The Sioux Take Over
Native American tribes were the first inhabitants of what was to become South Dakota. In 1700 the Arikara and the Cheyenne were the major tribes living there. Then the Sioux migrated from the northwest and began to push the other tribes out. Over the next hundred years, the Sioux became the dominant tribe of the northern Great Plains. They lived in tepee villages and followed the moving herds of buffalo.
Era of Exploration
Two French Canadian brothers, François and Louis-Joseph La Vérendrye, were the first Europeans to reach South Dakota, in 1743. The area stayed under French control until 1803, when the French sold South Dakota to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase. The next year, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark traveled up the Missouri River through South Dakota. They explored the new territory and reported on their discoveries.
Pioneers Move In
Not many white settlers lived in South Dakota until the 1850s, when they began moving into the rich farmland of the east. Because there weren't a lot of trees around, many settlers built homes called soddies with blocks of prairie grass and dirt. When the railroad reached the area in 1873, it became even easier for people to move there. Towns and villages sprang up al over the region. By 1889, South Dakota had enough people to become a state.
Red Cloud's War
The arrival of the settlers was not good news for the Sioux. Now they had to compete for land. When gold was discovered in Montana, the government began building a trail that cut through Sioux land. Red Cloud, the chief of the Oglala Sioux, led attacks on the soldiers who protected the trail builders. This was called Red Cloud's War. Red Cloud won and the government agreed to stop the trail's construction. They also promised that the Sioux could have the entire Black Hills region.
Black Hills Gold
The government did not keep its promise for very long. Miners flooded into the Black Hills when gold was discovered there in 1874. The army tried to keep the miners off of the Sioux lands at first, but this became too difficult. Then gold-mining towns, like Deadwood and Lead, were built.
The Sioux had to fight to keep the land they considered sacred. Sioux leaders, like Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, attacked the mining camps. They also defeated U.S. troops in the Battle of the Little Bighorn in Montana and other battles. Eventually, however, the Sioux were forced onto reservations (land set aside by the government for Native Americans to live on).
Wounded Knee
In 1890, the government was afraid that the Sioux would fight again, so they decided to arrest Sitting Bull in the hope of preventing a possible rebellion. But Sitting Bull was killed during the attempted arrest. The army soon captured Sitting Bull's followers and took them to Wounded Knee Creek. On the morning of December 29th, a shot was heard, and the soldiers opened fire on the captives. Twenty-five soldiers and close to 200 Sioux men, women, and children were killed in the tragic Wounded Knee Massacre.
The 20th Century
As in the past, South Dakota's weather played a big role in the state's history during the 20th century. Severe drought hit South Dakota farmers hard in 1910 and 1911, causing crops to fail and forcing many to leave the state for good. Even worse, during the 1930s, conditions were so dry that the Midwest earned the nickname the Dust Bowl. Huge dust storms blew away the topsoil needed to grow crops.
Many families lost everything. South Dakotans have also had to endure other kinds of severe weather. Flooding killed 238 residents of Rapid City in 1972, when heavy rain caused a dam to break. Droughts, flooding, blizzards, and tornadoes have all made their mark on South Dakota's history. By preparing for these natural disasters as best they can, the state's residents hope to reduce the damage that severe weather can bring.
Many other things other than weather had made their mark in South Dakota's history in the 20th century. Gutzon Borglum sculpts the Mount Rushmore National Monument from 1927 - 1941. In 1980 the U.S. Supreme Court awards more than $100 million to the Sioux Nation as payment for the U.S. government illegally taking the Black Hills.
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