Chapter XXIII: Appendix: VIII

ROUTES

Sometimes requests are made for lists of things to see on one or two days trips out of Rapid City. Following are four possible trips, calling for one or two days or even a week each:

1. First, the Rapid Canyon trip.

See the School of Mines Museum at the Eastern entrance to the city. From there go through the city past the “Old Mill Tea Room.” Take the Cement plant road from the Bacon camp. After seeing the cement plant return, and turn south at Bacon Camp. Take the road to Municipal Camp. Go through the Municipal Camp, and if possible, take a swim in the pool, over the ridge from the first row of cabins. You’ll remember that swim.

From Municipal Camp take the canyon road to the left of the camp gate. From here ascend the canyon to Lockhart’s Inn. Here, if such is desired, see Lockhart’s moss sculpturing. Go on foot up the track to the Dark Canyon trail. This leads for several miles around crags, up Dark canyon, to Victoria Falls. Go up as far as you wish. Return to Rapid City.

2. Northern Hills.

Take in any of the Rapid City sights before mentioned. Take U. S. 16 west, then north to Crystal Cave. Plan on a half day for this. Then continue north to Sturgis. There see Bear Butte. Climb it, if you feel ambitious. See the United States Military Post, Fort Meade, east of town on S. D. 24. Return, and either take Boulder Canyon, S. D. 24, or U. S. 16 to Spearfish. See the Municipal Camp and United States trout hatchery southwest of town, and possibly the teachers college north of the city. Take a trip up the canyon, at least to Bridal Veil Falls. Stop at Wildcat Cave on the way if you have time. Return to Spearfish, and take U. S. 85 north to Belle Fourche. There see the sugar plant and Orman Dam. Return to Spearfish and on U. S. 16 to U. S. 85 which takes you to Deadwood. See Preacher Smith’s monument on the way. Stop at Pine Crest camp. In Deadwood see Mt. Moriah Cemetery, White Rocks, and Roosevelt Mountain. Return to Deadwood, and then take the road right straight through main street west, over the old mines road to Lead. On this road, (it is gravel surfaced,) see the vestiges of old mines and the old Central City. In Lead see the Homestake Mine. This begins at the Burlington station near the eastern end of main street. After the mine, take Icebox Canyon road to Cheyenne crossing and return or go direct over S. D. 83 to Pactola, and Sheridan. From here take S. D. 40 back to Rapid City over the beautiful Spring Creek road.

3. Central Hills.

Again, see Rapid City. Take S. D. 40 through the beautiful Spring Creek valley to Sheridan and Hill City, and then back to Keystone, or you might go directly to Keystone. The roads might be rather rough. At Keystone see Keystone Consolidated Mines, Etta Mine, Juga Mine and a mica mine. Then see Rushmore mountain. Return to Hill City, or the mine trip may be left out. From Hill City take the road to Sylvan Lake. Here see the Lake and the Gorge. Climb Harney Peak, the highest point east of the Rocky Mountains. From Sylvan Lake take the Needles Highway twenty-seven miles, and double back over S. D. 36 to Custer. On the way you see the Tallent monument, and to the right a few paces the Gordon Stockade. See Jewell Cave, gold discovery monument, rose quartz mounted in masonry and the big log cabin and the museum. Take S. D. 36 through Galena, the Game Lodge and Hermosa, to Rapid City. In Hermosa see the church Pres. Coolidge attended.

If the roads are bad take S. D. 79 from the East end of main street when leaving Rapid City, instead of S. D. 40 to the west. Thus you see Hermosa, and President Coolidge’s little church, the Game Lodge, Custer and Sylvan Lake in reverse order, and then double back over the same route when returning.

4. Southern Hills.

Take S. D. 79 through Hermosa, Game Lodge and Galena. Leave 79 and take S. D. 81 south past Mt. Coolidge to Wind Cave. Go through this. Drive on to Hot Springs. See Cascade Springs and Cascade Falls. Ask the way at any filling station. See the petrified wood and petrified moss over the track east of the Municipal Camp. Take some of it with you. See Evans camp, and swim in Evans Plunge before you leave. Visit the old soldiers’ home. Take the same route back, or go west to Custer when you reach S. D. 36, and from there take in the Needles, Sylvan Lake, Harney Peak, Hill City, and Sheridan, thence back to Rapid City.

Make it as intensive a trip as your time will permit. If the time is limited some of the places must be left out.

If you wish, you may take the trip through the most interesting places by motor bus. These busses leave Rapid City at short intervals, and their trip is really enjoyable.

DRIVING DISTANCE FROM RAPID CITY

Blackhawk 16 N. W. 7
Piedmont 16 ” 14
Crystal Cave 16 ” 22
Tilford 16 ” 28
Sturgis 16 ” 30
Whitewood 16 ” 38
Spearfish 16-85 ” 51
Belle Fourche 16-85 ” 64
Newell 16 ” 62
Deadwood 16 Boulder ” 43
Lead 16 Canyon ” 46
Box Elder 16 East 10
Underwood 16 ” 22
Scenic 40 S. E. 55
Interior 40 ” 70
Pactola 85 West 25
Hermosa 70 South 21
Buffalo Gap 79 ” 50
Hot Springs 79 ” 63
Edgemont 79-85 ” 96
State Lodge 79-36 ” 35
Pringle 79-36-85 ” 55
Sylvan Lake 85 ” 52
Custer 79-36 ” 42
Keystone S. W. 27
Hill City 40-85 ” 28
Rushmore ” 30
Phillip 16 East 93

DISTANCE FROM DEADWOOD OF VARIOUS PLACES OF INTEREST

Spearfish 85-16 N. W. 13
Belle Fourche 85-16 N. W. 3
Lead 14 West 26
Sturgis Boulder East 12
Crystal Cave Boulder 14 ” 27
Rapid City Boulder 14 ” 43
Pactola 85 South 30
Hill City 85 ” 45
Keystone 85 ” 56
Rushmore Mt. 85 ” 56
Sylvan Lake 85 ” 52
Game Lodge 85-36 ” 72
Hermosa 85-36 ” 86
Custer 85 ” 58
Custer-Needles 85 ” 74
Hot Springs 85 ” 84
Edgemont 85 ” 95

Through the
BLACK HILLS
and
BAD LANDS
of
So. Dak.

Authentic Guide
History—Statistics—Scenery

Copyright, 1929
By
P. D. Peterson

Price, $1.35

Transcriber’s Notes

--Copyright notice provided as in the original—this e-text is public
domain in the country of publication.

--Silently corrected palpable typos; left non-standard spellings and
dialect unchanged.

--Transcribed captions within photographs, where they added information
not in the printed caption.

--In the text version only, italicized text is delimited by
_underscores_.