South Dakota Books

This was a Christmas Present to my boyfriend's parents, who grew up in this city. The 2 best things about this book is the accuracy and that her sister was in 1 of the pictures!

A city's history is largely known through its buildings, and this is a fantastic little book of archival pictures of Sioux Falls buildings and the stories behind them.

Did you know that the Davenport Evans building was one of the first hospitals in Sioux Falls? Did you know that the eagle statue on the corner of Ninth and Phillips used to sit atop the old First National Bank building on that block?

There's a chapter for each major type of structure: schools, churches, government buildings, etc. Each chapter has a short introduction, followed by page after page of historic pictures, each with a short paragraph of description.

The book isn't burdened by pages and pages of text. Each chapter took me about 10 minutes of pleasant browsing and page flipping.

Dr. Odland has done a fantastic job of capturing the architectural and structural history of this city in pictures. This book has been the source of at least a dozen, "I had no idea..." moments for me, followed by field trips to find the buildings in the pictures.

While this book is listed as a childs book, it is also interesting for an adult, just a good all around book on South Dakota.

If you were expecting to find Mount Rushmore looking out at you from the cover of this volume of the America the Beautiful, Second Series devoted to South Dakota you were close, but there is a shot of the Badlands instead. However on the back cover there is a shot of the Mitchell Corn Palace to help put things into perspective. I play an Internet game that tests your knowledge on everything under the sun and several times I have come across a series of questions where you have to identify if something is from South Dakota, North Dakota or neither, and I feel 50 percent more qualified to tackle that section now that I have read Donna Walsh Shepherd's book. Her first chapter, "A Blessed Land," admits that "Home on the Range" is a song about South Dakota and covers everything everybody already knows about the state, which is an implicit promise to get beyond those items and cover much more.

Three chapters are devoted to the history of South Dakota, beginning with Chapter Two, "The Olden Days," which begins with the dinosaurs, covers the first European settlers arriving after the Louisiana Purchase, and ends with gold being discovered in the Black Hills. Chapter Three, "From Sioux Wars to Statehood," starts with the Battle of the Little Big Horn, Wounded Knee, and the founding of Deadwood, and ends with the story of why it is we think South Dakota is the fortieth state admitted to the Union, but are not really sure (it was admitted at the same time as North Dakota). Chapter Four, "The Century Turns," begins with the carving of Mount Rushmore and ends with a new battle for the Black Hills.

South Dakota is presented as a "Land of Infinite Variety" in Chapter Five, and notes the state is half way between the North Pole and the equator and halfway between Asia and Europe (ergo, the middle of everywhere). Tourists will find Chapter Six, "Traveling South Dakota," especially useful as it covers what there is to see in each section of the state. The politics of South Dakota is covered in Chapter Seven, "The Shape of Government," where lists all the state symbols from state flower (American pasqueflower) and state bird (ring-necked pheasant) to state fossil (triceratops) and state drink (milk).

The state's economy is the subject of Chapter Eight, which looks at "Cattle, Corn, and Computers." This is also the chapter with the recipe for this book and this time we learn how to make Deviled Walleye Fillets. Chapter Nine, "An Alliance of Friends," explains who are the South Dakotans and covers the educational system. Finally, Chapter Ten, "Having Fun, South Dakota, Style," looks at everything from hiking trails and Black Hills jewelry to famous sons of the state such as news anchor Tom Brokaw and artist Oscar Howe.

The back of the book includes a Timeline of U.S. and South Dakota state history, shown in parallel columns, and several pages of Fast Facts with key statistics. There are also lists of books, organizations and Internet sites where young students can go To Find Out More. This book has plenty of photographs and original maps, and lots of informative sidebars on interesting people (e.g., Sacagawea and Senator Tom Daschle), places (e.g., Badlands National Park, and the Wall Drugstore), and things (e.g., a plague of locusts and why farm prices rise and fall). As promised, albeit implicitly, Shepherd certainly expands our knowledge about the state of South Dakota.

DeLorme has done it again! Stellar mapping and attention to detail make this a grand publication. Two thumbs up!

I've used Delorme atlases without any problem on my excursions through other states, so I bought the South Dakota atlas last summer before my trip last September. As usual, everything in the atlas is clear and easy to read. My trip took me all across the state of South Dakota, including travel on many back roads. Not once did I wonder where I was or feel I was lost. These atlases are remarkable for their accuracy, and they have another winner with this one. Whether you've visiting the Black Hills, heading to Pierre, or want to get to Watertown, you can use any road confidently with this atlas. Highly recommended if you want to see any part of the state off I-90 or I-29!

This book opened my eyes to the diversity of people who bike out to Sturgis every year. I'm not a biker, so the readings gave me the opportunity to learn a little more about the experience itself.

This book was written by a good friend of mine and I must say he did a great job. Thanks Tom

This is a cool book. The author captures through pictures and words what it means to participate in the Sturgis Rally. Through more than 25 stories, the author introduces the reader to the many folks drawn to Sturgis; to the diversity of the rally goers; to their bikes; to the stories they share; and to the freedom that brings them together.

Through each story I learned a bit more about what leads people, from all walks of life, to gather and celebrate true freedom. The book includes stories from people with names like Mad Max, Papa Smurf, Boodan and Joker but also tells the story more average riders like Ron and Sharon. I like the way the stories drew me into the life of each rider, the way it included young and old, men and women, and all variety of bikes.

The book is as engaging to look at as it is to read. I gave a copy of the book as a gift to my Harley friend and he loved it.

