the initiative and referendum process.
1973 Native Americans occupy the town of Wounded Knee for ten weeks.
1980 The U.S. Supreme Court upholds a decision awarding the Sioux $105 million (plus interest) in compensation for the loss of the Black Hills.

All ideas, concepts, and content including text and graphics are owned by Heavens Angels and it's members unless otherwise noted and should not be taken or duplicated without expressed written consent.
Copyright © 2001/2005 Heavens Angels.