For many folks, Labor Day weekend is the last big blast of the summer travel season. After Labor Day, school children are back in class, summer workers are back in college and there’s often, but not always, a discernible chill in the early morning air.
However, it is by no means the end of travel for the Black Hills. A lot of visitors find September to be the best month to visit the Black Hills.
Nearly all of the attractions are still open, the crowds are smaller — our friends at Mount Rushmore report that September usually sees about 300,000 visitors, compared with nearly 600,000 in June — and the weather is warm and dry.
There’s also a lot that happens in the Black Hills during September, including the Custer State Park Buffalo Roundup on Sept. 25.
Labor Day, by the way, is one of the United States’ oldest national holidays. It began 1882 in New York City with a parade organized by the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor.
Fun Labor Day facts:
- Even though it wasn’t until 1971 that Presidents Day, Memorial Day and Columbus Day became Monday holidays, Labor Day has been a Monday holiday since 1884, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. it officially became a national holiday in 1897.
- Labor Day is always the first Monday in September, which means its latest possible date is Sept. 7 — as it this in 2015. Last year, Labor Day was on Sept. 1, the earliest possible date.
- The actual end of summer, the Autumnal Equinox, doesn’t happen until Sept. 21.
- Canada’s Labour Day is also celebrated on the first Monday in September.