McKennan Park
located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota 

This wonderful park can trace it's lineage quite far back in the history of Sioux Falls. As early as the 1890s, town residents were already talking about creating a tree filled park and gathering area. Mrs. Helen McKennan and her brother Artemus Gale were instrumental in planting trees in the area and in 1906 Mrs McKennan decided to give her house and 20 acre estate to the city for use as a park. E.A. Sherman, the unofficial park commissioner spearheaded the planting of elm, walnut and other trees and flowers in those early years. He also added a bandshell, tennis courts, greenhouses (later torn down) and a small lake.

Today the park has a variety of formal gardens, several war memorial trees, rock gardens, a rose garden area, sunken garden and cactus garden. One of the famous attractions in the park is the Pillars of the Nation which were two entrance posts originally built of decorative stones, fossils, and Indian artifacts in the 30s. Later two other posts were added that had each state's initials carved into the stone, as well as two stone maps of South Dakota.






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The WPA Guide to South Dakota: The Federal Writers' Project Guide to 1930s South Dakota
by: Federal Writers Project
Rolling prairie grasslands in the east, surreal Badlands and lush Black Hills in the west: South Dakota is a state of vivid contrasts. In this classic and now-rare guide to Depression-era South Dakota, you can discover the historic byways and back roads of this beautiful state. Originally part of the American Guide Series, this book was written both to chronicle the physical and cultural ... [reviews]


South Dakota: Simply Beautiful
[reviews]


Roadside Geology of South Dakota (Roadside Geology Series) (Roadside Geology Series)
by: John Paul Gries
South Dakota fills the landscape with geologic diversity, from the glaciated rolling prairies in the east, across the Missouri River, and west to the rugged Badlands Wall and granitic domes of the Black Hills. Written for the layperson and amply illustrated with photographs, maps, and diagrams, this book describes and interprets the rocks and landforms visible along the state's highways and the ... [reviews]


Compass American Guides: South Dakota, 3rd Edition (Compass American Guides)
by: Fodor's
Created by local writers and photographers, Compass American Guides are the ultimate insider's guides, providing in-depth coverage of the history, culture and character of America's most spectacular destinations. Compass South Dakota covers everything there is to see and do -- plus gorgeous full-color photographs; a wealth of archival images; topical essays and literary extracts; detailed color ... [reviews]


On the Way Home: The Diary of a Trip from South Dakota to Mansfield, Missouri, in 1894
by: Laura Ingalls Wilder

In 1894, Laura Ingalls Wilder, her husband, Almanzo, and their daughter, Rose, packed their belongings into their covered wagon and set out on a journey from De Smet, South Dakota, to Mansfield, Missouri. They heard that the soil there was rich and the crops were bountiful -- it was even called "the Land of the Big Red Apple." With hopes of beginning a new life, the Wilders made their way to ... [reviews]



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