Badger Clark

Small Town
By Badger Clark  

The circling cones of bison hide
that made the village of the Sioux
Rose near as high, spread near as wide,
O little Western town, as you. 

But small-town skylines all are great
And small-town air is clear and sweet
And small-town folk are friend and mate,
Not the flitting shadows on the street.

No smoke of factories uprolls;
No market roars with shouted bids.
The small-town's finest fruit is souls;
Its prize commodity is kids.

For a while the city struts in pride
And trumpets far its loud renown,
The men who govern there, and guide,
Are children of the little town.

That is the small-town's latent power --
Some name upon its schoolroom page,
The future hero of the hour,
The future glory of an age.

It was always so; 't will always be --
Small town, the great folk's starting place.
A small-town boy in Galilee
Rerouted all the human race 

Badger Clark 1883-1957 

Author, lecturer, poet and South Dakota’s first Poet Laureate. His philosophical devotion to the idea of rugged individualism and his love for the great outdoors was reflected in his life and writings. “Small Town” is typical of his devotion to Dakota and it’s friendly people. 

The Badger Hole  ¼ mile 

Home of Charles Badger Clark (1883-1957) Poet-Laureate Author, Lecturer and one of South Dakota's best known and beloved citizens. For approximately thirty years Badger lived alone and wrote in the cabin built with his own hands. Thousands of friends, particularly school children, beat a path to "The Badger Hole" to meet and visit with this friendly and understanding man. His poems reflect his love for the West, especially for the majesty and beauty of the Black Hills. "Sun and Saddle Leather" and "Sky Lines and Wood Smoke" are his best-known volumes. "The Cowboy's Prayer,” used in many school books and reprinted often in magazines, probably is his most popular poem. "The Cowboy's Lullaby” was set to music and used in motion pictures. He rated "The Job” his best. Our Badger is gone but his works and good deeds live on.