Sitting Bull Crystal Caverns facts for kids
Sitting Bull Crystal Caverns is a cool limestone cave system located about nine miles south of Rapid City, South Dakota. It's on the way to famous places like Mount Rushmore and near the Wind Cave National Park. For eighty years, this amazing cave was open for people to explore every day from late May to early September.
The cave was found by the Duhamel family – Alex, Mamie, and their sons Bud and Pete – in 1929. They discovered it on their land in a place called Rockerville Gulch. This gulch is a red rock canyon located east of Rockerville. The family started giving tours of the cave. To make it even more special, they teamed up with their friend, Black Elk, a respected Lakota holy man.
Black Elk chose the name "Sitting Bull Crystal Caverns" to honor his friend, the famous Lakota leader Sitting Bull. Starting in 1934, Black Elk also organized a "Sioux Indian Pageant" at the caverns. For over ten years, this show helped teach people about the rich Lakota culture and traditions.
In 1992, Bud Duhamel received the Ben Black Elk Award. This award recognized his efforts to promote Native American culture. When Bud was 93 years old, he decided to retire. He passed the job of running the cave tours to his grandson, Peter Heffron.
However, in 2015, the family members who still owned the cave decided they no longer wanted to operate the business. Because of this, Sitting Bull Crystal Caverns was closed to the public. The cave and about 730 acres of land around it were then put up for sale.
