Caching in Downtown Sioux City 8/6/2010

Well this morning we headed for the downtown area to see if we could find any caches that were interesting or historical. Not an awful lot that was historical but we did see some interesting sculptures, a lovely park and a lot of older buildings and churches. First 2 caches were in small parks, one behind a plaque and the other under a balance beam. Next was a cache at the sculpture of David, then one in front of a local downtown business, and next was a cache on a sculpture of Canadian geese taking off in Falls Park. Falls Park is the one that has the Big Sioux River running through it and where they are dumping the cities sewage into because of the sewer collapse. We drove into the park, as we thought according to the local news it was closed, to see it as we had heard it was lovely.


The Falls of the Big Sioux River have been a focus of life in the region throughout history. Native American peoples were the first to visit the falls and bring stories of them to European explorers. They have been the focus of recreation and industry since the founding of the city of Sioux Falls in 1856. Today the park covers 42 acres. Each second, an average of 7,400 gallons of water drop 100 feet over the course of the falls.

Built in the late 1800s, the Horse Barn Arts Center now houses an art gallery featuring different local art exhibits each month. There is a gift show and a variety of activities in the stall level — including artist demonstrations, hands-on activities, classes, poetry readings or musical performances.

Monarch of the Plains Statue
Beautifully sculpted from a 12-ton piece of mahogany granite mined in the Milbank, SD, area, the “Monarch” is a work of art created by Darold Bailey. The fundraising and organizational efforts bringing the sculpture to Falls Park were led by Shirley Savage.

Millrace and Dam
Originally constructed to provide power for the Queen Bee Mill in the 1880s, the dam was raised in 1908 to supply power to the hydroelectric plant. Today the millrace is a viewing platform.

The Queen Bee Mill, a goliath among mills in early Dakota Territory, once stood tall and proud here on the bank of the Big Sioux River. A large quartzite deposit on the site was used to build an impressive seven-story flour mill.
The building of the mill was the result of the work of many people, led by R. F. Pettigrew of Sioux Falls. Pettigrew, one of the leading political and business figures of the city, secured money to construct the mill from a group of investors led by George I. Seney, a New York City banker. It has long been believed, though unproven, that Pettigrew tricked Seney into putting up the money. According to that legend, Pettigrew arranged for the construction of a dam upstream on the Big Sioux River, and as the men approached the river, on signal, the dam was broken. The resulting flow of water over the falls was sufficient to convince Seney that the mill should be built.
In August 1879, construction began on an 81-acre site that was purchased for $38,000. After two years of building and fitting, the Queen Bee was ready, at a cost of nearly half a million dollars. It was 104 feet tall, 80 feet wide, and 100 feet long. Water from the Big Sioux River was diverted into a large turbine which generated 800 horsepower. The Queen Bee Mill, known as "the most ambitious attempt ever made to use waterpower west of the Mississippi River," was capable of producing 1,200 barrels of flour daily. One hundred men worked within and around the mill complex.
The very river which was to provide the source of power to operate the mill also threatened to destroy it before the first wheat was ground. On April 20, 1881, spring run-off from melted snow and ice overflowed the banks o fthe Big Sioux River, creating the worst flood in the recorded history of Sioux Falls. The mill took a pounding, but, as it was built of "a stone that is unsurpassed by any building material that exists in the world," it withstood the onslaught of the raging river with damage limited to mill offices.
The Queen Bee Mill began grinding Dakota spring wheat October 25, 1881. By early 1883, owing $97,000 to creditors, the mill was bankrupt. It failed because of insufficient waterpower, the scarcity of high grade wheat and the inability to pay dividends to its investors. The mill complex changed ownership several times, then shut down forever shortly after the end of World War I when it became a storage facility.
On January 30, 1956, the Queen died a fiery death. Portions of the walls of the mill, built of "a stone with which it is fitting that
we should find heaven paved," remain to remind future generations of the economic struggles of the past.


We stopped at several spots in the park to look at the river, historical markers and mill. As soon as you got out of the car you could smell the stench of the sewage that was being dumped into the river. We looked around for awhile and then it was back to the car quickly. After we left the park we did 4 more caches which were all very simple park and grab caches. One was at the Augustana Luthern Church, another on a sign at an intersection, one in a tree by a small lake and the last on a faded street sign. Then it was back to the coach for lunch and the rest of the afternoon. We did go out to eat dinner at Culver's Butterburgers where we had lunch a few days ago. Oh by the way we had to stay an extra day here, damn it, as the campgrounds we hoped to head to next was full this weekend and we couldn't get in until Sunday at the earliest. Well that's about it for now from Sioux City so until tomorrow we love and miss you all. Mom & Dad Dori & Dick