PIERRE — Locals and those visiting the community now have a list of things to see.

South Dakota Historic Preservation Office and the National Park Service’s Heritage Education Services has put together an online travel itinerary, Pierre and Fort Pierre Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary, featuring local nationally recognized places.

“Our goal is to promote Pierre’s and Fort Pierre’s uniqueness,” said Leigh Raderschadt with the state Historic Preservation Office. “We want to foster an appreciation for the history of Pierre and Fort Pierre.”

Jeff Bunn | Capital Journal Signs advertise the Fort Pierre Chouteau Site. The site is one of many on a new online travel itinerary featuring local historical sites. Advertisement

Raderschadt, who presented the effort to the Pierre City Commission Tuesday, said eventually there will 26 signs at sites in and around Pierre and Fort Pierre that are recognized by National Register of Historic Places. Currently there are signs at the Fort Pierre Chouteau site and the Verendrye site.

Other sites online include historic homes, such as the Dr. William and Elizabeth Blackburn House, 219 S. Tyler Ave., built in 1883, making it one of the oldest remaining residential buildings in Pierre.

Raderschadt said she believes many in the community are unaware of the noteworthy places.

“A lot of them get overlooked,” she said. “A lot of people may not know some of these are out there — particularly the Fort Pierre Chouteau site or the Turtle Effigy. Those are both tied to the local history that many people may not know about.”

The effigy, or turtle likeness in laid stones approximately three miles north of Pierre on South Dakota Highway 1804, is of unknown origin and as an one story says, pays tribute to an Arikara lookout who was killed by Sioux Indians. The Sioux admired the lookout’s bravery enough to mark each drop with a stone. The warriors then signed the marker with tribal band insignia of a turtle, as the story goes.

The funds for the sign come from a Preserve America grant and Dakota Minnesota & Eastern donation, said Raderschadt. The Pierre and Fort Pierre Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary was developed in partnership with the South Dakota Heritage Fund and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers.

Raderschadt said all signs should be up by October and there are plans to print pamphlets people can use to find the places. A historic home driving tour created by the Pierre Historic Preservation Commission is complete and there are plans for a driving tour of the Pierre Hill District and Pierre Street.

There are no plans for other travel itineraries in other South Dakota communities but Raderschadt said a goal of the Central South Dakota Heritage Tourism Program is to develop education tools used in the Pierre and Fort Pierre project to assist other communities developing their own education projects.

Commissioner Jamie Huizenga said he’s impressed by the Web site and what it communicates.

“I hope this Web site helps us appreciate some of the history that we see as we go about our busy lives,” he said.

The itinerary can be found at www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/pierre_fortpierre/index.html.