Faith in Sue

July 12, 2008

I went to Faith, SD, for a South Dakota Humanities Council meeting this weekend. They’re currently promoting the return of Sue, the most complete tyrannosaurus rex fossil ever found.

It’s a big deal for a little town. Fewer than 500 people call Faith “home.” And, due to their location in the northwest corner of the state, two hours from anywhere, it’s doubtful that many more people will call it “home” as the population shifts. It’s west of Pierre, north of Rapid City. It’s a beautiful drive, actually, highlighted with rolling hills and bluffs and, thanks to the heavy rain we’ve received, lush with vegetation.

SueSue is a replica. Not the real dinosaur. They don’t disclose this. I guess they don’t need to.

Sue is impressive, but she’s just as impressive as any full skeleton fossil. For instance, the mammoth pits in Hot Springs. Or the dinosaurs on display at the School of Mines.

Sue is the only attraction in Faith, SD. It cost, reportedly, nearly $100 thousand dollars to bring it to town.

And, it’s reportedly not making that money up.

The entire display is fascinating. But is it worth it? Does this truly bring a new wrinkle to Faith? Will people veer off of their path to drive two hours out of their way (yes, that’s four hours total) to see a dinosaur? Especially in a dinosaur-heavy area of the country, where fossils are distributed throughout the state, scattered in nearly every direction.

It’s a neat homecoming. It’s a great exhibit. But it’s probably not going to pay off.

But let’s look at it this way. There’s a good chance at the beginning of this post you hadn’t ever heard of Faith. And I will guess that you’ve never even thought of going to Faith. Not in your wildest dreams.

Now? You’ve heard of it. You know what makes it famous. You might even travel to go see it. The seed has been planted. Because if you never ask for people to come see you, no one ever will.

By Corey

Filed Under Criticism, The Process

Comments

One Response to “Faith in Sue”

  1. Deane on July 13th, 2008 8:42 am

    From the Wikipedia page of Catherine Bach — yes, Daisy Duke herself:

    She spent part of her teen years in South Dakota, where she visited her grandparents in Faith, South Dakota, and graduated from high school in Rapid City, South Dakota.

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