Sitting Bull Monument
Prairie Knights Indian Casino
Murray, Trish & Wes outside casinoIt was a windy day last week, so the men decided it was not a good day to take the boat out fishing. Instead, they treated us to a day out. Yes, that’s right, we left our campground in North Dakota, drove 11 miles and crossed the border into South Dakota and continued 40 miles to the city of Mobridge. Aptly named for the number of bridges that converge on the city. It is heavily populated with descendents of Sioux Indians and most of the townsfolk we saw were in fact of American Indian descent. Our first point of call was lunch at a restaurant overlooking the river, and from there we checked out a few shops in the main street. Then we headed out of town and up on a ridge where the gravesite and monument for Sitting Bull (Lakota Sioux Indian leader famous for defeating Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn) was located, with a prime view over the surrounding prairie. From our vantage point up high we were able to look down and see some deer feeding on the grasses below us.
As if that visit to Indian territory wasn’t enough, the four of us decided to take a pontoon across to the Prairie Knights Casino on an Indian Reservation. The pontoon runs every 2 hrs during the summer months, taking people from the campgrounds across the river to the casino. In winter the water freezes and becomes solid enough (20 - 25" thick) for people to drive their cars over – which is commonplace here. A chap sitting behind us in the pontoon has a ranch 1 hour north, and regularly takes his wife to dinner and the shows at this casino – summer or winter. In summer he takes the pontoon trip, and in winter he drives his pick-up across. He was telling us he made the trip over the ice one February, and although he had got over all right earlier in the day, by nighttime, the thaw had begun. As he drove across in the dark, the weight of the truck pushed the ice down and released some melted water from below. He said it was only an inch of water floating on top of the ice, but the sensation of hitting even that small amount of water was like driving into a river. He made it safely across, but he said he wouldn’t drive over that late in the season again!
When we got off the pontoon after a pleasant 10 minute ride, we were met by a shuttle bus at the other end. From there it was a 3 mile drive on a gravel road before we hit the sealed road, then had another 1 mile on that. As we got out of the shuttle we were each handed a coupon book. One coupon gave us $2 off our buffet meal (normal price $14.95), another coupon was redeemed at the office where we were given $5 cash (not in chips, but a $5 note), and the other useful coupon for us was a 20% discount off any item in the gift shop.
We had a meal in the buffet – as well as all the usual buffet fare of roasts, ribs, salad, soups, chicken and shrimp, the casino is famous for their crab legs. As usual, it is all you can eat, and we saw a few people who looked as though they feasted there just a bit too often. I can understand why though – it is such good value. After that we wandered through the gift shop – yes, I cashed in my discount coupon which meant I made a purchase – just a small one though – a beautiful red cardinal screen magnet – it is a 2-piece magnet – you place a piece either side of your screen door. It even works on some thin glass doors too. Can't wait to get home and try it on our patio door.
Murray & I did plan to put our $5 though the slot machines, but it was noisy & smoky inside where they were, so instead of spending it, we went outside and waited for our shuttle/pontoon to take us back to the campground.
Being an Indian Reservation it wasn’t surprising to see so many American Indians (Sioux are the local tribe) – they certainly made up the majority of the patrons at the casino. Although it is amazing how many people travel all the way from Bismarck (1 hr away) to spend a few hours here – the car park was full – and it is a huge car park. They also run a regular bus service to Bismarck, charging $10 each way. Casinos are only permitted on Indian Reservations here, so if you want to gamble, this is where you need to come. We have visited three casinos in North Dakota, but there are another three that we haven’t visited. As you travel around the USA, casinos are a popular place for RVers, as you can get cheap RV hook ups and good food at a reasonable price. Not to mention the entertainment for those that like the slot machines or nightly shows.
As if that visit to Indian territory wasn’t enough, the four of us decided to take a pontoon across to the Prairie Knights Casino on an Indian Reservation. The pontoon runs every 2 hrs during the summer months, taking people from the campgrounds across the river to the casino. In winter the water freezes and becomes solid enough (20 - 25" thick) for people to drive their cars over – which is commonplace here. A chap sitting behind us in the pontoon has a ranch 1 hour north, and regularly takes his wife to dinner and the shows at this casino – summer or winter. In summer he takes the pontoon trip, and in winter he drives his pick-up across. He was telling us he made the trip over the ice one February, and although he had got over all right earlier in the day, by nighttime, the thaw had begun. As he drove across in the dark, the weight of the truck pushed the ice down and released some melted water from below. He said it was only an inch of water floating on top of the ice, but the sensation of hitting even that small amount of water was like driving into a river. He made it safely across, but he said he wouldn’t drive over that late in the season again!
When we got off the pontoon after a pleasant 10 minute ride, we were met by a shuttle bus at the other end. From there it was a 3 mile drive on a gravel road before we hit the sealed road, then had another 1 mile on that. As we got out of the shuttle we were each handed a coupon book. One coupon gave us $2 off our buffet meal (normal price $14.95), another coupon was redeemed at the office where we were given $5 cash (not in chips, but a $5 note), and the other useful coupon for us was a 20% discount off any item in the gift shop.
We had a meal in the buffet – as well as all the usual buffet fare of roasts, ribs, salad, soups, chicken and shrimp, the casino is famous for their crab legs. As usual, it is all you can eat, and we saw a few people who looked as though they feasted there just a bit too often. I can understand why though – it is such good value. After that we wandered through the gift shop – yes, I cashed in my discount coupon which meant I made a purchase – just a small one though – a beautiful red cardinal screen magnet – it is a 2-piece magnet – you place a piece either side of your screen door. It even works on some thin glass doors too. Can't wait to get home and try it on our patio door.
Murray & I did plan to put our $5 though the slot machines, but it was noisy & smoky inside where they were, so instead of spending it, we went outside and waited for our shuttle/pontoon to take us back to the campground.
Being an Indian Reservation it wasn’t surprising to see so many American Indians (Sioux are the local tribe) – they certainly made up the majority of the patrons at the casino. Although it is amazing how many people travel all the way from Bismarck (1 hr away) to spend a few hours here – the car park was full – and it is a huge car park. They also run a regular bus service to Bismarck, charging $10 each way. Casinos are only permitted on Indian Reservations here, so if you want to gamble, this is where you need to come. We have visited three casinos in North Dakota, but there are another three that we haven’t visited. As you travel around the USA, casinos are a popular place for RVers, as you can get cheap RV hook ups and good food at a reasonable price. Not to mention the entertainment for those that like the slot machines or nightly shows.
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