Mount Rushmore, Deadwood, Sturgis, & Devils Tower
Day One - The Great American Eclipse - 2017
A day spent exploring some of America’s most iconic locations.
Map Credit: OpenStreetMap
1. Mount Rushmore #1
Dedicated in 1941, Mount Rushmore attracts over 3 million visitors annually.
When I was planning my trip to see the 2018 Great American Eclipse, I decided to take a few extra days to explore some prominent sites located only a few hours away from Rapid City, South Dakota. Naturally, Mount Rushmore was among them.
For all intents and purposes a tourist trap (in fact, it was conceived as one by a Black Hills historian by the name of Doane Robinson), Mount Rushmore remains a prominent symbol of the United States and Americana. Its resultant controversy adds to its mystique, with pundits having taken exception to its location on a mountain sacred to the Lakota Sioux, the individuals selected for depiction (or, in some cases, exclusion), and a general atmosphere of over-inflated American self-worth. Love it or hate it, I had to see it for myself.
Realizing there would be crowds later in the day, I tried to arrive at the opening time of the parking lot. Luckily, the weather participated and I had a cloud- and fog-free view at the site.
2. Mount Rushmore #2
Each president is 60 feet (18 meters) tall.
It is worth noting the monument was not completed to the vision of its designer, Gutzom Borglum, who originally wished to include not only each president’s head, but their torso, as well. But, after 14 years of work and Borglum’s death, it was decided the monument was “good enough,” and it was opened on 31 October 1941.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial features a .5 mile (800 meter) walking trail which gets you fairly close to the face of the mountain. Honestly, it wasn’t until I visited that I realized the monument has some cues from Borglum’s original design already incorporated (if only partially) - for example, George Washington’s coat has a lot more detail than I anticipated; also, what I always assumed was an incompletely removed block is -now rather obviously- the beginnings of Abraham Lincoln’s hand. So in this regard, visiting the site furthered my appreciation for the technical aspects of what Borglum was trying to accomplish….
3. Mount Rushmore #3
Despite dangerous conditions, not one of the 400 or so workers on Mount Rushmore died during its construction.
…However, looking at it from a strictly touristic point-of-view (again, remember it was envisioned as a tourist site), it is, admittedly, underwhelming. Luckily, the Black Hills area abounds with amazing sites, and there are plenty of consolation prizes if you thought your trip to Mount Rushmore didn’t live up to your expectations.
All of this being said, I can’t recommend against Mount Rushmore National Monument - it is America’s definitive statement to the world (and itself), and like any controversial piece of art you probably can’t formulate an absolute opinion about it until you visit it for yourself.
4. Deadwood #1
Deadwood became a gold rush boom town in 1876, the population of which swelled quickly to over 5,000.
After Mount Rushmore, I headed to Deadwood for a quick jaunt around this one-time boom town immortalized by the HBO show of the same name. I’ll concede the architecture in town is exceptionally well-preserved, but aside from that -and the moonshine available for sample at the Deadwood Distillery- this town didn’t hold much appeal for me. I’m sorry to say everything here is too hollow for my taste - and even the moonshine at the distillery is made in Tennessee….
5. Deadwood #2
…Come to think of it, I never did figure out if the distillery actually made its own brand of alcohol….
6. Deadwood #3
Walking down Deadwood’s main thoroughfare, you are presented with a never-ending variety of bars, casinos, and so-and-so-may-have-done-such-and-such-here-we-don’t-really-know-for-sure-records-are-spotty types of places. Way ahead of schedule, I called an audible and headed towards Sturgis to see if it lived up to its hype more than Deadwood and Mount Rushmore before it.
7. Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame #1
Sturgis is home to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which historically draws over 400,000 motorcycle enthusiasts to this small town in the first weeks of August.
I am not a motorcycle person, nor have I ever had any interest in attending Sturgis as an “observer,” but the town was tantalizingly close-by and I had time to take a quick peak. The town was deserted - the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally had just wrapped up, and the town was in a literal and figurative hangover. I did find the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame open, so I stuck my head in. On display was a Vincent Black Shadow, which even I knew was the fastest motorcycle of its time.
8. Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame #2
Lots of immaculately maintained motorcycles were on display. The docent of the museum mentioned many people loan their motorcycles to the museum between rallies, and that the vast majority of the museum pieces are in perfect condition.
9. Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame #3
A beautiful Indian motorcycle in the museum’s collection. If you have even a passing interest in motorcycles and have 30 minutes or so to kill, head down to the old Sturgis Post Office and check this museum out.
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10. The True Center of the Nation #1
The geographic center of the United States lies in a field on a farm north of the city of Belle Fourche, South Dakota.
Still a ways ahead of schedule, I called another audible and decided to head to the “Geographic Center of the United States,” or -as the sign on the property calls it, “The True Center of the Nation,” some 20 miles (30 kilometers) north of the city of Belle Fourche, South Dakota.
You may think “The True Center of the Nation” is a strange moniker, and you may also ask yourself, “As opposed to the false center of the nation?” As a matter of fact, yes! There are not one but two sites masquerading as the United States’ true center: the town of Lebanon, Kansas bills itself the “Center of America,” while the city of Belle Fourche itself refers to itself as the “Geographic Center of the Nation.”
Lebanon, Kansas, has a good excuse for its misguided notion - indeed, Lebanon was the geographic center of the U.S. until Alaska and Hawaii were admitted as states in 1959. So, for over 40 years it was the real deal.
