A Great American River

Tim and I had been following the Missouri River for some time, but we still had a lot to learn about the river itself.  We’ve been somewhat surprised with what we’ve seen so far.  For example, I never realized that the river is lined with high bluffs along its banks.  Just north of Chamberlain the bluffs are so high that there is a runaway truck ramp on the descent into town.  

When we left Chamberlain, South Dakota, on October 14, we continued to follow the river and the Lewis and Clark Trail on our way to the Missouri National Recreational River, which is a unit of the National Park Service. This seemed to be a likely place to find out a little more about the “Big Muddy,” the Missouri River’s nickname.

Our route led us past Fort Randall Dam and the historic Fort Randall Military Post, established in 1856.  This historic site features the exposed foundations of many of the original buildings, as well as the partially restored ruins of the chapel.  In 1875 soldiers stationed at Fort Randall built the stone chapel, which also housed a library and Independent Order of Odd Fellows meeting hall.  The chapel became the social and intellectual center of the fort.  It must have been a beautiful building.

The Chapel at Fort Randall Military Post

We settled into a great campground operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Gavins Point Dam just north of Yankton, South Dakota. Once again, we snagged a site directly on the water where we could watch the sunrise, if we ever decided to wake up that early.  

Another Great Campsite at Cottonwood Campground

I Peeked Out the Back Window to Watch the Sunrise - I Didn't Get Up!

The Missouri National Recreational River preserves two free-flowing sections of the Missouri River along the Nebraska-South Dakota border. The National Park Service does not have its own visitor center, but partners with other federal and state agencies to interpret the resource. The visitor center in Ponca State Park in Nebraska was our first stop, and here we really began to understand the history and different facets of the Missouri River.

The Missouri is North America’s longest river and was the original highway to the west.  We were already familiar with the Plains Indian tribes that made their homes along the river, as well as Lewis and Clark, whose mission it was to explore the Missouri River to its source in order to find a northwest passage to the Pacific Ocean.  One of my favorite parts of the Lewis and Clark exhibit was the panel about the plant specimens collected during the journey.  Even Lewis and Clark prepared herbarium sheets.

A River Highway

Has This Herbarium Sheet Been Cataloged?

One Way to Paddle the River

We learned just how wild and unpredictable the Missouri River was during most of its history.  Numerous sandbars, shifting channels and powerful currents that brought trees into the river and caved in riverbanks made navigation of the river difficult.  Yearly floods impacted the communities along the banks.  A series of three devastating floods in 1943 provided the impetus for the passage of the Flood Control Act of 1944.  It was this law that led to the most significant and lasting alteration of the river basin.  

A series of dams was constructed along the Missouri from Montana to South Dakota, and a chain of reservoirs was created.  Indian reservations on both sides of the river were flooded, and families were displaced.  The Missouri ceased to be a wild and untamed river.  The dams and reservoirs have created hydroelectric power generation and flood control, as well as irrigation and navigational support.  Untold recreational opportunities are now available, and Tim and I have enjoyed our campsites along these reservoirs.  However, the taming of this once-mighty river is also sad. Luckily, two free-flowing stretches are protected by the National Park Service, and these remnants of the historic Missouri continue to flow as nature intended.

Gavins Point Dam

Although we didn’t get out on the Missouri, we were able to see what the river may have looked like during the time of Lewis and Clark from the Mulberry Bend Overlook.  

Sculpting the Landscape

Mulberry Bend Overlook

On the way back to our campsite, we stopped in Yankton to walk along the riverfront and see Dakota’s territorial capitol.  We also stopped by the Lewis and Clark Visitor Center at Gavins Point Dam one day, and it was here that we were finally able to find the DVD of Ken Burns’ “Lewis and Clark.”  Finally, I’ll get to watch it.

Dakota Territorial Capitol

Along Yankton's Riverfront

Anniversary Along the Missouri River

You may remember from the last post that we arrived at our “Plan B” location on Friday, October 10.  Our campsite at the American Creek Campground in Chamberlain, South Dakota, was perched at the edge of a bluff overlooking the Missouri River.  There was even a stairway down to the river next to our site.  Beautiful, mature trees provided shade, and we had full hookups, plus cable.  What more could we ask for?  We planned to stay through the weekend so Tim could watch football on Sunday.

This could not have been a more perfect place to spend our fifth wedding anniversary.  It’s hard to believe that Tim and I have been married for five years.  In some respects, it feels like our wedding was just yesterday, yet in others, it feels like we’ve always been married.  It’s been the best time of my life.  

