Brad reminded me yesterday morning
to check on “Little House on the Prairie” sites in South Dakota. I saw Keystone was in the general area that
we were, but upon further looking realized … it’s where Mt. Rushmore is! We stopped in Old Keystone first thing this
morning. This is the town where Laura’s
Uncle Henry (a gold prospector) and Aunt Polly lived. It is also where Carrie ran the newspaper,
got married and settled. There were lots
of historic sites to see and read about.
It started as a gold mining town in the late 1800’s. The gold quickly ran out and the town
diminished. The Keystone Schoolhouse is
now home to local history exhibits, including an exhibit on Carrie Ingalls
Swanzey. It wasn’t a huge or excellent
exhibit, but it was worth seeing since we were already here. We picnicked on the lawn of the
school-house. The girls enjoyed the
playground.
After spending the morning in
Keystone, we went on to Mt. Rushmore. We
were first struck by the commercialism of it.
There is no entry fee, but you had to pay $11 to park. The parking was built and is run by a private
company. So that was interesting – first
national anything we’ve had to pay for.
(We bought an annual pass at Rocky Mountain National Park.) Next we were struck by the crowds. Lots of bikers. (as in motorcycles). Then we were struck by how small Mt. Rushmore
is. I think it seems smaller because of
the massive stone visitor center, walkway and amphitheater leading up to
it. The museum was informative. The girls got Jr. Ranger badges here. We learned a lot in a short amount of
time. Then we walked the ½ mile
Presidential Trail for a closer look at the sculpture. It’s good to say we’ve been there. And it’s a good reminder of the great men who
have led the way in making this country what it is today.
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