Belle Fourche
www.bellefourche.org

Nestled on the northern rim of the fabled Black Hills, Belle Fourche claims a history tamed by trail-dusty cattlemen and steeped in Western lore.
 
When frontiersmen first set sight on this region of rolling prairies and rugged river breaks in the late 1800s, they discovered waist-high grasslands and the trailhead to an emerald oasis known as the Black Hills.
 
Following the great Black Hills gold rush of the 1870s, farmers and ranchers began setting in the fertile, well-watered valleys surrounding the hills. Simultaneously, the open plains became home to huge herds of Texas and Kansas cattle. Towns sprang up to service the ever-growing number of farms and ranches in Dakota Territory and in 1884, a stage line was established between Medora and Deadwood. The present-day site of Belle Fourche hosted a way-station that included a stage barn and a saloon.
 
Seth Bullock, the former gold-miner-turned-entrepreneur who became Deadwood’s first lawman, knew the coming railroad would need a place to load herds of cattle onto railcars for shipment to the packing plants of the Midwest. After acquiring the necessary land, Bullock negotiated a deal with the railroad, establishing the town of Belle Fourche (and subsequently spelling doom for the competing town of Minnesela, which became a ghost town). The first carload of cattle headed east in 1890 and by 1895, Belle Fourche was shipping 2,500 carloads of cattle per month in peak season, making it the largest livestock shipping point in the world.
 
Today, Belle Fourche retains much of its Western flavor while commanding a trailhead at the northern end of the beautiful Black Hills. Armed with a diverse economy, excellent schools, affordable housing, a low crime rate and sincere Western hospitality, you’ll find Belle Fourche poised for tomorrow, and ready for you today.
 
Belle Fourche, which sits at an elevation of 3,017 feet, claims about 4,500 permanent residents – many of whom work in the nearby city of Spearfish. It’s the largest community in sprawling Butte County, of which it is the county seat. Cattle and sheep ranches make up a large part of the town’s economy, although bentonite mining and processing also is a major employer. The city has seven parks and a new recreation center with an indoor swimming pool, walking track, weight rooms, an auditorium and a theater.
 
The city’s devotion to affordable housing and civic improvements won an award in 2005 from the Affordable Housing Advisory Council, a division of the Federal Home Loan Banks. Belle Fourche was chosen as one of ten Capital Communities in the five-state region, and one of two communities to receive a cash award to further the town’s efforts to provide affordable housing and planned development.
 
Among Belle Fourche’s recent projects are a 200-home development near the middle school, a renovation of the downtown district (known for its antique stores) on State and Main Streets, and the Heartland Expressway, which will provide a faster, expanded link with Interstate 90 and the neighboring city of Separfish.
 
Belle Fourche is home to the 86-year-old Black Hills Roundup, one of the oldest continuously-held outdoor rodeos in America, and the Center of the Nation All-Car Rally. Belle Fourche, which is the nearest community to the point designated as the geographical center of the United States, also sports the new Tri-State Museum, which pays homage to the pioneers and settlers of South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana (the borders with the two latter states are only a few miles away). Orman Dam and Belle Fourche Reservoir, located a few minutes east on U.S. 212, provides water recreation opportunities for residents and visitors, while Devils Tower National Monument to the west remains one of the top rock-climbing destinations in the country.