Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1921-06-18
STATES BEAUTY SPOT
Charms OF South Dakota's Beauty Spot
As Told by an Eloquent Word
Painter.
BYC R. rrNAN.

BN &. r. TINAN.
Pierre.-What is destined to become
the beauty spot Of all South Dakota and
the pride of the state-if it has not al
ready arriyed-is the Game Park located
in the heart of the Black Hills. Natur.
ally Of great beauty from its forest
growth and wonderful rock formations,
its charming trout creeks of ice cold
tumbling waters and grass-covered parks
as Nature made them, the hand of man
has and is adding immeasurably to the
Aandiwork Of the Creator. Pat as the
slogan, "see America First may be, to
our own people it might well be para
phrased into "See South Dakota First.
And if that means anything at all, it
means the Black Hills But to see the
Hills country without a trip through the
came Park is to miss its greatest attrac-
lions from a scenic point of view.
The Park lies almost wholly in Custer
county-eXtending into Pennington a
short distance. 1t is only two hours
drive over an almost perfect road from
Rapid City, or it can be reached inNhir-
~ minutes from Custer The Park WAS
set aside by the state as a big game
refuge in 1913 and at that time consisted
.of 81, 400 acres, Within the past two
years 30, 600 more acres have been added
on the north and the Park now consists
Of over 80 600 acres The original area
was substantially fenced to retain the
animals in the Park and to keep out
uesspassers and the entire Park will
soon be fenced in the same manner.
The last addition included sylvan Lake
and the hotel property and improve.
ments, a beauty spot not only unsurpass-
ed east of the Rocky Mountains but by
many tourists said to equal any to be
found in any of the great national parks.
The Sylvan Lake tract consisted of about
BOO acres and with the hotel property
and improvements was purchased by the
state last year at cost Of S5S,OOO The
Park Board put a contractor and crew Of
men at work on the hotel after the sea
son closed last year aud they have been
busy ever since remodeling the building
and adding many conyeuiences for tour.
lists.
The route from Sylvan Lake into the
original Park has been by the way Of
Custer but work was started by the
Highway Commission last fall construct.
ing a new road through the Park to the
Lodge, which road when completed will
be as picturesque and grand as the cost
OF construction will be high. The road
passes through the Needles" and it
was necessary to tunnel under two Of
the towering rocks, a piece Of road work
well worth seeing The Highway Com
mission has had a gang Of engineers and
men at work all winter and spring per
iecting what is called the State Forest
Highway that starts at Fairburn east Of
the Park and runs through il to Custer,
and the commission has got well started
on another road from lIerulosa directly
to the Park These roads are Of the
highest type Of construction and surlac-
ed with crushed rock over which an auto
can be handled with perfect ease at
thirty miles per hour. All bridges are
made Of reinforced concrete, arched
tunnels and with ornamental facings and
guards. The drive from Fairburn, thir-
teen miles east of the Park, to the Park
and through it to Custer, a distance of
about 2S miles, is the prettiest drive in
all South Dakota
In building these roads the Highway
Commission drew on the penitentiary at
Sioux Falls for about twenty TRUSTEES, 3"
the average number through the winter
past being eighteen. They received
.$i.00 a day board and other necessary
expenses and put in a full days work all
winter, breakfasting before daylight out
in the frosty air as soon as it was light
enough to see and quitting only when
darkness overlook them.
One, if not the most, attractive feat
ures in the Park will be the new Lodge
hen completed, which it is thought
will be about the first of July Work
started on it early last fall and was car
ried on the greater part of the winter
While purporting to be game keeper s
lodge, it was designed a show place-and
1t viii be all that-and a resort for tour
lists who may wish TO tarry a few days
amid such pretty surroundings and with
modern hotel conveniences The Lodge
is designed after the Swiss chalet order,
is built upon side hill among the pines
and is really beautiful. A more detail
ed description of it will have to await
more space than here permitted, as will
also the many other attractions of the
Park, the animals, the trout streams and
the route for tourists to reach it and so
on.
UNERAL OF WILLIAM