Editorial: Newest park in South Dakota preserves tribal site

South Dakota will witness history today when Gov. Dennis Daugaard signs the bill legislators passed earlier this year to create the first new state park since 1972 — Good Earth at Blood Run.

The bill designates both money and a name to the 600-acre hilly area along the Big Sioux River southeast of Sioux Falls.

The Blood Run Nature Area was home to the Oneota culture, was a trading post from 1300 to 1700 and is one of the oldest sites of long-term human habitation in the country, according to the Game, Fish and Parks Department.