This is a pretty cool little town to visit.

They have dinosaurs.  6 life sized concrete dinosaurs roam a city park on a ridge high above downtown.  They are the product of at 1930s Works Project and have been carefully maintained.  You can see them standing watch over the city as you enter from the North, you can go wander among them, and yes, even climb on them.

They have presidents.  Life size bronze statues greet you at every downtown corner.  There are 42 of them (they get a statue once they are a past president) and they are amazingly detailed.   Attire, pose, and props all serve to tell the greater story of each man.

They have a Norwegian Chapel.

Well actually it is a replica, from the pegged construction to the ornate carvings, of an 850 year old Church in Norway.  With a close-up look, the construction and handwork are amazing.  With a deep breath and a moment of silent presence, I’d have to say that they achieved their overarching goal, to connect those who enter with the loftiness of Faith.

A small Black Hills log house houses a museum packed with mostly everyday items seen in homes of early settlers.  Most unique to me was a yeast ring, a wreathlike wall hanging made of interlocked pieces that had been dipped in yeast and dried then stored as part of this wreath until the yeast was needed for bread.   Fantastically ornate carved spoons and needlework rest beside simple wooden shovels and chairs made from hollowed out tree trunks.

They have lots of local artists.

There is a gigantic studio filled with First Nations’ Peoples work carrying powerful messages of mans’ connection to nature.  A huge work-in progress sculpture garden fills the Main Street square and we watched them cutting and polishing to bring images of the Black Hills out of great slabs of SD granite.  Artisans create Black Hills Gold jewelry and pottery accented with the subtle tracings of Bison hair.

They have airplanes.

Just outside the main gates of Ellsworth Air force Base is the SD Air and Space Museum.  They have a great collection of aircraft both indoors and outdoors.  A display provides a very detail account of the Minuteman missile story.  It is big here; there are silos all around this part of the country.  Exhibits also include flight training and simulator cockpits, full chronological accounts of the Korean and Vietnam Wars, flight suits, emergency gear, and a tribute to the many who have served based here out of Ellsworth.  It is a great “proud to be an American” stop.