Perkins County: Prairie, Art and History

Perkins County combines open landscapes with water, art and local history. For planning your trip, this offers a range of different highlights: prairie and river landscapes, a trail through the grassland, or cultural sites with historic buildings, art and museum finds in Lemmon.

Landscape Between Prairie and Water

The Grand River National Grassland covers approximately 151,000 acres across Perkins, Corson and Ziebach Counties. Its landscape therefore extends across several counties. The South Fork of the Grand River in Perkins County is characterized by riverside woodland, badlands, sand dunes and deeply cut drainage channels. The Shadehill Recreation Area lies along the shore of Shadehill Reservoir, one of the few large bodies of water in western South Dakota. The river landscape and reservoir each add their own character to the natural scenery.

Trails, Shores and Outdoor Activities

The Blacktail Trail is a 7-mile loop that begins and ends at the Blacktail Picnic Area. It passes through rolling mixed-grass prairie in the Grand River National Grassland near Shadehill and is suitable for hikers, horseback riders and other non-motorized users. From Lemmon, the trail is approximately 16 miles south along Highway 73. These figures describe different distances: 7 miles is the length of the loop, while approximately 16 miles is its location south of Lemmon.

The Blacktail Picnic Area also has a fishing area for rainbow trout. At Hugh Glass Park, visitors can walk along the shores of the Grand River and Shadehill Reservoir. The activities are distinct: the Blacktail Trail focuses on a loop for a range of users, while Hugh Glass Park offers walks along two bodies of water. You can choose between these options based on the activity that interests you most.

Art and Local History in Lemmon

The G.E. Lemmon House was built in 1908 and was the residence of the man who helped plan and settle Lemmon. Its construction date is directly tied to local history. Ed Lemmon is commemorated at Boss Cowman Square: the Ed Lemmon monument combines scrap iron with a bronze portrait. Bus tours are welcome at Boss Cowman Square. If you arrive on a bus tour, confirm the visitor arrangements in advance, as they may change.

Artworks also feature at stops around Lemmon. The mural at the Kokomo Inn is 150 feet long and 15 feet high. The Kokomo Gallery displays a changing collection of works by John Lopez; his work “The Last Stand” is also on view there. “Nike of Samothrace” is located at the entrance to the John Lopez Sculpture Garden. Since exhibitions can change, check which works are currently on display before your visit.

At the Grand River Museum on Highway 12 in Lemmon, the sculpture “Triceratops Cowboy” welcomes visitors. The museum also displays the Triceratops skull “Garth,” which was found at the Schmidt Ranch in the 1990s. A sculpture at the entrance and a named fossil discovery in the museum offer different ways to explore art and natural history.

The Lemmon Petrified Wood Park contains formations made from locally collected petrified wood. The free museum is also built from petrified wood. It is open seasonally from Memorial Day through Labor Day; check the dates before your trip. The annual Hugh Glass Rendezvous commemorates Hugh Glass’s history as a frontiersman and fur trader. If you plan to attend, check the event dates in advance.

Check Visiting Hours

The Kokomo Gallery is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., from May 1 through October 1. Since operating information can change, check the hours before your trip. This helps you plan your gallery visit and see the changing collection at the current opening times.

Discover more destinations: Bison, Dewey County, Lake County, Lyman County, Meade County, Jackson County, Butte, Jones County

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