U.S. Route 83
Travel Page
South Dakota
Travelers on the 242 miles
of U.S. Route 83 in South Dakota with find the charming and historic cities of
Pierre and Fort Pierre, vast grasslands and drive through the heart of Lakota
Country at the Rosebud Reservation.
Standing Rock/Cheyenne River
Reservations
While not on Highway 83, the
route parallels the Standing Rock and Cheyenne River Reservations, which are a
quick drive west on U.S. Route 12.
Pass over Lake Oahe at
Mobridge and follow the signs to the Grand River Casino. Next to its driveway
is a sign pointing the way to one of two spots where the remains of Chief
Sitting Bull are reportedly entered. Why two spots? Back in the 1950s, a
dispute between the two reservations resulted in some of the chief’s
descendants reportedly taking them back to where they thought they belonged in
the middle of the night.
This reported grave site, which
has a good view of the lake, has a carving of the great chief’s bust made by Gutzon
Borglum, the sculptor of Mt. Rushmore.
The casino has a nice gift
shop where items made by local artists are for sale.
Pierre, SD
As the state capital, Pierre
offers visitors a chance to visit its state history museum, library and capitol
building.
Museum Hours and Admission
Memorial Day through Labor Day
Monday through Saturday
9:00 AM to 6:30 PM
Sundays & Holidays
1:00 PM to 4:30 PM
Labor Day through Memorial Day
Monday through Saturday
9:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Sundays & Holidays 1:00 PM to 4:30 PM
The Museum is closed New Year’s Day, Easter,
Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Phone: 605-773-3458
State Capitol Building.
No need for directions to
the capitol building, which sits atop a hill overlooking the city. The building
was constructed between 1905 and 1910, and may look familiar to Montanans. Its
architects based it on the capitol building in Helena.
Self-guided tours can be done 365 days a year anytime from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Pick up the self-guided tour brochure at the front desk.
Good Eats!
The U.S. Route 83 Travel
page recommends Mad Mary’s Steak House (left), at 110 E. Dakota Ave., just a couple
blocks south of Highway 83 as it passes near downtown Pierre. And for the
summer months, you can’t beat the Cool Spot across the river in Ft. Pierre for
some soft serve!
Fort Pierre, SD
A short drive over the
Missouri River is Fort Pierre, which has a lot to offer history buffs.
The Verendrye Museum is
named after the two sons of French-Canadian explorer, Pierre Gaultier de
Varennes de La Vérendrye, who led the first European expedition into present
day North Dakota. Later, two of his sons Louis and Chevalier, returned to
search for the elusive Western Sea. Their whereabouts on their journey was a
matter of conjecture until 1913 when some local kids unearthed a lead plaque on
a hill overlooking the town. The plaque had the names of the expedition members
etched into it, and signified that they had claimed the land in the name of the
King of France. Take the road up Verendrye Drive and climb the hill to the spot
where the tablet was discovered. This overlook has wonderful views of the river
and the two towns.
The museum is open in the
summer hours from 9 to 5. Or call 605-223-7761 for
an off-season appointment.
Lily Park
A few blocks to the east off
the highway is Lily Park. Along with having nice picnic grounds and a view of
where the Bad River meets the Missouri, those following the Lewis and Clark
trail will want to stop here and see where the expedition first encountered the
Lakota people, better known as the Sioux. The Corps of Discovery had a tense
standoff with a band of Sincacu (Burnt Thigh) band here. As the historian
Stephen Ambrose speculated in his book, Undaunted Courage, a skirmish between
the two parties would have been a disaster for the United States, and the
legendary trip may have turned out differently. Fortunately, cooler heads on
both sides prevailed.
The Casey Tibbs South Dakota Rodeo Center
Legendary Rodeo Cowboy Casey
Tibbs (1929-1990) grew up on a homestead some 50 miles northwest of here, but
he always considered Fort Pierre his home. Tibbs was called the “Babe Ruth of
rodeo” for helping to popularize the sport. After years of work, the
Casey Tibbs South Dakota Rodeo Center opened its doors in 2009.
Along the west side of the
highway is a statue of Tibbs riding a bronc. Look up and the center is on the
hill to the west.
Casey Tibbs South Dakota Rodeo Center
Summer
Hours of Operation: Beginning June 1st
Monday- Saturday 10:00 AM- 5:00 PM
Sunday - 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Surrounding the four-lane
highway south of Fort Pierre, is the Fort Pierre National Grasslands. If there
weren’t signs, drivers would never know it. There is no interpretive center, or
even a scenic overlook. The prairie has always gotten the short shrift when it
comes to preserving and appreciation of our natural heritage.
Pull over wherever possible to take some pictures of this short-grass prairie.
Travel Tip
Like the road east of
Bismarck, Highway 83 briefly merges with an Interstate south of Pierre.
But
also like the North Dakota, drivers can take the legacy road, which can be
found just to the north of the Coffee Cup Fuel Stop.
Take this road west and
avoid the interstate. This 20-mile stretch was once co-signed with U.S. Route 16, which was replaced by Interstate 90.
There are some beautiful little train
trestles here, as well as the small town of Draper, South Dakota.
The road will
join 83 again at Murdo, S.D.
World Famous Pioneer Auto
Show
This collection of more than
275 antique vehicles is a roadside attraction worth checking out.
The Geisler
family has been collecting classic cars, tractors, motorcycles and memorabilia
from the early days of the automobile age since the 1950s. It started at a gas
station
as a few old cars designed to attract travelers heading west on Highway
16 to the Black Hills.
Within a few years, the collection had grown big enough
to store in a building. It is now spread out in 30 buildings.
There is a
gift shop, a reproduction of a prairie town and an old fashioned diner.
The gas
station, originally a Phillips 66, is stills standing at the corner of Hwy 83.
Summer hours are 8 a.m to 9
p.m.
It closes at 6 p.m. during
the winter months.
Highway 83 cuts through the middle of the land of the Sicangu (The Lakota Brule, or Burnt Thigh people). Legend has it that this band of the Lakota nation fell victim to a prairie fire and its members had to run into a
po
nd to escape its flames. The resulting scars
gave the people their name.
The Sicangu's most famous leader was the legendary Spotted Tail, or Sinte Gleska.To visit the chief's grave site, travelers will have to turn west for a couple miles on Hwy 18, then head south on a county road to the town of Rosebud. (Photo of the grave site courtesy of Jeff Barnes.)
The largest town the highway
passes through is Mission. Stop on the outskirts at the Turtle Creek
Supermarket, a tribally owned business.
Read more about it here.
The Sicangu Heritage Center, operated by the local tribal college, has a wonderful collection of Lakota art. It is open year round except for major holidays, Monday through Friday, 9 to 5. Other times, by appointment only. (605)856-8211.
Follow the signs to the Sinte Gleska College's Lakefront Campus, which is a few miles east of the U.S. Route 18 and 83 intersection, to visit the center.
Check out the other U.S. Route 83 Travel Pages!