Custer State Park, Black Hills
Custer State Park may not be a national park yet it has nothing to envy. This 71,000-acre (28,700 hectare) stretch of land is home to craggy peaks and one of America's last grasslands. It boats scenic drives and hiking trails; clear blue lakes and charming lodges. Pronghorn, elk, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, prairie dogs and burros all call this park home. As do 1,500 American buffalo. But what make's this South Dakota state park a great family destination is its proximity to Black Hills attractions. Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, and Mount Rushmore National Memorial ... Read Moreare all within 15 miles.
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Plains Indians & Bison
 Unlike bison hunters who killed the American Buffalo for its hide and left the rest of the animal to rot, the Plains Indians wasted little. They made clothing and shelter from bison hides. They ate bison meat and made weapons and tools from bison bones. The Plains Indians used sinew (muscle) to make bowstrings and boiled the hooves for glue. They used the hair of the bison to make rope and yarn. The Plains Indians made whips out of bison tails. And while the Plains people didn't have supermarkets or shopping malls, they used every part of the bison out of respect for the kill. The Plains Indians, like all other Native Americans, thought waste was rude. |
