Silver City, South Dakota
Encyclopedia
Silver City is an unincorporated community
in Pennington County
, South Dakota
, United States
, outside of Rapid City
. It lies at the head of Pactola Lake
on Rapid Creek
, and is about 5 miles west of U.S. Route 385 via a paved county road. The area was first referenced by General George A. Custer who entered the Hills in 1874 and referred to the area as Elkhorn Prairie. Silver City was a mining town for many years, but is now a community of about 80 homes. It was located on the Black Hills and Western Railroad until its abandonment a few years before the construction of Pactola Dam
. Today, the town is a resort area with a campground and cabins for rental. Additional USFS
campgrounds are located nearby, and there is a walk-in trout fishing area along Rapid Creek to the west of the town. Silver City has a volunteer fire department, and a small community center in the old schoolhouse, but is now part of the Hill City School District. The community is becoming a bedroom community for Rapid City. The town is also the start of a Volksmarch that goes around Pactola Lake.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Pennington County
Pennington County, South Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 88,565 people, 34,641 households, and 23,278 families residing in the county. The population density was 32 people per square mile . There were 37,249 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, outside of Rapid City
Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota, and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek on which the city is established, it is set against the eastern slope of the Black Hills mountain range. The population was 67,956 as of the 2010 Census. Rapid...
. It lies at the head of Pactola Lake
Pactola Lake
Pactola Lake is the largest reservoir in the Black Hills of South Dakota and is created by the Pactola Dam. At the bottom of Pactola Lake is the submerged town of Pactola, an old mining camp and site of several military bivouacs during the original settlement of the Black Hills in the...
on Rapid Creek
Rapid Creek (South Dakota)
Rapid Creek is a tributary of the Cheyenne River, approximately 86 mi long, in South Dakota in the United States.It rises in southwestern South Dakota, in the Black Hills National Forest in the Black Hills in Pennington County. It flows east, is joined by Castle Creek, past Silver City and...
, and is about 5 miles west of U.S. Route 385 via a paved county road. The area was first referenced by General George A. Custer who entered the Hills in 1874 and referred to the area as Elkhorn Prairie. Silver City was a mining town for many years, but is now a community of about 80 homes. It was located on the Black Hills and Western Railroad until its abandonment a few years before the construction of Pactola Dam
Pactola Dam
Pipestem Dam is an embankment dam on Rapid Creek in Pennington County, South Dakota. The purpose of the dam is flood control, water supply and recreation. The dam was approved by the Flood Control Act of 1944 and construction began on November 25, 1952 and the dam was complete on August 15,...
. Today, the town is a resort area with a campground and cabins for rental. Additional USFS
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
campgrounds are located nearby, and there is a walk-in trout fishing area along Rapid Creek to the west of the town. Silver City has a volunteer fire department, and a small community center in the old schoolhouse, but is now part of the Hill City School District. The community is becoming a bedroom community for Rapid City. The town is also the start of a Volksmarch that goes around Pactola Lake.