We flew into Omaha, Nebraska for a day or so and enjoyed the fantastic Museum on the campus of the University of Nebraska. It was well the entire trip to see all the animals that they have collected in that area, which I did not believe to have ever exited in America.
This was one of the best experiences of our trip as the Museum had so many outstanding animals and other items to view In Morrill Hall on University of Nebraska, (Lincoln) City Campus – The region’s premier natural history museum features the world’s finest collection of fossil elephants. You can learn about Nebraska fossils, bizarre beasts, minerals and meteorites, evolution, ancient weapons, dinosaurs, monsters of the ancient seas, African and Native American cultures and more. You can explore interactive wildlife dioramas, a gift & rock shop, and the hands-on Marx Science Discovery Center.
Like most all tourist, we made a stop at an old Wall Drug store which had became famous beginning in 1931 by offering free ice water to parched tourists in those early days. It must have really worked as it now covered an area like a modern day mall where you can purchase almost anything you might want but don’t really need. One of the world’s most well known stops, it’s hard to believe Wall Drug Store got it’s start with something we wouldn’t even turn our heads at today—the promise of free ice water. But in fact, the Hustead family turned free ice water into a million dollar idea with a little determination and quick thinking. His genius behind what made Wall Drug Store into the roadside attraction what it is today.
We then drove across the state to reach Mt. Rushmore and was impressed with the faces on the mountain. Later, we went to view the Crazy Horse Memorial, which was just beginning to take shape. You will notice how far along they were when we there. They now have completed the blasting and digging which we saw when we there. The person who was largely responsible for the Mt. Rushmore monuments was a person by the name of Gutzon Borglum.
We saw a great deal of artwork along the highway which made me think that Rapid City must be great town for artists who wanted to show off their creations
Gutzon Borglum (March 25, 1867 – March 6, 1941) was an American artist and sculptor. He is most associated with his creation of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial at Mount Rushmore, South Dakota. He was associated with other public works of art, including a bust of Abraham Lincoln exhibited in the White House by Theodore Roosevelt and now held in the United States Capitol Crypt in Washington, D.C.
The Crazy Horse Memorial is a mountain monument under construction on privately held land in the Black Hills, in Custer County, South Dakota, United States. It will depict the Oglala Lakota warrior, Crazy Horse, riding a horse and pointing into the distance. Henry Standing Bear, a Lakota elder, commissioned the sculpted memorial by Korczak Ziolkowski. Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit organization, operates it.
On the way to Rapid City, We stopped and visited Mount Moriah Cemetery in Deadwood, SD where many notables are buried, but probably Buffalo Bill Cody and Calamity Jane are the most well known. William Frederick “Buffalo Bill” Cody (February 26, 1846 – January 10, 1917) was an American scout, bison hunter, and showman. He was born in Le Claire, Iowa Territory (now the U.S. state of Iowa.
We went on to visit Sturgis, South Dakota, which is notable as the location of one of the largest annual motorcycle events in the world and is held annually on the second full week of August. Motorcycle enthusiasts from around the world flock to this town during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Sturgis is also noted for hosting the 1996 edition of WCW Hog Wild. It is said to have as many as 250,000 riders during the yearly event. The population of the town is less than 6,700 people.
Sturgis was founded in 1878. It was originally named Scooptown, because many of the residents “scooped up” their pay from nearby Fort Meade. It’s name was later changed to Sturgis in honor of the Civil War Union General Samuel D. Sturgis. In 1889, Sturgis was designated as the county seat of the newly formed Meade County
We drove into the Black Hills area and looked around but we did not participate in all the activities and Places to visit that were available. There were too many things to see and do and too little time to do all of them that we waned to do.
The Corn Palace, commonly advertised as The World’s Only Corn Palace and the Mitchell Corn Palace, is a multi-purpose arena and facility located in Mitchell, South Dakota, United States. The Moorish Revival building is decorated with crop art; the murals and designs covering the building are made from corn and other grains, and a new design is constructed each year. The Corn Palace is a popular tourist destination, visited by between 200,000[and 500,000[3] people each year.
We traveled back across the State back to Mitchell, South Dakota where we passed the Corn Palace and on to spend one day in Omaha before flying back to Texas.
I think that the main thing we came away from the trip is that that we gained a new respect for our earlier Presidents. They had made such great strides in building a country of which we can be proud and that we must work hard to preserve our beliefs, as it is very possible for us to lose them if we ever allow those naysayers who do not hold the same values, which have guided us for over the past.
We should always look up to Washington and the other Presidents who are sculpted on the mountain as Presidents who laid the foundation for America to become as great as it has come.