Black Elk Peak, formerly known as Harney Peak, is the highest natural point in the U.S. state of
South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...
and the
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...
. It lies in the
Black Elk Wilderness area, in southern
Pennington County, in the
Black Hills.
The peak lies west-southwest of
Mount Rushmore
The Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a National Memorial (United States), national memorial centered on a colossal sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore (, or Six Grandfathers) in the Black Hills near Keystone, South Dak ...
. At ,
it is the highest summit in the United States east of the
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...
. Though part of the
North American Cordillera, it is generally considered to be geologically separate from the Rocky Mountains.
It is also known as ''Hiŋháŋ Káǧa'' ('owl-maker' in
Lakota
Lakota may refer to:
*Lakota people, a confederation of seven related Native American tribes
*Lakota language
Lakota ( ), also referred to as Lakhota, Teton or Teton Sioux, is a Siouan languages, Siouan language spoken by the Lakota people of ...
) and ''Heȟáka Sápa'' ('elk black').
The
U.S. Board on Geographic Names, which has jurisdiction in federal lands, officially changed the mountain's name from Harney Peak to Black Elk Peak on August 11, 2016, honoring
Black Elk
Heȟáka Sápa, commonly known as Black Elk (baptized Nicholas; December 1, 1863 – August 19, 1950), was a ''wičháša wakȟáŋ'' (" medicine man, holy man") and '' heyoka'' of the Oglala Lakota people. He was a second cousin of the war lea ...
, the noted
Lakota Sioux medicine man
A medicine man (from Ojibwe ''mashkikiiwinini'') or medicine woman (from Ojibwe ''mashkikiiwininiikwe'') is a traditional healer and spiritual leader who serves a community of Indigenous people of the Americas. Each culture has its own name i ...
and
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
Servant of God
Servant of God () is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint.
Terminology
The expression ''Servant of God'' appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in ...
for whom the Wilderness Area is named.
In September 2016, a team of professional surveyors obtained precise
GNSS data over the course of two days and found the highest natural rock to be at
NAVD88 and a nearby secondary peak located approximately 300 feet south of the lookout tower and unofficially named "McGillicuddy's Peak", to be slightly lower at NAVD88. This is believed to be the only precise survey that has been made to determine the true elevation of this peak.
The peak's fire lookout tower and the staircase leading to it, as well as a nearby dam and pumphouse, were listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1983.
Name
This peak was called ''Hiŋháŋ Káǧa'', or, "Owl maker," after rock formations that look like
owls
(and the
association of owls with impending death by the
Lakota Sioux).
[Steve Russell, "Names Have Power: Denali and Other Colonist Lies"](_blank)
, ''Indian Country Today,'' 4 September 2015; accessed 4 November 2016 They dominated this region and inhabited the territory at the time of
European colonization. They considered it a sacred site within the Black Hills, which they call ''Pahá Sápa'' and ''Ȟé Sápa''.
The mountain was named Harney Peak in 1855 by American Lieutenant
Gouverneur K. Warren in honor of US General
William S. Harney, his commander in a regional military expedition. In punitive retaliation for other Sioux raids, in September 1855 Harney's forces killed
Sicangu warriors, women and children in what Americans called the
Battle of Blue Water Creek in
Garden County, Nebraska.
[David Rooks, "Breaking: Black Elk Peak Soars Above The He Sapa, No Longer Harney Peak"](_blank)
, ''Indian Country Today,'' 12 August 2016; accessed 12 August 2016
Harney later commanded the United States military in the
Black Hills area in the late 1870s.
The Lakota had tried to get the name of the peak changed for 50 years,
[Stu Whitney, "Whitney: In defense of Black Elk Peak"](_blank)
''Argus Leader,'' 12 August 2016; accessed 15 August 2016 as Harney had massacred their people.
In 2014 the Sioux renewed their effort to get the name changed, in an effort led by Basil Brave Heart of the
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. A
Korean War
The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
veteran, he felt that Harney had not honored the military with his action.
