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Chapel in the Hills
And what’s a “stave” church, anyway? Those are both really good questions. I’m glad you asked. You see, I didn’t know either, until I started doing a bit of research… Stave is a kind of construction. It was used by Norwegians so the foundations of their churches would quit rotting away. First comes a stone foundation. Then the building is made from the hardest lumber around.
The main support structures are vertical posts with cross braces and bent arches between the posts.
And the reason it’s in South Dakota?
A preacher on the radio wanted to expand. He chose the Black Hills. A lot of the original settlers in the Dakotas were Norwegians, so a Norwegian stavkirke church was completely fitting. Land and funds were donated and the Chapel in the Hills was built using the same blueprints that were used for the Borgund Stavkirke in Laerdal, Norway. By the way, the Borgund Stavkirke church was built around 1150 and is still standing, living proof that stavkirke construction works!
Besides the cool church building with its layers of scaled roofs, there is also a “Stabbur” gift shop and visitor’s center. A stabbur is a Norwegian storehouse for food that is built on a raised foundation to keep the food-nibbling rodents out. Traditional stabburs have grass roofs, just like this one.
The log cabin was built by a Norwegian prospector during the gold rush. It was moved from its original spot in the Black Hills and restored to become a museum. There’s all sorts of stuff from the 1800s in it, either brought over from Norway or made by Scandinavians here.
The real oddity is the chapel. Take a look around. It’s open and free to the public. Take lots of pictures. Make sure you get lots of close-ups of the intricate woodcarvings... You can even sit on the plain wooden benches and attend a service during the summer evenings. Everyone is welcome and dress is informal.
Oh, and don’t forget to wander around the back of the chapel to see the bell tower... Photos courtesy Chapel in the Hills.
The Chapel in the Hills, the Stabbur gift shop and the museum are open from 7:00am until dusk, seven days a week, May 1-Sept. 30. The grounds are open from April-Oct. Sometimes the buildings are open in October if the weather is warm. Call first to check. Office phone: (605) 342-8281. Visitor Center - Gift Shop phone: (605) 343-9426 Here are directions to the church off the Chapel in the Hills website: The Chapel in the Hills is located on the western edge of Rapid City, off Jackson Blvd (SD State Highway #44). Turn on Chapel Lane at the west side of Canyon Lake Park. Follow Chapel Lane and the brown "City Circle Tour" signs to the chapel. Parking is immediately to your left as you enter the gate.
More South Dakota Tourist Attractions
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Tall, vertical wooden planks enclose the structure. These are dovetailed, pegged and wedged so they can expand and contract with changes in temperature and humidity.
