Palisades State Park turns 50. What’s in store for the next 50 years?
, 2022-07-24 17:03:14,
Hidden in the wide fields of corn and soybeans sits Palisades State Park, 30 minutes outside of Sioux Falls.
The Sioux quartzite formations make the park popular with rock climbers. Access to the Split Rock Creek means those wanting to fish or cool off with a swim can do so. Families can hike along the 4 miles of trail and enjoy picnics.
It’s a popular destination for weddings, family reunions, engagements and portraits, and after 50 years of being established, it’s about to grow some more. An expansion project of a few hundred acres, announced in 2019, is currently in the works and will add more camping spots, picnic areas and recreational activities.
While the rock formations have been around for more than a billion years, the Palisades celebrated its 50th anniversary as a South Dakota state park Saturday.
“I hear stories all the time of people, ‘Oh, back in the day when I was a kid, we used to come out here and do this and this,’” said Luke Dreckman, the district park supervisor for the Palisades. “It’s just a great quality of life.”
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With 50 years gone, the Argus Leader asked readers what their favorite memories were and asked what the next 50 years could look like.
A quick history of the Palisades
The Sioux quartzite formations in the Palisades are estimated to be about 1.2 billion years old, according to the Palisades State Park website. Split Rock Creek was responsible for cutting the gorges around the park.
“The history of how everything was created and put together is unique and pretty cool,” Dreckman said.
In the mid-1800s, the town of Palisades was established. There was a flour mill, powered by the creek. And in 1886, low-quality silver was discovered downstream, according to the Palisades website.
A review of the Argus Leader archives found the park was mentioned in 1947 after the state Game, Fish and Parks Department had acquired the land. Plans were put in place to add a picnic shelter and improve the road into the park.
By July 1970, it was announced Palisades was being turned into a state park and it grew to 100 acres, according to Argus Leader archives. The road into the park was to be paved, a new parking lot would be constructed and the park would develop a camp ground.
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Six years later, a group of more than 200…
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