COMPASS
COMPILED BY KENDALL FLETCHER
Good things in
the Badlands
North Dakota is home to a plethora of attractions for history
lovers, ranging from trails to national parks, which can be
explored on The North Dakota Heritage and Heroes Tour.
“North Dakota is where you can retrace the footsteps of
Lewis, Clark, Sakakawea, Sitting Bull, Theodore Roosevelt,
Sheheke and George Custer,” says Deanne Cunningham, group
travel marketing manager with North Dakota Tourism Division.
If travelers choose to begin the tour in the Bismarck-
Mandan area, they can make a stop at Fort Abraham Lincoln
State Park and see, along the river, the earth lodges of a
village that was home to a thriving Mandan Indian popula-
tion in the mid-1600s. They can tour the home of George
and Libbie Custer; it was from there the general and his 7th
Cavalry rode into the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
Found in Washburn are the Lewis & Clark Interpretive
Center; Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site, the
ruins of an ancient Indian
village; and a museum pre-
serving the heritage of the
Plains Indians.
Also included on the tour
is Lake Sakakawea, the larg-
est lake in North Dakota,
named from the young
Native American woman
who accompanied Lewis
and Clark on their journey.
For more information
on the tour and additional
North Dakota sites,
contact Cunningham at
Dancers at Knife River
[email protected] or
Indian Villages
visit ndtourism.com. Landscapes of fossil beds, historical
mountainside carvings and unique
wildlife are some of the features
groups can visit in the Black Hills
and Badlands of South Dakota.
The buttes, pinnacles and
spires of the Badlands were
formed millions of years ago by
sediment deposition and erosion.
Badlands National Park is spread
across 244,000 acres, where
Mount Rushmore
visitors can see the astounding
scenery and learn about the various plants and animals that
inhabit the area.
“Badlands National Park is a beautiful moonscape-looking
scenic drive. There are many scenic overlooks and walks and
hikes for the adventurous,” says Michelle Thomson, president
and CEO of Black Hills & Badlands Tourism Association.
Tucked in the Black Hills is Mount Rushmore National
Memorial, a large-scale mountain sculpture of four former
U.S. presidents. Groups can take an audio tour and experi-
ence the nightly lighting ceremony in the summer.
The Crazy Horse Memorial, carved from pegmatite granite
on a mountain that stands over 6,500 feet tall, is another strik-
ing sculpture in the heart of the Black Hills. The entire carv-
ing, which is 563 feet high and depicts Lakota warrior Crazy
Horse, is the world’s largest mountain carving in progress.
Other attractions include Devils Tower National
Monument, Black Hills Gold Factory Tour and Custer State
Park, where visitors can take Buffalo Jeep Safari tours to see
herds of South Dakota’s numerous buffalo.
For more information, contact Michelle Thomson at michelle@
blackhillsbadlands.com or visit blackhillsbadlands.com.
A heap of history in
North Dakota
Zip lining and festivals and dining, oh my!
Manhattan, Kansas, called “The Little Apple,” is a small city
with a big appetite and lots of cool things to do.
“Downtown Manhattan has fabulously unique destinations
that are unparalleled,” says Michael Goens, communica-
tions coordinator for the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce.
“Harry’s M