The Badlands are semiarid regions that experience high rates of erosion by water and wind, sculpting soft sedimentary rock into intricate mazes of narrow ravines, v-shaped gullies, knife-sharp ridges, buttes, and colorful pinnacles. Authorized by Congress in 1929, Badlands National Monument was proclaimed in 1939 by President Franklin Roosevelt to preserve the scenery, protect the fossils, and conserve the remnants of mixed grass prairie in the region. Congress declared the Monument a National Park in 1978, further emphasizing the value of the resources of the area.

Badlands National Park contains the world's richest Oligocene epoch fossil beds, dating 23 to 35 million years old. The White River Badlands have developed an international reputation as a fossil-rich area. The evolution of mammal species such as the horse, sheep, rhinoceros and pig can be studied in the Badlands formations. Throughout the late 1800s and continuing today, scientists and institutions from all over the world have benefited from the fossil resources of the White River Badlands.

For eleven thousand years, American Indians have used this area for their hunting grounds. Long before the Lakota were the little-studied paleo-Indians, followed by the Arikara people. Their descendants live today in North Dakota as a part of the Three Affiliated Tribes. Though many of the original tribes have moved on to other areas, the Oglala of Pine Ridge and Minneconjou of Standing Rock Reservation are the current inhabitants.

Whether you're interested in natural history or human history, the Badlands of South Dakota provide a multitude of ways to enjoy yourself for many days.

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