They survive the common enemies of wind and weather, blizzard and drought; only to find that they "have met the enemy and he is us." In the end, Catholic and Lutheran, Bryan and McKinley men, will sooner fall back on their prejudices than work to solve the common problems. Thus will it be for decades out on the plains and prairies. We're left to guess whether Peder Victorious will acheive either happiness or success, he's been quite wisely told he will not have both. The dream of Per Hansa really dies with the death of Beret, who never seemed to know how strong she was. Let these books be her memorial.

This series should be a must read. I only wish there were more books in the series. Easy characters to get to know and you only want to know more. Start with Giants in the Earth, Peter Victourious, then Their Father's God. Awesome reading!

Thrashin' Time is an undeservedly unremarked slice of Americana posing as a children's book. Chronicling the advent of steam thrashers in North Dakota circa 1886 from the perspective of a 12-year-old boy, this story will delight all model railroaders and live steam operators with its scrupulously researched description of steam tractor ops, along with the pen-and-ink illustrations that range from superb to dazzling. It is a deft exercise in regional writing. It is a food book: the descriptions of the collective meals prepared for the wheat harvesters are worthy of Faulkner. In the end, it is a vivid illustration of American life before automobiles, suburbia, and television, when a day in school was a restful privilege compared to the real demands in the life of the young. Do not get this book figuring to read it aloud to young ears. It's pitched at least at the middle school level.

My 8-year-old son is a machine maniac, and he loved his story of a boy in 1912 helping to harvest wheat in North Dakota by learning to run a steam engine. Lots of info and great drawings of the steam tractor and thresher, plus fanscinating details about life on the prairie. Mom enjoyed it too, and often had a tear in her eye.

Badlands National Park is nearly a quarter of a million acres - 25% of federally designated wilderness and 50% of it on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, making 75% of it completely undeveloped. This map will help you safely explore the park - both on and off-road. Remember - no pets in the backcountry. Make sure someone knows where you're going if you plan on spending nights camping out.

This is one of the better maps produced by Trails Illustrated. T. I. has dispensed with the atmospheric colorizing overwash used in some earlier maps in the series, leaving us with a map that is easier to read. Important in an area where you need to be VERY precise about the lay of the land. Elevation change here is not great, but abrupt and hard to predict. Instincts and expectations that have worked elsewhere might not work here. Use a compass. (If you use one of those GPS devices, make sure it doesn't beep. Bugs the buffalo and old-timers like me.)
Both the older "Badlands Nat'l Monument" area in the north and the less-visited southern additions co-managed with the Pine Ridge Indian reservation are included on the two sides of this tear-resistant map (using some sort of plasticized material that has fortunately become common in maps in the last years).
If the Badlands fascinate you, you'll be tempted to charge off cross-country, as there aren't many maintained trails away from the visitor center at Interior. Don't go far without this map or a USGS topo. (Or your beeping gizmo.)
If you don't want to deal with secondary sellers off Amazon, you may want to contact the Badlands Natural History Association in Interior SD. They carry the map and are pleasant to deal with.

Just came back from the Black Hills. First trip there for fly fishing. Having Kinsella's book was the next best thing to having a living guide sitting next to me while I was driving through the hills/mts.

If your heading West to do some flyishing, do yourself a favor get this very detailed book and spend a few days fishing in total solitude. Browns, Rainbows and Brook trout, the hills have all of them and this book will tell you how and where to catch them. A great find!

This book is set up for use by people hoping to learn how to speak Dakota. This makes it a step above many texts out there written for linguists. Its focus on verbs and verb tenses because this is a very vital part of the Dakota language and diffcult to find the correct form in the older dictionaries. This focus means it is a more advanced book for people with other sources or books covering the basics of the langauge, but it is still very useful for beginners(like me). I have found this book to be very useful in learning the spoken langauge. That is what the purpose of this book is, to aid in learning the spoken langauge. The nicest feature is that not only does it have 550 different verbs and their tenses, it also has them translated from english to dakota and dakota to english. Don't get me wrong it is invaluable for the more linquistily inclined as well. The older dictionaries are hard to navigate and find these verbs and find the conjugated forms as you need them. I hope more come out like it in the future. There are very few like it for the D-speakers at the moment. Books like this are a step towards books helping the spoken language thrive by being understandable by people without linguistic degrees.

Starley Talbott's Along the Grapevine Trail is a delightful and informative book. As a northern California transplant now living in northern Colorado, I had no idea that there were vineyards and wineries in the Northern Great Plains. How is this possible? This is a very harsh climate. I learned that the most popular cold-weather grape, the Frontenac, was introduced in 1996 and it is hardy to -30° Fahrenheit!

No less than twenty-five vineyards and wineries are profiled. Each profile includes unique information about the operation. Talbott has certainly done her homework. In addition to viticultural and vinicultural details, readers are treated to local history, geography, and even geology. There is a lot of history because many of the locations fall along the Pony Express, Oregon, California, and Mormon trails. The author provides lovely color photographs for each location.

Along the Grapevine Trail includes maps, an appendix that lists contact information for 85 vineyards and wineries in the three states, a glossary of terms, a bibliography, and a very helpful index. The book is printed on coated paper and the photographs are in color. It will easily fit in the glove compartment of your car.

All in all, this book provides a fascinating perspective on a new wine region. The Napa Valley has its Silverado Trial, the Spey Valley in Scotland has its Whisky Trail, now the Northern Plains has its Grapevine Trail. I look forward to exploring the Grapevine Trail with this book in hand.