Newton Hills State Park
Encyclopedia
Newtwon Hills State Park is a South Dakota state park in Lincoln County
, South Dakota
in the United States. The park is 1063 acres (430.2 ha) and sits at an elevation of 1309 feet (399 m).. Newton Hill State Park is open for year-round recreation including camping, swimming, fishing, hiking and boating. It is 12 miles (19.3 km) east of Interstate 29
and south of Canton
.
in Lincoln County in the 1850s. His wife was a mid-wife and until the 1870s she was the only white person in the area who had the skills to deliver a baby or provide health care for the sick.
Some of the first people to live in the area were Native Americans from the Woodland Indian Culture
. Archaeologists have discovered burial mounds and artifacts that have been dated back to 300 BC to 900 AD. The park is surrounded by a vast open prairie
. But it is heavily forested making it a unique setting. The dark forests of the park have prompted many legend
s. Tales of buried gold
and hideaways for horse thieves
and robber
s have been passed on through the years. A small unit of the United States Cavalry
was chased into the forest by a group of Lakota warriors. Legend holds that the soldiers had a supply of gold which they buried in the park before they were killed by the Native Americans. Several searches have been made to locate the site of the battle and the gold, but so far nothing has been found. Frank
and Jesse James
used the forests of what is now the park as a temporary hideout after their famous robbery of a bank in Northfield
, Minnesota
The robbery in Northfield was not successful and after this robbery and a manhunt, only Frank and Jesse James were left alive and uncaptured.
accessible and are equipped with heating, air conditioning and furnishings. Several miles of trails are found in Newton Hills State Park, including horse and mountain bike trails. The trails are open during the winter months for cross-country skiing
and snowshoe
ing.
Lake Lakota is open to fishing, swimming and boating. The common game fish are perch
, bass
, catfish
and a variety of panfish
. Newton Hills State Park is open to hunting
. White-tailed deer
and wild turkey
may be taken with a bow and arrow. Other animals seen in the park include marmot
s, rabbit
s, squirrel
s and fox
es. These animals are protected within the park.
s. The Sioux River Folk Festival is held annually at the park. The festival is hosted by the Friends of Traditional Music. "FestiFall" is held in the autumn of the year to celebrate the arrival of the fall season. Events include pumpkin chunking
, pumpkin carving competitions and other fall activities.
Lincoln County, South Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 24,131 people, 8,782 households, and 6,665 families residing in the county. The population density was 42 people per square mile . There were 9,131 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile...
, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
in the United States. The park is 1063 acres (430.2 ha) and sits at an elevation of 1309 feet (399 m).. Newton Hill State Park is open for year-round recreation including camping, swimming, fishing, hiking and boating. It is 12 miles (19.3 km) east of Interstate 29
Interstate 29
Interstate 29 is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern United States. I-29 runs from Kansas City, Missouri, at a junction with Interstate 35 and Interstate 70 to the Canadian border near Pembina, North Dakota, where it connects with Manitoba Highway 75 via the short Manitoba Highway 29.-Route...
and south of Canton
Canton, South Dakota
Canton is a city in and the county seat of Lincoln County, South Dakota, United States. The city was named by Norwegian settler and former legislator James M. Wahl...
.
History
Newtown Hill State Park is named for William Newton who was one of the first European American settlers to make a home in the area. Newtown made his homesteadHomestead (buildings)
A homestead is either a single building, or collection of buildings grouped together on a large agricultural holding, such as a ranch, station or a large agricultural operation of some other designation.-See also:* Farm house* Homestead Act...
in Lincoln County in the 1850s. His wife was a mid-wife and until the 1870s she was the only white person in the area who had the skills to deliver a baby or provide health care for the sick.
Some of the first people to live in the area were Native Americans from the Woodland Indian Culture
Woodland period
The Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures was from roughly 1000 BCE to 1000 CE in the eastern part of North America. The term "Woodland Period" was introduced in the 1930s as a generic header for prehistoric sites falling between the Archaic hunter-gatherers and the...
