Lake City

Sica Hollow State Park
Lake City is a unique historical area in the beautiful glacier lakes region of South Dakota where evidence of several prehistoric Indian villages have been found.  The park itself is beautiful, consisting of heavily wooded hills and ravines carved out by the glaciers eons ago.  Upon their arrival here, the Indians called this area "Sica" meaning "place of evil spirits" because of the strange and eerie phenomena they observed, including tree stumps that glowed green in the dark, and streams that sometimes flowed blood red.  They also whispered tales of seeing ethereal figures emerging out of glowing swamp gas and hearing odd moaning sounds in the woods at night.

The well-known legend of Sica Hollow involves a white man named Hand arriving at an Indian camp peacefully located in the Hollow.  Hand is an evil man who turns the resident young Indian boys into cold-blooded killers.  A medicine man asks the Great Spirit for help, and a messenger named Thunderer  responds, accompanied by heavy rains. Thunderer ultimately traps Hand using twining vines, fills his mouth with water to drown him and eventually gouges his eyes out. Unfortunately, he also floods the entire area, killing everyone but one young girl.  Sounds like a case of "be careful what you ask for" to us. 

Anyhow, legend has it that Hand still haunts the mountainside dressed as an Indian with his eyes gouged out, and that Thunderer is hidden in the woods waiting to be summoned again,  at which time he will majestically rise from the woods like a phoenix.

Now, we all know in this day and age that the phosphorus in rotting wood causes it to glow green, and that iron deposits in streams can make them seem red.  Swamp gas can glow somewhat, and can make anything that moves in the area seem indistinct.  Indeed, the nearby streams and woods themselves emit sounds that make for an eerie atmosphere, especially at night. 

But that may not be all there is to the area.  The Indians knew this place well, and there may be an ancient Indian burial ground on top  of one of the hills here.  Indeed, an ancient Indian village has been discovered and is presently being excavated at nearby Roy Lake.  Reports of occurrences at night include faint sounds of Indian drums and chants, cold spots, feelings of being watched, and some ethereal apparitions perceived as Indians. 

If anyone has more to tell about Sica Hollow, especially if you have camped there, please contact us via the Message Board below or by email.  We'd be fascinated to hear your story!

Sica Hollow Park is open all year.  It is located 15 miles northwest of Sisseton, off SD Highway 10, within 35 miles of I-29.  Camping, horseback trails, picnic facilities, and hiking trails are available.  There is an admission fee.  The address is 11545 Northside Drive, Lake City, SD 57247. Phone: 605-448-5701.

 

 

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