Badger Clark South Dakota’s First Poet Laureate

We are traveling to Faith and Custer, South Dakota, to explore historical markers related to Badger Clark, the state's first Poet Laureate. Born in 1883, Charles Badger Clark Jr. faced personal tragedy, leading him to Cuba and then Tombstone, Arizona, where he lived as a ranch hand. His poetry gained recognition when a piece was published, prompting him to adopt the name Badger Clark. Known as the Cowboy Poet, he wrote "A Cowboy's Prayer" and published "Sun and Saddle Leather" with a loan from his stepmother. After caring for his father for ten years, he retreated to a cabin in Custer, later named the Badger Hole. Appointed Poet Laureate in 1937, he spent his later years writing and exploring Custer State Park before passing away from lung cancer in 1957.