June 29, 2014
After hitting the Corn Palace the night before, Sunday promised to be a day of seeing almost everything else famous in South Dakota. From the glorious Badlands to the Wild West of Deadwood, we planned to see it all in 12 frenetic hours. But first, we needed to contemplate one of the greatest of North American rivers, the Missouri.
Recreating the famous 1804 Lewis & Clark photo-op on the banks of the Missouri River
As we left our Super 8 Motel in Chamberlain, we crossed the Missouri, which incidentally is the longest river in North America. And by adding the Mississippi River, the two become the fourth longest river system in the world - only behind the Nile, Amazon, and of course the Yangtze. Isn't that a fun fact?
As we arrived on the west bank of the Missouri and the little town of Oacoma, we reached the spot at which Lewis and Clark and their pal Al camped at on September 17, 1804. Al really didn't want to go all the way to the Pacific with Captain Lewis and Second Lieutenant Clark because he was more of a trader and less of an explorer. So as the expedition continued up the river, Al stayed behind and set up a little trading post that he dubbed Al's Oasis.
As we arrived on the west bank of the Missouri and the little town of Oacoma, we reached the spot at which Lewis and Clark and their pal Al camped at on September 17, 1804. Al really didn't want to go all the way to the Pacific with Captain Lewis and Second Lieutenant Clark because he was more of a trader and less of an explorer. So as the expedition continued up the river, Al stayed behind and set up a little trading post that he dubbed Al's Oasis.
Can't seem to find the main entrance
Today, the "oasis" consists of a large restaurant, a supermarket, and an obligatory western apparel shop.
Most importantly, Al had managed to preserve the exact spot on which Captain Lewis proclaimed "This hereby locale is where the west begins." The good captain's declaration thereby sparked a 200 year controversy between St. Louis and Oacoma as to where the west really began. St. Louis attempted to settle the dispute in 1965 by constructing the colossus Gateway Arch.
Most importantly, Al had managed to preserve the exact spot on which Captain Lewis proclaimed "This hereby locale is where the west begins." The good captain's declaration thereby sparked a 200 year controversy between St. Louis and Oacoma as to where the west really began. St. Louis attempted to settle the dispute in 1965 by constructing the colossus Gateway Arch.
At the Arch's dedication, St. Louis mayor Alfonso Juan Cervantes taunted Oacoma's mayor, who was attempting to crash the dedication ceremony, by proclaiming "I don't want to talk to you no more, you empty-headed animal food trough wiper! I fart in your general direction! Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!"
Two centuries of rancorous controversy between Oacoma and St. Louis continue
About an hour west of Al's Oasis, we reached our first destination of the day, the Prairie Homestead, located outside of the entrance to the Badlands National Park. One of the last remaining homes on the prairie built with dirt, the house was constructed with sod bricks and a grass roof. Wikipedia says that the home was built in 1909 by Ed Brown and his wife. Apparently, Mr. Brown's spouse was a nameless poor sod.
The Browns took advantage of the federal government's Homestead Act that allowed people to gain ownership of 160 acres of land if they agreed to "improve" and live on the land for at least five years. The area near the Badlands was one of the last parts of South Dakota to be homesteaded.
The so-called "improvement" of the land led to land erosion and the Dust Bowl of the 1930s inspiring Mr. Brown's nameless wife to sing
Devastated by disaster, the Browns packed up their truck and headed west to California, leaving only the prairie dogs and goats behind. We were greeted by the descendants of these friendly critters.
Not wanting to look like tourists, we had brought appropriate sod-era clothing for our visit. For unknown reasons, Nastassja refused to go along with this plan and asked us to walk 20 feet in front of her so no one would think we were related to her.
The Browns took advantage of the federal government's Homestead Act that allowed people to gain ownership of 160 acres of land if they agreed to "improve" and live on the land for at least five years. The area near the Badlands was one of the last parts of South Dakota to be homesteaded.
The so-called "improvement" of the land led to land erosion and the Dust Bowl of the 1930s inspiring Mr. Brown's nameless wife to sing
I close my eyes only for a moment, and the moment's goneduring the famous April 14, 1935 Black Sunday dust storm that blew away all of the topsoil on the Brown's homestead.
All my dreams pass before my eyes, a curiosity
Dust in the wind, all they are is dust in the wind
Devastated by disaster, the Browns packed up their truck and headed west to California, leaving only the prairie dogs and goats behind. We were greeted by the descendants of these friendly critters.
Not wanting to look like tourists, we had brought appropriate sod-era clothing for our visit. For unknown reasons, Nastassja refused to go along with this plan and asked us to walk 20 feet in front of her so no one would think we were related to her.
Early photo of Mr. Brown, his nameless wife, and their daughter
Don't be deceived, behind the beautiful wooden exterior lies lots of dirt
Homestead Gothic
In addition to the original dirt home, the site has a modern visitor center and gift shop. Unfortunately, the restrooms facilities were not up to 21st Century standards and left little privacy. Because reading material is scare on the prairie, locals were apt to join you on the two-seater toilet.
"Say Ed, what ya readin' there?"
The Homestead life was a rough life indeed
You can't use amazon.com for toilet paper
We said good-bye to the prairie dogs and goats and entered Badlands National Park, which was just 1/2 mile away.
