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Home to motorcycle rallies and monuments, improbable buildings and the awe-inspiring Badlands, South Dakota offers more than meets the eye. From Mount Rushmore to the Corn Palace, from Sturgis to the banks of the Missouri, South Dakota is an open land whose untamed beauty soothes the soul.

French traders, the first Europeans to explore the Dakotas, named the area for the Sioux tribes that dominated the region (the Dakota, Nakota and Lakota). South Dakota’s early economy was built on the fur trade. America’s acquisition of the territory brought increased pressure on local Native Americans as the U.S. Army and land speculators (who founded Sioux Falls and Yankton) encroached on their land.

The discovery of gold in the Black Hills in 1874 and development of the railroads greatly increased this pressure, tripling the white population of the territory in 8 years and increasing tensions with the Sioux. One year after South Dakota became the 40th state in 1889, these tensions culminated in the massacre at Wounded Knee, effectively ending native resistance.

The Missouri River runs through the heart of South Dakota, splitting the state in two. On the eastern side of the river is a fertile farm region of lakes and low hills. Pierre, the state capital, lies on the eastern banks of the river. To the West, the terrain is made up of deep canyons and rolling plains, dotted with buttes. The spectacular Badlands, the image many conjure when thinking of South Dakota, lie in this part of the state.

South Dakota’s climate is of the classic continental variety, with four distinct seasons that include sweltering summers and cold winters during which the temperature rarely gets above freezing. Violent summer thunderstorms are fairly common throughout South Dakota, while the eastern part of the state is vulnerable to tornadoes.

Along with ranching and farming, mining is a major contributor to South Dakota’s economy. The mineral-rich Black Hills, in the southwestern corner of the state, are a source of gold, silver, lead and copper. Tourism is also a major source of revenue.

World-famous for attractions like Mount Rushmore and the Sturgis motorcycle rally, South Dakota is incredibly beautiful country. Whether it’s the majestic canyons and buttes on the West of the Missouri or the lovely farm country on the other side, South Dakota residents bask in the spirit of the land.