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Exploration of this area began in 1743 when
Louis-Joseph and François Verendrye came from France in search
of a route to the Pacific.
The U.S. acquired the region as part of the Louisiana Purchase
in 1803, and it was explored by Lewis and Clark in 1804–1806.
Fort Pierre, the first permanent settlement, was established in
1817.
Settlement of South Dakota did not begin in earnest until the
arrival of the railroad in 1873 and the discovery of gold in the
Black Hills in 1874.
Agriculture is a cultural and economic mainstay, but it no
longer leads the state in employment or share of gross state
product. Durable-goods manufacturing and private services have
evolved as the drivers of the economy. Tourism is also a booming
industry in the state, generating over a billion dollars' worth
of economic activity each year.
South Dakota is the second-largest producer of flaxseed and
sunflower seed in the nation. It is the third-largest producer
of hay and rye.
The Black Hills are the highest mountains east of the Rockies.
Mt. Rushmore, in this group, is famous for the likenesses of
Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt, which
were carved in granite by Gutzon Borglum. A memorial to Crazy
Horse is also being carved in granite near Custer.
Other tourist attractions include the Badlands; the World's Only
Corn Palace, in Mitchell; and the city of Deadwood, where Wild
Bill Hickok was killed in 1876 and where gambling was recently
legalized. |
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