The setting was perfect, and so was the weather, at least for the first two days.  For the first time since we’ve been back on the road, we could even take our chairs out.  It seems that either cold weather or rain or mosquitos always prevented us from enjoying the outdoors during the last month.

It Was Nice to be Able to Fully Enjoy the View from Our Site

Kitty Liked to Spend Time Outdoors

During the days, we continued to explore the Native American Scenic Byway and the Lewis and Clark Trail.  It turns out that the most enlightening site along the byway happened to be located in Chamberlain.  The Akta Lakota Museum and Cultural Center is a relatively unknown museum that does an amazing job of telling the story of the lives of the Northern Plains Indians, their cultures, traditions, values and history.  The exhibits include not only artifacts, but also beautiful examples of the art of the Lakota people.

Camp Circle - In the Beginning

Fetterman Pictograph Robe

The museum is located on the campus of St. Joseph’s Indian School, which was founded by the Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred Heart in 1927.  An exhibit on the history of the school does a good job of presenting the sad history of the attempt to assimilate Indian children into European-American culture by removing them from their parents, stripping them of their native clothing and identities and forbidding them to speak their native language.  St. Joseph’s has come a long way from that model and now incorporates Lakota culture into daily activities at the school.  The museum is a part of this effort to embrace cultural traditions.  Our stop at the museum was most certainly an eye-opening experience.

Chamberlain is also the location of a small Lewis and Clark Information Center, which is noted for its unusual architecture.  A replica of the 55-foot keelboat used by the Corps of Discovery is incorporated into the building, with a portion of the boat actually protruding from the building. This creates a balcony that provides a view of the Missouri River.

Is That a Keelboat?

View from the Balcony

While Tim watched his first Denver Broncos game of the year, I took a day trip to Mitchell, South Dakota, to see the Corn Palace, a great example of folk art.  Mitchell’s first Corn Palace was built in 1892 to provide a canvas for settlers to display their agricultural bounty.  The present Corn Palace is actually the third building to bear the name, and although the front is fenced off because of the current renovation, the charm of the building is still evident.  The façade of the building is literally decorated with ears of corn and other grains.  Each year a new theme is chosen, and the outside of the Corn Palace is striped and redecorated with corn and grains.  Approximately 275,000 ears of corn are cut in half lengthwise and nailed to the building following designs created by local artists.  Most of the murals were completed by the time of my visit, but it was also fun to see the ones that had not yet been started – it really was “corn (not paint)-by-number” decorating.  Other permanent corn murals are located inside this multi-use facility that is the center of community activity.

The World's Only Corn Palace

Murals Decorate the Facade of the Corn Palace

Who Knew You Could Paint with Corn?

"Corn-by-Number" Decorating

Murals Decorate the Interior of the Corn Palace

We enjoyed our stay in Chamberlain so much that we extended our visit. We weren’t quite ready to tear ourselves away from our scenic water view and the dramatic sunsets over the Missouri River. 

Lewis and Clark Likely Witnessed a Sunset Like This

Native American Scenic Byway

Deciding which route to follow after leaving Bismarck on October 8 was quite easy.  We still wanted to follow the Missouri River, but we noticed an intriguing scenic byway when we looked at the South Dakota map.  This byway mostly follows the river, as well as much of the Lewis and Clark Trail, so this seemed like the perfect route for us.

Tim and I love to drive scenic byways.  The traffic is usually light, the countryside is easier to appreciate, and the drive is often more peaceful and relaxing.   Tim and I also like to tour as we drive, which we can easily do with our smaller RV.  We can stop almost anywhere we want, including narrow driveways that would be off-limits to RVs much larger than ours.

The Native American Scenic Byway was a wonderful and thought-provoking drive.  We passed through the reservations of four tribes of Lakota Sioux:  Standing Rock, Cheyenne River, Lower Brule and Crow Creek and stopped at most of the memorial markers, monuments, museums and sacred sites along the way.  These sites, which commemorate the heritage of the Sioux Nation, helped us experience the history and culture of the four tribes.

The Native American Scenic Byway Extends for 350 Miles in North and South Dakota

The northern section of the byway travels through the Standing Rock Reservation and is the most developed in terms of interpretation.  Visitor centers, printed guides and an extensive marker system make this section the most rewarding in terms of helping us to gain an understanding of the Sioux.

One of our favorite stops was the tribal visitor center at Fort Yates, North Dakota, on the campus of Sitting Bull College.  Here we enjoyed talking with Jennifer, the visitor coordinator, and listening to her perspective about life on and off the reservation.  She provided a special insight into the history we would be encountering along the byway.

