USGS, Deadwood sheet, 1894 · Public domainEvery town name started with somebody's decision.
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All South Dakota stories
How Lead, South Dakota Got Its Name (and Why It Rhymes with 'Seed')
Lead, South Dakota, takes its name from an old miners' word: a "lead" is a ledge or vein of ore, and the hills around town were full of them.
Documented
How Custer, South Dakota Got Its Name (It Almost Wasn't Custer)
Custer, South Dakota, is named for George Armstrong Custer, whose 1874 expedition found gold nearby.
Documented
How Deadwood, South Dakota Got Its Name
Deadwood, South Dakota, is named after the gulch it sits in, and the gulch got its name from the dead trees the first gold prospectors found there.
Documented
How Rapid City, South Dakota Got Its Name
Rapid City, South Dakota, is named after Rapid Creek, the fast, spring-fed stream that runs through town.
Documented
How Sturgis, South Dakota Got Its Name: A Father, a Son, and Little Bighorn
Sturgis, South Dakota, is named for the Sturgis family of the 7th Cavalry, but the sources split on which Sturgis.
DisputedWe haven't written that one yet. More towns are on the way.
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