South Dakota Cities and Towns
The Mount Rushmore State  40th State

Climate & Weather:

Weather in the Great Plains usually includes broad temperature changes, light to moderate precipitation. low humidity and plenty of sunshine.

January is the coldest month, with average temperatures ranging from 10 degrees in the east to 14 degrees in the west.

July is the warmest month, with average temperatures ranging from 69 degrees in the east to 64 degrees in the west.

South Dakota does have occasional days with high temperatures near 90 degrees, and harsh winter temperatures (way below 0 degrees) are normal.

Annual precipitation amounts range from 25 inches in the east and southeast, while the west receives no more than 20 inches on average. The exception is the Black Hills, where rain can exceed 35 inches yearly.

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Firsts, Facts, Trivia:  

Lead is home to The Homestake Mine, the largest gold mine in the United States.  It opened in 1876, making it the oldest continually operating gold mine in the world.  It produces about 15% of the nation’s gold and still has huge reserves.

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Featured Tourist Spots:

Adam's House Museum - The Adams Museum in Deadwood is the oldest history museum in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Pioneer businessman W.E. Adams built the museum in 1930 as a memorial to his family and to honor the early pioneers that settled the Black Hills. The Adams House, built in 1892, is an elegant Victorian mansion which became the Adams House Museum on July 1, 2000.

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South Dakota History:

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 1804-06. Fort Pierre, the first permanent settlement, was established in 1817. In 1831, the first Missouri River steamboat reached the fort.

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 the following year.

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