As soon as postcards appeared for sale in the early 1900s, Black Hills residents and visitors began sending them to friends and family across the country. The images and messages on these cards now form a historical record of the towns, mines, ranches, and people that made up the Black Hills and Badlands region. The postcard images chosen for this book show the development of the Black Hills and Badlands from the gold rush to modern times. Long-time residents will enjoy seeing what familiar places looked like in bygone days, while newcomers can learn how today's tourist attractions developed over time, including the Hot Springs mineral baths, Wind Cave, Custer State Park, Badlands National Park, Mount Rushmore, and Crazy Horse Mountain Memorial.
Richard L. Popp is a history instructor at Capital University Center in Pierre, and served for four years as state archivist of South Dakota. He is the author of South Dakota 1900–1930 in Vintage Postcards, another book in the Postcard History Series. He currently resides in Highmore with his wife Wendy and far too many Siamese cats.