Hidden just outside South Dakota’s biggest city, in rural Lincoln County, stands a living monument that has outlasted generations of the state’s residents. While most travelers will pass by this area without a second glance, those who know where to look will find the largest tree in the entire state.

You can find the tree near the small town of Canton. But be ready to travel on a few gravel roads to get there.

What Kind of Tree and Just How Big is It?

The area around Canton provides the perfect for a giant this size. For starters, the consistent water from the Big Sioux River is tremendous and because of just where it’s located, the tree is protected from some of the high winds that can stunt the growth of many of the trees within the Sioux Empire.

According to the South Dakota Big Tree Register, this Eastern Cottonwood giant is a towering 93 feet tall and a massive 32 feet wide. The crown spread of the tree (the width of its canopy) is also impressive at 125 feet. The Cottonwood is on private land but is easily viewable from public roads. To see the giant for yourself, check out its profile on the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources website here.

While the biggest tree might be in the east, the oldest tree is in the west, specifically in the Black Hills region. Quite remarkably, it’s estimated that this Ponderosa Pine (named Rosa) is over 700 years old. The fact that it’s still around, after surviving centuries of drought, lightning and fire is astounding. Predictions say that the tree took root around 1281 A.D., roughly 500 years before the United States even existed.

While the location of the Eastern Cottonwood is well known, the Ponderosa Pine’s exact spot is a little more ambiguous. Forest Service officials and researchers have deliberately kept the exact coordinates of “Rosa” off the map. This is mainly for protection for a variety of reasons, including the tree’s sensitive root structure and the worry of vandalism.

To get a view of this magnificent tree, take a look at the YouTube video below.

Story Sources: SD DANR Website

Brand bills

District 28A representative introduced HB 1267, which would have expanded the brand inspection program to cover the entire state. Currently brand inspection is only required on the western half of the state, although registered brands are considered legal proof of ownership anywhere in the state.

1267 was deferred to the 41^st day in a vote of 8-4 in the House Ag Committee, which effectively killed the bill.  Yeas (in favor of killing the bill) were: Ladner, Wittman, Overweg, Drew Peterson, Shubeck, Nolz, Van Diepen and Gosch. Nays (opposed to killing the bill) were: Hunt, May, Rice and Ismay.

The Chairman of the House Agricultural committee, at the behest of the Department of Agriculture, brought HB , to increase the brand inspection fee cap to $1.65, up from the current maximum of $1. This give the South Dakota Brand Board the leeway to increase the inspection fee to any amount up to $1.65.

The bill passed the House of Representatives, the Senate Ag Committee, and will be discussed in the Senate probably Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026.

The vote in the House was as follows:

Yeas: Arlint, Auch, Bahmuller, DeGroot, Derby, Duffy, Emery, Fitzgerald, Fosness, Goodwin, Greenfield, Halverson, Healy, Heermann, Heinemann, Hughes, Jamison, Jorgenson, Kassin,22 Kolbeck (Jack), Kull, Ladner, Lems, Massie, Mortenson, Muckey, Mulder, Nolz, Novstrup, Odenbach, Overweg, Peterson (Drew), Pourier, Rehfeldt, Reimer, Reisch, Rice, Roby, Roe, Shorma, Shubeck, Stevens, Uhre‑Balk, Van Diepen, Walburg, Weems, Weisgram, Wittman, and Speaker Hansen.

Nays: Andera, Aylward, Baxter, Garcia, Gosch, Hunt, Ismay, Jensen (Phil), Jordan, Kayser, Manhart, Moore, Mulally, Randolph, Schaefbauer, Schwans, Sjaarda, and Soye.

Lab-Grown Protein

Representative Julie Auch’s “fake meat” bill, HB 1077, passed the House and Senate but was promptly vetoed by Governor Rhoden. The bill would have changed the status of lab grown protein to “adulterated” which in part deems it “unfit for food” and would effectively ban the sale of lab-grown protein in the state of South Dakota.

The Governor introduced his own bill as a compromise, SB 124, which places a moratorium on the sale of lab grown meat for five years. The South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association, South Dakota Retailers Association, South Dakota Farm Bureau and South Dakota Stockgrowers all voiced support for the governor’s compromise, which is not scheduled for a committee discussion at this time.

Property Rights

The South Dakota Senate approved SB 88 sponsored by Senator Lapka, dubbed the “Bossly bill,” it would prevent private entities from conducting surveys without permission. However, “examinations” without permission would continue to be legal under certain circumstances, including when a citing permit has been granted. House Commerce and Energy will take up the bill soon.

The South Dakota House passed a bill to amend the South Dakota constitution to prevent the use of eminent domain for economic purposes. This bill came as the result of the many attempts of Summit Carbon Solutions to gain legal standing to take property for its pipeline. The constitutional amendment would protect landowners from other private entities using eminent domain to take property for private enterprises. Spencer Gosch, who sponsored HJR 5001, said this subject has been on his mind for a few years. “We’ve got to defend property rights and put a stop to private companies and government taking advantage of private property owners,” he told TSLN. HJR 5001, if approved by both houses, would not go to the governor for a signature, but would go a vote of South Dakota citizens.

The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at Feb. 12, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Feb. 12 drawing

10-12-24-32-35, Lucky Ball: 12

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

• Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
• Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
• Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.