Rolling Hills and Glacial Lakes

What a beautiful Thursday: up to 74 deg. F. (23 deg. C), darkblue skies and warm sun - however, there is always wind in the Dakotas. We started early for a beautiful 1,5 hour drive to Fort Sisseton on backroads through hilly landscape interspersed with glacial lakes and framed by corn and soybean fields. Corn harvest was in full swing, late this year because of lots of rain and snow in the last weeks. Most of the harvest goes to ethanol plants.

We met with our tour guide - a lady in a contemporary costume - and got a great overview of Fort Sisseton Historic State Park, a historic fort from 1864 named after the nearby Sisseton Indian Tribe. On the grounds there are 14 of the original buildings still intact - officers' quarters, stone barracks, powder magazine, guard house, horse stables, and other buildings as well as gardens to make sure soldiers had healthy nutricion - and this fort is considered the best preserved cavalry fort in the nation. It was originally a frontier army outpost called "Fort Wadsworth". At the time a series of forts were established in eastern Dakota Territory and the soldiers stationed at the fort ensured safety for settlers, surveyors and other people passing the Dakota Territory. Since there were never conflicts or fights taking place at Fort Sisseton, it was also called the "social fort", where social gatherings were on the calendar regularly and where life for the soldiers was pretty peaceful and comfortable.


On to Nicollet Tower, a 75-foot-tall (25 m) observation tower buit in 1991, from which you can see South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota. It was named for 19th century French explorer Joseph N. Nicollet. He became known for mapping the Upper Mississippi River basin during the 1830s. He led three expeditions in the region between the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, to Minnesota, South and North Dakota.

We met with our guide Austin at the tower and drove a couple of miles to Sica Hollow State Park. This park is a place filled with trees, creeks, little waterfalls and wildlife - and with eerie Native American legends. Its situated in the Prairie Coteau Hills, and, though the trees were already bare of leaves it's been great to be out on the Spirit Trail.

Since the hike was shorter than we expected and the weather so fine, we drove into the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Reservation, which is located in SD as well as in ND. The Tribal Administration Building in Agency Village, SD is an impressive modern building we had read about, therefore we stopped by and the guys at the entrance were friendly and let us in. It's laid out in a unique design, in a circle, with a big rotunda area in the center. The design is inspired by the culture and history of the Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota people, including Sun Dance arbors, teepees and the four cardinal direction colors. In the building are all the administrative offices and services tribal members need.

Also, the highschool service building with drummers on the roof (pic) was an interesting building:

Our lodging was arranged in a B&B on Lake Elsie, directly across the border, in North Dakota. Beautiful landscape, lakes, wetlands, lots of migrating birds. Because there was a bit of confusion at the beginning at the Lady on the Lake B&B, it took a little while until we were able to check into our room. We used the time to explore the little village of Hankinson (pic far below) with a monastery/retreat of the Franciscan Sisters of Dillingen (an order from closeby our hometown!) and to get some provisions in the local grocery store for dinner.