Prairie Music
Ed, a Park Ranger and Geologist, drove me out on Conato Road that cuts through the Buffalo Gap Grassland south of the Badlands National Park and showed me the old ghost town of Conato. There was even a trace of the old railroad that ran through the town. In the 1860’s the rails drew farmers, ranchers, cowboys, buffalo hunters and others. It changed the landscape. Cattle, in contrast to, Bison, graze a wider array of plant species demolishing forbes and seeds alike which really made homesteading a challenge. Based on the depression era vehicles out there, looks like the Great Depression brought an end to this town when many South Dakotans abandoned farms and homes to move into towns and cities to find work.
Yes indeed, Navajo Wind Chant: Remember what you have seen because everything forgotten returns to the circling winds. ... See more