For as similar as the two states are, there are remarkable departures; still, I think the west river and east river economies are probably very similar to the other state’s counterpart. East river is mostly farming land, and west river is mostly ranching land. Most people think west river is more beautiful, but the east river prairie has its own refined beauty, which seemingly goes unnoticed by many.

I think North Dakota has more mineral wealth.

My wife’s family is Russian German. They have a fascinating history, and there are bunches of them in both states. Lawrence Welk was Russian German.

I hope Dan’s dad is doing okay.

Did South Dakota magazine include Scotland’s artillery piece in their article? When I was a kid I used to organize assaults on the artillery piece in Wessington Springs. It was on top of a high hill. A couple of years ago I took my Texan kids to the top and my cannon, to a chorus of “sure dad, lost again?”, had vanished. I found it in the magazine. They’d moved it to the cemetery: an indefensible position.

I don’t know anything about Janklow’s dam, but one of my relatives grumbles often about that damn Janklow!

Cool! I didn’t know you were a fellow South Dakotan!

I have similar memories of looking for the chalk stones of Old Scotland, before that abandoned city was flooded by the Janklow Dam. [1] I think I still have some of the chalk rocks about…

I wonder how long before the small farm towns across our state know the same death as old Fort Thompson and old Scotland.

I’m rarely happy when I think of South Dakota’s future. Sioux Falls, with its wealth and gifts [2], will probably do quite well. The second-tier towns may sleep at their current size. But most of the towns will become unremembered sisters of Garðar and Roanoke.

Too bad.

[1] http://www.tdaxp.com/archive/2006/07/02/scotland-a-city-of-lovecraftian-dreams.html
[2] http://www.tdaxp.com/archive/2007/02/08/thank-you-mr-sanford.html