[David Rooks, "Black Elk Peak ‘Answer to Many Prayers’: Basil Brave Heart"](_blank)
, ''Indian Country Today,'' 15 August 2016; accessed 15 August 2016
Some Lakota requested state officials in 2015 to reinstate their original name for the peak. The Lakota Council of the Pine Ridge Reservation and descendants of
Black Elk
Heȟáka Sápa, commonly known as Black Elk (baptized Nicholas; December 1, 1863 – August 19, 1950), was a ''wičháša wakȟáŋ'' (" medicine man, holy man") and '' heyoka'' of the Oglala Lakota people. He was a second cousin of the war lea ...
, a noted medicine man, supported naming it for him, as the wilderness area around the peak is named for the shaman.
He became known beyond the Lakota in part through the book ''
Black Elk Speaks
''Black Elk Speaks'' is a 1932 book by John G. Neihardt, an American poet and writer, who relates the story of Black Elk, an Oglala Lakota medicine man. Black Elk spoke in Lakota and Black Elk's son, Ben Black Elk, who was present during th ...
'' (1932), written by
John G. Neihardt from long talks with the shaman. South Dakota Governor
Dennis Daugaard opposed the name change, as did other state officials, and no action was taken in 2015.
The
U.S. Board on Geographic Names officially changed the mountain's name from "Harney Peak" to "Black Elk Peak" on August 11, 2016, by a unanimous vote of 12–0, with one abstention.
On August 18, 2016, Gov. Daugaard announced that the state would accept the new name.
History
Black Elk Peak and the Black Hills were located within the
Great Sioux Reservation
The Great Sioux Reservation was an Indian reservation created by the United States through treaty with the Sioux, principally the Lakota, who dominated the territory before its establishment. In the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868, the reservation ...
established by the United States government in the
Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868; it covered most of the territory west of the Missouri River in South Dakota (the area now called
West River). American settlement was concentrated east of the river, where there was more water for farming.
The first
American settlers believed to have reached the summit were a party led by General
George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars.
Custer graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point ...
in 1874, during the
Black Hills expedition
The Black Hills Expedition was a United States Army expedition in 1874 led by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer that set out on July 2, 1874, from Fort Abraham Lincoln, Dakota Territory, which is south of modern day Mandan, North Dakota, w ...
. The federal government took back the Black Hills and another strip of land in a new treaty in 1877. More than a decade later, it broke up the Great Sioux Reservation in 1889 into five smaller reservations, the same year that North Dakota and South Dakota were admitted as states to the Union. The government made some nine million acres of former Lakota land available for purchase for ranching and homesteading. Most American settlement in West River did not start until the early 20th century. The area attracted many
European immigrants as well as settlers from the East.
Black Elk Peak is the site where
Black Elk
Heȟáka Sápa, commonly known as Black Elk (baptized Nicholas; December 1, 1863 – August 19, 1950), was a ''wičháša wakȟáŋ'' (" medicine man, holy man") and '' heyoka'' of the Oglala Lakota people. He was a second cousin of the war lea ...
(
Lakota Sioux) received his "Great Vision" when nine years old. He later became a
medicine man
A medicine man (from Ojibwe ''mashkikiiwinini'') or medicine woman (from Ojibwe ''mashkikiiwininiikwe'') is a traditional healer and spiritual leader who serves a community of Indigenous people of the Americas. Each culture has its own name i ...
known for his wisdom. Late in life, he returned to the peak accompanied by writer
John Neihardt. Black Elk was sharing much of his life and philosophy with Neihardt through long talks translated by his son. Neihardt tried to express the
medicine man
A medicine man (from Ojibwe ''mashkikiiwinini'') or medicine woman (from Ojibwe ''mashkikiiwininiikwe'') is a traditional healer and spiritual leader who serves a community of Indigenous people of the Americas. Each culture has its own name i ...
's wisdom in his book ''
Black Elk Speaks
''Black Elk Speaks'' is a 1932 book by John G. Neihardt, an American poet and writer, who relates the story of Black Elk, an Oglala Lakota medicine man. Black Elk spoke in Lakota and Black Elk's son, Ben Black Elk, who was present during th ...
'' (1932).
[See chapter 3 and the Author's Postscript of ''Black Elk Speaks,'' Bison Books, 2004.]
