Wender·Vista
Black Elk Peak
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileUnited States
in the Black Hills of South Dakota

Black Elk Peak

— the highest ground east of the Rockies.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“The highest point in South Dakota, at 7,242 feet, deep in the Black Hills. The summit was renamed in 2016 from Harney Peak to honour Nicholas Black Elk, the Oglala Lakota holy man. A stone fire-lookout tower built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1939 still stands at the top, reached by a seven-mile round trip through ponderosa and granite. from the studio

from the studio
Black Elk Peak
— bring it home

Black Elk Peak, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Black Elk Peak

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Black Elk Peak rises to 7,242 feet in the Black Elk Wilderness of Custer State Park, in the southern Black Hills of South Dakota. It is the highest natural point in the state and, by some measures, the highest summit in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. The Black Hills are a small Precambrian granite uplift surrounded by the Great Plains, and are sacred to the Lakota and other Plains nations. The peak was renamed in 2016 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names from Harney Peak to honour Nicholas Black Elk.

— the stone

A stone fire-lookout tower stands at the summit, built in 1938 and 1939 by the Civilian Conservation Corps and the National Park Service. The tower is constructed of locally quarried Black Hills granite and was used as an active fire lookout into the 1960s. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. From the top platform, the granite spires of the Cathedral Spires and the Needles Highway are visible to the south, and on a clear day the plains stretch east for more than seventy miles toward the Badlands.

— the visit

The standard route is Trail 9 from the Sylvan Lake trailhead in Custer State Park, a round trip of about seven miles with around 1,500 feet of elevation gain through ponderosa pine and granite outcrops. A park entrance pass is required for Sylvan Lake; the trail itself has no fee. The peak lies within the Black Elk Wilderness, where bicycles and motor vehicles are prohibited. The summit is best in late summer and early autumn; winter snow closes the higher reaches and frosts the granite tower.

— where
United States · Custer County, South Dakota
— within
Custer State Park / Black Elk Wilderness
— elevation
2,208 m · 7,242 ft
— position
43.8658° N · 103.5311° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
5 km NW
Sylvan Lake
trailhead lake
3 km S
Cathedral Spires
granite spires
14 km NE
Mount Rushmore
national memorial
N
Black Elk Peak
Sylvan Lake
Cathedral Spires
Mount Rushmore
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Black Elk Peak — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

7,242 feet, or about 2,208 metres. It is the highest natural point in South Dakota and, by some measures, the highest summit in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains.

The U.S. Board on Geographic Names changed the name in 2016 from Harney Peak to honour Nicholas Black Elk, the Oglala Lakota holy man. The original name commemorated General William S. Harney.

An Oglala Lakota holy man who lived from about 1863 to 1950, and whose visions and teachings were recorded in the 1932 book Black Elk Speaks. He described a great vision he received as a boy on this peak.

The standard route is Trail 9 from the Sylvan Lake trailhead in Custer State Park, a round trip of about seven miles with around 1,500 feet of elevation gain. A park pass is required for Sylvan Lake; the trail has no fee.

A fire-lookout tower built in 1938 and 1939 by the Civilian Conservation Corps from locally quarried Black Hills granite. It was used as an active fire lookout into the 1960s and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. Black Elk Peak is the high point of the state and the recognised summit of the Black Hills. A Small or Medium with a handwritten studio note has carried well to families, hikers, and rangers with ties to Custer State Park.

The granite greys, ponderosa greens, and Plains golds suit Mountain-modern, Lodge, and Heritage-Western rooms. The piece sits well in a study, mudroom, or family room with warm wood and stone-toned walls.

A single Large is the usual call above a sofa; a 4-tile Mural carries a longer wall; a 9-tile Mural takes the whole space. A Medium on a stand on a console or mantel reads strongly from across the room.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and handle splashes and steam. The Glossy finish is for framed wall pieces away from direct moisture.

A soft microfibre cloth and water. No abrasives, no ammonia-based sprays. The colour is infused into the ceramic surface and does not lift with normal household cleaning.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.