Description

About this book

Carl Sanson was born in 1900 and spent his life ranching in the Buffalo Gap area of the southern Black Hills. His family’s operation began in 1882, and they kept it going for 105 years. When the federal government bought up surrounding land in the 1930s to expand Wind Cave National Park, the Sansons and their neighbors the Streeters refused to leave. They stayed and ranched inside what became park boundaries until 1987.

This biography tells that story. It’s dedicated to Carl’s friends and neighbors who brought cattle ranching to the Buffalo Gap area in the 1880s and who, in the author’s words, “continue to contribute their unique sense of responsibility for the soil and growth to the area and for their integrity.” That’s not boilerplate. The Sanson Ranch is still a named site inside Wind Cave National Park. The buffalo jump on that property is one of the few intact prehistoric bison hunting sites in the Black Hills.

The author, Jessie Y. Sundstrom, was one of South Dakota’s best-known local historians. She was publisher of the Custer County Chronicle for decades, and in 1999 received the South Dakota State Historical Society Individual Award for her contributions to preserving Black Hills history. She wrote books on Custer State Park, Badger Clark, Custer County history, and Carl Sanson. Jessie passed away in Custer at age 91. Copies of this book signed by her are now a finite resource.

What’s inside

The book covers the full arc of the Sanson family’s time in the Buffalo Gap country: the cattle drives and early homesteading of the 1880s, the Depression-era pressures that pushed most ranchers out, the family’s decision to stay as the park grew up around them, and the eventual end of the operation in 1987. It draws on Sundstrom’s deep familiarity with Custer County records, newspaper archives, and the community of people who knew Carl personally.

This is local history done by someone who lived inside it, not a researcher looking in from the outside.

Specifications

• Title: Carl Sanson Black Hills Rancher
• Author: Jessie Y. Sundstrom
• Published: 2009 (approximate; verify against physical copy)
• Format: Paperback
• Dimensions: 5 15/16″ x 8 15/16″ x 1/4″
• Weight: 5.4 oz
• ISBN: None on record (locally published title)
• Language: English

Who is this for?

This is a very specific book for a very specific reader. If your family has roots in the Buffalo Gap area, Custer County, or the southern Black Hills ranching community, this is the kind of book that ends up passed down. It names names. It covers the people and places that most South Dakota history books skip over.

It’s also a good read for Wind Cave visitors who want to understand the human history of the land before it became a park. The Sanson Ranch is a named site on the Wind Cave trail system. Knowing who the Sansons were makes that visit land differently.

For collectors of signed Black Hills books, this one matters. Jessie Sundstrom was the real thing, and these copies are among the last signed ones that will exist.

Frequently asked questions

Is this copy signed by the author?
Yes. Copies in the current Wind Cave park store stock were signed by Jessie Y. Sundstrom. Jessie passed away at age 91 in Custer, South Dakota. No new signed copies can be obtained.

Who was Carl Sanson?
Carl Sanson was born in 1900 in the Buffalo Gap area of the southern Black Hills. His family began ranching that land in 1882. When the surrounding property was absorbed into Wind Cave National Park in the 1930s, the Sansons stayed. The family ranched inside park boundaries until 1987, one of the longest-running private ranching operations in the region. The Sanson Ranch and Buffalo Jump are preserved sites within Wind Cave National Park today.

Who was Jessie Y. Sundstrom?
Jessie Sundstrom (1922-2013) was publisher of the Custer County Chronicle and one of the Black Hills’ most prolific local historians. She received the South Dakota State Historical Society Individual Award in 1999. Her books cover Custer State Park, Badger Clark, Custer County history, and Carl Sanson.

Is this available anywhere else?
This is a locally published title sold through BHPFA park stores. It is not available through major online retailers and has no standard ISBN. The Wind Cave park store is one of the few places it can be purchased.

Does buying this support Wind Cave National Park?
Yes. BHPFA is the official nonprofit partner of Wind Cave National Park, Jewel Cave National Monument, Scotts Bluff National Monument, and Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, as well as the Black Hills National Forest and Nebraska National Forests & Grasslands. Proceeds from every purchase support education programs, conservation projects, and visitor services at these sites.

What is the connection between the Sanson Ranch and Wind Cave?
The Sanson family homesteaded land that is now inside Wind Cave National Park. When the federal government expanded the park in the 1930s, the Sansons and neighboring Streeters were among the few families who refused to sell and continued ranching. The Sanson Ranch site and a nearby prehistoric buffalo jump are accessible via the Wind Cave trail system and are documented by the National Park Service.

Is this a good gift?
For someone with Black Hills ranching heritage or a deep interest in Wind Cave, yes. It’s an unusual find. Signed copies of locally published South Dakota history books from authors of Sundstrom’s caliber don’t come up often.