We made our way into the town of Fort Yates, which was established as a military post in 1874.  Here we visited the Standing Rock Monument from which the Standing Rock agency derived its name.  According to the legend inscribed on the monument, the stone is the petrified form of a woman and her child.

Standing Rock Monument

In Fort Yates we also stopped at the original burial site of Sitting Bull, the spiritual leader of the Lakota.  Sitting Bull was killed by Indian agency police on the Standing Rock Reservation on December 15, 1890, during an attempt to arrest him.  His grave was subsequently relocated, and we planned to visit that site the next morning.

Burial Site of Sitting Bull in Fort Yates

We stopped for the evening near Mobridge, South Dakota, at The Bay at Grand River Casino, a great campground operated by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.  The campground, which we almost had to ourselves, is nothing like most casino campgrounds.  This one overlooks the Missouri River and provides large spaces underneath mature trees.  Kitty loved it, and so did we.  We were honored to receive the “elder” campsite rate.  It was tempting to stay for several days, but we needed to move on. 

What a Great Campground!

The following morning we visited the second burial site to memorialize Sitting Bull.  The setting here was beautiful, with its view overlooking the Missouri River, but, sadly, the site itself was not well cared for.  This site is marked by a stone bust carved by the famed sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski, who designed the Crazy Horse memorial in the Black Hills of South Dakota.  Also on the site is a monument erected as a tribute to Sacagawea, who died not too far from here.

Memorial to Sitting Bull near Mobridge

The Bluffs Along the Missouri River Provide a Wonderful Setting for the Monument

Monument to Sacagawea

The byway soon turned inland from the Missouri River and into the land of the Cheyenne River Sioux.  Here we encountered a diverse landscape, and not one we were expecting.  Vast prairies and rolling agricultural fields gave way to the high escarpment overlooking the Cheyenne River valley.  This time of year the river appears as a ribbon of green in a sea of gold.  It was a beautiful drive. 

We arrived in Pierre, South Dakota, in the afternoon and settled into a city campground in the middle of town.  Although the campground was not much more than a paved parking lot, it backed up to a lovely park along the Missouri River.  The location was perfect for exploring our own state capital (remember, we are South Dakota residents now).

Kitty Liked the Campground in Pierre

We toured the lovely State Capitol building, which had been restored for the centennial celebration of the State of South Dakota in 1989 and stepped into the Governor’s Reception Room where we learned about the history of the building.  We often fail to make the time to visit the interiors of state capitol buildings, but this visit has reminded us to put these buildings on our must-see list.  We always appreciate the architectural grandeur of these spaces when we do make it a point to open their doors.

South Dakota State Capitol

A Magnificent Interior

Pierre was also our first opportunity to stop at a Walgreens to pick up prescriptions and get our flu shots.  There are no Walgreens in North Dakota, except one in the far eastern corner of the state, so we were happy to find one here.

Our favorite venue in Pierre was the Cultural Heritage Center, which provided an excellent overview of the history of South Dakota.  It was a bit difficult to get to the building, however, since there was no place to park even our small RV.  It seemed a bit odd to us that a state that is so friendly to full-time RVers would not have a place for these residents to park.  Once we finally shuttled to the Cultural Center in the car, we were impressed with what the museum has to offer.

The exhibits begin with the stories of the Native Americans who inhabited South Dakota before it became a state.  Various artifacts helped us understand the Sioux way of life, but we were disappointed that the singular piece of the museum’s collection, the Sioux Horse Effigy, which is a masterpiece of Lakota sculpture, was on tour and not available to view.  The exhibits continued with displays that chronicle the experiences of the homesteaders, military men, miners and statesmen who called South Dakota home.

The People of the Plains

After leaving Pierre, we picked up the Native American Scenic Byway once more and traveled through the Lower Brule Indian Reservation.  Again, we followed the Missouri River, where high bluffs along the river give way to rolling hills and then the vast grasslands of the Great Plains. We kept our eyes peeled for evidence of the bison that live here, but they were nowhere to be seen.

A Diverse Landscape Along the Missouri River

When we crossed the Missouri River, our plan was to stop at an Army Corps of Engineers campground.  We pulled into the campground and were so disappointed to find it closed for the season.  What a shame, since it really looked like a great campground.  OK, now let’s come up with a Plan B.  Luckily, we had internet reception and found a private campground in Chamberlain, just 18 miles away.

"Closed for Season"

We drove through the Crow Creek Indian Reservation, which occupies the east side of the Missouri River, on the way to Chamberlain and pulled into the American Creek Campground and a site directly on the Missouri River.  What a gorgeous location!  I’ll tell you more about it in the next post.

