South Dakota is a U.S. state in the Midwestern region
of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native
American tribes, who compose a large portion of the population and historically
dominated the territory. South Dakota is the seventeenth largest by area, but
the fifth smallest by population and the 5th least densely populated of the 50 United
States. As the southern part of the former Dakota Territory, South Dakota
became a state on 2 November 1889, simultaneously with North Dakota. Pierre is
the state capital and Sioux Falls, with a population of about 187.200, is South
Dakota's largest city.
South Dakota is bordered by the states of North Dakota
(to the north), Minnesota (to the east), Iowa (to the southeast), Nebraska (to
the south), Wyoming (to the west), and Montana (to the northwest). The state is
bisected by the Missouri River, dividing South Dakota into two geographically
and socially distinct halves, known to residents as "East River" and
"West River".
Eastern South Dakota is home to most of the state's
population, and the area's fertile soil is used to grow a variety of crops.
West of the Missouri River, ranching is the predominant agricultural activity,
and the economy is more dependent on tourism and defense spending. Most of the
Native American reservations are in West River. The Black Hills, a group of low
pine-covered mountains sacred to the Sioux, are in the southwest part of the
state. Mount Rushmore, a major tourist destination, is there. South Dakota has
a temperate continental climate, with four distinct seasons and precipitation
ranging from moderate in the east to semi-arid in the west. The state's ecology
features species typical of a North American grassland biome.
Humans have inhabited the area for several millennia,
with the Sioux becoming dominant by the early 19th century. In the late 19th
century, European-American settlement intensified after a gold rush in the
Black Hills and the construction of railroads from the east. Encroaching miners
and settlers triggered a number of Indian wars, ending with the Wounded Knee
Massacre in 1890. Key events in the 20th century included the Dust Bowl and
Great Depression, increased federal spending during the 1940s and 1950s for
agriculture and defense, and an industrialization of agriculture that has
reduced family farming.
The stamps were affixed by me and come from the Flags
of our nation, State birds and Greetings series and the stamp commemorating the
100th anniversary of statehood. I sent the envelope to the post office in the
capital Pierreto be postmarked. It arrived back in over two months with a nice
datestamp, but again with a terrible black machine postmark.
Date sent: 2 May 2017
Date postmark: 28 June 2017
Date received: 4 July 2017
Number of days: 63
Envelope in collection: 207
No comments:
Post a Comment