Original subtitles

(whooshing)

(majestic orchestral music)

(upbeat orchestral music)

- Our journey across South Dakota begins

in the classic rural town of Bison,

named after the animals that once roamed the continent

in vast herds and that recently have begun

to roam once more.

Heading east, we reach the longest river in America,

the Missouri, and find overlooking it,

the final resting place of Chief Sitting Bull,

the most famous head of the Sioux tribe,

who led them to bloody victory at Custer's Last Stand.

To the south we find the enormous Oahe Dam,

one of the largest man-made dams on the planet,

and a vital source of hydro electric power to the region.

To the east we visit the city of Mitchell,

and glimpse its bizarre Corn Palace,

a building decorated with murals made entirely of corn.

Finally we reach the small town of Winner,

and here witness a great and exceptionally dangerous

American tradition, a rodeo.

In the mid-west of America, in the state of South Dakota,

is the small town of Bison,

a classic rural mid-western town.

Bison's football team, the Cardinals,

represent the local high school.

Many of the 340 inhabitants of Bison

work in agriculture, producing crops

for fuel, food and feed.

The American bison, which gives the town its name,

is the national mammal of the United States.

(lively western music)

It's believed that at the beginning of the 19th century,

America had over 60 million wild bison.

But with the arrival of European settlers,

they were hunted for food, fur and sport.

Their natural habitats,

the open ranges in which they roamed,

were turned into farms and ranches.

(lively western music) (water gurgling)

By the beginning of the 20th Century,

only a few hundred animals remained.

(lively western music) (water gurgling)

(hooves thundering)

Today, thanks to conservation work,

the bison has been brought back from near extinction.

And today it's estimated that numbers have risen

to around 200,000.

(lively western music)

Traveling north, we reach the South Fork of the Grand River,

and find with a mixture of habitats including

prairie lands, badlands, and sand dunes,

the Grand River National Grasslands.

The two forks of the Grand River meet here,

at Shade Hill Reservoir.

This 19 square kilometer lake was created

when Shade Hill Dam was built in 1951.

The reservoir is a popular fishing destination

with walleye, carp, and small mouth bass.

On the south side of the reservoir stands a monument

to the frontiersman, Hugh Glass.

In 1822, Glass joined a fur trapping expedition

up the Missouri.

But in 1823, on this remote spot,

hundreds of miles from any settlements,

he was attacked by a grizzly bear.

It broke his leg, clawed his back,

and ripped open his throat.

Despite his terrible injuries, Glass managed

to kill the bear.

But his two comrades left him for dead.

Days later Glass came to.

Finding himself horribly injured and utterly alone,

he began to crawl back to the nearest American town,

a distance of over 300 kilometers.

Afterwards he tracked down the men who had left him behind

and remarkably, forgave them.

(calming tribal music)

The story has become a wild west legend,

recently told in the Oscar-winning film, The Revenant.

Glass's survival was partly thanks to the help

of Native Americans.

But the arrival of the European settlers

destroyed their traditional way of life.

This is the Standing Rock Indian Reservation,

the sixth largest in the United States.

As well as modern farms, it also has a number

of sacred Indian sites.

Traveling east we reach Mobridge, where the Grand River,

after flowing for 336 kilometers, joins the Missouri.

Nicknamed The Big Muddy for the huge amounts of sediment

it carries, the Missouri is North America's

longest river and the 15th longest in the world.

Crossing it is this 1500 meter long bridge.

It was built in 1959 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,

and rebuilt in 1980.

It carries Route 12 running east-west through the state.

(calming guitar music)

Next to it is this one-track railway bridge

carrying freight trains.

The building of railroads was of paramount importance

to the development of the American west,

allowing the movement of goods, people and information,

and making previously small towns

into important trading posts.

The first bridge here was built in 1906,

and such was its significance that the local town

named itself Mobridge, after the bridge

that brought the railway.

Today the town's transport links include

the Mobridge Municipal Airport.

(helicopter blades whirring) (calming guitar music)

It's an opportunity for us to refuel

in this remote part of the state.

We continue our journey south along the Missouri.

These lands are part of a reservation

belonging to the Sioux Nation.

And this monument remembers their most famous leader,

Chief Sitting Bull.

He became tribal chief in 1868.

In 1874 gold was discovered in the Black Hills,

sacred Indian land.

Ignoring the terms of a peace treaty,

miners moved into the area, demanding protection

from the U.S. Army.

Sitting Bull led the Sioux in their most famous victory,

the Battle of the Little Big Horn of 1876,

defeating the American troops of General George Custer.

In 1890, during the struggle between his followers

and reservation Indian police,

Chief Sitting Bull was shot dead.

(Native American drums beating)

We continue to the east, passing spectacular rolling hills,

to reach the state's rural heartlands.

Where we find, rather unexpectedly,

this television transmitter.

(upbeat string music)

It's extraordinary that even in remote areas such as these,

there is coverage for television, internet,

and mobile phones.

We travel onwards to the east, reaching the town of Hoven

and its extraordinary church.

