THE SNEEZELESS LAND OF THE DACOTAH 



505 



THAT MAJESTIC GROUP OF GRANITE SPIRES, 

 THE NEEDLES, BLACK HILLS 



Henry in a ditch and walk four miles to get any place. 

 From Sylvan Lake are trails to Harney Peak, the Needles 

 and the Pools. The Pools are 

 a series of beautiful granite 

 basins set in the bottom of a 

 deep, ragged canyon and sur- 

 mounted by what is known as 

 the Guardian, a huge boulder 

 in the perfect shape of a man's 

 bust. It is one of the curios- 

 ities of the country. The 

 Needles is a group of slender 

 spires, set around a flat oval 

 a quarter of a mile in diam- 

 eter. The spires rise to 

 heights of six hundred feet, 

 many standing alone, others 

 in chains. Here may be seen 

 enough freak-shaped rocks to 

 last the average person a life- 

 time and their like is not du- 

 plicated anywhere in the 

 country. Besides this, there is 

 Hot Springs, the name being 



self-explanatory. Here are more than a hundred mineral 

 water springs which maintain a warm temperature 

 throughout the year, so that the people living here are 

 sure to have plenty of hot water if they have nothing 

 else. The springs possess curative qualities good for a 

 number of ailments and were highly prized and held 

 sacred by the Indians until the whites discovered what 

 was going on and then the Red Brother had to hunt up 

 something else when he was sick. The springs are all 

 boxed up now and it costs money to bathe in them, but 

 the charge is low and the benefits and pleasure derived 

 are well worth the investment. 



A few miles from Hot Springs is another natural won- 

 der, the same being Wind Cave. The air of the cave pos- 

 sesses qualities which give immediate relief to sufferers 

 from colds, asthma and hay-fever. Even persons not both- 

 ered by such things should visit the cave, however. The 

 cave is a government institution and guides are furnished 

 to herd the visitors through the tunnels twice each day, 

 the trips being at 9 A. M. and 2 P. M. on the dot, and no 

 deviation from this schedule. 



The cave consists of more than a hundred miles of 

 long, narrow passages which at frequent intervals have 

 branches leading off into chambers, but, of course, one 

 need not go the entire route. The walls and ceilings are 

 covered with elaborate crystal formations and among 

 other things the cave contains one chamber, called the 

 Fair Grounds, which is several acres in extent and is the 

 largest natural underground room in the world. That 

 is something to think over and remember. 



So much for the cave. In passing, however, it might 

 be well to remember that caves, several hundred feet 

 underground, are likely to be damp and evening dress is 

 not the best costume to wear on the trip. Hiking clothes 

 are much more appropriate. No, I do not know where 

 the wind comes from. There is a continual current 



CEDAR PASS, BAD LANDS, SOUTH DAKOTA, WITH A REPLICA OF THE 

 WOOLWORTH TOWER AT THE EXTREME RIGHT 



