Original subtitles

on a deadly chase across the presidents』 faces.

when all was said and done,

800 million pounds of rock had been removed...

from the fine chisel marks on the presidents』 faces,

to the orderly lines of scars left on the surrounding stone

by dynamite and drills,

to the enormous piles of rubble below.

in 1959 the monument provided the setting

most infamous moments, for two of hollywood』s

thriller "north by northwest." in alfred hitchcock』s classic

in one key scene, hitch has icy blonde eva marie saint

pretend to shoot leading man cary grant

in the visitors center.

then he sends grant, saint and villain martin landau

can still be seen here.

hitchcock was planning to shoot this second scene

on the monument itself,

but a journalist spilled news of the planned chase

and the national park service shut hitchcock down,

which is why the final scene was filmed

on a hollywood sound stage instead.

but the black hills are also home

to a sioux monument, as well.

it was dreamed up by a group of native americans

led by henry standing bear,

a chief of the lakota sioux tribe.

he recruited polish-american sculptor korczak ziolkowski,

who finally started work on june 3, 1948.

thomas jefferson followed, in a spot to washington』s right,

that people from all over america

will be drawn to come and look

and go home better citizens," he said.

soon president calvin coolidge and others

were helping secure federal funding.

it took more than 14 years for borglum, and 400 workers,

to blast and chisel this world-famous quartet

of former presidents.

george washington came first,

his familiar profile emerging from the mountain

in less than three years--

in time for an especially patriotic dedication

on july 4, 1930.

ziolkowski chose to depict crazy horse on horseback,

but unstable stone there forced borglum

to dynamite his original jefferson,

and move the third president to washington』s left.

received its dedication in 1936. jefferson』s revised image

lincoln came next, in a spot originally intended

for a giant tablet inscribed with an inspirational text.

then all hands turned to adding teddy roosevelt to the group.

after borglum died, his son lincoln

oversaw the carving of the final details.

on october 31, 1941, just 14 years after work began,

the monument was declared complete.

today, evidence of the enormous effort it took to do the job

to help tap treasure deep underground.

trucks once followed a road that spiraled down

along the side of the mine itself.

a group of california prospectors began digging

on a ten-acre claim here in 1877,

the year the u.s. government

took the black hills back from the sioux.

before it closed in 2002,

the homestake had yielded 39 million ounces of gold,

making it the most successful gold mine in the u.s.

but while gold may have triggered a mad rush

back in the 1800s... into what』s now south dakota

these days, north dakota is now experiencing a boom of its own.

thousands are flooding into the state

to get down the its base, 8,000 feet below,

the prairie like never before. and they』re lighting up

in 2012, nasa scientists began looking at new satellite images

of north america, taken at night.

they knew the familiar bright lights

of atlanta, new york city, chicago, and minneapolis.

but as their eyes moved west,

they discovered a large cluster of light on the great plains,

in a place where they knew

there was almost nothing but farmland and prairie.

actually the lights the fact was, these weren』t

of any one city or town.

they were lights from housing and drilling equipment,

and of gas flares from hundreds of new oil wells

was hoping for when he dreamt up this tribute in stone.

pointing to the horizon,

but was only able to complete the head before he died in 1982,

after working on the giant sculpture

for almost half his life, for free.

the sculptor turned down

government funding for the project

because of its violation of the laramie treaty,

but admission fees and donations

to continue his work. have enabled ziolkowski』s family

more than a million people visit this site each year

to see this larger-than-life portrait

of america』s great indian chief,

which is exactly what henry standing bear

"i want to create a monument so inspiring

"my fellow chiefs and i would like the white man to know,"

he once said, "that the red man has great heroes, also."

the black hills that crazy horse once knew

have changed in ways that can never be reversed,

of that change than this-- and there』s no better example

the largest and deepest gold mine in the united states.

it lies just 50 miles from mount rushmore

and is known as homestake mine.

this open pit is so deep and so wide

it looks like it was created by a giant babylonian ziggurat

into the earth that』s been plunged upside down

and then pulled back out.

of the little south dakota town of sturgis.

than here on the great plains, where, at 242 feet,

in the state. it』s still the tallest building

in the 19th century, the dakota territory

was invaded by settlers and gold miners,

searching for treasure on land that wasn』t theirs.

but today, every august, another thundering horde

descends on this part of south dakota

to take over a little town

during one of the biggest biker rallies in the world.

