Grand Tour Kids

South Dakota Map

Just the Facts…

The Basics 

South Dakota is located in the Midwest.  The Missouri River runs right down the middle, separating the state into “East River” and “West River.”  In the eastern half of South Dakota (East River), the land is relatively flat prairie and there are many farms that grow a variety of crops.  Most of the state’s population is in East River.  In the western half of South Dakota (West River), the land gets less rain and cattle ranching is big.  In addition, West River is home to the Black Hills.

If you read our summary of North Dakota yesterday, you probably know that South Dakota could be the 39th State, rather than the 40th State – who really knows?

Its Claim to Fame

Mount Rushmore!  Mount Rushmore National Memorial is in the Black Hills, a small mountain range at the border of South Dakota and Wyoming.  The faces of four famous American Presidents are carved into the face of the mountain – George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.  Each head is huge, about 60 feet tall.  South Dakota’s historian came up with the idea in the 1920s to try to increase tourism in the state.  Mount Rushmore was chosen as the site because it had a large carving area, hard granite, and it faces southeast so the sun would shine on the Presidents almost all day.  It took almost 15 years to carve all four Presidents – the memorial was completed in 1941 and the National Park Service has been taking care of it ever since.

South Dakota has been home to many battles between Native Americans and the United States over the years.  Originally, the United States granted the Lakota tribe all the land west of the Missouri River.  General Custer of the US Army led expeditions into this land and found gold in the Black Hills.  After that, it was hard to stop American settlers from coming into the area.  Even today, the Lakota tribe wants America to give the Black Hills back to them.  They even brought a case before the US Supreme Court asking for that very thing.

What Makes it Tick

Many credit card companies are based in South Dakota – the largest being Citibank.  Your parents probably have a credit card – if so, ask to look at the statement sometime.  It is from South Dakota?  Do you have to send the payments to South Dakota?

For many years, South Dakota was a big part of America’s nuclear weapons program.  During the Cold War, 150 Minutemen missile launch sites and 15 missile control facilities were built underground in western South Dakota.  And, it was top secret.  For nearly 50 years, people would drive right by a nuclear weapon and not even know it!  Now, a missile control facility and missile launch site are open to the public, as part of the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site.

If You Visited

Most people don’t visit South Dakota without seeing some part of the Black Hills – whether it be Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, the Badlands, Deadwood or Wind Cave.  The Badlands National Park has many interesting rock formations.  The wind has eroded the rocks over the years, eventually creating the unique landscape of the Badlands.  In addition, the Badlands are home to many different animal species, including big horn sheep and bison.    There is also evidence of ancient animals that are now extinct – many fossils of unusual animals have been found in the Badlands.

You might also visit the Crazy Horse Memorial in the Black Hills.  Crazy Horse is a memorial to the Native Americans who used to call this land home.  Work has been going on for 55 years and it is not finished yet!  When it is completed, it will be the largest mountain sculpture in the world.

Or, you might visit the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota.  The outside of the Palace is decorated with murals every summer.  And, the murals are made out of corn kernels and other grains!  There have actually been three Corn Palace buildings over the years – the current one was built in 1921.  The very first corn palace was built to showcase all the different foods grown in the fertile soil of South Dakota.  Now, it is a tribute to the area’s heritage with an annual festival in August.

Want to Know More? 

Check our South Dakota state scrapbook for an industry map, state symbols and information we received from the Governor and Board of Tourism.

Do you live in South Dakota?  Or, maybe you have visited South Dakota?  We want to hear from you!!  Post a comment at the end of this page.

• What is your very favorite place in South Dakota?
• What is your favorite thing to eat?
• What is your favorite thing to do?
• What other special or unique facts do you want to share about your home state?

Do you have any photos of South Dakota to share? Email them to: info@grandtourkids.com. Or, post them to our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/GrandTourKids

Our tour includes just a few things that are interesting and special about South Dakota.  Visit these websites to learn more:

West Virginia map

Just the Facts…

The Basics 

Almost the entire state of West Virginia is part of the Appalachian mountain range.  As a result, it is very rugged – mountains, river gorges, forests, and valleys.

The different regions of West Virginia are each very distinct – the extreme northeast panhandle associates itself with Pittsbugh, the eastern tip associates itself with Washington DC, the northwest has farm communities similar to Ohio, and the southern part of the state feels like the South.

Its Claim to Fame

West Virginia was the only state to separate from a Confederate state during the Civil War.  West Virginia applied for statehood after Virginia seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy.  It joined America as a Union state that prohibited slavery.  But, interestingly enough, it provided almost as many soldiers to the Confederate Army as to the Union Army.  And, many battles were fought on West Virginia soil.

West Virginia’s natural resources provide the raw materials needed to make pottery and glass – like sand, clay, natural gas, coal and timber.  Starting in the 1800’s, many “glass houses” moved to West Virginia.  They flourished until the Great Depression.  Even today, West Virginia makes more marbles than any other state.  Marble King produces over one million marbles per day!  It was started in 1949 and made the first cat’s eyes marbles as well as many other designs.  Do you have a bag of marbles that you play with? Maybe they were made in West Virginia!

