Spring Break '06: On the Rez
My senior year spring break is now officially a thing of the past. Time for wild spring break stories, right? Well, kinda. Here we go.
Anyway, let's start with the basics. Here's where I spent my week:
Yes, you're right, that wonderful state you see on the map is South Dakota. Having travelled for nearly 14 hours out of Chicago, admiring the beautiful I-90 pavement for a healthy 790 miles, we found ourselves in the small town of Mission, a town of about 730 people in south-central South Dakota on the Nebraska border. Todd County (pictured in red), the county which contains the town of Mission and most of the Rosebud Indian Reservation, is listed as the 5th poorest county in the country, as measured by per capita income. In fact, four of the top five and five of the top ten poorest such counties in the country are all in South Dakota, their populations mostly consisting of Native Americans on reservation land. An interesting fact.
Numbers are one thing, so what did it look like? The poverty of the town is plainly obvious. Houses and buildings are run-down. Roads are bumpy and dusty. Cars are driven until they give out for good and find a permanent home on a front lawn next to the previous five. Services appear minimal. Job opportunities are scarce. Movie theatre? Fast food chains? Forget about them. Most businesses in the town are owned by white people, as any Indian-operated stores aren't supported by the residents. It's hard enough for these people to get going with something good in their lives when they don't have to deal with the jealousy of seeing a successful neighbor pulling them back down. The Todd Country Tribune only comes out once a week. The Indian Health Service building, located a healthy 20-25 minute drive outside of town, offers a long wait, Tylenol, and green cough syrup as antidote for any assortment of maladies.
The quality of life appears to be as rugged as the terrain. Over the next few days, however, I'm going to try to pull out some of the inherent goodness of the location and bring it to light in this blog.
Yes, you're right, that wonderful state you see on the map is South Dakota. Having travelled for nearly 14 hours out of Chicago, admiring the beautiful I-90 pavement for a healthy 790 miles, we found ourselves in the small town of Mission, a town of about 730 people in south-central South Dakota on the Nebraska border. Todd County (pictured in red), the county which contains the town of Mission and most of the Rosebud Indian Reservation, is listed as the 5th poorest county in the country, as measured by per capita income. In fact, four of the top five and five of the top ten poorest such counties in the country are all in South Dakota, their populations mostly consisting of Native Americans on reservation land. An interesting fact.
Numbers are one thing, so what did it look like? The poverty of the town is plainly obvious. Houses and buildings are run-down. Roads are bumpy and dusty. Cars are driven until they give out for good and find a permanent home on a front lawn next to the previous five. Services appear minimal. Job opportunities are scarce. Movie theatre? Fast food chains? Forget about them. Most businesses in the town are owned by white people, as any Indian-operated stores aren't supported by the residents. It's hard enough for these people to get going with something good in their lives when they don't have to deal with the jealousy of seeing a successful neighbor pulling them back down. The Todd Country Tribune only comes out once a week. The Indian Health Service building, located a healthy 20-25 minute drive outside of town, offers a long wait, Tylenol, and green cough syrup as antidote for any assortment of maladies.
The quality of life appears to be as rugged as the terrain. Over the next few days, however, I'm going to try to pull out some of the inherent goodness of the location and bring it to light in this blog.
posted by craichead at 3/16/2006 03:02:00 PM
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