every july, more than half a million bikers

from across north america roar into south dakota.

they arrive on intimidating steeds

and lay claim to the streets, sidewalks and bars

rockefeller center in new york city』s

this annual invasion started back in 1938

when a local mechanic named pappy hoel

and his wife pearl

formed the jackpine gypsies motorcycle club

and launched a motorcycle race.

it quickly grew.

racing is still a part of the scene today,

but most of the action has shifted

to sturgis』s main street...

and slowed down quite a bit.

to show off a harley because it』s hard

if you』re going too fast.

is about 6,700, sturgis』s normal population

corinthian columns,

for their new capital.

after 14 years of debate and three statewide votes,

the central railroad town of pierre finally came out on top,

as some had long expected.

the city fathers urged the state

to hurry up and build a capitol building--

one so grand, no one could ever again think

of moving the government away.

construction of the capitol began the very next year

and was completed by 1910.

the total cost of the building was less than a million dollars.

but south dakota got a lot of bang for its buck:

a copper-covered dome, massive rotunda,

and so having 500,000 bikers ride into town

and rusticated granite and bedford limestone walls.

with its completion, pierre』s place as south dakota』s capital

would never be challenged again.

but across the border, legislators

in the new north dakota capital of bismarck

decided to do something completely different--

build a state capitol

that looked like it belonged in modern america

and not in ancient rome.

the result was this art deco tower

designed by architects holabird and root

that might have looked more at home

saw the needles,

state historian doane robinson that』s why south dakota

wanted to build a monument

that could lure tourists to this wondrous landscape.

when he saw this group of now famous granite spires,

known as the needles,

he imagined using them to carve giant portraits

of heroes of the american west...

heroes like lewis and clark, buffalo bill cody,

and the great sioux chief red cloud,

who had fought and died to keep the black hills off-limits

to miners, settlers

and even the kind of tourists robinson hoped to attract.

but when danish-american sculptor gutzon borglum

which meant it was hard to get here at all.

they would be suitable he wasn』t convinced

for large scale carvings

and told robinson he feared they would end up

looking like misplaced totem poles.

but he soon found another location just a few miles away

that he thought would be perfect.

a giant wall of solid granite,

big enough for multiple carved portraits,

each up to six stories tall.

there was, he declared,

"no piece of granite comparable to it in the united states."

he also thought that a national tribute to u.s. presidents

would be more appealing than heroes of the west.

to grab a martini, buy some lingerie,

means that getting a hotel room here during the rally

is pretty much impossible.

back in pearl hoel』s day

bikers used to camp out in her living room

or park their rvs in her yard.

today most stay

in huge campground-playgrounds outside town

that offer comforts pearl and her guests

never dreamed off,

like hundreds of rv hookups

and their own stages and comedy clubs.

here at the broken spoke saloon campground,

bikers can even ride right in the front door

that dot north dakota today.

or get a tattoo.

or they can head over to take a dip

in what』s billed as

the "largest biker swimming pool in the world."

during the rally these adult playgrounds

are sturgis』s party central.

but some of the more adventurous bikers

head out for a chance to wind

through one of the great landscapes

of the american west--

the granite spires of south dakota』s black hills.

but in the early 20th century, there were very few good roads,

and to promote the state』s favorite crop.

might just be farmers.

that』s because they』re responsible

for more than 80 million acres of farmland in both states.

here in south dakota, corn is king.

farmers here grow more than 600 million bushels

of this one crop every year.

and corn is much more than just a commodity here,

it』s a symbol of a way of life

through generations... that』s passed down

and celebrated every year

in the south dakota farming town of mitchell, at the corn palace.

it started in 1892

as a place for farmers to sell their produce

and the biggest thinkers in both north and south dakota

the elaborate murals on its walls

are made from, not surprisingly, cornhusks,

and are re-created fresh every year.

corn palace in north dakota. but you won』t find any

wheat rules. that』s because, up here,

north dakota grows more wheat than almost any other state,

along with more barley, flaxseed,

and one of the most colorful crops there is: canola.

soar over northern north dakota on any day in july,

and oceans of canola stretch to the horizon.

these yellow plants are actually a kind of rapeseed,

which was developed over the border in canada

at the university of manitoba.

outside the south dakota town of montrose,

and with toxic fumes from the flares.

when the gas flares blow out, the jorgensons have smelled

what they believe is hydrogen sulfide gas

that is a known toxin produced by fracking sites.

