2019-01-16 16:27:29
FIND YOUR CENTER Find yourself standing at the Geographic Center of the Nation in Belle Fourche. The Center of the Nation is marked by a 21-foot diameter monument made of South Dakota granite, in the shape of the compass rose, at the Tri-State Museum & Visitor Center. Some may say that the community could better be described as the center of cowboy country. Founded in the late 1800s, great cattle herds of the Northern Plains were gathered and shipped east from the rail hub in Belle Fourche during the heyday of the open range. That wild and free era drew to a close with the last big cattle roundup in the West, which took place in 1902. Fencing of the range changed the nature of ranching, but it did not diminish its value. The town remains one of the most important livestock shipping railheads in the West. The city is a trading center for the three-state agricultural area encompassing 21,000 square miles in northwest South Dakota, northeast Wyoming, and southeast Montana, known as the Tri-State Area. The downtown area’s architecture retains the aura of the early 1900s. Mingle with locals as you stroll the downtown shopping district, which is housed in these historic buildings. Antique shops are full of treasures waiting to be uncovered. The authentically western town is home to one of the oldest, continuously held outdoor rodeos in the U.S. — the Black Hills Roundup. Thousands of people from around the world come to Belle Fourche for fi e exciting days surrounding Fourth of July weekend to celebrate. The Black Hills Roundup is celebrating 100 years of wild rodeo action from July 2 to 6, 2019. Some of Belle Fourche’s best rodeo performers have been immortalized in bronze by sculptor Tony Chytka. Take time to see the town’s “Lasting Legacies,” while simultaneously gazing into the region’s Old West past when visiting statues of rodeo greats Marvin and Mark Garrett, situated along street corners. Find the Tri-State Museum & Visitor Center situated along the Belle Fourche River. Explore the region’s fascinating history, including an overview of the heritage and early settlements in the corners of South Dakota, Montana and Wyoming. For Belle Fourche business listings, turn to page 137.
©South-Dakota. View All Articles.
Belle Fourche
https://digital.milespartnership.com/article/Belle+Fourche/3284653/559846/article.html