The Coteau des Prairies Area…

There are four major land regions in South Dakota: the Drift Prairie, The Dissected Till Plains, the Great Plains, and the Black Hills. The Drift Prairie extended across most of eastern South Dakota. This region is marked by low, rolling hills and glacial lakes. Most of the region’s lakes are near its eastern edge. Early French fur traders named the area the Coteau des Prairies (Prairie Hills). The northeastern corner of the Coteau des Prairies ends abruptly at a 600-foot escarpment along the Minnesota River Valley. A 300-foot escarpment marks the western edge of the Coteau des Prairies along the edge of the James River Basin.

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