the controversies over this new form of oil extraction

are likely to continue for years to come.

in oil country meanwhile, those who don』t live

have other things to think about.

and sometimes the dakotas』 empty prairies

can have an unusual effect on people...

people like wayne porter.

in 1983, porter decided to quit grazing sheep

in this field along interstate 90,

"canola" is actually short for "canada ola" or "oil"--

and start filling it up with giant sculptures instead...

landlocked goldfish leaping through the grass,

a giant butterfly perched on a towering finger, and more,

all made by porter himself.

he leaves them out here when he』s done,

for passing motorists to enjoy.

his masterpiece so far

is this 25-ton, 60-foot-tall metal bust of a bull

that took him three years to complete.

porter brags it』s as big

presidential portraits... as mount rushmore』s

proof that thinking big comes natural in the dakotas.

like gps technology that helps them make sure

and keep your cows warm when winter rolls around.

modern science that helps farmers across the dakotas,

and the nation, thrive.

but with so much farmland to care for

in north and south dakota,

that many farmers also get help it』s not surprising

from the sky.

every summer, crop dusters like this one can be seen

buzzing fields across north and south dakota,

spraying pesticide and other ag chemicals

to help farmers ward off bugs and other threats.

these days ag pilots use sophisticated tools

to get the job done,

not to mention the best ways to heat your barn

of the field-- they don』t miss any part

by mistake, or spray a neighbor』s crops

which can lead to harsh words

and sometimes even nasty lawsuits.

ag pilots fly so low

they rarely need to be in touch with any control tower.

and most do it because they simply love to fly.

and who can blame them?

over the great landscapes there』s nothing like soaring

of north and south dakota...

and discovering the beauty, stunning sights,

and rich history of these two great plains states...

all from the air.

many know ndsu for its fargo dome,

and it thrives here in north dakota,

which alone produces almost 90% of all canola grown in the u.s.

once it』s pressed into oil,

livestock feed, and biodiesel. it』s used for cooking,

a healthy oil, it』s considered to be

in saturated fats. since it』s low

finding ways to keep these fields of gold thriving

and maximizing production of canola and other crops

for north dakota farmers

is the job of students and faculty alike

at north dakota state university in fargo.

it was founded as an agricultural college in 1890,

the year after north dakota became a state.

by chemicals used at the well

bison football team, the home of the university』s

which has one of the best records in division i football.

of the loudest indoor arenas it』s known to be one

in the nation, thanks to its dome,

which is said to amplify crowd noise--

earning it the nickname "the thunderdome."

but the real heart of this campus lies here

in these greenhouses and fields,

where ndsu researchers study everything

from how deep in the ground seeds should be planted,

to the best ways to store harvested crops,

to the impacts of flooding and drought...

the boom is so recent, there aren』t enough pipelines yet

prefab housing complexes

and trailer parks that are known as "man-camps."

some of these complexes house

up to eight men in a single trailer,

and rules at some can be strict:

no drugs, alcohol, visitors, or guns are allowed.

much free time anyway but many workers here don』t have

to do anything but sleep.

they often work 80-hour weeks

to earn their lucrative salaries of over $90,000 a year.

of workers but it』s not just the flood

that』s straining the region』s infrastructure.

the flood of oil is, too.

the solution?

to get the oil from the wells to the refineries.

trucks do the job instead.

a single well can require 2,000 trips

in its first year of operation alone,

and thousands more after that--

which is why being a truck driver

in the bakken field

is one of the easiest jobs to get.

with their tanks full of crude oil,

many of these drivers head here,

to the bakken oil express rail hub near dickinson.

they drive right in to its six-bay truck center

and storage facility,

but now it』s north dakota』s turn.

in 2013, the u.s. produced

more oil domestically than it imported

for the first time in nearly two decades.

