Standing Rock National Native American Scenic Byway
(35 miles)
This National Scenic byway conveniently displays rugged terrain along with grand vistas of the Missouri River and offers the excitement of cultural and historical discovery. History comes alive on this journey as the great Lakota spiritual leader Sitting bull lived and died here; Meriwether Lewis and William Clark stopped 14 times; famous mountain men like Jim Bridger and Jedediah Smith pass through; and it is documented as the final resting place of Lewis and Clark's guide Sakakawea.
Location
From the Cannonball River south along Highways 1806 and 24 to the South Dakota state line.
Points of interest
- Prairie Knights Marina – The Marina at Prairie Knights Casino and Resort, located north of Fort Yates, North Dakota, along Lake Oahe, has picnic areas, swimming, RV parking, a nature trail, a boat ramp, a fish cleaning station, and a 3-mile mountain biking trail. A fresh water supply is available for campers along with showers and restrooms. 24-hour security is provided and an RV dump station for your convenience. For more information call 701-854-7777.
- Lewis & Clark Legacy Nature Trail – The newly designated Lewis and Clark Legacy Nature Trail located at Prairie Knights Casino and Resort’s marina features three 1-mile primitive trails overlooking beautiful Lake Oahe. Signage is located along the trails identifying plant species and their traditional Native American uses. Hikers will see an abundance of wildlife and birdwatching opportunities throughout the forested ravines and along the prairie hilltops.
- Buffalo Pasture - Adjacent to the Byway is an area (about one thousand acres) that has been established as the Standing Rock Buffalo Pasture. Buffalo or bison have a great historical significance for the Lakota/ Dakota people. Before the incursion of European settlers, bison provided the Lakota and Dakota tribes with food, clothing and shelter. After many years of absence, the bison are once again on the Standing Rock Reservation.
- Sitting Bull’s Burial Sites - The Standing Rock National Native American Scenic Byway takes you past two places where one of the greatest leaders in American history is said to be buried. Sitting Bull (Tatanka Iyotake) died along the Grand River in western Standing Rock on December 15, 1890, and was subsequently buried at Fort Yates, North Dakota. This site is marked and located on the drive into Fort Yates, within one mile of the scenic byway. The Hunkpapa Lakota spiritual leader’s remains were said to have been removed in 1953 to a site across from Mobridge, South Dakota, marked by a stone monument carved by famed sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski. That site is located south of Grand River Casino, three miles off the South Dakota Portion of the byway.
- Standing Rock Monument - In the town of Fort Yates overlooking the Missouri is the Standing Rock Monument from which Standing Rock gets its name. According to the legend inscribed on the monument, the stone is the petrified form of a woman and her child. The image became the name for the Indian agency established in 1874.
- Fort Yates Stockade - The only building that remains intact from the military post established in 1874 is the stockade, which can be seen today in the town of Fort Yates. Later named for Captain George Yates who died at the battle of the Little Big Horn, the fort became the largest Missouri River military post. Among the people housed in the stockade was Sitting Bull after his return from Canada. The fort was abandoned by the military in 1903.
