Yesterday, we took the day off and just stayed at the campground. Rachel made pancakes for breakfast, mom got laundry done, and then we went swimming at the campground pool. We had a good day of sightseeing today. We went to a gold mining museum and the Tatanka: Story of the Bison Museum and Visitor’s Center. The Story of the Bison actually is based on the movie “Dances with Wolves” starring Kevin Costner. After doing the film, he felt an attachment to the Black Hills and its people. He wanted to build a hotel that would draw people to the area, allowing them to experience the beauty of the hills and be as impacted as he was. He had sculptures made to depict the Indians and the importance of the bison to their lives. The sculptures would be displayed in the hotel. After much difficulty, he finally had to abandon his dream of a hotel, but instead, built the visitor center that stands there today. The statues that he had planned to put in his hotel were instead arranged on top of a knoll, displaying a buffalo harvest. After this, we went to mining museum that showed us how gold was mined in the 1800-1900s. We saw how mining methods changed over the years as well as the safety measures and innovations. Rachel & I also had the opportunity to try our hand at panning for gold and we both have our gold in souvenir vials to bring home. Tomorrow, we are doing some more sightseeing around here, and then we’re going to Mt. Rushmore to view the fireworks display.
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