What are some interesting facts about Black Hills, South Dakota?

The Black Hills located primarily in South Dakota feature a complex formation of igneous rock such as granite and pegmatite. The area includes a number of popular monuments including Mount Rushmore National Memorial and its sculpted faces of former presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

The area originally settled by the Arikara, Cheyenne, Crow, Kiowa and Pawnee, came under official U.S. control in 1876 following a war between the United States and the Lakota, Cheyenne and Arapaho. The Black Hills National Forest and mountain range extends from South Dakota into Wyoming, covering an area of 125 by 65 miles.