We visited the Mitchell Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota. It was originally built in 1892 to showcase the rich soil of South Dakota. It's current multi-purpose arena/facility rendition attracts 500,000 people a year.
Then it was off to the Badlands of South Dakota... an area aptly named for its steep slopes, loose dry soil, slick clay, and deep sand. More primitive travel through the area would be difficult. The Lakota Indians called the area "Makhosica", which means "bad land". French trappers called it "les mauvaises terres à traverser" – "the bad lands to cross". Pretty, though, in its own way.