. Archaeologists have discovered burial mounds and artifacts that have been dated back to 300 BC to 900 AD. The park is surrounded by a vast open prairie
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
. But it is heavily forested making it a unique setting. The dark forests of the park have prompted many legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
s. Tales of buried gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
and hideaways for horse thieves
Horse thief
-United States:The term horse thief came into great popularity in the U.S. during the 19th century. During that time the Great Plains states, Texas, and other western states were sparsely populated and negligibly policed. As farmers tilled the land and migrants headed west through the Great...
and robber
Robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take something of value by force or threat of force or by putting the victim in fear. At common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the person of that property, by means of force or fear....
s have been passed on through the years. A small unit of the United States Cavalry
United States Cavalry
The United States Cavalry, or U.S. Cavalry, is the designation of the mounted force of the United States Army. The role of the U.S. Cavalry is reconnaissance, security and mounted assault. Cavalry has served as a part of the Army forces in every war in which the United States has participated...
was chased into the forest by a group of Lakota warriors. Legend holds that the soldiers had a supply of gold which they buried in the park before they were killed by the Native Americans. Several searches have been made to locate the site of the battle and the gold, but so far nothing has been found. Frank
Frank James
Alexander Franklin "Frank" James was a famous American outlaw. He was the older brother of outlaw Jesse James.-Childhood:...
and Jesse James
Jesse James
Jesse Woodson James was an American outlaw, gang leader, bank robber, train robber, and murderer from the state of Missouri and the most famous member of the James-Younger Gang. He also faked his own death and was known as J.M James. Already a celebrity when he was alive, he became a legendary...
used the forests of what is now the park as a temporary hideout after their famous robbery of a bank in Northfield
Northfield, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,147 people, 4,909 households, and 3,210 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,452.2 people per square mile . There were 5,119 housing units at an average density of 732.1 per square mile...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
The robbery in Northfield was not successful and after this robbery and a manhunt, only Frank and Jesse James were left alive and uncaptured.
Recreation
Newton Hills State Park is open for year-round recreation. Cabins are available to rent all year, but the campground is closed during the late fall, through winter and into early spring. The 108 of the 118 campsites have electric hook-ups. Restrooms facilities including showers are provided in a central location. The cabins are ADAAmericans with Disabilities Act of 1990
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 is a law that was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1990. It was signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H. W. Bush, and later amended with changes effective January 1, 2009....
accessible and are equipped with heating, air conditioning and furnishings. Several miles of trails are found in Newton Hills State Park, including horse and mountain bike trails. The trails are open during the winter months for cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
and snowshoe
Snowshoe
A snowshoe is footwear for walking over the snow. Snowshoes work by distributing the weight of the person over a larger area so that the person's foot does not sink completely into the snow, a quality called "flotation"....
ing.
Lake Lakota is open to fishing, swimming and boating. The common game fish are perch
Perch
Perch is a common name for fish of the genus Perca, freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which there are three species in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Perciformes, from the Greek perke meaning spotted, and the...
, bass
Bass (fish)
Bass is a name shared by many different species of popular gamefish. The term encompasses both freshwater and marine species. All belong to the large order Perciformes, or perch-like fishes, and in fact the word bass comes from Middle English bars, meaning "perch."-Types of basses:*The temperate...
, catfish
Catfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
and a variety of panfish
Panfish
A panfish, also spelled pan-fish or pan fish, is an edible game fish that usually doesn't outgrow the size of a frying pan. The term is also commonly used by anglers to refer to any small catch that will fit in a pan, but is large enough to be legal. However its definition and usage varies with...
. Newton Hills State Park is open to hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
. White-tailed deer
White-tailed Deer
The white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
and wild turkey
Wild Turkey
The Wild Turkey is native to North America and is the heaviest member of the Galliformes. It is the same species as the domestic turkey, which derives from the South Mexican subspecies of wild turkey .Adult wild turkeys have long reddish-yellow to grayish-green...
may be taken with a bow and arrow. Other animals seen in the park include marmot
Marmot
The marmots are a genus, Marmota, of squirrels. There are 14 species in this genus.Marmots are generally large ground squirrels. Those most often referred to as marmots tend to live in mountainous areas such as the Alps, northern Apennines, Eurasian steppes, Carpathians, Tatras, and Pyrenees in...
s, rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
s, squirrel
Squirrel
Squirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...
s and fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
es. These animals are protected within the park.
Entertainment
Newton Hills State Park has become a prime location for various festivalFestival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
s. The Sioux River Folk Festival is held annually at the park. The festival is hosted by the Friends of Traditional Music. "FestiFall" is held in the autumn of the year to celebrate the arrival of the fall season. Events include pumpkin chunking
Pumpkin chunking
Pumpkin Chucking, or for rhyming purposes Pumpkin Chunking is the sport of hurling or 'chucking' a pumpkin by mechanical means for distance...
, pumpkin carving competitions and other fall activities.