65 Million Years Ago

     Tyrannosaurus Rex lived 65 million years ago. "Sue," the world's most complete, best preserved, and largest Tyrannosaurus Rex discovered in 1990 and named for Sue Hendrickson , who lived near Faith, South Dakota.

26,000 Years Ago

     Some 26,000 years ago Woolly Mammoths lived in South Dakota. In 1974 the largest natural deposit of Colombian mammoths in the Western Hemisphere was discovered in a sink-hole in Hot Springs, South Dakota. In addition to more than 52 mammoths, camel, llama, wolf, and short-faced bear fossils have also been found.

The Louisiana Purchase

     In 1803 Thomas Jefferson concluded the Louisiana Purchase doubled the territory of the United States and extended its interests from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.