Badlands National Park

Badlands National Park in southwestern South Dakota is renowned for its striking eroded landscapes, extensive mixed-grass prairie, and deep cultural and palaeontological significance. The park preserves dramatic geological formations such as buttes, spires, and pinnacles while protecting one of the largest undisturbed prairie ecosystems in the United States. Managed by the National Park Service, the park’s South Unit is jointly administered with the Oglala Lakota Tribe, reflecting the long-standing connection between the land and the Lakota people. The park sits within the White River–Missouri River drainage basin, and a substantial portion of its North Unit is protected as designated wilderness. The area is also significant for its conservation work, notably the reintroduction of the endangered black-footed ferret.

Geography and Designation

Badlands National Park comprises two main units: the North Unit and the South Unit, the latter often called the Stronghold District. The landscape features rugged erosional forms shaped by millennia of deposition and weathering. Red Shirt Table, located in the South Unit, is the park’s highest point and offers panoramic views across the multi-coloured geologic layers.
The area was first authorised as Badlands National Monument in 1929, although formal establishment did not occur until 1939. In 1978 it was redesignated as a national park. Infrastructure improvements undertaken during the Mission 66 initiative of the 1950s resulted in the construction of the Ben Reifel Visitor Center, which remains a major interpretive site. The park also oversees the nearby Minuteman Missile National Historic Site. Its striking landscape has served as a backdrop for films, including Dances with Wolves (1990) and Thunderheart (1992).
The South Unit includes locations associated with the 1890s Ghost Dance movement and a former United States Air Force gunnery range. The Oglala Lakota continue to regard this area—especially Stronghold Table—as sacred ceremonial ground.

Indigenous History and Cultural Significance

Indigenous peoples have used the Badlands region for at least 11,000 years. Early inhabitants included paleo-Indian groups and later the Arikara, whose descendants now form part of the Three Affiliated Tribes of North Dakota. Archaeological evidence, including remnants of hearths and hunting tools, indicates that these communities used the area for seasonal hunting and surveillance from the high points of the Badlands Wall.
The Lakota later came to dominate the region and named it mako sica, meaning “bad lands”, a reference to the harsh climate, scarcity of water, and rugged terrain. French-Canadian trappers later translated this description as les mauvaises terres pour traverser, capturing the challenge of travelling through such terrain.
In 1868 the Treaty of Fort Laramie affirmed that the Badlands would remain Sioux property, but the treaty was abrogated in 1889 when the land was confiscated by the United States. Toward the end of the nineteenth century the Lakota and other Native peoples in the region embraced the Ghost Dance, a spiritual movement promising the return of buffalo and deceased ancestors. One of the final Ghost Dances took place on Stronghold Table. Tensions escalated as United States forces attempted to suppress the movement, culminating in the Wounded Knee Massacre of December 1890. During this event, near Wounded Knee Creek south of the present park, nearly three hundred Lakota people and thirty soldiers were killed.
Although the ceremony was banned after 1890, it re-emerged during the Red Power movement of the 1960s, which sought to restore Indigenous rights. In 1980 the United States Supreme Court ruled that compensation was owed to the Sioux for the unlawful taking of treaty lands, though the Sioux Nation declined the payment, maintaining that the land itself, not financial restitution, is owed.
The interpretation of events surrounding Wounded Knee is now recognised as the responsibility of the Oglala of Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and the Minneconjou of Standing Rock, emphasising Indigenous authority in telling their own histories.

Fossil Resources and Scientific Importance

The Badlands are internationally recognised for their rich palaeontological deposits, forming the most significant Oligocene mammal beds in the world. Long before scientific investigation, the Lakota found large fossilised bones and seashells and correctly understood that the area had once been underwater.
Scientific interest in the region began in the 1840s when trappers travelling between Fort Pierre and Fort Laramie occasionally collected fossils. The publication of fossil discoveries in the mid-nineteenth century drew increasing attention. By 1854 more than eighty fossil species had been identified from North America, with the majority originating from the White River Badlands. Researchers such as Othniel Charles Marsh refined fossil-extraction techniques in the 1870s, enabling the assembly of more complete skeletons.
The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology has maintained a prominent research presence since 1899. Today, scientists from across the world study the Badlands’ fossil beds, which preserve an unparalleled record of Oligocene fauna, offering insight into the evolution of mammals roughly 33 million years ago. Fossil species found in the region include oreodonts, nimravids, early horses such as Mesohippus, primitive camels, and rhinoceros-like mammals such as Subhyracodon.

Homesteading and Settlement Attempts

Although homesteading had begun in other parts of the United States during the nineteenth century, it did not significantly affect the Badlands until the 1900s. Promotional maps of the era portrayed the region as “The Wonderlands”, encouraging settlers to farm its scenic landscapes. Homestead parcels were typically small, a severe limitation in the semi-arid climate. Even after the 1909 Enlarged Homestead Act increased available acreage, the land proved difficult to cultivate.
Settlers attempted to raise cattle and plant winter wheat and hay, but the harsh winds, limited rainfall, and economic challenges made farming precarious. The Dust Bowl of the 1930s, compounded by grasshopper infestations, led many homesteads to be abandoned. Sod houses, often heated with buffalo chips, still stand as remnants of these difficult years.

Military Use of the Stronghold District

During the Second World War the United States Army Air Forces seized land on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation to establish a gunnery and bombing range. This included a substantial portion of what is now the park’s South Unit. The operation disrupted Lakota communities and left behind unexploded ordnance that required extensive post-war cleanup. The legacy of military use remains an important dimension of contemporary land management and consultation with the Oglala Lakota Tribe.

Conservation, Management, and Biodiversity

Badlands National Park occupies a major ecological transition zone and preserves mixed-grass prairie ecosystems alongside its rugged geologic formations. The Badlands Wilderness protects a large part of the North Unit and provides essential habitat for numerous plant and animal species. Conservation initiatives, including the reintroduction of the black-footed ferret, reflect ongoing commitments to protect endangered species and restore ecological balance.
Management of the South Unit involves a unique cooperative framework between the National Park Service and the Oglala Lakota Tribe. Discussions regarding greater tribal involvement and potential co-management or tribal national park designation continue to shape policy and conservation planning.