21st century oil boom and the heart of america』s

happens to be right here in north dakota.

sits right on top that』s because the state

of one of the largest deposits of oil in the united states.

the bakken shale formation-- it』s known as

a vast underground pool of oil that stretches across

much of western north dakota and up into canada.

the epicenter of the boom is the town of williston.

south dakota may have had its own gold rush towns

back in the 1800s,

which can fill the tanker cars of an entire mile-long train

williston is a true 21st century boomtown.

between 2000 and 2013,

more than doubled, the town』s population

as oil production in the state went up more than 600%.

most of the newcomers are men

who heard about the money to be made here,

dropped everything, and rushed out to north dakota

to grab their share.

their mass arrival caused a housing crunch so tight

that some apartments in williston

rent for as much as they would in new york city--

leaving plenty of newcomers sleeping in their trucks.

many landowners claim the fracking chemicals

use fracking technology that』s why oil companies

to force the oil out of the shale.

first, geologists identify a good place to drill.

then, workers clear a fracking pad and set up a rig.

next, they drill pipes two or more miles into the ground,

right through the shale itself.

finally, they pump water, sand and chemicals

down into the pipes, under extremely high pressure,

which actually fractures the shale and releases the oil.

the oil flows freely up the pipes,

but along with it comes natural gas.

without enough pipelines to carry that gas to refineries,

the oil companies burn off about 30% of the gas instead.

where it still is today.

and the gas flares

are polluting their air and water.

landowners like brenda and richard jorgenson,

who own this farm east of williston.

like many farmers here,

the jorgensons mainly own the surface rights,

but not the mineral rights, to their farm.

which is why an oil company

was allowed to build this giant fracking pad

just 700 feet from their house on a neighbor』s land--

one of 25 such pads within a two-mile radius.

the family says their air has been polluted

if not for a new, and often controversial,

to the gills with crude in just 12 hours.

from the air. it』s an amazing sight

giant loops of rail track,

feeding cars one after another into a loading shed,

so they can be filled with freshly pumped crude oil

from the bakken field.

in 2013, this one facility

could ship 200,000 barrels of oil a day

out of north dakota,

worth roughly $20 million,

and for every full oil train that leaves the state,

another empty one rolls in, ready to be loaded.

but the bakken oil boom wouldn』t have happened

initially, south dakotans couldn』t decide on a location

extraction technique.

ever since the 1950s, scientists here knew

that the bakken formation held billions of barrels of oil.

how to get to it. but they didn』t know

in layers of rock, that』s because it was locked

deep underground.

once, a prehistoric sea covered this region.

when it dried up 60 million years ago,

it left behind carbon-rich layers of dead sea creatures

in the sediment on its floor.

then, over time, heat and pressure from geological forces

trapped that carbon between layers of shale,

on august 14, 1806, the explorers stopped again

to communicate with the indians nearby.

first, english was translated into french.

then the french was translated

into one of the indian languages,

and then that was all done in reverse.

when spring finally arrived

and the explorers continued on up the missouri river,

charbonneau and sacagawea joined them as translators and guides.

sacagawea--with her baby strapped to her back--

would go on to play an essential role

in the expedition』s success

and to win fame as the most admired native american woman

since pocahontas.

the couple helped lewis and clark

here at the mandan villages on their return journey east.

was given land and $500 sacajawea』s french husband

as payment for his help during the expedition,

but sacagawea received nothing in return.

they later moved south to live at this trading post

called fort manuel, in what』s now south dakota.

it was here, on december 22, 1812--

soon after giving birth to her daughter lisette--

that sacagawea died.

she was just 25 years old.

less than a year after her death,

william clark adopted both of sacagawea』s children.

in a letter to charbonneau, he wrote:

on top, they used earth and grass

to push the boat up the river,

or get out and pull it along the shore using ropes.

in late august, they arrived in the region

that would later become the dakota territory.

but after four more weeks of arduous travel,

the harsh dakota winter brought their progress to a halt.

they chose a spot near a string of native villages

to wait the winter out.

today the site of those villages

can still be spotted from the air.

these round patterns in the earth

are actually the foundations of homes once built

by members of the hidatsa, mandan and arikara tribes.

"your woman who accompanied you

to create snug earth lodges like these

that have been reconstructed here

at the knife river indian villages national historic site.

to wait out the coming winter, lewis and clark

built a temporary home of their own,

a triangle-shaped stockade that they named fort mandan.

today this reconstruction shows what it probably looked like.

but they found more than shelter

while living within the fort』s walls.

they also found two valuable new recruits for their team:

a french trapper named toussaint charbonneau

and his shoshone wife, sacagawea.

one even become the richest man in america.

deposits laid down over 28 million years ago,

that are still being worn away by wind and water

at an average rate of an inch a year--

making it one of the fastest eroding landscapes on earth!

