Black Hills – Custer, S. Dakota (Part 3)
A visit to the town of Hill City was mainly to ride the 1880 train. Initially, this railway was used for mining and timber interests. This steam engine runs on recycled motor oil, unlike its counterparts which use wood or coal to generate the engine’s steam. It’s a two-hour, twenty-mile round trip ride traversing the hillside. It travels to Keystone, letting passengers off and boarding new passengers wishing to go to Hill City. We got off the train in Keystone only to get ice cream, as we had visited Keystone the day before. It was a pleasant ride, with spotting of deer along the way. The 1880 train was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. Once we departed the train, we had lunch in the quaint town of Hill City and even enjoyed a small art show that was going on that day.
A trailhead to get on the Michelson Trail was not far from our campground. This trail is 109 miles with 100 converted railroad bridges and four rock tunnels. A bikers paradise – a straight run as far as the eye can see. We only did 25 miles, but the best part of the ride was witnessing the beginning of the Chief Crazy Horse monument. This monument is on private land, depicting the Lakota warrior riding his horse and pointing to his tribal land. It has been in the making for the last 74 years. Private donations solely fund it, and the originator’s grandchildren have taken over the operation. Completed, it will be 563 feet tall and 641 feet long. It will far surpass Mount Rushmore in size.
