Vermilion (less commonly vermillion)–A vivid reddish-orange color; a brilliant red or scarlet pigment.
–Merriam Webster/Wikipedia
Vermillion, SD, in the southeastern tip of the state, is a charming small town, and home to the main campus of the University of South Dakota. The city has embraced its name. The red/vermilion theme begins with the welcome sign which spells the city’s name in large, red letters. Everywhere we looked, we saw red.
Red flowers are abundant, often accompanied by white flowers for contrast.
All the park benches and public trash cans are red, not to mention the USD flags around the campus.
There are red bike racks everywhere (there’s not a hill in the city). This one included red bikes.
USD’s school colors are red and black. The mascot is the scarlet tanager. (Go figure!)
Another beautiful feature of Vermillion is its architecture, in private residences and on the USD campus.
This is one of the campus buildings.
This building on the campus looked like a dormitory. What a gorgeous place to live!
Speaking of red, South Dakota must be set on a layer of rose quartz. There is plenty of rose quartz to use for buildings, stone benches, etc. It’s not truly red/vermilion, but it’s a derivative of the city’s theme color.
Townspeople call this the “main building” on the campus. It is built of rose quartz.
Here’s a rose quartz bench on the USD campus.
Rose quartz is so plentiful, there is even enough to use it for road surfaces. We saw rose-tinted blacktop, rose-colored interstate ramps, rosy highway shoulders, and even rosy roads as we traveled through the state.
