ABOUT SOUTH DAKOTA: COUNTY OF THE MONTH

Largest City: Custer

County Seat: Custer

Population: 7,665

Founded: 1875

Home to the towns of Custer, Hayward, Buffalo Gap, Fairburn, Hermosa and Pringle, Custer County was officially founded in 1875. Today, the county boasts several popular destinations for travelers in search of history, wildlife, and the extraordinary natural beauty of the Black Hills.

Though he was certainly not the first to set up camp in this area of the Black Hills, General George E. Custer is often credited with discovering gold in the Black Hills and serves as the namesake for both the county and its largest city. According to A Roadside History of South Dakota, a miner named Horatio N. Ross was the actual non-Indian discoverer of Black Hills gold in French Creek on July 28, 1874. Either way, Custer's ventures into the area and the discovery of gold in the region marked a significant and controversial turning point in the history of the Black Hills.

One of Custer County's most famous historical residents was Badger Clark, South Dakota's first poet laureate. Clark lived near Custer in a wood cabin he called "Badger Hole." Clark's poems usually incorporated rural themes. His most famous poem is "A Cowboy's Prayer."

The southern portion of the Black Hills National Forest and Custer State Park showcase the beauty of Custer County and South Dakota. Within Custer State Park lies Wind Cave National Park, an immensely popular natural attraction. Wind Cave is one of the world's longest and most complex caves and has some of the most beautiful rock formations in the world. Wind Cave National Park is not only one of the oldest National Parks, but one of the most unique and pristine. Some four million visitors come to the Black Hills each year, and tourism is one of South Dakota's leading economic engines.

Custer County is also home to one of South Dakota's most popular attractions, the Crazy Horse Memorial. This monument, dedicated to the Native American leader and warrior Crazy Horse, was begun in 1948 by sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski, who had worked briefly with Gutzon Borglum on sculpting Mount Rushmore. According to the book A Man and A Mountain, Ziolkowski was invited to carve Crazy Horse in the Black Hills by Chief Henry Standing Bear, who said, "My fellow chiefs and I would like the white man to know that the red man has heroes also." Ziolkowski understood the importance of honoring our nation's native people. He took on this project with his family and developed a valuable bond with the Sioux. Working on the memorial until his death in 1982, Ziolkowski refused to accept federal or state money for the project. To this day, Ziolkowski's wife Ruth and children continue their work on this impressive project.

Tim believes the Crazy Horse Memorial and the noble goal of reconciliation between peoples should be honored by the gesture of a commemorative stamp, and led South Dakota's congressional delegation in introducing resolutions urging issuance of a postage stamp to honor Ziolkowski in 2008, marking what would have been his 100th birthday. Commemorating both Ziolkowski and the Crazy Horse memorial in this way continues to highlight the ongoing significance of this project, as well as the influential role of Crazy Horse in our nation's history.

Tim's Work for Custer County:

As South Dakota's senior Senator, Tim is well-positioned to secure federal funding for projects that are important to the people of Custer County and to all South Dakotans. He has used his seat on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee to secure funding for programs that directly impact the lives of people in Custer County.

Improving our Transportation Infrastructure

In 2005, Tim worked with colleagues from both political parties to pass a long-term transportation reauthorization package. The measure will invest $1.3 billion into South Dakota's bridge and highway infrastructure through Fiscal Year 2009. Known as the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act (SAFE-TEA), the bill will directly benefit the people of Custer County through infrastructure improvements like the Heartland Expressway project.

When completed, the Heartland Expressway will connect Rapid City to Interstate 80 in Nebraska, providing four-lane, divided highway service between Rapid City, South Dakota and Denver, Colorado. Tim joined with Senator John Thune to secure $27 million for this important project. With both Senators serving on the conference committee that finalized the bill, South Dakota benefited greatly from the delegation's cooperation and hard work on behalf of the state. Tim believes this landmark bill will bring jobs back home and add the infrastructure necessary for economic development across South Dakota.

As the Heartland Expressway project moves forward, protecting the natural environment of the surrounding area is a vital concern. Also included in the SAFE-TEA bill is $2 million to purchase conservation easements near Custer State Park and Wind Cave National Park along South Dakota Highway 79, which is an important part of the Heartland Expressway.

In a separate funding measure, Tim helped secure $4 million to resurface South Dakota Highway 40 in Custer County between Hermosa and the Shannon County line. A reliable transit system is a crucial link connecting people to their doctors, family, and jobs, especially in more rural areas of the state.

Preserving Natural Beauty

Preserving the beautiful Black Hills National Forest (BHNF) is also one of Tim's priorities. He understands the importance of balancing development with the environment and has worked to protect the natural beauty of the Black Hills. The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and BHNF have formed a partnership to identify key in-holdings in the BHNF that improve recreation, wildlife habitat, water use, and wildfire suppression. Tim has helped secure funding for preservation of high priority areas identified by the Forest Service.

Improving Facilities at Wind Cave National Park

In addition to preserving the natural beauty of the county, Tim has also helped provide federal funding to ensure that Wind Cave National Park has the facilities to accommodate visitors. In the Interior appropriations bill, Tim assisted in securing $4.9 million to make upgrades to the wastewater treatment facility at the park.