How Sioux Falls South Dakota got it's name

The history of Sioux Falls revolves around the Big Sioux River, which 14,000 years ago in the last ice age, carved a path through the valley of dense red quartzite, now called Sioux Quartzite, which is believed to be a billion and half years old. The result is this area of falls.

There were early Mound Builders here as early as 500 BC, who left burial mounds along the river, few are left, but we did see 8 mounds. Most mounds were either raided for artifacts...I call that grave robbing...they call it archaeological research, or plowed under to plant corn.

After the Mound Builder culture, the Plains Indian groups, Lakota, Dakota, etc. camped here. The bison came for the water. And the came trappers, and explorers, like Lewis and Clark...and then greedy land speculators, and pioneers and businesses and then the train, and finally the interstate.

And now Sioux Falls is 150,000 people, looking like every other US small city with strip malls, and big box stores. It has homeless and casinos.

And a great park called FALLS PARK, which we visited. The park has a walkway by the falls which has attracted people for generations. There is the remnants of an old mill. A gift shop and restaurant. It was a nice day trip.