In this episode of the History Below The Pines Storytellers Collection, Host Levi Kessler pulls up a barstool at one of the oldest watering holes in the Black Hills: The Casino Bar (affectionately known today as Lumpy’s) in Central City, SD. ​Established in 1888, this landmark has survived 130 years of boom, bust, and Black Hills grit. We dive into the era when Central City was a titan of the territory—larger than both Lead and Deadwood—and explore why a bar that never held a legal gambling license earned the name "The Casino." This is another episode you do not want to miss!

How did wild-caught dolphins end up in a knotty-pine tank in the Black Hills, or spending their winters in an Arizona car dealership parking lot? In this episode, we uncover the surreal and often somber history of Rapid City Marine Life, a roadside attraction that feels like a fever dream from a different era of animal entertainment.

We trace the journey of these cetaceans from the Gulfarium in Florida to the unconventional indoor dolphinarium of South Dakota. From dolphins performing leaps for trainers on ladders to the bizarre logistical feat of transporting marine mammals to a Scottsdale Ford dealership for winter housing, we examine the ethics, the eccentricities, and the eventual closure of this local landmark.

This is an episode you do not want to miss!

In this episode we sit down with Tobias Steeves! Tobias is the owner and operator of the Tucked Tie Speakeasy. We talk everything from history of Prohibition in the Black Hills to the art of making cocktails! In future episodes we will go more into detail on the mobster side of things in the Black Hills!