Hell Canyon

To make a trip to Rapid City and back to Omaha in three days is to spend a lot of time in the car. On our way out of the Black Hills we spent a night in Hot Springs and that evening drove south, past Cascade, to the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary. We were hoping that we might catch an evening event. The place was quiet; the female wrangler who stepped out of the office and strided to a barn looked neither to the left or right and certainly didn't take notice of our car in the parking area.

That sagebrush dotted land is always more beautiful at sunset than at any other time of day; but looking over to the west was the most beautiful canyon that I have ever seen. That might not say a lot; I haven't seen the grand one. Hell Canyon is breath-taking with setting sun shining on the rim-rock shooting up the north wall. The link to it describes the hiking trail.

On June 24, 1988, I attended a class through what is now the Black Hills State University at Spearfish. The course was designed primarily for South Dakota teachers and called "Ghost Towns of the Southern Hills" taught by Dr. Art Prosper. It was probably one of my most valued experiences as a student. I was teaching and getting some of those mandatory summer credits.

My project was a photo journal; the entry for Cascade was "This town grew, not from gold exploration, but as a health resort. Capitalists built a sanitarium, dancing pavillion, a four story, hundred room hotel, and other buildings on the thirty-six blocks they laid out. Because they held extremely high land prices the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad took another route. The town was founded in 1888 and by 1900 it only had 25 people and a post office. The stone from the hotel was preserved and is presently a home. Cascade was a dream that failed to materialize." The W. Allen Bank, made of sandstone, is now a home.

I learned a lot about the history of the Black Hills and saw the remnants of the first white rush for gold throughout the beautiful Paha Sapa. Much of what remained in 1988 in those places, has now metamorphosed into topsoil.