Bear Butte is a geological feature located in western South Dakota that was established as a State Park in 1961. An important landmark and religious site for Plains Indian tribes long before Europeans reached South Dakota, Bear Butte is called Mato Paha, or Bear Mountain, by the Lakota, or Sioux. To the Cheyenne, it is Noahvose, the place where Maheo (God) imparted to Sweet Medicine (a mythical hero) the knowledge from which the Cheyenne derive their religious, political, social, and economic customs. The mountain is sacred to many indigenous peoples, who make pilgrimages to leave prayer cloths and bundles tied to the branches of the trees along the mountain’s flanks. Other offerings are often left at the top of the mountain. The site is associated with various religious ceremonies throughout the year. The mountain is a place of prayer, meditation, and peace. Geology (from Greek γη- (ge-, the earth) and λογος (logos, word, reason)) is the science and study of the Earth, its composition, structure, physical properties, history, and the processes that shape it. ... State nickname: The Mount Rushmore State Other U.S. States Capital Pierre Largest city Sioux Falls Governor Mike Rounds Official languages English Area 199,905 km² (17th)  - Land 196,735 km²  - Water 3,173 km² (1. ... State park is a term used in the United States and in Mexico for an area of land preserved on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or other reason, and under the administration of the government of a U.S. state or one of the states of Mexico. ... 1961 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Lakota (friends or allies, sometimes also spelled Lakhota) are a Native American tribe, also known as the Sioux (see Names). ... Cheyenne lodges with buffalo meat drying, 1870 The Cheyenne are a Native American nation of the Great Plains, closely allied with the Arapaho and loosely allied with the Lakota (Sioux). ...

The park includes a campsite south of South Dakota Highway 34 where horseback riding, fishing, and boating are permitted. On the summit side of Highway 34, a moderately sized herd of buffalo roams the base of the mountain. An education center and a summit trail are available. Official park policy advises visitors to Bear Butte to respect worshippers and to leave religious offerings undisturbed. Park fees are waived for those undertaking religious activities. Binomial name Bison bison Linnaeus, 1758 The American Bison (Bison bison), also called Buffalo, is a bovine mammal that is the largest terrestrial mammal in North America. ...

Geological History

Bear Butte is a tertiary intrusive, a geological formation caused by the forcible entry (or intrusion) of igneous material into other rock formations. In this, Bear Butte shares a similar geological history to other formations in the region, including the Black Hills, Devils Tower, the Missouri Buttes, and even the Rocky Mountains. The Tertiary period is one of the major divisions of the geologic timescale, from the end of the Cretaceous period about 64 million years ago to the start of the Quaternary period about 1. ... Pluton redirects here. ... Devils Tower National Monument Devils Tower is a geological feature located in eastern Wyoming that was established as the first United States National Monument in 1906. ... Rocky Mountain National Park (photo courtesy of NPS) The Rocky Mountains, often called the Rockies, are a broad mountain range in western North America. ...

The peak rises 1,253 feet above the surrounding plain and is 4,426 feet above sea level.

Modern History

Human artifacts have been found on or near Bear Butte that date back 10,000 years, indicating a long and continuous interest in the mountain. The Cheyenne and Lakota people have maintained a spiritual interest in Bear Butte from their earliest recorded history.

Notable visitors like Red Cloud, Crazy Horse, and Sitting Bull made pilgrimages to the site. In 1857, a council of many Indian nations at Bear Butte gathered to discuss the growing presence of white settlers in the Black Hills. Red Cloud Red Cloud (Sioux: Makhpyia-luta), (1822 – December 10, 1909) was a chief of the Oglala Sioux. ... Crazy Horse (Sioux: Tasunka witko, pronounced tashúnka uitko), (c. ... Sitting Bull Sitting Bull (Sioux: Tatanka Iyotake or Tatanka Iyotanka orTa-Tanka I-Yotank, born Hunkesni, Slow), (c. ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Violating a treaty of 1868, George A. Custer led an expedition to the Black Hills region in 1874, and according to custom he camped near Bear Butte. Custer verified the rumors of gold in the Black Hills, and Bear Butte then served as an easily identifiable landmark for the rush of invading prospectors and settlers into the region. Indian reaction to the illegal movements of whites into the area was intense and hostile. Ultimately the government reneged on its treaty obligations regarding the Black Hills and instead embarked on a pogrom to confine all northern Plains tribes to reservations. 1868 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1874 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... A prospector is normally a person who explores an area for natural resources such as minerals, oil, flora or fauna. ...

Ezra Bovee homesteaded on the southern slopes of the mountain, and by the time of War World II, he and his family were the legal owners of the site. In the spring of 1945, the Northern Cheyenne received permission from Bovee to hold a ceremony at Bear Butte to pray for the end of World War II. The Cheyenne found that the Bovee family welcomed their interest in the mountain, and over the years the Bovees continued to encourage native religious ceremonies.

By the mid-1950s Ezra Bovee was attempting to stir up interest in making Bear Butte a national park. After his death, his family continued the effort. When federal interest in the project waned, the state government in Pierre took action, and Bear Butte became a state park in 1961 and was registered as a National Historical Landmark in 1965. Millennia: 1st millennium - 2nd millennium - 3rd millennium // Events and trends The 1950s in Western society was marked with a sharp rise in the economy for the first time in almost 30 years and return to the 1920s-type consumer society built on credit and boom-times, as well as the... The USS Arizona Memorial. ...

Frank Fools Crow, the Lakota ceremonial chief (d. 1989), made pilgrimages to Bear Butte throughout his lifetime. Fools Crow taught that the earth was for everyone and urged racial harmony not just between whites and Indians, but among all the peoples of the world. A bust and plaque in front of the education center at Bear Butte State Park honor Fools Crow’s efforts.

References

Oehlerking, Jerry. “The Dick Williams Story: If Bear Butte Would Speak,” South Dakota Conservation Digest, March/April 1977, pp. 22-25.

External Links

Bear Butte State Park near Sturgis, S.D.