As one of the most picturesque and unique areas inn South Dakota, Palisades State Park is a popular destination for travelers. Here you’ll find Sioux quartzite formations that line Split Rock Creek and rise out of the water by as much as 50 feet in some areas. Two of the most unique formations are called King and Queen Rock.
Along the shores of the Saint Olaf Roller Mill you’ll see the outcropping of Sioux quartzite. The mill is located what’s known today as Baltic but at its birth, the area was St. Olaf. The mill was a nucleus for the town.
The “Three Sisters” outcroppings on the Big Sioux River are part of the Potsdam Formation of rose quartzite that runs at least 2,600 feet deep at the Dell Rapids quarries.
The Big Sioux River flows between cliffs of Sioux quartzite that reach as high as 40 feet. In the late 1800s the area offered a number of natural advantages for the development of a town. With its beauty and powerful water it initially became known as Dell City.
This city-owned park in Garretson, SD offers as much scenery as it does history. The powerful water of Split Rock Creek has carved out a deep, narrow canyon in the Sioux Quartzite rock. Legend has it, Jesse James convinced his horse to leap over the ravine to avoid capture in 1876.
A number of quarries populated this area in the 1880s and by the 1890 the largest quarry employed almost 500 men. Today this area is part of 115 acre park, a dream by local environmental advocate, Mary Jo Wegner, who fell in love with the beauty and history of the area.
The three-tiered waterfall on the Big Sioux River is what gave Sioux Falls its name. It’s now part of a 123 acre park that sees thousands of visitors each year. In 1878, construction began on the seven-story Queen Bee Mill and by 1881 the mill was complete. Richard Pettigrew understood the power offered by the falls and wanted to harness it.
