The forgotten displacement of Oglala Lakota families for a WWII bombing range in South Dakota

From Sacred Ground to Bombing Target in Ten Days

In 1942, the U. S.

War Department grabbed 341,726 acres of Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and turned it into a bombing range. Families got just 10 days to pack up and leave their homes, receiving as little as one cent per acre while military pilots used their sacred land for target practice.

For 26 years, bombs fell on ancient fossil beds and Native burial grounds. Today, unexploded shells still make parts of the Badlands too dangerous to walk on.

Here’s the full story of this forgotten chapter, which you can explore at Badlands National Park.

Government Took 341,726 Acres of Sacred Lakota Land

In 1942, the U. S. War Department grabbed a huge part of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation using eminent domain.

They picked the Badlands because they thought it was “empty and useless” even though 125 Oglala Lakota families lived there.

The rough land with deep gullies, 500-foot cliffs, and little plant life made perfect bombing practice grounds. Lakota people called this area “mako sica” (bad land) because of its harsh weather and rugged landscape.

Families Got Just 10 Days to Leave Their Homes

On August 10, 1942, Lakota residents got terrible news: leave in just 10 days. Most families had no cars and loaded their stuff onto horse-drawn wagons.

Dewey Beard, who lived through both the Battle of Little Bighorn and Wounded Knee Massacre, lost his 908-acre horse ranch at age 85.

Many families had to kill livestock they couldn’t take with them, watching as years of hard work vanished.

People Got Pennies for Land Worth Generations of Heritage

The government paid between 50 cents and $8 per acre to 874 landowners. Some families got as little as one or two cents per acre.

These tiny payments weren’t enough to buy new land elsewhere.

Landowners who turned down these insulting offers lost their property anyway and got nothing at all, forcing many into poverty.

Military Built a Huge 534-Square-Mile Range

Workers quickly set up a big rectangular bombing range covering 534 square miles on the taken land. Rapid City Army Air Base (later called Ellsworth Air Force Base) served as home base for training flights.

The military split the range into areas for different types of practice: air fights, ground attacks, and bombing drills. Construction teams built target systems throughout the badlands.

Old Cars Made Giant Target Circles Across the Land

Workers placed dozens of 1930s and 1940s cars to create 500-foot circles pilots could see from above. They stripped the vehicles of engines, suspensions, and interiors before putting them in exact formations.

These circles had cross-shaped lines in the center to split them into four parts. The design looked like the Medicine Wheel, a sacred symbol to many American Indian tribes.

Yellow Drums and White Fossils Became Bombing Targets

Workers plowed 150 to 250-foot-wide circular targets into the ground with raised dirt borders. They scattered bright yellow 55-gallon drums as extra targets throughout the range.

Pilots even aimed for the white fossil remains of elephant-sized titanotheres that stood out from the air. Moving targets included 60-foot screens pulled behind aircraft and remote-controlled drone planes.

Pilots Dropped Bombs Daily on Former Tribal Lands

Training flights took off from Rapid City Air Base, 50 miles away, for daily bombing practice. Bombardiers dropped 100 to 500-pound practice bombs filled with sand onto targets below.

They used real ammo and explosives in certain areas for advanced training.

Machine guns and 20mm cannons fired thousands of rounds during strafing runs across the former reservation land.

Bombs Fell Outside the Range Hitting Nearby Towns

Pilots often couldn’t tell exactly where the bombing range boundaries were from the air. This led to bombs landing outside the allowed areas, with explosives hitting nearby towns.

A church and post office in Interior, South Dakota took direct hits from six-inch shells. Hundreds of important fossil sites ended up destroyed during these bombing runs.

World War II Ended but the Bombing Didn’t Stop

The bombing range stayed open long after World War II ended in 1945. South Dakota National Guard units used it for artillery practice through 1968.

The Cold War brought a radar bomb scoring site to Hurley Butte in 1960.

The government broke its promise to return the land after the war while military training continued for decades.

Land Finally Returned Came Back Dangerous and Damaged

The government returned 202,357 acres to the Oglala Sioux Tribe in 1968 through Public Law 90-468. The Air Force kept 2,486 acres that contained too many unexploded bombs to be safe.

The government turned 136,882 acres into Badlands National Monument despite tribal protests. Only one-fourth of the original evacuees’ descendants moved back to the returned land because of safety concerns.

Unexploded Bombs Still Threaten Lives Today

A 2008 cleanup removed 40 practice bombs, rocket bodies, and ordnance scrap from former target sites. As of 2023, assessments still list the range as “medium risk” for unexploded ordnance.

The government has spent millions on cleanup efforts with at least 15 more years needed for completion. A 4-square-mile Air Force Retained Area remains fenced and off-limits to tribal use because of dangerous explosives.

Visiting Badlands National Park

You can explore the bombing range history at White River Visitor Center, 20 miles south of Scenic on BIA Highway 27.

The center runs Memorial Day through mid-October, 9am-6pm, and offers a “Bombs and Bones” ranger program. Park entrance costs $30 for private vehicles (cards only).

The South Unit still has unexploded bombs, so report any finds to the visitor center at 605-455-2878. Only backcountry camping is allowed there.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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