Sunday, June 15 was Father's Day and we spent it riding a real steam train through the Black Hills. As a Father's Day special the tickets for the dads were the price of a kid and there was a special train robbery for the dads too.
The 1880 Train is an actual working steam train and is one of only two working steam trains in operation today. This train ride was a two and a half hour ride through the scenic Black Hills. The trip was from Hill City, SD to Keystone, SD and back. We had so much fun on this train ride.
We started the day off by hooking on to our trailers and driving to our new campground in Hill City. We stayed at the Crooked Creek Campground for the next two nights. We originally thought that Hill City was about an hour or more away from Custer which is why we decided to move our trailer. However, when we got there we found out that the Crooked Creek Campground was only about 25 miles from the Flintstones campground. We really could have stayed in Custer still been close to everything. The Crooked Creek campground was nice but a little crowded unlike the Flintstones campground that had nicely spaced campsites. Oh well you live and learn.
When we had set up our new campsite, we had about an hour to kill before heading to the train so we just relaxed. Right by our camp was a river (the crooked creek.) We told all of the kids to stay back from the edge because we did not want them to fall in. Grandma took the grand kids for a walk across the footbridge to look at the water. The next thing we know we hear Mom yelling. We look over and I have never seen my mom move so fast. She is running down the bank and over the edge we see Colby in the river! We all ran over there so fast as my mom jumps down the bank and quick as ever pulls Colby back up on to the ground. It was so scary! I guess what happened is they had all come off the foot bridge and were walking back to camp. As my mom was helping the other kids cross Colby went on ahead. Then Colby said he dropped his nickle Grandma had given him so when he went to find it in the tall grass by the river, he slipped in a hole and fell down the bank. Luckily, as scared as he was, he grabbed onto a branch as he slid and was holding on for dear life. His shoes and pants were wet from the creek and we all, especially my mom, felt like we had just had a heart attack but fortunately that was the extent of the damages. Needless to say, none of the kids, especially Colby, went near the creek bank the rest of the time we were there. We were definitely shaken up.
Finally it was time to head into Hill City to get on the train:
The seats on the train were not assigned so after picking up our tickets we went to get in line and wait for about an hour before our train returned from another tour. We took the 1:15 train which was sold out due to Father's Day and the special shoot out only during this time slot. We knew it was going to be a packed train so we decided to wait in line for an hour so we could get the best seats. While waiting in line we talked to the train conductor, Fred. He was so nice, helpful, and friendly to the kids. He told us which car had the best view and which would be the best for seeing the shoot out.
We took Fred's advice and I think we did have the best seats on the train. We chose an open car because there were no windows which enabled us to see everything as well as feel the wind in our face. It was a little chillier probably than the closed cars were but it wasn't too bad.
The conductor called "ALL ABOARD!" gave a couple of toots on the train whistle and we were off down the track.
Colby loved the train ride. He sat like this the whole way just looking out the window at everything passing us by. Tyrel and Jack said this was their favorite part of the whole trip. I think it was my favorite part too!
Here are some of the things we saw as we were on the train. The top left corner is Harley Peak the highest point in the Black Hills. The top right corner is a wild turkey. We saw many of these turkeys as well as deer and antelope while on the train. The bottom left is a cool looking barn. I am sure there was a story behind it that the conductor told us as we rode but I don't remember what it is. Finally the bottom right is a picture of the original telegram lines that ran along the train tracks. The scenery from the train was so beautiful. I love the Black Hills. I always thought the Black Hills were called black because of the color of the dirt or because of black rocks. While there are those things, the train conductor told us that the real reason they are called the Black Hills is because the Ponderosa pine trees grow so thick that the shade under the trees makes the hills black. We also learned what the rails were used for in the past. The narrator was great. Since it was Jacee's birthday this day, he also wished her a happy 15th birthday over the intercom.
As we pulled into a little town in the middle of our ride, the train was forced to a stop by these rowdy folks:
Some good for nothing bandit was on the train robbing people. When the train stopped the bandit was chased through the cars and then force oFf the train by the local law enforcer, or maybe just the guy with the biggest gun. All the townsfolk started accusing him of stealing their money and the group of tough cowboys grabbed his bag and started going through it. After pulling out some very large underwear and some other clothing, they found a small purse of money. That was it, he was guilty! Everyone started yelling, "Hang him! Hang him from a tall tree!" So a rope and noose was pulled out and placed around the "bandit's" neck and the nearest tree. Just in the nick of time, the big bellied sheriff and the Calvary come running in and save the guy. They set him free and give him back his money and large underwear. Well, this did not set right with the townsfolk especially the group of tough cowboys. Suddenly shots rang out and a shoot out battle ensued! Shots were fired in every which way and there were dead bodies everywhere! All of the women ran and all of the men except the sheriff and the so called bandit died. The best was when the "bandit" (the guy in the black suit carrying the carpetbag) fired the last shot killing the last tough guy trying to get away.
It was so exciting we all clapped and cheered at the end. Then the cowboys gathered up all of the bullet blanks and tossed them to us on the train so we could have them as souvenirs. They don't usually do these shoot outs on the train ride; this was a special thing for Father's Day. I am glad we were able to ride at this time. It was so fun.
We continued our ride into Keystone and dropped off some passengers and picked up new ones too. Then we headed back to Hill City. We loved the train ride on the Black Hills Central Railroad. If you ever go to the Black Hills, this train ride is a must on your vacation 'to do' list.
This is the train engine that pulled us #110:
As I said before, the kids loved the train ride the best. They also loved playing on the train models outside and exploring the actual train cars and cabooses on display at the station too. We missed going to the Railroad Museum at the Hill City station because it closed right before our train came back. I think that would have been interesting to see too.
This is the #7 engine. It was the original steam engine when the rail began. The conductor told us that it was still in working condition but is just on display now. These trains were so big!
After our train ride and exploring the gift shop forever, we decided to drive a few miles down the road to the Crazy Horse Memorial. While waiting in line for the train, the lady in front of us told us that if we bring cans of food to donate, we get in to the Crazy Horse Memorial for free. We were definitely doing that because it would save us $28!
This granite mountain was chosen in 1948 to memorialize the Lakota Indian warrior Crazy Horse. The Lakota leaders said that this mountain carving would let others know that the Indian people have great leaders too. Because the carving is being funded by donation only, it has taken a long time to carve. So far only the face of Crazy Horse and the top part of this arm has been carved. This carving will be huge. Inside the face alone you can fit four Mt. Rushmores.
This is what the mountain carving will look like when it is complete. It will be awesome. If it is completed in our lifetime, I told Russell we are going back to see it. As a souvenir, the kids wanted to take a piece of the carved mountain home with us so we donated a dollar and took a rock blasted from carving.
The Memorial is not just a partially carved mountain, there is also an huge museum on Indian history. The museum was really interesting. It made me wish I knew more about Indian cultures. The great thing about the museum/visitor center was the fact that it honored all of the different Indian tribes in the U.S. not just the Lakota Indians in this area. You can also take a bus ride to the base of the mountain and during certain times of the year hike up to the face. We didn't do this but it probably would have been fun.
We also watched a performance by three actual Lakota Indians. They danced for us and told us about their heritage, and what each thing on their costume represented. It was very interesting.
After eating dinner, we came back to Crazy Horse to see the laser light show on the mountain. It was really cool and it told the story of the great Indian leaders as well as the the history of the mountain.
This was another exciting day on our trip.
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