It formed as a result of an upwarping of ancient rock, after which the removal of the higher portions of the mountain mass by stream erosion produced the present-day topography. The hills are so called because of their dark appearance from a distance, as they are covered in evergreen trees. American Indian tribes have a long history in the Black Hills and consider it a sacred site.
The US government conquered the Black Hills and forcibly relocated the Lakota, following the Great Sioux War of , to five smaller reservations in western South Dakota, selling off 9 million acres 36, km 2 of their former land. Unlike most of South Dakota, the Black Hills were settled primarily by European Americans from population centers to the west and south of the region, as miners flocked there from earlier gold boom locations in Colorado and Montana.
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As the economy of the Black Hills has shifted away from natural resources mining and timber since the late 20th century, the hospitality and tourism industries have grown to take its place. The first Rally was held on August 14, , and the 75th Rally in saw more than one million bikers visit the Black Hills.
Devils Tower National Monument , located in the Wyoming Black Hills, is an important nearby attraction and was the United States' first national monument. Although the written history of the region begins with the Sioux domination of the land over the native Arikara tribes, researchers have carbon-dating and stratigraphic records to analyze the early history of the area.
Scientists have been able to utilize carbon-dating to evaluate the age of tools found in the area, which indicate a human presence that dates as far back as 11, BC with the Clovis culture. Stratigraphic records indicate environmental changes in the land, such as flood and drought patterns.
