Wind Cave National Park Cultural Landscape: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Wind Cave National Park

Regions 3, 4, & 5 Cultural Landscapes Program

Inventory Unit Description: Wind Cave National Park is located 10 miles north of Hot Springs, South Dakota and was initially founded with the intent of protecting Wind Cave from exploitation as a for profit tourist destination. Wind Cave is identified as one of the largest caves the world. Above the cave, the terrain consists of rolling hills and ravines covered with grass, shrubs, pine, juniper, and deciduous trees. In the developed area, landscaping by the CCC has enhanced the natural vegetation and provided for screening of visual intrusion by the buildings. Features from all periods of NPS development persist in the landscape including an intact groupings of Mission 66 and Parkscape USA. The boundaries for the CLI corresponds with the boundaries for the park which include the original 1903 boundaries (that which is still owned by the NPS) and all additional lands acquired since, including the Sanson Ranch/Casey property which is a separate documented component landscape. The landscape character is divided into character areas: the Administrative area, the Utility area, and the Historic Park Staff Residence area, the Elk Mountain Campground, and Rankin Ridge. These character areas contain extant landscape features that were constructed between 1890 and 1972 including various buildings and structures, circulation paths, and purposeful views and vistas. The 1995 National Register of Historic Places Nomination identified only the Administrative area, which includes the upper housing units, and Utility Areas as contributing character areas to the Wind Cave National Park. This nomination identified a period of significance of 1905 to 1945, during which time 18 contributing historic structures were constructed. The Park was nominated under Criterion A and C for its association with late nineteenth and early twentieth century tourism and recreational development within the Black Hills and for its association with the CCC. Despite the scope of the 1995 nomination, and supplementary listing record that increased the number of contributing buildings to 19, landscape features other than buildings and structures are not considered to be adequately addressed and the Mission 66 and Parkscape USA resource were not considered. The CLI identifies landscape characteristics and features that contribute to a broader boundary and significance of the park and integral to conveying the integrity of the resource as a whole. This cultural landscape inventory expands on the findings of the 1995 nomination. The inventory looks at the entire landscape within park boundaries and extends the period of significance to 1972. The expanded boundaries and extended period of significance allow for the documentation of landscape features that were added or constructed prior to park acquisition and includes landscape features that date to the Mission 66 Era. (“National Park Service Mission 66 Era Resources” National Register Multiple Property documentation Form, August 2015.)

Wind Cave National Park Cultural Landscape: Cultural Landscapes Inventory, Wind Cave National Park

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