Quick Links

Welcome to Sturgis, South Dakota

Sturgis

Sturgis, the "Key City" (population 6,500; elevation 3,239 feet), was established in 1878 to serve as a supply center for ranchers and the soldiers of nearby Fort Meade. Named for Seventh Cavalry Col. Samuel Sturgis, the town site was laid out at the crossroads of converging freight and stagecoach roads leading to Deadwood.

In its early days, Sturgis had a mining legacy of its own, as business operators got their “bonanzas” of gold instead from the pockets of soldiers and passersby, dealing in bad booze, games of chance and fallen women.

Bear Butte — Mato Paha — lies northeast of Sturgis. Now part of Bear Butte State Park, the inactive volcano cone remains a silent sentinel of the ages. Visitors can follow designated hiking trails to the summit and learn more about local myths and legends at the park’s headquarters.

In 1938, J.C. “Pappy” and Pearl Hoel invited fellow motorcycle enthusiasts for a weekend of two-wheeler fun on an old auto track and formed the Jackpine Gypsies motorcycle club. The club hosted the annual Black Hills Gypsy Tour that evolved into the present-day Sturgis motorcycle rally. The biker affair remained relatively small into the 1970s, when national publicity turned the gathering into what has since been called “Woodstock with wheels.”

Other events held in Sturgis are the Scottish Highland Festival and Games in September and, for military enthusiasts, Cavalry Days at Old Fort Meade in June. History buffs will enjoy the Black Hills Steam and Gas Threshing Bee and flea market in mid-August.

Rootin' tootin' Sturgis

Shooting range officially open

Sturgis and Meade County can now claim to have a new attraction, a world-class shooting range that should draw participation from around the region and the entire country.

The Buffalo Chip Shooting Complex is on land owned by the Buffalo Chip Campground, east of Sturgis. It is on both the south and north sides of the Alkali Road, according to project manager Steve Owen.

Much of the complex is ready for business, but Owen said they still have projects to complete.

The rifle range has stations with targets at 100-, 200-, 300- and 600-yard distances, and is on the south side of Alkali Road. The pistol range, when finished, will include six covered shooting lanes with targets at 25 and 50 yards.

“We have two trap and skeet ranges with an observation building for people wanting to watch,” Owen said. The basic difference between trap and skeet shooting is that while shooting the clay pigeons in trap, there is one machine and the shooter progresses down a range offering different distances to the target. In skeet, machines launch targets from high and low stations and cross in the middle — giving the shooter two simultaneous targets.

The sporting clay range also uses the clay pigeons.

“We bought 300,000 of them,” Owen said.

The course runs along a stream bank and has nine shooting stations — five of which provide a heated/ cooled rest building.

Sporting clay shooters can take advantage of the five-stand stationary shooting deck.

In addition, the complex offers two archery ranges, including a 3-D range with nine stations and two life-size targets at each station. The second five-station archery range has life-size targets of animals commonly found in the area — such as bear, mountain lion and deer.

The complex also includes a clubhouse and will have a pro-shop, meeting rooms and restaurant/catering service.

Owen added that they plan to have a gun-cleaning room, reloading room, storage lockers and an area for inside storage of four-wheelers and golf carts.

He said they have constructed the complex to attract national tournaments.

Owen will close the complex during the annual bike rally, but for the rest of the year, they open about 9 a.m. and stay open until dusk, Owen said.

Section Navigation

• News
• Webcam
• Sturgis Rally
• Attractions
• Lodging
• Go Back

» View More Photos