National Parks and Historic Sites in South Dakota

Following are the National Parks, Seashores, Monuments, Battlefields, and Historic Sites in South Dakota. Source: U.S. National Parks Service BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK Common milkweed in bloom Category:  National Park Address: 25216 Ben Reifel Road P.O. Box 6 Interior, SD  57750 Web Site:  http://www.nps.gov/badl/ Containing the world's richest Oligocene epoch fossil beds, dating 37-28 million years old, the evolutionary stories of mammals such as the horse and rhinoceros arise from the 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, and spires. Bison, bighorn sheep, endangered black-footed ferrets, and swift fox roam one of the largest, protected mixed-grass prairies in the United States. JEWEL CAVE NATIONAL MONUMENT Calcite spar crystals/NPS file photo Category:  National Monument Address: 11149 U.S. Highway 16 Building B12 Custer, SD  57730 Web Site:  http://www.nps.gov/jeca/ At 146 miles, Jewel Cave is the second longest cave in the world. It is filled with calcite crystals and other wonders that make up the "jewels" of Jewel Cave National Monument.The current length of Jewel Cave is:146.81 miles.On October 10-11, 2009 two teams of cavers discovered 850 feet of cave passages.Check here frequently to keep up-to-date! MINUTEMAN MISSILE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE Minuteman II missile on display at Launch Facility Delta-09 Category:  National Historic Site Address: 21280 SD Hwy 240 Philip, SD  57567 Web Site:  http://www.nps.gov/mimi/ The Cold War lives on at Minuteman Missile NHS! Minuteman missiles held the power to destroy civilization. Yet the same destructive force acted as a nuclear deterrent which kept the peace for three decades. At Minuteman Missile it is possible to learn how nuclear war came to haunt the world. MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL Full view of Mount Rushmore Category:  National Memorial Address: Mount Rushmore National Memorial 13000 Hwy 244 Bldg 31 Suite 1 Keystone, SD  57751 Web Site:  http://www.nps.gov/moru/ "A monument's dimensions should be determined by the importance to civilization of the events commemorated. We are not here trying to carve an epic, portray a moonlight scene, or write a sonnet; neither are we dealing with mystery or tragedy, but rather the constructive and dramatic moments or crises in our amazing history." Gutzon BorglumWashington, Jefferson, T. Roosevelt, Lincoln WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK Cave Tour in the Elk's Room Category:  National Park Address: Wind Cave National Park 26611 U.S. Highway 385 Hot Springs, SD  57747 Web Site:  http://www.nps.gov/wica/ One of the world's longest and most complex caves and 28,295 acres of mixed-grass prairie, ponderosa pine forest, and associated wildlife are the main features of the park. The cave is well known for its outstanding display of boxwork, an unusual cave formation composed of thin calcite fins resembling honeycombs. The park's mixed-grass prairie is one of the few remaining and is home to native wildlife such as bison, elk, pronghorn, mule deer, coyotes, and prairie dogs. Source: U.S. National Parks Service