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Art
and Marilyn Oakes have deep roots in the Black Hills of SD. Grandpa
C.C. Gideon came out in 1918 to build the State Game Lodge and stayed
on as proprietor with his wife Elma Mary for 27 years. Other members
of the family ran the concession at Mt. Rushmore, the concesssion at
Wind Cave, and built the town of Rockerville. Grandpa was involved in
the repopulation of many of the animals now considered native to the Hills.
Art
has become well known in the area as a man who loves the hills and
works hard to protect what we all enjoy. He was instrumental in
getting the lights turned back on Mt. Rushmore in 1995/96. He
encourages wildlife in our area and has a group of wild turkeys that
regularly come by for handouts. Other interests include photography
and gardening. The Mt. Rushmore International Poetry Contest
recognized his work with a second place overall for his poem Four
Presidents In Memorium.
Marilyn
has written papers on the history of her grandfather C.C. Gideon and
the early years of development in Custer State Park, and has worked
on tourism boards including Bed and Breakfast Innkeepers of South
Dakota and the Black Hills Badlands and Lakes regional
tourism board. Recently,
she has joined the Visitors Industry Alliance which is a lobbying
group for the tourism industry.
We
offer our guests day tours, directions around the hills to maximize
their time spent with the most desired locations and recommendations
for restaurants, hiking trails, must see attractions, and anything
else that our guests might need to know about the area. |
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