The Needles
The Needles in South Dakota. The picture was taken in the mid-1920s by a photographer named Lease. On the photo it is written “Among the Needles, NE BDLNS Road, State Highway”
On the Rapid City South Dakota website it states, “Deemed “impossible” to construct by its critics, Needles Highway (SD Hwy 87)—a National Scenic Byway—was completed in 1922. The road lies within the 71,000-acre Custer State Park, just 30 miles south of Rapid City, and is an impressive 14-mile stretch that includes sharp turns, narrow tunnels, granite spires and world class views.”
Located in the Black Hills the Needles were the original site proposed for the Mount Rushmore carvings. The location was rejected by the sculptor Gutzon Borglum owing to the poor quality of the granite and the fact that they were too thin to support the sculptures.
The Needles attract many rock climbers starting with Fritz Wiessner climbed the Totem Pole in 1936.
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Thank you for reading.
Jenny Findsen