Greeting from Aberdeen!
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| Self portrait taken in front of fun house mirror at Wylie Park in Aberdeen, SD |
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Distance: 15.5 miles, wandering around Aberdeen.
I spent a couple of days in Aberdeen recuperating, visiting the town, and catching up on the blog in the Alexander Mitchell Public Library. Aberdeen's population of 31,000 and a metro population of about 41,000 make it the third largest city in South Dakota. It was founded in 1882 as a hub of rail lines. It was named after the hometown of a Milwaukee Road official based in Minneapolis.
Aberdeen is the county seat of Brown County.
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| Brown County Courthouse. |
It has some impressive early 20th century architecture including the First United Methodist Church and the Capitol Theatre.
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| The First United Methodist Church is a few blocks down from the courthouse. The rotunda at the top of the church echoes the one on the courthouse. |
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| The Capitol Theatre is the home of Aberdeen Community Theatre. |
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As in most other South Dakota towns I have passed through, there are many small casinos.
Screen capture of Google map of casinos in Aberdeen.
The two biggest popular attractions in Aberdeen are the Brown County Fair and Wylie Park. The latter includes Storybook Land and a zoo with regional animals.
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| Fearsome looking farm vehicles at the Brown County Fair. |
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| More farm vehicles. |
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| Aberdonians and others flock along the Brown County Fair Midway. |
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| Brown County Fair crowd. |
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Bison feeding at the trough in the Wylie Park Zoo of regional animals. |
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| An elk in repose. Impressive rack. |
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| Wylie Park includes Storybook Land. Inspired by nursery rhymes, this theme park features a miniature train, castle, and many statues, including the Wizard of Oz crew. |
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| Ring-necked pheasants roost at Wylie Park. The ring-necked pheasant is the state bird. |
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I always thought that the Missouri Coteau was the unglaciated area to the east of Webster/Waubay S.D.? Regardless, it is an amazing area, full of lakes and "prairie potholes". Enjoy the ride down the east side to Milbank.
ReplyDeleteThe Wikipedia article titled Geography of South Dakota has a map calling the area to the west of Webster Coteau du Missouri and it calls the area that includes Webster and Waubay and areas to the east Coteau des Prairies. I am looking forward to the ride down to Milbank because today I had a long ride up to Webster.
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