This marker is located in the parking lot of the Fort Pierre Depot Museum. As such, there is plenty…read moreof parking for you to stop and be able to read the sign. The museum was closed when I stopped by but it looks quite interesting if you're spending time here in Pierre. The marker reads, "The oldest continuous white settlement in the area of South Dakota." "First visited by Verendrye, who took over for France by planting a lead plate on March 31, 1743. A monument marks the spot. It is over the R.R. track first street to right, on hill to you left .6 miles." "Joseph LaFrombois started first fur post here in 1817 on west bank of Missouri just south of mouth of Bad river. Whites here since then." "Practically on same site, French Fur Co., Pierre D. Papin & Pascual Cerres had post Ft. Teton 1827 sold to Am. Fur Co., 1830. Bad River, then called Little Missouri was site where Father Hoecken on June 12-13, 1840 baptized 25 children, offspring of 13 traders and trappers, among them Dorion, Papin, Halsey, Campbell, Brazeau and Alleron." "All these things happened in limits of Ft. Pierre." [Review 17839 overall - 43 in South Dakota - 1360 of 2022.]

This is the larger crossing over the Missouri River that joins Fort Pierre with Pierre, it carries…read moreUS-14 and State Route 34. It is a simple enough bridge - two lanes in each direction with a pedestrian lane. This is a new bridge, only completed in 2022 and replaces and older bridge. The new bridge has the same name. Nearby is a plaque that explains the life and death of this hero. It reads, "John Charles Waldron was born in Ft. Pierre, SD, on August 21, 1900 and was the youngest of five children born to Charles W. and Jan E. (Van Metre) Waldron, she a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Waldron attended grade school in Fort Pierre and in 1919 finished high school in Rapid City, SD. He graduated from the US Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD in 1924 and completed Naval flight training in Pensacola, FL in 1926." "In August 1941, Lt. Cmdr. Waldron assumed command of Torpedo Squadron 8, a flight of 15 Douglas TBD Devastator torpedo bombers, based in the Pacific Ocean on the aircraft carrier USS Hornet. Waldron was known for tireless training and meticulous attention to detail in preparing his men for battle." "On June 4, 1942, at the Battle of Midway, Torpedo Squadron 8 under his command was ordered to locate and attack a huge Japanese fleet of destroyers, battleships, and aircraft carriers near Midway Island. Without fighter cover and knowing that his squadron would not have sufficient fuel to return to the USS Hornet, L. Cmdr. Waldron led the 30 men and 15 airplanes of Torpedo Squadron 8 in a ferocious attach against an overwhelming Japanese Force. Twenty-nine Americans, including Lt. Cmdr. Waldron, were killed, and all of the squadron's airplanes were lost in this valiant attack, which is said to have been the turning point of World War II in the Pacific Theater." "Lieutenant Commander John C. Waldron and the men of Torpedo Squadron 8 knew that they would probably not survive this attack against the Japanese and they made a conscious decision to give their lives for their country so that others might live and fight on." "Lieutenant Commander John C. Waldron was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross, Purple Heart, and Presidential Unit Citation for "bravery and dedication to country and duty."" [Review 17841 overall - 44 in South Dakota - 1362 of 2022.]