Big Stone Island Nature Area preserves a protected island in Big Stone Lake in northeastern South Dakota near the Minnesota border, accessible only by boat or canoe. Also known as Kite Island and Big Island, it has served very different purposes over time. It began as a Plains Indian village, then became the site of several resorts in the late 1800s and early 1900s before those were abandoned. During World War II in the 1940s, military aircraft practiced takeoffs and landings there. Today, the island is maintained as wildlife habitat, reflecting a long history of changing human use and present-day conservation.