Buffalo Ridge

These soil types, along with the temperate climate,[5] combine to make perfect growing conditions for tallgrass prairie, which once covered almost the entire inner coteau.

[6] On June 16, intense storms struck Eastern South Dakota and Southwestern Minnesota, destroying over one hundred homes and businesses.

The worst tornado formed near the unincorporated town of Leota in Southwestern Minnesota, which quickly became a massive, 0.75 miles (1.21 km) wide storm that stayed on the ground for almost an hour and a half, doing substantial damage to the cities of Chandler and Lake Wilson.

Another tornado formed in South Dakota later in the day, striking Colton and Dell Rapids before moving into Minnesota, where it struck the town of Chandler for the second time.

[citation needed] Before the settlers arrived and developed the towns on and surrounding Buffalo Ridge, the Dakota Native Americans inhabited the area.

They, and other tribes before them, created intricate pipes out of the claystone called "Catlinite" in the Buffalo Ridge area, which are displayed at Pipestone National Monument.

Today the Nature Conservancy manages the Hole in the Mountain with controlled burning which have led to a remarkable recovery of the native prairie vegetation.