Spearfish, SD - Madman Teddy Roosevelt Goes to a Smashmouth Concert

Small Town News

Welcome to Spearfish, South Dakota! The city was founded in 1876 at the mouth of the Spearfish Canyon during the Black Hills Gold Rush. Originally called Queen City, the town supplied mining camps in the area. In 1887, the Thoen Stone was found in Black Hills. It is inscribed with the year 1834 and is purported to be the last will and testament of Ezra Kind. In 1933, Kind and six others crossed into the Black Hills to look for gold. At the time, laws and treaties forbid whites from entering the area. Kind and his party found gold, but were ultimately killed by Native Americans in the area. The stone is on display in a history museum in Deadwood, SD. In 1938, Joseph Meier brought the Luenen Passion Play to settle in the area and it became the Black Hills Passion Play. The show ran for 69 summer seasons and closed in 2008. One of the main draws to the area is the region's natural beauty. During a visit in 1935, architect Frank Lloyd Wright called the area "unique and unparalleled elsewhere in our country." Spearfish holds the world record for fastest recorded temperature change. On January 22, 1943 the temperature was -4 degrees. The Chinook winds picked up speed, and two minutes later the temperature was 45 degrees. After winds stopped several hours later, the temperature dropped back down to -4 degrees in 27 minutes. The sudden change caused windows to crack and windshields to instantly frost over. We hope you enjoy our trip to Spearfish!

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