flying over this strangely seductive

but desolate landscape,

called them what they did, it』s easy to see why the sioux

and why french fur trappers who arrived here the early 1800s

noted that this part of what』s now south dakota

was "a bad land to travel through."

from coming. but that didn』t stop them

many trappers and traders came here hoping to get rich--

and some succeeded.

on the prairie floor...

his name was john jacob astor.

in 1828 he received permission to build a trading post

here on the banks of the missouri river.

was soon open for business astor』s american fur company

here at fort union.

this is a reconstruction of the original fort,

which was built to impress the native people

astor hoped to trade with.

over the next four decades

members of the assiniboine, crow, blackfeet and other tribes

came to the post to trade with astor』s men.

in a typical year, 25,000 buffalo hides

and more than $100,000 in goods passed through the fort,

kicked off the transformation of this then-wild land

that long, dangerous, and fatiguing route

to the pacific ocean and back

deserved a greater reward

for her attention and services on that route

that we had in our power to give her."

had sacagawea lived longer,

she would have seen rapid and irreversible change

sweep across this region.

described the abundant wildlife lewis and clark』s journals had

the upper missouri river, that they』d seen along

and soon fur trappers and traders were heading west

and streams. to scour the region』s rivers

their search for furred creatures of all kinds

when the wind died, they had to use paddles and poles

into the two dakotas that we know today.

when lewis and clark traveled up the missouri river

through what』s now south dakota,

they never set eyes

most impressive landscapes... on one of america』s

a place where rugged cliffs rise up through the prairie

like the spiny skeletons of giant, ancient creatures.

members of the sioux were the first to name these formations.

they called them "mako sica," or "land bad."

today, people travel to south dakota』s badlands

from around the world,

just to see these cliffs eroded out of the soft soil deposits

the future president only managed to kill one bison,

others crowd into giant "man camps"

to drill for black gold--

leading nasa scientists to wonder about clusters

of strange new lights on the prairie.

to what one can discover there』s no end

up here on the northern great plains,

in the lands known as the dakotas.

in 1883, a train wound its way through these rugged badlands

in north dakota.

on board was a 24-year-old state assemblyman from new york,

who』d come here to hunt bison.

his name was theodore roosevelt.

out on the prairie,

some come on intimidating steeds and take over entire towns.

but ended up falling in love with the beauty

of this wild western land.

by the time he headed back to new york,

in a local ranch he』d bought a major interest

and ordered this small cabin to be built for him

to live in when he returned.

it was moved here to the town of medora and restored in 1959.

a few months later,

the cabin provided a much-needed refuge to roosevelt--

after his wife and mother both died on valentine』s day, 1884.

over the next few years the restorative power

river valleys and rocky hills of the region』s fertile

drew him back again and again.

both of these northern states have made their mark on history.

north and south.

two very different states that forged their unique destinies

out of one rugged territory.

a land of open prairie, ancient badlands,

and towering needles of stone.

it was in the dakotas

that a legendary native american woman named sacagawea

first set out to guide explorers across the american west.

but it was also here that the u.s. government

was found guilty of "dishonorable dealings"

great native tribes. with one of america』s

and where a horrifying massacre by the u.s. army,

known as wounded knee, is still remembered today.

to give himself more room to roam,

one healed the soul of a future american president

with its colorful hills.

the other immortalized him in stone

with a monument to american democracy.

but while there may be a lot that these two states share,

there』s also a lot they don』t.

in south dakota, corn is king.

but in the north, wheat rules,

along with a thriving yellow plant called canola.

the dakotas may be two

of the least populated states in the nation,

but today, thousands are pouring in.

right up to the pacific ocean.

each year over 600,000 people visit the park,

to hike and enjoy the same natural beauty

that once healed the soul of america』s 26th president.

today the park lies

in the southwestern corner of north dakota.

but when roosevelt stayed here,

the states of north dakota and south dakota didn』t yet exist.

roosevelt first knew this land only as the dakota territory.

it lay in a region

that president thomas jefferson had bought from the french

in 1803, as part of the louisiana purchase.

back then, no one in washington even knew what was out here,

or in much of the rest of the land beyond it to the west,

which lies on land where he once herded cattle.

so jefferson sent a corps of explorers

under the command of meriwether lewis

and william clark

to travel up the missouri river to find out.

their mission was to survey and map the vast wilderness

along the river』s banks

and to find a new route to the pacific ocean.

from the start. it wasn』t an easy trip

a replica of the keelboat they used is now on display

here in the north dakota capital of bismarck.

when there was wind they sailed the boat upriver

against the missouri』s currents.

which is why every summer evening

he bought an eight-mile stretch

along the banks of the little missouri river

for $400, a place called elkhorn ranch.

today the ranch house is gone.

it was during his visits here

that he found the solace he needed,

and developed the conservationist values

that shaped the rest of his life.

