The Story
Custer State Park was established in 1919. In 1914 managers bought 36 bison to found a herd; within three decades it had exploded past 2,500, prompting the annual Buffalo Roundup held every fall since 1966. The State Game Lodge, built in 1920, became the literal seat of government when Coolidge used it as the "Summer White House" from June to September 1927, running the country while fishing the nearby streams. Today the 18-mile Wildlife Loop Road is where most visitors meet the free-roaming bison, pronghorn, elk, and famous "begging burros."
Surprising Facts
→ The park's entire bison herd descends from just 36 animals purchased in 1914.
→ Coolidge ran the executive branch from the lodge for three full months in 1927.
→ The park's free-roaming burros descend from animals once used to carry tourists up Black Elk Peak.