Visiting Sioux falls |
 Sioux Falls is the largest city in South Dakota, and one of the largest cities in the mid-west. If you were to make the long journey from Minneapolis, Mn to Denver Colorado then Sioux Falls would be your most populated area on that trip, otherwise you’d be passing through nothing but farms and small towns. On the right is a picture of the actual falls that the city is named after along the Big Sioux River, with the city in the background. This park is an icon of both the city and the state, and is a great place to visit on the weekend. About 150,000 people live in the city, and nearly 250,000 in the area. |
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| These surrounding photos are all from the rapids of Sioux Falls as well. The dam above was once used for electricity, but now it’s a cafe. There are several trails that pass through here, so it’s a good place to stroll around, ride the bike, or even go fishing like the kids above. There is also an observation tower to see the whole city. I think I got lucky when I visited and had some strong falls since there was recently a lot of rain. |
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| Like Fargo North Dakota, Sioux Falls is quite some distance from any nearby city so for the its early years railway was also the most reasonable means of getting here. The BNSF train above which stands for Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway, runs right over the Sioux River on the right. Originally these railways were operated by the Great Northern Railway company which stopped service in 1970. |
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| Downtown Sioux Falls is lined with many shops, restaurants and a movie theater. I had perfect weather and sunny skies when I visited here in early August! The other three photos are from the sculpture walk that they have here, random art from local artists. |
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| The houses above are part of a historic neighborhood in Sioux Falls, almost half of these homes were built in the 1800s. This area is also know as the Cathedral historic district, because of St. Joseph’s cathedral below which was built in 1915. The cathedral has been an icon for the city for around a hundred years now, and was built high up on a hill so it is visible from most places, include the Sioux falls themselves. |
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| These pictures are completely random, but while in the city I passed by a car show and took some pictures. The event was hosted by the American Legion, and while there weren’t too many cars on display they did have some several good old American cars on display. |
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| A good museum to visit is the old courthouse museum which is pictured on the left. It has lots of history from the state, and shows how it has changed over the centuries. Above is a photo of what downtown Sioux Falls looked like in 1958. |
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| Above is another photo of a photo I took in the museum, a meeting between a US politician and native Americans, on the right is some of the clothing they once wore. |
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| Another museum to visit in Sioux Falls is the South Dakota Battleship memorial. I was pretty confused on how or where they would place a battleship in the city, but it’s actually just a building with some of the cannons and ship parts place outside. The inside has a lot of world war two history and the specific battles that this ship took part of. Above are Japanese ammunition on the left and a nazi flag on the right. |
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| Since I’ve always loved wildlife and animals, the Sioux Falls zoo was probably my favorite place to visit after the falls themselves. I visited on a Saturday so there were plenty of people here in the zoo, above is an outdoor picnic area and a guy juggling on stilts. The animals here at the zoo range from small birds to a tiger, but it also has several animals that are local to South Dakota. |
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| Above is a large male buffalo on the left and a pair of foxes on the right. Foxes live all over the United States, while the buffalo are in various places in the mid west. In South Dakota, they mostly live in the western and central areas of the state. |
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