"i would not have been president," he later said,

"had it not been for my experience in north dakota."

roosevelt last visited north dakota in 1918.

but people here have never forgotten

the impact their state had on their former president,

a fortune in those days,

the hills outside of medora come alive,

when the lights go up at the burning hills amphitheater...

for a high-energy, country-style jamboree

that celebrates the legacy of president theodore roosevelt

and his love of these north dakota hills.

musicals about roosevelt』s time here

have been a staple in medora since 1958.

this latest version includes stories

of teddy punching out a drunk in a dakota bar

and going on a bear hunt.

now anyone can enjoy this landscape,

here at theodore roosevelt national park,

a "ripe and rank case of dishonorable dealing."

spotted elk and up to 300 sioux had been massacred.

today, they rest together in a mass grave,

here at the wounded knee site...

including the women and children

who made up at least half of those killed,

innocent victims of the last military action

in america』s epic indian wars.

it took almost a century

for the sioux nation to get its day in court.

in 1980, the u.s. supreme court ruled that the black hills,

and the rest of the sioux land defined in the laramie treaty,

had indeed been stolen by the u.s. government

in what the court called

by the time the killing had ended,

the government was ordered to pay the sioux

more than $100 million

to make up for the loss of the lands.

but the sioux voted to turn the money down.

as of 2014 those funds still lay in a government coffer,

worth, thanks to interest, almost a billion dollars.

the tribe still claims that no amount of money

would be able to compensate them

for the loss of their sacred black hills

and the rest of their homelands.

one way that more and more settlers

were arriving in the dakota territory

in the late 19th century was by train.

was sweeping the reservations

they saw no reason

why the indians needed so much space of their own.

in 1889, many native americans

were forced off their legally guaranteed land

and onto much smaller reservations

like the one here, at pine ridge.

one of those was chief sitting bull,

who died here at pine ridge in 1890, from gunshot wounds,

while in federal custody.

but there was another dark chapter

that was yet to come. of the sioux』s story

at the time of sitting bull』s killing,

a spiritual movement called the ghost dance

most transformative technology. the railroad was the era』s

and stirring a revival of native culture and pride.

the u.s. government feared these dances would inspire

a new wave of indian wars.

so when word spread that a ghost dance

was going to take place here at the pine ridge reservation,

the u.s. army was sent in to stop it.

on december 29, 1890, by a creek known as wounded knee,

the sioux chief spotted elk and his people

surrendered peacefully to the u.s. army.

but when the troops moved in to disarm the indians,

a shot was fired--

and then hundreds more.

hoping to attract german investors in their railway.

keeping the trains above the flood-prone gorge

required building a bridge 1,792 feet long

and 117 feet tall at its highest point.

this steel version was built in 1899,

replacing an 1887 wooden trestle lost to a tornado.

up to 40 freight trains still use it every day.

some say when one crosses over,

you can hear the rumble from a quarter of a mile away.

in 1872, the northern pacific railroad

reached the missouri river

at a spot known as missouri crossing.

the railroad men renamed the tiny town bismarck,

after german chancellor otto von bismarck,

obstacles like this gorge known as gassman coulee.

trains arriving here brought in prospectors

heading to gold mines in the black hills.

and in 1883, the growing town

was made the territorial capital,

to the dismay of many in yankton.

but plans for statehood were already under way,

and on november 2, 1889,

the dakota territory was finally divided

into two separate states,

when president benjamin harrison signed legislation

admitting both north dakota and south dakota into the union.

the papers, it』s said he shuffled

so no one would ever know which state was admitted first.

scandinavian-american culture here in north dakota

wherever trains went, change came along for the ride.

the dakota territory was no exception.

north dakota in 1872, trains first reached what』s now

when a locomotive made its way into the town of fargo.

the owners of the northern pacific railroad

had founded the town just the year before,

on a spot they deemed best for a river crossing.

rail traffic quickly transformed this patch of wilderness

into a bustling town that』s now north dakota』s biggest city.