This remarkable building is a replica

of a thousand year old cathedral in Ruhmannsfelden, Bavaria.

It's the handiwork of a Bavarian priest,

Anthony Helmbrecht, in 1917.

(upbeat string music)

Two wooden churches had stood in Hoven

before both had collapsed from the harsh conditions

of the prairies.

Helmbrecht asked the people of the town to donate money

to build a more substantial church.

With its twin spires rising over 40 meters,

it has become known as the Cathedral of the Prairies.

(calming guitar music)

We continue to the west to find, irrigated by the Missouri,

these wheat fields being harvested.

(calming guitar music)

Agriculture is South Dakota's leading industry,

contributing $21 billion to the state's economy.

The crops are valuable and vulnerable.

They can be damaged by extreme weather,

particularly drought, flood, or frost.

The impact on farmers and the wider economy of South Dakota

of a failed crop is disastrous.

(calming guitar music)

The state was one of many, that in the 1930s,

came to be known as part of the Dust Bowl,

when drought and over-farming caused vast dust storms

and crop failure.

Today though, it looks as though the harvest is a good one.

Back on the Missouri we discover

West Whitlock Recreation Area.

This was once a popular campsite

for the Arikara and Mandan Native Americans.

Today it draws modern-day campers

for fishing and water sports.

Holiday makers can reach the site

by the Forest City Bridge.

1400 meters long, it carries Highway 212 across the river.

To the south we find Lake Oahe.

The Missouri is one of the rivers most changed

by man in America, and this vast reservoir

is one of a series of man-made lakes along its course.

Meaning that from Nebraska northwards,

the Missouri is no longer a navigable river.

Oahe Dam is the largest of the six along the Missouri,

and the 14th largest in the world.

Construction began in 1948.

It was completed in 1962 and dedicated

by President John F. Kennedy.

The reservoir occupies what was previously

Indian reservation land,

and its construction was bitterly opposed

by Native American tribes.

It destroyed more Indian land than any other

public works project in America.

Here we see the outflows from the dam driving turbines

to produce hydroelectric power.

Oahe has a generating capacity of 700,000 kilowatts,

enough to power a small city.

At its peak, the dam can release over 1400 cubic meters

of water a second, making for an extraordinary spectacle.

(solemn orchestral music)

But the release of so much water

can cause catastrophe downstream.

And because the Missouri flows through a number of states,

each with a number of dams,

the water levels have to be carefully planned and controlled

to avoid disaster.

(water roaring)

But plans can go wrong, as these householders downstream

from the dam try and protect their homes as best they can.

(solemn orchestral music)

This disaster was caused by record snowfall

in the Rocky Mountains of Montana and Wyoming,

combined with high spring rainfall in Montana.

This rare event cost homeowners, businesses and farmers

hundreds of millions of dollars,

and prompted calls for a federal inquiry.

(solemn orchestral music)

Hillsview Golf Club suddenly found it had

a new underwater course with a series of green islands

forming an unusual archipelago.

(solemn orchestral music)

This new golf course had only recently opened

before disaster struck.

And it will be around two years

for the damage to be repaired and restored.

(solemn orchestral music)

We now reach the state capitol, Pierre.

It was settled in 1817, the first permanent settlement

in South Dakota.

(solemn orchestral music)

It was named after an American fur trader of French origin.

Declared South Dakota's capitol in 1889,

it was chosen for its location in the heart of the state.

(solemn orchestral music)

With a population of just under 14,000,

it's one of the smallest state capitols in the country.

(solemn orchestral music)

And yet despite its small size,

it's administered from this imposing building,

the South Dakota State Capitol.

(majestic orchestral music)

49 meters tall and 89 meters wide,

this grand neo-classical building is made

from a number of expensive materials

including vast slabs of hand-carved marble.

For many people, such a building for a single state

might seem somewhat lavish.

But the wealth of the United States is such

that even South Dakota,

which in 2015 had the third lowest gross domestic product

of any state in America,

has a larger economy than over half

of the world's countries.

(majestic orchestral music)

The building houses the offices of most of the state's

public officials, including the governor.

We continue on our journey downstream,

entering the Lower Brule Indian Reservation.

It comprises over 1000 square kilometers

and belongs to the Lakota Tribe.

There are over 300 Indian reservations in the United States.

Many suffer from poverty and exceptionally low

standards of living.

(modern Native American music)

Lower Brule is the main town in the reservation.

It has a population of around 600,

of whom over half live below the poverty line.

(modern Native American music)

This reservation is one of the poorest in the United States.

(modern Native American music)

It's run from here,

the Lower Brule Tribal Administration Building.

Built in 2001, it aims to revitalize growth

and economic development while preserving the traditions

and culture of the past.

(modern Native American music)

The facility has offices for employees,

as well as a tribal council meeting chamber.

It also serves as a visitor information center,

providing access to attractions, activities,

and summer programs.

(modern Native American music)

(slow piano music)

10 kilometers down the Missouri is the Big Bend Dam.

