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Pilgrimage for the Soul
... Lake.
The pilgrimage’s mission was accomplished. I had never been so glad to be alive.
***
In November, temperatures plunged. I knew I had only a short amount of time left to explore before blizzards, with their shrieking winds and bone-chilling cold, ravaged the state. After Sylvan Lake, I was terrified of getting lost while hiking by myself. But I wanted to continue my journey.
I took my scathed ...
First Flowers
April 13, 2022
By Christian Begeman
The wind is whistling as I sit down to type. It is April 12 and there are tornado warnings south and east of Sioux Falls. Friends in northwest South Dakota are battling blizzard conditions in the midst of calving season. So it goes in April on the northern plains. Over the last decade, I’ve kept track of my first flower sightings. The first wildflowers, that is. The average ...
"Giants" is a South Dakota Classic
October 25, 2021
... reminded of wonderful books like Buffalo for the Broken Heart, the story of Dan O’Brien’s transformation of his West River cattle ranch to buffalo. David Laskin’s The Children’s Blizzard brilliantly retells the tragic story of the 1888 storm that killed more than 200 people, many of them students trying to find their way home through the blinding snow.
My list was not a ranking, but ...
South Dakota’s Spooky Side
October 29, 2020
... heading north at night. As they waited for the vehicle to pass their farmsteads, nothing ever showed up. One local legend says the light is the lantern from a wagon train of settlers that got caught in a blizzard and died.
If you’re feeling brave, take a friend and explore one of South Dakota’s spooky places this Halloween season. My only advice is to keep a safe distance.
November/December 2020
... nature are the stars. [read more]
The Patience Game: Dean Pearson's wildlife photography requires stealth and finely-honed technique.
Isolated: COVID-19 stokes memories of the deadly 1952 blizzard.
Blizzard at Horseshoe Bend: The 1952 storm took aim at a lonely schoolhouse near Okaton.
Tiny Towns: Living high in Central City.
When I Became a South Dakotan: A helping hand ...
The Mysterious Custer Graves
August 26, 2020
... launching point for a summer expedition along the Yellowstone River.
The Seventh intended to stay no more than a few days, but even in 1873 the locals knew not to trust the weather in early spring. A severe blizzard that came to be known as the Custer Blizzard blew through town and delayed their departure until early May.
The unexpected layover in Yankton allowed the men to explore the young town and gave us stories ...
Meet an Accidental Rancher
May 26, 2020
... the high plains.
Too often, rural America’s stories and culture are interpreted by writers who visit for a day or a week, often to write only about the latest catastrophe — most likely a blizzard, a drought or a trade war. Trouble and woe are usually their themes, though there is so much more. A handful of rural West River writers have worked to dispel such myths. Linda Hasselstrom, Kathleen Norris ...
The Birds Are Back
April 15, 2020
... geese is noisy, let’s be honest, but it also means spring is on its way!
Of course, this is South Dakota, so just because spring is near does not mean winter is over. On Easter weekend, a near blizzard was pummeling Sioux Falls. Ironically, snowy days are some of my favorite times to get out and shoot photos of birds. They tend to flock closer to the ground, stay put longer and the bad weather makes ...
Some Things Never Change in S.D.
April 2, 2019
Through blizzards and floods, neighbors help neighbors.
Blizzard Buster
March 13, 2019
... snow, then quiet again. Even so, it didn’t take long for another gust to arrive, just a bit stronger and more ominous. That was my cue to head home. I’ve been caught in South Dakota ground blizzards before, and I have no stomach to drive in one again.
Later that night, the wind rattled my bedroom window, waking me up a couple times. By Sunday morning, new drifts and travel advisories covered much ...
March/April 2019
... Streets: A guide to hidden Sioux Falls treasures.
Cloddy: University of South Dakota coach Dwane Clodfelter helped integrate college basketball.
Rosebud's Demon: The deadly blizzard — and springtime flood — of 1952.
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Please note: Online articles are edited and may not include all pictures or content from the original version.
Who Lies in the Custer Graves?
... Museum.
In the days after the Seventh arrived, a city of tents sprang up on the prairie about a mile east of Yankton, just across Rhine Creek. The camp had barely taken shape when a severe spring blizzard (still known as the Custer Blizzard), nearly buried it under several feet of snow.
Several soldiers made it into Yankton before conditions worsened. They sought shelter for their horses, then found their ...
The Wisdom of the Fool Soldiers
February 6, 2019
... the two women and five children, one child had died — but they weren't victorious yet. They'd had to trade away all their horses and provisions, and had a 100-mile journey ahead, through blizzard conditions with a group of ragged, hungry children. As they started back, they received some help from Don't Know How, a Yanktonais man who may have traveled with them to White Lodge's camp, or met them ...
Comforting Cauliflower
January 17, 2019
By Fran Hill
It is January in South Dakota. Days are cold, snowy and dark. I know that winter will last at least another three months, but I am not betting against the possibility of an April blizzard. Like most of you, I not only want, but need, comfort foods. Enter Cauliflower Au Gratin.
Admittedly, cauliflower doesn’t usually come to mind when I think about comfort food. Vegetables are not ...
Frosty Wonderland
January 9, 2019
By Christian Begeman
Winter weather is not usually described in complimentary terms. Subzero temps, the threat of blizzards along with long nights and short days make it difficult to stay on the sunny side of life during a long, South Dakota winter. But there is a certain phenomenon that occurs during our cold months that ...
Almost-Spring Journal
April 25, 2018
... Falls Outdoor Campus.
April 11
I found my first pasqueflower in bloom in rural Hanson County. The few blooms on the hillside were just a day or two old.
April 15
A day after blizzard conditions hit much of South Dakota, I returned to the pasque patch in Hanson County. The tough little flowers had survived with their blooms above the snow and ice.
April 19
Yet another ...
Blizzard in a Small Town
... town, almost as if the North Wind is flapping a mile-wide blanket of gray goose feathers overhead, rudely muffling all the streets and houses.
The intentions of the few citizens spotted outdoors in a blizzard are immediately obvious. They are walking the dog. Rushing from the grocery store with plastic bags. Shoveling the front steps to maintain the “you’re welcome here anytime” look that’s ...
The Truck Stop-Titanic Connection
December 14, 2017
Blizzard driving doesn't always work out for travelers.
Ready For Anything
November 14, 2017
... blankets? Got it covered. We have one that’s been in the trunk for years — it smells like dust, spare tire and gas. Spare clothing? This I don’t get. You’re stranded in a howling blizzard. Wind chill 800 below. You ran out of gas an hour ago. At that moment you decide you want to change clothes?
Food? Got it covered. Kit-Kat bars are what kept the Donner Party going. Fire extinguisher? ...