by the time this railroad station opened in 1920,

the trains were bringing

thousands of norwegian immigrants to town.

they created a unique

and to open more of the sioux lands up for settlement.

and across the northern great plains.

a culture that was brought to life

in the coen brothers movie "fargo,"

starring frances mcdormand

and winner of two academy awards.

despite being named for this north dakota city,

most of the film actually takes place

just over the border in minnesota.

after trains rolled into fargo,

the railroad men pushed their tracks west across north dakota,

while creating some impressive engineering wonders

to overcome the obstacles along the way...

he answered: "out in the country...

for its former student-- nbc news anchor tom brokaw.

the reporter graduated from usd

after dropping out of the university of iowa.

the campus is also home to the national music museum.

inside are more than 14,000 musical instruments

from all over the world...

as well as compositions

by a south dakota farmer named elmer lyle carey,

who performed at the inauguration

of president william taft in washington, d.c.,

when he was just 17!

when locals in vermillion asked carey

where he learned to play so well,

but the university may be most famous today

about seven miles north."

that』s because carey』s family

was part of a great wave of settlers

that started arriving

just a year after the territory was formed.

in 1862, congress passed the homestead act,

which opened up the dakota territory

and other regions of the west for settlement.

homesteaders were offered 160 acres of land, for free,

as long as they farmed it successfully for five years.

a flood of settlers took up the offer,

and soon the empty dakota prairie

was dotted with simple farms,

was chosen to serve as the new territorial capital.

and enough to help make john jacob astor

multi-millionaire. america』s first

fur trappers and traders were the first real pioneers

to establish roots in the dakotas.

before others followed, and it wasn』t long

curious to find out what the vast open spaces

of the northern great plains had to offer.

and then on march 21, 1861,

congress created the vast new dakota territory.

initially, it included part of what is now montana and wyoming,

but in 1863 it was reduced to cover only the area

that would go on to become north and south dakota.

the tiny river town of yankton, which now lies in south dakota,

as more and more homesteaders staked their claims

home was modest, the new territorial government』s

a small white clapboard building

which has since been reconstructed.

it was inside these walls that the dakota legislature

soon voted to found a college for the new territory.

that college is now the university of south dakota,

located 25 miles away in the town of vermillion.

since there was no actual initial funding for the college,

it took 20 years before the first classes were held.

the oldest building on campus today is old main,

which was an impressive sight on the prairie

in 1893 when it was built.

over the next two years.

and promised the sioux that their lands

would be protected from settlement forever.

this historic treaty was signed here at fort laramie,

just across the dakota border, in what』s now wyoming.

the 1868, the laramie treaty guaranteed the sioux

permanent rights to 25 million acres of dakota territory,

west of the missouri river.

the u.s. government promised these sioux lands would be

"set apart for the absolute and undisturbed use

and occupation of the indians."

but just a few years later, gold was discovered

in the black hills, inside the treaty area.

illegal settlers arrived here it』s estimated that 10,000

the u.s. government admitted defeat

they established mining camps like this one, called deadwood,

which became famous

for the bars, gambling dens and bordellos

that soon sprang up here to cater to the miners.

at first the u.s. army tried to stop the trespassers

and abide by the treaty.

but when sioux outrage over the violations

reignited the indian wars,

the army switched to protecting the settlers instead.

in 1877 the u.s. government violated the treaty again

when it carved the black hills out of the laramie treaty area.

soon many in the south were pushing for statehood

native tribes gathered here members of the region』s

and tried to hold on

for the five years it took to keep their land.

in this nearly treeless region,

they built houses with whatever they could find.

many used prairie sod itself for walls and ceilings.

but settling on land that was already home

to native tribes like the sioux came at a price.

as more and more settlers fanned out across the region,

conflicts with the tribes flared across the territory and beyond.

in the middle of the 1800s, white settlers were moving

north and south dakota, onto what』s now

and claiming land as their own.

so in the summer of 1857,

of the dakotas-- there』s nothing like the story

on a sacred mountain they called bear butte

and resolved to resist what they saw as an invasion.

over the next decade the tribes would fight ferocious battles

against the u.s. government,

and many would die trying to defend their lands

and protect their way of life.

one of those conflicts started in 1866

and was known as red cloud』s war.

of the most successful wars it』s been called one

against the u.s. government ever fought by an indian nation.

after two years of fighting the sioux nation won

the great victory its people had fought and died for.