It's Capitol

 The next step of our Journey:

Pierre, SD (pronounced "peer") was another stopping point for Lewis & Clark. They camped in the area, and held council with the Lakota Indians. A plaque in Fisher's Lilly Park along the Missouri explains that because of the lack of an interpreter the meeting with the Indians (the Teton Sioux) almost led to confrontation.

Lewis & Clark were not the first white men to travel through the area, however. The Louisiana territory had once been under French rule and in 1743 three French explorers buried a lead plaque very near the site where the Lewis & Clark party met with the Indians.

Pierre has a stunning tribute to the armed services with several monuments along the river.

Pierre, in a hotly contested "battle" with Yankton, was named as the capital of South Dakota when it became a state. (Yankton had previously been the capital of the Dakota territory.)

 Like several capitol buildings we have visited, much of the structure uses native materials in its construction. 

Notice that the third balustrade from the top is upside down. This was done purposely because the architect felt that only God can create something that is perfect,

The pillars in the building are not marble. Their marbled look comes from a process called scagliola.

Over the years the building has settled and cracks have appeared in the tiled terrazzo floor. A company that specializes in repairs comes to fix the cracks. In the process they place a heart-shaped tile so in the future they will know if that area was repaired by them previously. 

The artists who created the floor were given 1 blue tile they could place anywhere in the floor as their signature. There are 66 of them on two floors in the building.

Miniature replicas of gowns (and currently the tux) of the Governor's wives (husband) are displayed in the lower floor of the building. The replicas are made using fabric and embellishments from the original gowns. 

House Chamber

Senate Chamber