Pennington County, shaped like a huge upside-down tomahawk, covers 2,783 square miles of land. With a current population of approximately 83,000 people, Pennington County forms the center portion of the Black Hills and reaches far into the Badlands. With its varied mining, lumbering, and ranching background, the county has a colorful history.

The county was created in 1875 during the gold rush and was named for John L. Pennington, governor of the Dakota Territory from January 1874 to May 1878. Historians tell us that in February 1876, Mr. John Brennan and a group of unsuccessful miners left the gold fields and headed for the eastern edge of the Black Hills.  They stopped in the area where Rapid Creek spilled down out of the hills.  Their combined goal was to "mine the miners", by serving their need for supplies and feed for their livestock.  Life was perilous during the early months because the local Indians were not happy with the new settlement and raided it several times.  

By the following spring (1877), the Indians had mostly withdrawn from the area becuause of pressure from the Army.  Another major event that affected the area was that during the 1877 session of the territorial legislature in Yankton, Pennington County was duly organized with Sheridan, a mining camp deep in the mountains, as the county seat. The county was named for territorial governor John L. Pennington and it stretched from the Wyoming border on the west to the Cheyenne River on the east.

A log courthouse was built in Sheridan, and in it the first Federal Court west of the Missouri River was held in 1878. Sheridan lost the county seat the same year to Rapid City (Rapid City continues to be the county seat) which was blooming at the edge of the Hills. As the placer mines began to play out, Sheridan dwindled. In 1939 a lake was being formed that would cover the ghost town to a depth of 20 feet. This lake was completed on August 15, 1956 and is known as Sheridan Lake. Mr. M. M. Fuller became the first Chairman of the Pennington County Commissioners after Rapid City became the county seat.

Log structures were the predominant construction style, although frame buildings were reported beginning to appear by 1878.  The first mass transportation (stage coach) began in March 1877, coming from Sidney, Nebraska and the first Post Office was established in April 1877.  The city was officially surveyed in June 1877, and in January 1878, the Rapid City Journal published it's first edition.  Rapid City had officially become a city!

The mountainous portion of Pennington County lies within the Black Hills National Forest. There you will find fine scenic highways and beautiful places to camp, hike, fish, climb, ski and snowmobile. The Black Hills National Forest is in a portion of five western counties - the largest portion being in Pennington County. Harney Peak, located in the Black Hills is the highest mountain between the Rocky Mountains and the Alps at 7,242 feet. Eighteen other peaks in the Black Hills rise above 7000 feet. In this area miners found most of the gold, silver, copper, feldspar, tin and quartz (South Dakota's state gem) that brought the first settlers. In 1874 General George Armstrong Custer led his expedition to the Black Hills (called Paha Sapa by the Indians) to keep trespassers out of the Sioux reservation. However, the soldiers found traces of gold that precipitated the Gold Rush of 1875-76. Out of the gold fever rush of 1876 grew the oldest town in Pennington County, Hill City.

Located almost entirely in Pennington County is a unique topographical area called the Badlands. The Badlands are located in the eastern portion of the county and consist of formations of deep canyons, towering pinnacles and grasslands. This lunar type landscape contains a rich source of fossilized prehistoric animals. Today, bison, deer, antelope, coyote, and a vast number of small animals, including the black-footed ferret, and bird species find their homes in this rugged wilderness.

The county's greatest population explosion came between 1941 and 1948, with the building of Ellsworth Air Force Base. This military installation brought men and women from every aspect of American society and is the second largest industry in Pennington County. During the Cold War of the 1960's,1970's and 1980's, the 44th Strategic Missile Wing and it's 150 Minuteman II missiles were at the fore front of America's strategic deterrence.  With it's mission completed as a result of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks treaty, the unit was inactivated on July 4th, 1994.  Today, Ellsworth Air Force Base employs approximately 2,800 military personnel and 700 civilian employees, with its primary function of providing combatant commanders with mission ready B-1B bomber aircraft.

Tourism is the largest industry in Rapid City and Pennington County. Probably the greatest factor in the development of this lucrative tourist trade is the sculpturing by Gutzon Borglum of the figures of four presidents (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln) at Mount Rushmore National Monument. This mountain is the county's most famous and popular place to visit. It has become an international tourist attraction, with thousands of people viewing it each year. Ranching and farming rank third for industries. Crops grown in the county include winter wheat, sorghum, alfalfa hay, prairie hay, sunflowers and oats. Livestock grown include cattle, sheep and horses.

With its western atmosphere and clean air nothing anywhere surpasses Rapid City and Pennington County's climate. Often called the "Banana Belt", the winter temperatures are moderate.  Additionally, with humidity almost nonexistent, the summer nights are cool and invigorating, the hottest days of summer terminate into an evening of delightful coolness. It is the ideal place in which to live or visit.

 

Go back to Main Page