Belle Fourche at the center
Belle Fourche has been the town cited as the Center of the Nation since Hawaii became a state in 1959 — but since the marker was in a private pasture on an isolated gravel road, getting people to the location was difficult and markers tended to disappear.
This summer the U.S. Geodetic Survey celebrates its 200th year in Belle Fourche with the official placement of its center of the nation marker in a park setting at the longtime Center of the Nation Visitor Center.
The new location is in town and on the four-lane U.S. Highway 85 just a dozen miles from its junction with Interstate 90 at Spearfish.
The visitor center includes all the help tourists to the area might need, and the Tri-State Museum that focuses on the cowboy culture that made Belle Fourche famous enough to be featured in the John Wayne classic, “The Cowboys.”
The dedication for the monument — and a new Riverwalk walking and bike path along the Belle Fourche River is designed as an old-fashioned festival in the
monument park.
There will be national-level speakers, a community picnic at the official “center of the nation” open to everyone, live music, a special bottling of a Center of the Nation wine, and there are plans for a gps “treasure hunt” at Rocky Point State Recreation Area at the Belle Fourche Reservoir at Orman Dam.
Riverfest the rest of the week — July 24 through 25 — is a festival emphasizing the spirit of the west that makes Belle Fourche the center of the American spirit.
There are plans for old west re-enactors including cowboys, outlaws and the military. Native American crafters, a petting zoo, a beer garden, float trips down the Belle Fourche River, lots of music and commercial vendors in the spirit of the event.
A young adult music event is likely Friday night, but the gunfights will be strictly a daytime activity as fast-draw competition associations host events on the grounds.
Belle Fourche
Belle Fourche (population 5,000; elevation 3,017 feet), located near the geographical center of the United States, means “beautiful fork” in French. The confluence of Hay Creek, Redwater Creek and the Belle Fourche River became the central shipping point for cattle herds from across the upper Great Plains.
The town was founded in the 1890s and was officially incorporated in 1903. Sheep were a valuable commodity in the early days as well, and Belle Fourche still ships wool for area producers.
During World War I, the Red Cross sponsored a rodeo as a fundraiser. The rodeo became the Black Hills Roundup, and the July 4 rodeo and celebration continues to this day.
Bentonite mining is one of the primary industries in the region, and local mines employ many people in the Belle Fourche area. Light manufacturing provides local through international markets with products from consumer-size plastic containers to humane animal traps. A 100-million gallon ethanol plant is in its government approval process.
The nearby Belle Fourche Reservoir, commonly known as Orman Dam, provides irrigation water for southern portions of Butte County and recreation for anglers, campers and boaters. The new Rocky Point State Recreation Area has full-featured camping and boat ramps as well as day-use areas.
The community has copyrighted the title ”South Dakota’s Antique Capital” because of its many antiques and collectibles stores on the town’s Main Street. Tri-State Museum, which moved its collections into a new building in 2004, plans a seven-day-a-week summer schedule this year.