SUMMER TRAVELS – 2008: South Dakota

It has been awhile since my last post, as we left Benson the middle of May, and began traveling with our RV. This trip took us to the Midwest. We sometimes had difficulty locating Wi Fi sources, and also experienced some computer problems along the way. Now that the problems have been solved and our trip is winding down, I would like to share some of our stops with you.

JUNE in SOUTH DAKOTA

Mobridge, SD was our first destination. This area has long been a favorite stopping place for us, mostly because of the great walleye fishing on Lake Oahe, (pronounced Oahu) a reservoir of the Missouri River. Mobridge is located on Highway 12 about 100 miles north of Pierre, SD.

LAKE OAHE: Lake Oahe meanders from the dam at Pierre, SD to Bismarck, ND. This earth filled dam is one of the largest of its type in the world and has created the longest lake on the main stream of the Missouri River…with a shoreline of 2,250 miles, including 371,000 acres of tributary rivers and creeks.

Lake Oahe is best known as one of the nation’s most outstanding walleye fishing areas. It also offers a wide variety of other game fish such as smallmouth and white bass, catfish, and salmon. The area is also a popular hunting area because of its abundance of wild game, including deer, antelope, ring neck pheasant, wild turkey and grouse.

MOBRIDGE: On October 8, 1804 Lewis and Clark arrived at what is now known as Mobridge, on their Trail of Discovery. In 1906 the Chicago Milwaukee & St Paul Railroad Transcontinental Rail Line began construction of its Pacific Coast Extension. When completed in 1909 it put South Dakota on a transcontinental rail line, and a town began to develop.

Mobridge was named for the bridge over the MO’…the great Missouri River. It has also been called the Bridge City because of the three long bridges crossing the river…The US Highway 12 Bridge, the Railroad Bridge, and the Grand River Bridge. Driving into Mobridge from the east, one passes through an area of prairie agricultural and ranch land. Just west of the river, beautiful rolling green hills and bluffs meet your eye.

Mobridge now has a population of abut 3700. In recent years the city invested over $l million into a beautification project. Included in this project was the updating of streets and lighting, and business owners worked to refurbish store fronts into their original historic appearance. The fishing industry brings in people from many places, so several of the shops cater to tourists. Other places of interest and recent projects include:

Centennial Plaza: Located on Main Street, this area includes a large pergola displaying historic murals and photographs, a cascading fountain, flower beds and benches.
Scherr Howe Arena: On the walls in this historic building are ten authentic murals depicting Sioux Indian history and their ceremonies. These are the work of Oscar Howe, a native South Dakotan and a full blooded Sioux Indian. Mr. Howe died in 1983.
City Park: This lovely park has been improved to include a central fountain, two gazebos, lots of new trees, and flower beds, benches and a picnic area.
Riverfront Trail: This is a hiking biking trail that runs for three miles overlooking Lake Oahe. Interpretive plaques along the trail provide information regarding history of the Native Americans who once lived along the river (and still do), history of the town, wildlife in the area, etc. There are plans to continue the trail farther to the south to Indian Creek Recreation Area.
Klein Museum: Located on Hwy 12 at the west end of Mobridge, this museum was developed by early homesteader, Jake Klein. The museum focuses on pioneer and Native American life and artifacts, railroad memorabilia, etc. There is also an extensive display of Native American art and beadwork, and a gift shop.
Stores: Being the main town in the heart of a large rural farming area, Mobridge contains a wide variety of stores. One of our favorite stores was a farm and fleet store which, like a gigantic general store, carries almost everything one could think of! West Side Meat Market was another interesting stop. All cuts of beef and buffalo, many types of sausage, home cured bacon, cheeses of all kinds, a full deli and much more can be found here! We purchased some buffalo roasts, and found the meat to be much like beef, a little more dry, but with a delicious flavor.
Sitting Bull Stampede: The largest annual event in Mobridge is the Sitting Bull Stampede and Rodeo, held July 2, 3, & 4 at the Mobridge Rodeo Grounds. Besides the rodeo, this event features a parade, carnival and other events, ending with a fabulous fireworks display at dark. The fireworks are set off from the end of Indian Island west of town. We were staying at the Indian Island Campground one July, and were treated to “front seat” view of this terrific fireworks show from our campsite, with fireworks opening directly overhead!

INDIAN ISLAND: Indian Island is located across the Highway 12 Bridge just west of Mobridge. Originally developed and operated by the US Corp of Engineers, this campground overlooking Lake Oahe, located on the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation, is now operated by The Sioux Tribe.

Spaces are large, in a beautiful park-like setting. Our site was located at the end of the park, across the road from an area of woods which offers a haven to deer, wild turkey, ring-necked pheasant, cottontail rabbits and many types of song birds. The wild turkeys roamed freely throughout the park and were a joy to watch! Rent for Senior Citizens is $8.00 a night, and there is no limit regarding length of stay.

This year we stayed for a month! We spent as much time, as weather would permit, fishing! Our boat is only twelve feet long, with an 8hp motor, so we did have to be cautious of the often windy conditions. We caught a lot of dandy walleye ranging from17 to 26 inches in length. The view of the rolling hills around us was lovely. Often while fishing we would come across a bull snake swimming across the lake! Otherwise, we spent our time relaxing, enjoying our campsite, the wildlife, and looking over the town.

One day while walking in the campground, I came across a group of Sioux Indians working on about twelve buffalo hides laced to individual wooden frameworks. Ladies were cooking in the background, and children were running and playing around. I spoke to several of the people working on the hides, took some photographs, and exchanged e-mail addresses with one of the men. Later, I had more questions about the hide process, so contacted the young man via e-mail. He replied, saying that the hides had been gotten from West Side Meat Market, the meat sold there, and that they were having a “traditional brain tanning class” (preserving one of the old traditional ways of tanning hides.) It was an interesting experience!

It had been a lovely and restful stop. Now it was time to head on to Minnesota.

(click on pictures to enlarge)