29 meters high and three kilometers long,

the dam was built by the Army Corps of Engineers

in 1959 and completed in 1964.

(slow piano music)

Its construction displaced thousands of Native Americans

from the nearby reservations of Lower Brule and Crow Creek.

In addition, it destroyed agricultural land

used for millennia to grow food and traditional medicines.

However, the dam generates almost half a million kilowatts

of much-needed electricity at maximum capacity

using eight vast water-powered turbines.

Visitors can take tours of the dam or fish in the vast lake

that the dam created.

(solemn orchestral music)

Heading east away from the river,

we find the city of Mitchell in Davison County.

It was settled in 1879 and named after the man who,

in 1880, brought the town its railway,

financier Alexander Mitchell.

(upbeat orchestral music)

Today the town he built has grown to a city

of over 15,000, and has a number of notable buildings,

including the first Methodist Episcopal church.

And from the house of worship we find a house of corn.

This is the remarkable Mitchell Corn Palace.

(upbeat orchestral music)

It was built in 1892 to showcase the area's rich soils

and encourage farmers to settle here.

Although the palace is, in fact,

built of reinforced concrete,

its exteriors are dressed in murals made entirely of corn.

(upbeat orchestral music)

Up to half a million people visit the palace each year.

It serves as a tourist attraction,

as well as an arena for live performances.

And each year, as the venue for the Corn Palace Festival,

a new mural is unveiled,

redesigned and remade by local artists

working in the town's favorite medium, corn.

(upbeat orchestral music)

We now head west along Route 90,

the main highway across the state.

(upbeat country music)

Today almost 70% of all freight in the United States

is moved by road.

Most by class eight trucks such as these.

(upbeat country music)

Over recent years the American trucking industry

has faced a number of challenges including

rising cost of fuel and concerns about the impact

of road transport on the environment.

However, trucks remain an iconic part

of the American landscape.

(upbeat country music)

Route 90, at almost 5,000 kilometers,

is the longest interstate in the United States,

taking road traffic from Boston on the east coast

to Seattle on the west.

(strong guitar chords)

Route 90 crosses the Missouri at Chamberlain.

This single bridge is in fact two bridges,

joined together as it was extended

when the building of a nearby dam

caused waters levels to rise.

(lively orchestral music)

Its local town, Chamberlain,

is home to the South Dakota Hall of Fame,

which honors people who have contributed to the progress,

way of life, and values of South Dakota.

(lively orchestral music)

We travel further west,

moving across vast areas of grassland to find

the aptly names town of Winner.

The town was named because,

as the county's most successful trading post,

it felt it had, quite simply, won.

(cheery orchestral music)

These are the Tripp County Rodeo Grounds

which we find in the midst of preparations

for one of the town's most popular events, the rodeo,

which takes place in the evening.

(cheery orchestral music)

This gives us time to refuel at the local airfield

and wait until the sun sets.

(cheery orchestral music) (helicopter blades whirring)

And when it does, it sets in a fantastic display of color

as we return to the rodeo, where, as it were,

we can join the local crowd.

(lively country music)

Rodeos grew out of the American cattle industry.

The name means roundup in Spanish,

and many of its traditions come from Spanish ranches

in California and Mexico.

In the 19th Century, touring shows used cowboy exhibitions

to entertain crowds.

The first competitive rodeos were in the 1890s,

and have gone on to become part of American culture.

Competitions include breakaway roping.

In this timed event, the calf is released

from a holding pen, or corral.

The rider must pursue it and then let go of the rope.

(lively country music)

This is unlike calf roping where the rider dismounts

and restrains the animal by tying

three of its legs together.

(lively country music)

Breakaway roping is less stressful for the calves.

(lively country music)

There are also team roping events.

(lively country music)

Here the two riders try to rope a steer,

one round the neck, the other about the rear legs.

(lively country music)

The technique was developed by working cowboys,

who on ranches would sometimes have to catch and restrain

big animals, too large and dangerous

for a single man to handle.

(lively country music)

Barrel racing is another rodeo favorite,

an event traditionally competed in by women.

First, three barrels are set out.

(lively country music)

Riding in a clover-leaf pattern,

the riders are timed as they circle about them,

testing the strength and skill of both the horse and rider.

(lively country music)

Finally they must return to the start line

where the clock is stopped.

(lively country music)

The knocking over of a barrel incurs a five second penalty.

(lively country music)

As night falls over the town of Winner,

the arena is raked and made ready

for one of rodeo's biggest events, bull riding.

In this extraordinarily dangerous sport,

cowboys ride on the back of a bucking bull.

They are scored for form and control.

The rider must last at least eight seconds

for the ride to count.

(metal gate clanking)

This has been called

the most dangerous eight seconds in sport.

(lively country music) (pounding hoofbeats)

Making this rodeo, in a town called Winner,

with its uniquely American blend of traditions,

fierce competition, and outright danger,

an exciting place to end this journey.

(lively country music)

(dramatic orchestral music)

(whooshing)