South Dakota

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height of 7241 ft in Harney Peak.

History Some 12,000 years ago the territory of South Dakota was occupied by nomadic bison and mammoth hunters. Later they were succeeded by hunters and gatherers, who buried their dead in long, low mounds. Around ad 1200 Mandan and Arikara Indians introduced farming in the Missouri region; then in the 17th and early 18th centuries they were driven further north by the Sioux. In the 1740s French fur trappers - the first Europeans in this region - moved into Sioux territory, which then became part of New France (Louisiana) and was acquired by the United States in 1803 under the Louisiana Purchase. Originally the American territory of Dakota also included large areas of the present-day states of Wyoming and Montana. After the reorganization of the territory the present states of North and South Dakota were formed, and on November 2nd 1889 South Dakota became the 40th state of the Union. The local Indians put up fierce resistance to the takeover of their land by whites, and there were frequent bloody encounters with American troops, causing heavy losses.

The predominant elements in the state's economy are agriculture and the industries processing agricultural produce. Large areas of the grasslands are now pasturage for livestock (cattle, sheep) and arable land on which grain and fodder crops are grown. Gold and silver mining (Black Hills) also make important contributions to the economy, along with oil and brown coal. An increasingly important source of revenue is tourism. Particular tourist attractions are the Black Hills (Mount Rushmore), a number of spectacular caves and the Badlands National Park.