The Badger Hole was the home of Charles Badger Clark (1883-1957), a Poet-Laureate, author, lecturer, and one of South Dakota's best known and beloved citizens. For approximately thirty years, Badger lived alone and wrote in the cabin he built with his own hands. Thousands of friends, particularly school children, came to The Badger Hole to meet and visit with this friendly and understanding man. His poems reflected his love for the West, especially the majesty and beauty of the Black Hills. Sun and Saddle Leather and Sky Lines and Wood Smoke were his best-known volumes. The Cowboy's Prayer, used in many school books and often reprinted in magazines, was probably his most popular poem. The Cowboy's Lullaby was set to music and used in motion pictures. He rated The Job his best work. Though Badger is gone, his works and good deeds live on.

Photo: Connor Olson

Custer, South Dakota · USA