The end of the Badland’s dramatic views was not as much of a disappointment as it could have been if we didn’t have the Black Hills ahead of us. This mountainous area spreads across 8,000 square miles along the Wyoming/South Dakota border.
It was here where we started seeing the state’s historical connection to Native American culture and the Old West. I vividly remembered walks in the Adirondacks with my grandfather and his tales of the Mohawk Indians. He once planted an old arrowhead in the woods during a hike so I would think we had discovered a 100 year old original.
He sometimes added Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and Red Cloud to his fabricated “American Indian” stories, even though they had nothing to do with the Mohawks. I had an eerie nights sleep when I stayed in a friend’s Idaho guest cottage in the summer of 2000, which housed the original Sitting Bull’s jacket.
As we passed through the small South Dakota towns, we reveled at the original remains, photos and stories of the charismatic chief Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, who apparently fled to Canada in the 1870s. Once gold was discovered, the Sioux Indians were pushed north and later into reservations.
I have always been intrigued by the American Indian and his life, his fate…..and yet what American child can tell you anything in detail about his history? Or empathize where he sits today?
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
