The Black Hills Travel Blog

Archives for the ‘Culture’ Category

Ziolkowski’s other Black Hills sculpture

By Joe • Dec 23rd, 2009 • Category: Culture

Most people who are familiar with the Black Hills have seen – or at the very least – heard of Crazy Horse Memorial, near Custer. The memorial is a work in progress and once finished, will be the largest sculpture in the world.
Crazy Horse Memorial was created by sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski, who died in 1982. …



Old barn gets new recognition

By Dan • Dec 18th, 2009 • Category: Culture

A little corner of Black Hills history got some recognition recently. The 80-year-old barn at the State Soldiers Home in Hot Springs — one of South Dakota’s great historic towns — has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The barn sits on the western edge of the Michael J. Fitzmaurice South Dakota Veterans …



Bison Roundup yields fine art

By Dan • Dec 17th, 2009 • Category: Culture

Bob Willis, a Fort Collins-based photographer and travel writer, has a pretty incredible portfolio. His photos have appeared in a number of travel guides, national magazines, metro newspapers and fine art galleries. His work has taken him to Kenya, Thailand and across the United States.
Now, one of Bob’s images from the Custer State Park Buffalo …



Lakota Nation Invitational

By Joe • Dec 17th, 2009 • Category: Culture

It may very well be the most competitive high school basketball tournament in the country, but most people have never even heard of the Lakota Nation Invitational, or LNI as it’s more commonly called.
Originally started in Pine Ridge, as strictly a ball tournament for American Indian high school boys, LNI is now in its 33rd …



Mannheim Meets the Mountain

By Joe • Dec 12th, 2009 • Category: Culture

Mannheim Steamroller – the classically trained, rock-loving musicians paired up with Crazy Horse Memorial, near Custer? My first impression – it sounds like an odd couple.
But the folks down at the memorial have cooked up a creative new event for this holiday season that promises to combine the two into something really unique.
The creator and …



Hitchcock’s ‘expedient exaggeration’

By Dan • Dec 11th, 2009 • Category: Culture

The other day I posted a story about the 50th anniversary DVD edition of “North by Northwest,” Alfred Hitchcock’s classic movie.
In reading about how the movie was made, I saw conflicting reports about whether any scenes were actually filmed on top of Mount Rushmore National Memorial.
Yesterday I went hunting, and found the definitive story about …



‘North by Northwest’ still worth watching

By Dan • Dec 9th, 2009 • Category: Culture

Of all the films made in the Black Hills, Alfred Hitchcock’s “North by Northwest” really put South Dakota on the cinematic map.



Full Throttle Saloon on truTV

By Joe • Dec 9th, 2009 • Category: Culture

The name “Sturgis” conjures up different images for different people. Harleys as far as the eye can see, crazy concerts, camping, a week-long escape from reality. Everybody imagines the Sturgis motorcycle rally differently – it’s something that has to be seen to be believed.
Recently, Michael Ballard, owner of the Full Throttle Saloon, just east of …



December free day at Journey Museum

By Joe • Dec 3rd, 2009 • Category: Culture

The Journey Museum will be hosting an afternoon of free admission on Sunday, December 13th from 1 to 5 p.m.
On the 13th, in exchange for the afternoon of free admission to the museum, the staff is asking all visitors to bring a few non-perishable food items to donate to the KOTA Care & Share food. …



Thanksgiving thoughts

By Joe • Nov 25th, 2009 • Category: Culture

Today I was packing for some upcoming Thanksgiving travel and my mind started to wander. My train of thought jumped around from “here comes Thanksgiving” to “turkey dinner sounds so good” to “there are so many turkeys in the Black Hills” to “what’s the story of those goofy-looking birds?”
So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I …