Not Bad for a Plan B

Not So Busy in Bismarck

After three cold and rainy nights with no, or minimal, hookups, I decided that I was ready for a full-service campground.  I’m somewhat schizophrenic when it comes to selecting campgrounds.  My usual preference is parks in beautiful, natural settings, not private campgrounds with closely-spaced RV sites.  However, those private parks are sometimes exactly where I want to be.  Particularly when it’s rainy and cold, I want full hookups and nice showers.  Also, if we’re going to stay somewhere for three nights or longer, full hookups are nice so we don’t have to drive somewhere to dump and refill the fresh water tank.  Full hookups can be worth the extra money just for the convenience.

We had read about the Bismarck KOA, which looked nice, and it was.  The park has lots of mature trees, and it’s close to everything we wanted to visit in Bismarck.  When we arrived on October 1, we asked for a full hookup site and paid for three nights.  The other advantage of many private parks is the availability of a laundry.  When it’s time to do laundry, I look for a private park so I won’t have to find a laundromat.  That’s an important convenience factor for me.

We really enjoyed our stay at the KOA.  Our site contained several apple trees, and we could pick all we wanted.  Robins and squirrels were feasting on the apples on the ground, providing quite the entertainment for Kitty.  After just one day, we decided to extend our stay to five nights.  Bismarck would be a perfect place to catch up on errands, do a little touring and relax a bit.  Besides, we had great Wi-Fi here, as well as multiple TV stations for Tim.

  

An Apple a Day . . . 

So Many Critters to Entertain Me

What Are Those Birds Eating?

Although the weather wasn’t the greatest – it was still rainy, cold and windy – we did venture out.  We stopped at a Subaru dealer to replace one of the headlights and then continued to Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park.  I wasn’t sure what to expect, since the park’s main claim-to-fame seemed to be the Custer House.  General George Armstrong Custer was living at the fort when he left for the ill-fated Battle of the Little Bighorn.  I’m not a fan of Custer and really had no interest in visiting his house.  However, the fort was much more than Custer’s house.

The most fascinating part for us was the On-A-Slant Village, a 400-year-old Mandan village that thrived for 200 years.  The Civilian Conservation Corps reconstructed six of the original earthlodges, which reminded us of the one at Knife River Indian Villages National Historic site.  We were able to visit the interior of the ceremonial lodge, and Tim was particularly impressed with the quality of the ongoing upkeep of the floor and walls.  It appears that the village remains a sacred site to the Mandan.

On-A-Slant Village

Earthlodges Reconstructed by the CCC

Interior of the Ceremonial Earthlodge

View from the Entrance of the Earthlodge

I even enjoyed exploring the remains of Fort Abraham Lincoln and walking by the reconstructed Custer House.  I wasn’t too upset, however, that the house was closed.  The foundations of the houses on Officers’ Row, as well as several other buildings, were also visible, reminding us of the layout of several other forts we had visited.

Fort Abraham Lincoln

Custer House

On Sunday we spent the afternoon at the North Dakota Heritage Center.  The museum is completing a major expansion, but two of the new galleries were already open.  The Adaptation Gallery: Geologic Time traces the story of early North Dakota life and geology, featuring life-sized skeleton casts of several dinosaurs, including the ancestor of today's bison.  The Innovation Gallery: Early Peoples focuses on the arrival of the first people to inhabit North Dakota and features artifacts that tell the story of early life on the Northern Plains.

That Was a Mighty Large Bison

Tipi in the Early Peoples Gallery

Tim and I were impressed with both galleries and their exhibits.  I especially enjoyed making connections between the exhibits and several of the historic sites that we had visited during the last few weeks.  

The center is located next to the North Dakota State Capitol, a 19-story Art Deco tower often called the Skyscraper of the Prairies.  Unfortunately, the interior was not open, but we were able to walk around the grounds.

Skyscraper of the Prairies

When our Monday departure date arrived, we decided over breakfast that we really weren’t ready to leave.  Maybe we were being lazy, or maybe it was the weather, but we really didn’t care.  How nice it was to have the flexibility to change our minds.  We had the same reaction the following morning.  Just one more day seemed the way to go.  Our original three-night stay morphed into seven nights.

Just what did we do with our extra two days?  I worked on updating the blog, which was woefully behind (and still is – but, I’m almost caught up!).  It felt very satisfying to add several more posts and reflect back on our journey so far.

