Nine Sioux tribes have been locked in a land dispute since 1877, when the government broke a treaty setting aside the Black Hills as part of their reservation. However, there is a chance that the Great Sioux Nation's long struggle to...

Between 1927 and 1941, workers blasted 450,000 tons of rock from a mountainside using chisels, jackhammers, and dynamite. Gradually, they carved out Mount Rushmore. Today, the monument draws nearly 3 million people to South Dakota's...

Aaron Huey's effort to photograph poverty in America led him to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, where the struggle of the native Lakota people -- appalling, and largely ignored -- compelled him to refocus. Five years of work later,...

In 1776, a powerful empire was born in North America. The Lakotas had reached the Black Hills, the most sacred place and most coveted buffalo hunting grounds in the western plains. Located in what is now South Dakota, control of the...

From giant rock sculptures to Confederate statues, there’s something about public art that cranks up the temperature of debate. In this episode of Crash Course Art History, we’ll learn about public art’s diversity of media, how it...

From the Sierra Nevada to the Rockies, these natural giants were formed in different ways over thousands of years, making up the United States's iconic landscape.

The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer’s Last Stand, is one of the most iconic conflicts in U.S. history. A clash for control of Montana’s Black Hills typified the U.S. government’s willingness to displace Indigenous...

Journey into the heart of South Dakota where the Lakota Sioux work to preserve their cultural heritage amid the Sacred Hills. This documentary spotlights the efforts to maintain their traditions, language, and spiritual practices...

This video covers the events leading up to the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876, where Indigenous leaders Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse led a decisive victory against the U.S. Army. It explores George Custer’s tactical mistakes and the...

This video explores the Treaty of Fort Laramie, signed in 1868 between the U.S. government and the Sioux and Arapaho peoples, and its impact on Indigenous communities. It discusses the challenges of adapting to reservation life, broken...

Mount Rushmore, carved into South Dakota's Black Hills, features Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. It symbolizes pivotal moments in American history and leadership.

The Battle of Little Bighorn, or Custer’s Last Stand, is infamous for having left no survivors. So what are we to make of Frank Finkel’s story, that only he lived to tell the tale?

American democracy has a lineage of written records that we can trace to show the development of our nation, and how each document builds on those before it to make our foundation of freedom stronger. In this video, documents conceived...

This clip introduces the geography, history, and some important cultural features of the Great Plains Region.

Find out why George Custer failed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

It’s one of the most recognisable landmarks in the United States – but what’s the untold story behind Mount Rushmore National Monument?

Here's the story of Crazy Horse, who became a symbol for resistance to American expansion.

Soar into the epic world of the American frontier with this breathtaking drone tour of "Dances with Wolves" filming locations. Glide above the dramatic landscapes of Badlands National Park and the stunning Black Hills in South Dakota....

acupuncture

Flags Flying below Mount Rushmore

High over Mount Rushmore with camera pulling back

B/W 1930s man rappelling down nose of George Washington on Mt. Rushmore / South Dakota / newsreel

B/W 1930s man rappelling down nose of George Washington on Mt. Rushmore / South Dakota / newsreel

B/W 1930s crowd gathered to watch progress of construction of Mt. Rushmore / South Dakota / newsreel