This summer, on my way to do some research Inga’s story in Laramie, Wyoming, my sister and I drove the length of South Dakota, from Sioux Falls to Rapid City and Custer. Along the way, I tried to imagine what the pre-settlement land as a potential setting for a future novel. And then, we made a stop at the Badlands National Park.
The formations found there, and in the surrounding area, are
unique.
As we hiked a trail or two, I became confused. I felt that I
was seeing grasses I had seen in remnants of native Tallgrass Prairie (usually
found in the eastern part of the Great Plains) and species of grasses common to
Shortgrass Prairie (usually found in the west regions). When we arrived at the visitor’s
center, with its informative displays, I got my answer. Within the Badlands
National Park we find the “largest extent of native mixed grass prairie in the
park system,” with more than sixty species of grass growing there.
The Park provides a series of educational signs along the route.
Wisps of scrub and a few scraggly trees grow atop and
sporadically along the sides of the eroded outcroppings. As we meandered through
the park, we noted so subtle, and some not-so-subtle, variations in the colors
of the formations. Granted, some of the subtle changes may have been affected
by the varying light conditions.
The explanation for the spectrum of colors is that the
Badlands were deposited in layers over millions and millions of years, over
many historic periods with different environments including tropics, woodlands
and meandering rivers, and seas. Oldest layers are at the bottom, more recent
ones on top.
At one time, streams and rivers carried sediments from the Black
Hills. This caused building up of the rock layers we see today. About 500,000
years ago, the Cheyenne River captured streams and rivers flowing from the
Black Hills into the Badlands region. After this, the deposits stopped and
erosion from winds and weather dominated.
The land is fascinating, and has made a unique backdrop for a variety of novels. My problem will be developing a fresh plot that rises to the grandeur of the
Badlands.
