Dancing With Wolves
Famous for its beauty, Spearfish Canyon was the location for several scenes in the movie epic, “Dances With Wolves.” The site is on Forest Road 222 about three miles upstream from Spearfish Canyon Resort. Also Kevin Kostner's Tatanka, monument to the buffalo is here. But for me, today is all about the drive. Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway is a ride through an oasis of green and mountain streams. Thousand-foot-high limestone palisades in shades of brown, pink and gray tower to the right and left of Highway 14A as it twists through the 19-mile gorge.
The 22-mile journey begins at Exit 10 or Exit 14 off Interstate 90 in Spearfish and connects to the mouth of the canyon at the Spearfish Canyon Country Club. From the other end, turn at Cheyenne Crossing outside of Lead at the intersection of Highway 85. From there, travel 20 miles through some of the most breathtaking scenery you’ll find.
Spearfish Creek lines the canyon floor and canyon waterfalls are a must stop roadside attraction. Bridal Veil Falls and Roughlock Falls .... The speed limit is 35 miles per hour, and the beauty has folks easily adhere the the limit or even drive slower!
The red brick walls and large plate windows of the Maurice Hydro Power Plant about midway through the Canyon offer a reminder of the Homestake Gold Mine operation in Lead, just a few miles up the road.
Spearfish Canyon is a beautiful drive any time of year, I can only imagine what fall offers as Mother Nature paints the leaves in shades of yellow, gold and red to accent the evergreen backdrop. The changing of the leaves normally peaks during the first week of October, I am just too early to catch the spectacular show.
Without any running water on board, I have an appointment to land at an RV repair in Rapid City to see if I can get my pump working again . So there is no traveling any further south or west. It's time to turn this dog and van show around and start making our way back to Minnesota. I land at a a campground with hookups outside of Deadwood, South Dakota and will take the Nemo Road into Rapid City.
Nemo road winds southeast for 17 miles to the tiny historic community of Nemo. Large stands of birch and aspen provide a glowing backdrop along this peaceful and uncrowded paved byway. Nemo is tiny mountain town set on the edge of Paradise Valley, overshadowed by Steamboat Rock mountain, about midway between Rapid City and Deadwood. Nemo was first established in 1877, but began to flourish in 1898 when Homestake set up camp to harvest timber for use in their gold mine near Lead. The gold mines are gone, along with their need for lumber, but Nemo continues today as a pleasant, beautiful respite with horse ranches and a motorcycle campground, definitely slowing folks down from life's fast pace.
Stumbled into Novak, a ghost town. Novak was founded next to Greenwood, South Dakota, as the latter began to decline, in the early 1900s. Investors in the Safe Investment Mine and Mill settled in Novak. Safe Investment grew to have a bad reputation, as investors realized that they were actually losing money. In 1903 and 1904, the Novak mine began to develop. By 1906, they had paid off their debt. As the mining company grew, so did the town. In 1907, there were no saloons or dance houses. Gambling occasionally went on in the boarding house. The Black Hills & Fort Pierre Railroad built a branch to the town. There were three houses built by the mining company and several other cabins, and a school that served six students. Novak used the cemetery in Greenwood instead of building its own. A nearby creek was used for water.
The mine eventually ran its course and was no longer profitable. After the mining operations shut down, most of the residents left Novak. The school closed and the remaining children traveled to Benchmark for school. Until about the 1980s, Novak had two permanently occupied houses, but soon after that, the remaining residents either died or left, and Novak was officially abandoned. In 1974, the only remains of the town were two buildings and a large meadow. Thank you, Google... so nice to find the info on the mysterious places I come across.
"I was just thinking that of all the trails in this life, there are some that matter most. It is the trail of a true human being. I think you are on this trail, and it is good to see." Kicking Bird, Dances With Wolves