Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve

The largest gift of land to be given to the State of South Dakota has been donated by longtime area residents Maude and Mary Adams. The land, located between the Missouri River and McCook Lake, has been the the Adams Family for more than 100 years. In 1985, the Adams sisters gave 628 acres of land to the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department.


The gift will eventually amount to 1500 acres to be handled by the state as a park and for nature and game production.

As "A Place for Inner Renewal", there are ten miles of walking and biking trails within the park. The visitors center is located in a restored barn and features an exhibit of farm life and pictures of the Adams family which homesteaded the area in the 1870s. The homestead area of the facility includes a restored one-rom schoolhouse, a church, a barn, a log cabin, and the Shay-Adams House which has been restored to a 1930s decor.


Admission to the facility is free. Call 605-232-0873 for more information.

You can read more about the homestead and nature preserve at SD Game, Fish and Parks website.