We also searched for a copy of Ken Burns’ “Lewis and Clark” DVD.  Ever since we decided to follow the Missouri River and the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, I had been looking for the DVD.  I had so enjoyed Burns’ recent series “The Roosevelts” and wanted to see his perspective on the Corps of Discovery.  The DVD, however, was nowhere to be found.  The gift shop at Fort Union Trading Post sold its last copy before I made the decision to purchase a copy, and the North Dakota Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center had also sold out of their copies.  We looked for a copy in Bismarck to no avail.

So, as an alternative, I asked Tim to download the audio book for “Undaunted Courage,” the classic volume on Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery.  This would be my first audio book, and I thought it would be a great option for our driving days.  Besides, I’m not sure I would have taken the time to read the book’s 521 pages.

We enjoyed our month-long stay in North Dakota, but it was time to move in a southerly direction.  Up next would be our home state of South Dakota.  Stay tuned.

On the Trail with Lewis and Clark

I’ve always been interested in Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery.  I remember the flurry of programs and exhibits that flourished during the bicentennial commemoration of 2003-2006 and even participated in several of them.  When Tim suggested that we follow the Missouri River on our way to warmer weather, I jumped at the idea.

Following at least a portion of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, which has been established by the National Park Service, seemed to provide a theme, or loose framework, for our journey southward.  I’m not a Lewis and Clark fanatic who has to stop at every site; however, I did look forward to learning more about the expedition, the various Indian tribes encountered and the Missouri River itself.

When Tim and I left the north unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, we followed the Sakakawea Trail, a North Dakota scenic byway, east toward the Missouri River.  Just a note – in North Dakota, the name of the Shoshone woman who traveled with Lewis and Clark is spelled Sakakawea, while elsewhere the spelling is typically Sacagawea.  The western part of the drive passes through rolling farmlands. Unfortunately, it was difficult to appreciate the scenery due to the heavy rain and fog.

The weather was so disagreeable that Tim and I decided to stop early. We found a small, city-owned campground in Hazen, where we stopped shortly after noon.  Alas, there was no room at the inn.  The lack of an open campsite, however, did not deter the wonderful camp host from finding a place for us to stay.  She knew there were few campground options in the area and went out of her way to accommodate us.  She directed us to pull into the parking area in front of the community center and ran a couple of extension cords to the RV.  It wasn’t 30 amps, but we could turn on our lights and, more importantly, plug in our little space heater.  We were warm and toasty, and very grateful to be off the road.  The clean showers and laundry were an added bonus.  There are definitely advantages to having a small RV.  We can fit almost anywhere.

A Port in the Storm

We drove into town for lunch and discovered a regional dish called a Fleishkuekla, a type of meat pie wrapped in dough and deep fried.  The dish was brought to the Dakotas by German-from-Russia immigrants. We ordered two to-go and tried them at dinner.  Let’s just say that we likely won’t order them again.

The weather was better the next morning, and we headed out to encounter Lewis and Clark.  In 1804 Lewis and Clark arrived at what is now Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site and encountered the Hidatsa who lived here.  It was also near here that the expedition met Sacagawea.

The Hidatsa, a Northern Plains Indian tribe, were primarily farmers who lived in earthlodge villages along the Missouri River and its tributaries.  Highlights of the park include a reconstructed earthlodge, as well as a trail that passes the archeological remains of two village sites.  Circles in the earth, or depressions, left by approximately 50 to 75 earthodges, are visible in the landscape.

Reconstructed Earthlodge at Knife River Indian Village National Historic Site

Interior of the Earthlodge

Interior of the Earthlodge

Depressions in the Ground

We crossed the Missouri River to visit the North Dakota Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, which provides an outstanding overview of the expedition.  The interactive displays focus on the preparation for the journey, as well as the journey itself.  One exhibit made me think that the journals kept by Lewis and Clark were forerunners of today’s blogs.  I know, however, that my blog will never even come close to the extensive notes recorded in those journals.

A New Member of the Corps of Discovery?

The Interpretive Center also maintains Fort Mandan, the encampment built by the Lewis and Clark expedition as their quarters for the winter of 1804-1805.  We toured the reconstructed fort with a very informative guide and learned how the explorers spent their days.  It was interesting to find out how much they relied on the Hidatsa and Mandan for corn, beans and squash, and for information about the upper reaches of the Missouri River.

Reconstructed Fort Mandan

Quarters of the Corps of Discovery

Quarters of Sacagawea

We don’t usually visit three different historic sites or museums in one day, but it seemed to make sense because of their proximity to one another, as well as their related themes.  With a bit of information-overload, we drove south on the scenic Lewis and Clark trail that runs along the Missouri River.  Our destination was Bismarck, North Dakota’s state capital.