Neihardt recorded Black Elk's words about his vision as follows:
"I was standing on the highest mountain of them all, and round about beneath me was the whole hoop of the world," he is quoted as saying. "And while I stood there I saw more than I can tell and I understood more than I saw; for I was seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of all things in the spirit, and the shape of all shapes as they must live together like one being."
New York mining promoter James Wilson organized the Harney Peak Tin Company around 1884 or 1885. The Harney Peak Tin Company did not actually mine any tin and was liquidated by court order in the 1890s, losing investors almost $3 million (equivalent to approximately $ million in ) in the largest fraud scandal in Black Hills mining history.
American settlers used Black Elk Peak as a
fire lookout tower in 1911, with a wood crate placed at the summit for a seat. In 1920, a 12'x12' wood structure was built, and it was expanded to 16'x16' the following year. The federal
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was ...
enlisted local men and completed
construction of a stone fire tower in 1938, one of numerous projects in the state during the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
. The Harney Peak fire tower was last staffed in 1967.
A United States post office was operated at Black Elk Peak from 1936 until 1942, and again from 1945 until 1946. The Harney Peak post office was reportedly one of the "most elevated post offices in the United States".
A manmade dam was also created on the peak in 1935. This concrete reservoir holds of water; a pumphouse was added in 1938. In 1982, the lookout tower and its stairway, dam, and pumphouse were nominated by the USDA Forest Service for inclusion in the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
. The Forest Service cited the site's cultural, recreational, and architectural significance to South Dakota.
[ With ] On March 10, 1983, the site was officially added to the register.
Climate
Hiking
The summit can be reached from
Sylvan Lake, Camp Remington, Highway 244, Palmer Creek Rd.,
Mount Rushmore
The Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a National Memorial (United States), national memorial centered on a colossal sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore (, or Six Grandfathers) in the Black Hills near Keystone, South Dak ...
, or
Horse Thief Lake. From the
trailhead at Sylvan Lake in
Custer State Park, to the summit and back is about .
This is the shortest, least strenuous, and most popular route. No permit is required for use of the trail. However, A South Dakota State Parks pass is required to access the Sylvan Lake trailhead.
An old stone tower, once used as a
fire lookout tower, is located at the summit. The ashes of
Valentine McGillycuddy were interred near the base of the tower and a plaque reads, "Valentine McGillycuddy, Wasicu Wakan." ''Wasicu Wakan'' is
Lakota
Lakota may refer to:
*Lakota people, a confederation of seven related Native American tribes
*Lakota language
Lakota ( ), also referred to as Lakhota, Teton or Teton Sioux, is a Siouan languages, Siouan language spoken by the Lakota people of ...
for "Holy White Man."
Gallery
File:Granite Knob and Harney's Peak, by Illingworth, W. H. (William H.), 1842-1893.png, ''Granite Knob and Harney's Peak'', by William H. Illingworth, 1874
File:View from the top of Harney Peak.jpg, View from the top of the Black Elk Peak lookout tower.
File:Harney_Peak_Fire_Tower_1997.jpg, Fire lookout tower at the summit.
File:Harney Peak mountain goat.jpg, A Mountain goat near the top of Black Elk Peak.
File:Harney Peak dam.jpg, A man-made dam is located near the summit.
File:Harneygranite.jpg, Black Elk Peak from Palmer Gulch (August 2006)
File:Aerial of Black Elk Wilderness (49531045633).jpg, Aerial view of Black Elk Peak and surrounding area
See also
*
List of U.S. states by elevation
A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...
*
List of mountains in South Dakota
Notes
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Mountains of South Dakota
Black Hills
Religious places of the Indigenous peoples of North America
Landforms of Pennington County, South Dakota
Sacred mountains of the United States
Highest points of U.S. states
Black Hills National Forest
Two-thousanders of the United States
National Register of Historic Places in Pennington County, South Dakota
Buildings and structures completed in 1938
Dams on the National Register of Historic Places in South Dakota
Fire lookout towers on the National Register of Historic Places
Civilian Conservation Corps in South Dakota
Dams completed in 1935