French Creek (South Dakota)
Encyclopedia
French Creek is an intermittent stream located in the Black Hills
region of western South Dakota
, USA. It is a tributary of the Cheyenne River
.
It rises approximately 5 miles (8 km) northeast of Custer, South Dakota
and extends for a length of 62 miles (100 km). It flows on a general eastward direction through Custer State Park and empties into the Cheyenne River
near Red Shirt, South Dakota
.
Gold was discovered in French Creek during an expedition
led by George Armstrong Custer
in 1874. This discovery triggered the Black Hills gold rush
of the late 1870s.
Black Hills
The Black Hills are a small, isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, USA. Set off from the main body of the Rocky Mountains, the region is something of a geological anomaly—accurately described as an "island of...
region of western South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, USA. It is a tributary of the Cheyenne River
Cheyenne River
The Cheyenne River is a tributary of the Missouri River in the U.S. states of Wyoming and South Dakota. It is approximately 295 mi long and drains an area of...
.
It rises approximately 5 miles (8 km) northeast of Custer, South Dakota
Custer, South Dakota
Custer is a city in Custer County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 2,067 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Custer County.-History:...
and extends for a length of 62 miles (100 km). It flows on a general eastward direction through Custer State Park and empties into the Cheyenne River
Cheyenne River
The Cheyenne River is a tributary of the Missouri River in the U.S. states of Wyoming and South Dakota. It is approximately 295 mi long and drains an area of...
near Red Shirt, South Dakota
Red Shirt, South Dakota
Red Shirt is a small unincorporated Oglala Lakota village southeast of Hermosa in Shannon County, South Dakota, United States. It is on the Pine Ridge Reservation, just outside Badlands National Park....
.
Gold was discovered in French Creek during an expedition
Custer's 1874 Black Hills Expedition
The Black Hills Expedition was a United States Army expedition in 1874 led by Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer that set out on July 2, 1874 from modern day Bismarck, North Dakota, which was then Fort Abraham Lincoln in the Dakota Territory, with orders to travel to the previously...
led by George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Raised in Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted to West Point in 1858, where he graduated last in his class...
in 1874. This discovery triggered the Black Hills gold rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
of the late 1870s.