South Dakota websites about places to go, things to do, vacation information, sports links, facts about the state, destinations, golf, business, and more.

In 1803, U.S. President Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France, a real-estate deal that at the time doubled the size of the United States. Sioux Falls exists as a city today because the land speculators who staked town site claims there in 1857 came in search of the cascades of the Big Sioux River. Settlement of South Dakota did not begin in earnest until the arrival of the railroad in 1873 and the discovery of gold in the Black Hills in 1874.

Agriculture is a cultural and economic mainstay, but it no longer leads the state in employment or share of gross state product. South Dakota is the second-largest producer of flaxseed and sunflower seed in the nation. It is the third-largest producer of hay and rye. Durable-goods manufacturing and private services have evolved as the drivers of the economy.

South Dakota is full of world-class attractions, natural wonders and unbelievable beauty. You can go any direction in the state and find affordable experiences that lead to lifelong memories.

The Black Hills are the highest mountains east of the Rockies. Mt. Rushmore, in this group, is famous for the likenesses of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt, which were carved in granite by Gutzon Borglum.

You’ll also find the world’s largest ongoing mountain carving, Crazy Horse Memorial; the world’s second- and fourth-longest caves, Wind Cave National Park and Jewel Cave National Monument; the moon-like scenery of Badlands National Park; and one of the few stretches of the Missouri River that is still as free-flowing as it was in the days of Lewis and Clark.

Other tourist attractions include the Badlands; the World's Only Corn Palace, in Mitchell; and the city of Deadwood, where Wild Bill Hickok was killed in 1876 and where gambling was recently legalized.

Custer State Park is home to a herd of 1,500 free-roaming bison. Bison can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds. Historically, the bison played an essential role in the lives of the Lakota (Sioux), who relied on the “tatanka” for food, clothing and shelter.

Faith is famous to paleontologists. On a ranch north of Faith, one of the largest, most complete, and best preserved Tyrannosaurus Rex was excavated.

Tom Brokaw of NBC graduated from Yankton High School and the University of South Dakota. Sturgis is home of the annual Black Hills Classic Motorcycle Rally.

Black Hills National Cemetery "The Arlington of the West" is a final resting place of our nation's veterans. The U.S.S. South Dakota was the most decorated battleship during World War II.