This virtual geocache is located in Falls Park, owned and operated by the City of Sioux Falls Department of Parks and Recreation. Per the city's website, park hours are 5:00am - 12:00am daily.
Falls Park is a public park in Sioux Falls, SD, surrounding the city's waterfalls. The park comprises over 128 acres just north of downtown, along the Big Sioux River. The waterfall has an average of 7,400 gallons of water that falls 100 feet per second. There are many viewing platforms, including the five-story observation tower. The remains of the Queen Bee Mill are still present on the east bank of the falls. The Overlook Cafe is housed inside the former Sioux Falls Light & Power hydroelectric plant. The Stockyards Ag Experience building houses a museum of the history of the Sioux Falls Stockyards and other agricultural related exhibits. Adjacent to the five-story observation tower is the Falls Park Vistors Information Center.
The falls of the Big Sioux River were attractive to explorers in the hopes of using the rapid-flowing water for industry and eventually power generation. In the 1850's, land and title companies claimed stakes to the land around the falls. In the next couple years, the village of Sioux Falls was born. In the 1860's Fort Dakota was established in present day downtown Sioux Falls. By 1873 the population was at 593. In 1876 the village of Sioux Falls was incorporated with a total of 1,200 acres of land. On March 3, 1883, the city charter was granted by the Dakota Territorial legislature and Sioux Falls was officially a town. During the decade of the 1880's, the railroad arrived. Sioux Falls population boomed from 2,164 in 1880 to 10,167 at the close of the decade.
In August 1879, construction began on an 81-acre site for the Queen Bee Mill. The mill, a Goliath among mills in early Dakota Territory, once stood tall and pround here on the bank of the Big Sioux River. A large quartzite deposit on the site was used to build an impressive seven-story flour mill. At a cost of nearly half a million dollars, the mill was 104 feet tall, 80 feet wide and 100 feet long. Water from the Big Sioux River was diverted into a large turbine which generated 800 horse-power. The Queen Bee Mill, known as "the most ambitious attempt ever made to use water power west of the Mississippi River", was capable of producing 1,200 barrels of flour daily. Unfortunately due to large debts to creditors, the mill went bankrupt in 1883. The building became a storage facility after the end of World War I. On January 30, 1956, the Queen died a fiery death. Portions of the walls of the mill, built of "a stone with which it is fitting that we should find heaven paved," remain to remind future generations of the economic struggles of the past.
At the turn of the 20th century, Sioux Falls had begun to experiment with electricity, initially in the form of commercial and street lighting in the downtown area. The Sioux Falls Light and Power Company was founded in 1905 by Eugene Coughran, with the intent of using hydroelectric power from the Big Sioux River. Construction on the new hydroelectric plant building was finished in 1908. In 1911, the new plant began offering its services publicly, expanding to farms, businesses, and houses. It also supplied the energy needed to power the city's trolley transportation system, for which it installed three new generators between 1910 and 1917. The Sioux Falls Light and Power Company changed its name to Consumers Power Company in 1914 and again to the Northern States Power Company. On February 3, 1993, the Sioux Falls Light and Power Hydro Electric Plant was listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its important role in the industrial history of Sioux Falls. The industrial fittings were removed and the space was renovated to be used as a public restaurant, the Falls Overlook Cafe.
Sioux Falls' largest selection of Sioux Falls memorabilia is available for purchase at the Falls Park Visitor Information Center. Attached to the Information Center is a five-story enclosed viewing tower with an outdoor observation deck which was dedicated in 1999. Equipped with an elevator, the viewing tower provides a breath-taking 360-degree panoramic view of the Falls and city skyline. The viewing tower is open to the public during the hours when the Visitor Center is operating and closes 10 minutes prior to the Visitor Center closing.
The Falls Park Visitor Information Center is managed by Experience Sioux Falls. Hours of operation vary depending on the time of the year. During winter months, the observation tower is open 10am-5pm on Saturdays and Sundays. During spring, summer and fall months, the tower is open 10am-6pm daily.
Logging requirements:
When looking at the glass door on the front of the observation tower, to your left, around the corner are two wall plaques. At the bottom of the lower plaque are two lists of dignitaries. The list on the left is Sioux Falls City Council members. The list on the right is Sioux Falls Park Board members.
In an email to me, you are required to give the name and title of the person who is listed directly above the council and board members. PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE THIS ANSWER IN YOUR "FOUND IT" LOG ONLINE.
In your "Found It" log, it's not required, but I encourage you to include a photo with the falls in the background for proof of your existance at GZ.
Thank you - BAWags75
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.