Belle Fourche, on the other hand, is much more complicit in its deception - in the city’s center is a large visitors center with a giant monument which (from what I understand) implicates itself as being at the exact tipping point of the United States. And the site is well visited - both times I passed it to and from the “real” center, there were people gleefully smiling for photographs next to the monument! What a beautiful hustle!
Indeed, the “true” center of the United States lies on a farm about 30 minutes north of Belle Fourche. No fanfare. No admission. No souvenirs. Just a hand-painted sign, a rusty fence gate, a dirt path, and a wooden cross (for some reason).
11. The True Center of the Nation #2
The marker lies on private property, and I have considered that Belle Fourche may be doing the owner of this farm a favor by luring tourists away. I may never know for sure. What I do know is that since the owner does not 1) charge a fee for admission, or 2) call the police for trespassing, they must be a pretty stand-up person.
12. The True Center of the Nation #3
And here it is, the one-off USGS marker which, without any real fanfare, is simply marked, “CENTER.”
13. The True Center of the Nation #4
As compared to the visitors center in Belle Fourche, or other geographical oddities, such as the Four Corners Monument, nothing too flashy here - just a slightly-worn American flag.
14. The True Center of the Nation #5
Making my way back to the car, it occurred to me just how desolate a place this was. Americans from the coastal regions of the United States pejoratively refer to this part of the country as the “Fly-Over States,” since you can have hundreds of miles of arrow-straight roads through scenery nearly identical to this. But I find solace in such places. And, to a certain extent, I think of them as quintessentially American places.
15. The True Center of the Nation #6
16. The True Center of the Nation #7
17. Devils Tower #1
Devils Tower was the United States’ first National Monument, declared by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906. The missing apostrophe in the name -a clerical error- was part of the official proclamation and never corrected; as such, the name endures to this day.
Devils Tower is one of America’s sites I had most been looking forward to seeing. I certainly was not disappointed: there is something fantastic about first seeing this butte -all by its lonesome- jutting out from the nearby plains.
18. Devils Tower #2
Devils Tower is not a volcano - rather, it was an igneous intrusion made into softer rock which was eroded way over millions of years, leaving the hardened tower of rock behind.
Admittedly, there isn’t a whole lot to do at Devils Tower aside from looking up. The 1.3-mile (2-kilometer) Tower Trail gives you access to all 360-degrees of the butte, and takes no more than an hour to walk.
19. Devils Tower #3
The summit of Devils Tower is roughly the area of a football field.
The views from the Tower Trail are pretty impressive, and even casual shutterbugs will want to bring a camera along.
20. Devils Tower #4
Devils Tower is considered sacred to local American Indian tribes, and -as such- there is a prohibition on climbing in June, when many native groups hold religious ceremonies at the site.
Climbing the tower is a popular activity, and, as I rounded the backside of the laccolith, I noticed a small group of folks looking up at the butte with a pair of binoculars. Intrigued, I asked what they were looking at. They responded that a family member was climbing Devils Tower and was about halfway up. Remembering I had a telephoto lens, I asked, “How would you like a photograph?” That morning, I had considered removing the 4.3-pound (2-kilogram) lens from my day bag calculating I would not need such a large lens - I’m certain this family was glad I didn’t.
21. Devils Tower #5
After hiking the Tower Trail, I decided to scout some potential locations for night photography. Pulling off the main road in the northwest part of the park, I discovered the perfect location.
22. Devils Tower #6
On the way back to the entrance of the park, we stopped quickly at Prairie Dog Town.
23. Devils Tower #7
24. Devils Tower #8
25. Devils Tower #9
Near the checkpoint for Devils Tower National Monument is the Devils Tower Trading Post, behind which is a westward-facing picnic area perfect for taking sunset photos of the tower. We asked permission to be back there (even after buying a couple of snacks and drinks), and I would encourage you to do likewise, but the management is exceptionally accommodating and they even let us stay after shutting down for the evening.
After checking out sunset, we decided to head into the nearby town of Hulett to grab dinner before heading back to do some night photography. Much to our surprise, most all of the restaurants had been long shuttered for the evening - odd considering it was near the peak of the tourist season and Hulett is the primary lodging for the majority of Devils Tower visitors. Anyway, we did manage to find the Hitchin Post Cafe willing to take our order despite being a few minutes away from closing themselves. For this, we were exceptionally grateful.
26. Devils Tower #10
As you can see when compared to above, a rather large storm had rolled in just east of Devils Tower in the two hours between sunset and when we returned to the overlook. Undeterred, I tried to get some photographs (hoping the lightning gods would ignore my aluminum tripod); while the results were not fantastic from a technical point of view, they were nonetheless very interesting! After a couple of hours, I determined the stars were not going to reappear, and I headed back to Rapid City for the evening.
Photographer’s Comment: There were a lot of factors which complicated this shoot. The primary factor was the clouds, which were moving far too quickly over the course of 20-seconds. The wind also complicated matters, as it blur the background ever-so-slightly as it would gently move my tripod side to side. Lastly, the lack of a quality celestial focus point resulted in some out-of-focus stars. While the finished products were not fantastic, shooting Devils Tower in a thunderstorm was an experience I won’t soon forget…and regardless resulted in a canvas print of the second image which proudly hangs in my living room.
