Custer State Park is a
state park and wildlife reserve in the
Black Hills of southwestern
South Dakota, USA. The park is South Dakota's largest and first state park, named after Lt. Colonel
George Armstrong Custer. The area originally started out as sixteen sections, but was later changed into one block of land because of the challenges of the terrain. The park began to grow rapidly in the 1920s and gained new land. During the 1930s the
Civilian Conservation Corps built miles of roads, laid out parks and campgrounds, and built three dams that set up a future of water recreation at the park. In 1964 an additional were added to the park. The park covers an area of over of hilly terrain and is home to many wild animals.