There’s nothing much south of I-90 and Murdo until you come across a picturesque dale while crossing the White River, sheltering the first grove of trees in too long a time. South of White River, US-83 bumpity-bumps its way across the Rosebud Indian Reservation. After the signing of the Fort Laramie Treaty in 1868, the Sicangu Lakota, under the guide of Spotted Tail, were moved five times before finally being settled on this reservation, one of the smallest on the Great Plains. The first town you’ll encounter is Mission, the reservation’s trading center. It’s a strip of gas stations and a Rosebud/Sioux arts and crafts center. The heart of the reservation is Rosebud, five miles west of Mission on US-18, then 10 miles southwest on BIA-1. Most of the reservation’s activities, including weekend rodeos and powwows, are centered around the tribal headquarters here (605/747-2381). The biggest powwow is the Rosebud Sioux Tribal Fair and Powwow in late August, where you can feast on a traditional buffalo dinner.
Another eight miles southwest is tiny St. Francis, which has the Buechel Memorial Lakota Museum (daily June–Sept.; free; 605/747-2745), a museum dedicated to the Teton Sioux culture and begun by Fr. Eugene Buechel, a German Jesuit, avid botanist, and dedicated student of the culture.
Back on US-83, 23 miles south of Mission, is the tribe’s most recent economic endeavor, the Rosebud Casino, which has an attached Quality Inn motel ($65–85; 605/378-3360). The complex sits right on the Nebraska state line, which shows where their prospective gamblers are coming from.
