The Prairie Homestead in the Badlands

After visiting the Badlands last week, John read an article about white prairie dogs that live nowhere else in the world, they are only found at the Prairie Homestead in the Badlands. So today we headed out to see them.

On the way we saw a big prairie dog statue, at the Badlands Ranch Store. We stopped and bought some unsalted peanuts to feed the rascals, they have a prairie dog town just outside of the store. We had fun feeding them, they are so cute!

On to the Prairie Homestead, to see the white prairie dogs.  We enjoyed the shy little guys but we found so much more. It was an actual prairie home ranch that a family built in 1909.

Ed and Alice Brown filed a claim under the Homestead Act for 160 acres in the Badlands of South Dakota in 1909. They packed their belongings in a covered wagon and moved from Nebraska. They dug their home into the side of the hill, constructing most of the outside walls of sod and using the local cottonwood trees for wood beams and planks. This original dirt floor home remains intact and many of the items in it are original too. Years after the main house was built, an additional wood floor room was added. We were able to walk in all the rooms and imagine how hard life was for the people that helped develop the west.

This place is great, we toured the home, root cellar, and barn at our leisure. You have the option of dressing-up in period clothes to wear during your tour, which many other people did.

We ended the day with a few wonderful trail hikes in the Badlands. If you are traveling in South Dakota, you have to get to the Badlands at least once.