In search of more information about the history of this area we visited the headquarter of the Missouri National Recreational River in Yankton, South Dakota and talked with a ranger. Following that conversation we headed half an hour east to Spirit Mound Historic Prairie just north of Vermillion, South Dakota on the Missouri River. This is actually one of the places along the Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail where Lewis & Clark actually stood in August 1804. It’s a location of spiritual significance to many Native Americans having diverse meanings in diverse cultures the Mandan, the Lakota, and the Yankton among them. The members of the Corps of Discovery were told of the legend that this natural hill was inhabited by Little People who would kill all persons who approached the peak. Knowing that others had made it to the top and lived to tell about it, we took our chances and embarked on the 1.4 mile hike to the summit where we were rewarded with amazing views of the prairie that is undergoing restoration thanks to the Spirit Mound Trust. We could see the Missouri River nine miles distant and the bluffs on the far bank. Located in a latched box secured by cables to the little seating area on top is a journal that invites visitors to log their visit and their thoughts. We accepted that invitation. Indeed on this beautiful day we can see why the peoples who lived here before the European Americans would consider this a place of contact between the physical and the supernatural world.
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