Belle Fourche

It's pronounced "Bell Foosh". The French pronunciation has stuck around since the town's earliest days. "Belle Fourche" is French for "beautiful fork," describing the town's location at the intersection of Hay Creek, the Redwater River, and the Belle Fourche River. The name fits. The confluence of three waterways in the rolling grasslands at the northern edge of the Black Hills gives the town a setting that's quietly striking, and very different from the pine-covered hills just to the south.

It is, and it's one of the most genuinely quirky claims to fame in the entire region. When Alaska and Hawaii were admitted to the Union in 1959, Belle Fourche was able to stake its claim as the geographic center of the United States. The actual point is located some 21 miles to the northeast, but because Belle Fourche lies within the official measurement's margin of error, town leaders erected a monument at the Tri-State Museum and Visitor Center in 2007. The monument features a 21-foot granite disk, a compass rose, and flags representing all 50 states, and it's free to visit. It makes for a great photo stop and a genuinely fun piece of American geography trivia.

Belle Fourche is located one hour east of Devils Tower, one hour west of Mount Rushmore, and a mere 30 minutes north of Deadwood, making it a natural stopping point for anyone doing a northern Black Hills loop. It's also the northern gateway to the Black Hills, so visitors arriving from the north or heading toward Wyoming will pass right through. The town is authentically western rather than tourist-polished, which is part of its charm. If you're in the area around the Fourth of July, the Black Hills Roundup alone makes it worth building your trip around.

The Black Hills Roundup is one of the oldest continuously held outdoor rodeos in America. For five days surrounding the July 4th holiday weekend, thousands of local residents and people from across the country come to Belle Fourche to celebrate. The rodeo was established in 1918 as a benefit for the American Red Cross during World War I, and it has run nearly every year since. Events include a cattle drive, ranch rodeo, parade, and fireworks. It's a full-on celebration of western heritage and one of the most authentic rodeo experiences left in the Black Hills.

More than most visitors expect. Belle Fourche is the place where the Sundance Kid and his "Wild Bunch" robbed a bank in 1897 and where John Wayne was driving cattle in "The Cowboys" (1972). The Tri-State Museum tells the story of the region's pioneer, ranching, and Native American history, and admission is free. For something truly one-of-a-kind, PaleoAdventures offers guided dinosaur dig experiences at private ranch sites in the surrounding badlands country — a bucket-list experience for families and fossil enthusiasts. The Belle Fourche River Walk is a five-mile paved path winding through the city, and the Belle Fourche Reservoir offers fishing, boating, and camping just outside of town.

Belle Fourche has a population of about 5,600 people as of the 2020 census.

It's one of the larger communities in western South Dakota outside of Rapid City, and it serves as a regional hub for ranching and agriculture.