The New River Gorge Bridge is a famous landmark within West Virginia.  It is a steel arch bridge over the New River Gorge and took 3 years to construct (1974-1977).  For almost 30 years, it was the highest bridge in the world!  When the Bridge was opened in 1977, many of the West Virginia citizens walked across it.  The opening of the Bridge is celebrated annually on “Bridge Day” – it is closed to cars and there are bungee jumping demonstrations!

What Makes it Tick

The mountains of West Virginia contain some rich mineral deposits, including coal.  Coal is a black rock that takes thousands of years to be created.  Long ago, plant life decomposed and rock and sediment piled on top of it, compressing that decomposed plant material until it is hard.  The process takes place over thousands of years.  Coal exists deep under the ground, usually in large deposits or “seams.”  West Virginia has a long history of coal mining, which started during the Civil War.  Now, it leads the nation in underground coal production.  In fact, coal is found in 53 out of the 55 counties within West Virginia.

West Virginia also has a strong timber industry – most of the mountains in West Virginia are covered in forests.  It took about 40 years for most of the old growth forests to be cut down in West Virginia (starting in the 1880s).  A very extensive railroad system was developed in nearly every mountain and valley within West Virginia to haul the lumber away to the east coast.

If You Visited

If you visited West Virginia, you might visit the West Virginia State Folk Festival.  The Festival has been a tradition since 1950 and has a wide variety of traditional Appalachian music and crafts.  There are banjo and fiddle contests, square dancing, a spelling bee and quilt contest.  The crafts include handmade items like baskets, pottery, weaving and wood carving.  You might even make your own instrument!

You might go white-water rafting, canoeing or kayaking on West Virginia’s many rivers.  Or, you may go hiking or rock climbing in one of its mountains.  West Virginia is known for its white water rafting – the most famous being the New River Gorge.  The New River flows fast and strong through a deep valley called the New River Gorge.  It is one of the most popular places east of the Mississippi for white water rafting.

Want to Know More? 

Check our West Virginia state scrapbook for an industry map, state symbols and information we received from the Governor and Board of Tourism.

Do you live in West Virginia?  Or, maybe you have visited West Virginia?  We want to hear from you!!  Post a comment at the end of this page.

• What is your very favorite thing about West Virginia?
• What is your favorite thing to eat?
• What is your favorite thing to do?
• What other special or unique facts do you want to share about your home state?

Do you have any photos of West Virginia to share? Email them to: info@grandtourkids.com. Or, post them to our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/GrandTourKids

Our tour includes just a few things that are interesting and special about West Virginia.  Visit these websites to learn more:

http://wvtourism.com/default.aspx

http://www.wv.gov/

http://www.newrivergorgecvb.com/

http://www.wvstatefolkfestival.org/

I guess our virtual tour of America is not what the girls had in mind during our long weekend up north – swimming, boating, fishing and tubing sounds much more fun to them!  So, I am giving in and we are taking a break…

We will be back on Monday, when we visit Louisiana, “The Pelican State” and 18th state to join the Union.

The girls requested a day off for Independence Day – and I thought that sounded reasonable.

Have a great and save Fourth of July – see you tomorrow, when we visit Louisiana!

Letters, Letters and More Letters

When I first presented my fabulous “50 States in One Summer” idea to our girls, they were not very impressed.  In fact, they were a little laissez faire about the whole thing.  Undeterred, I put together my to-do list and then got to work.  I did as much behind the scenes work as I could by making maps and conducting my research for each state.

But, I also wanted the girls to be involved in the process at least a little bit.  So I drafted a letter for them to send to both the Governor and the Board of Tourism of every single state.  112 letters total!

Are you wondering if your math is wrong?  Don’t worry – I included Washington DC and America’s five territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, America Samoa, the Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands.

But, I had to take it a step further – I wanted the girls to sign all the letters.  Who could resist a letter that included the pictures of two cute little girls, as well as their names scribbled in red?  It took three weeks, two movies and a bribery of ice cream, but we got them all signed and addressed and out the door.

And, we can’t wait to see what we get back!  (Well, at least I can’t wait to see what we get back.)

When I was pregnant with my first child, I had all these visions about the amazing enrichment projects I would do with my children someday.  Then, our first daughter was born and life took over.  Now, ten years later, I think we are finally ready to tackle our first big summer project!  

So, I asked my three girls what kind of project they would like to do this summer.  My kindergartner suggested that we take a bike ride every single day – sounds fun but I was thinking about something a little more intellectually stimulating.  My second grader suggested that we re-read all the Harry Potter books – also sounds fun but not quite what I had in mind either.  My fourth grader has special needs so when I asked her what project she wanted to do this summer, she just smiled and smiled – I think so long as my voice is involved she will be happy! 

I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands.  And, I decided to make up for lost time and chose a BIG project.  Here it is: We are taking a virtual tour of the United States - 50 States in One Summer.    

And, we invite you to join us!  Every morning, Monday through Friday, I will post my summary for that day’s designated State.  We are starting with the first state to enter the Union (Delaware) and taking it from there.  I am including information I think kids would find fun and interesting – it is not exclusive by any means but rather a fun learning project.   

Can we do it? Who knows.  Will I burn myself out in the process? Possibly.  But, if we can pull it off – what a great answer to the typical back to school question of “What did you do this summer?”