Edgemont

Located on the southwestern flank of the Black Hills, Edgemont offers visitors a chance to escape the hustle and bustle of city life and immerse themselves in stunning natural surroundings. To the north of Edgemont on US 18, the mountains of the Black Hills abruptly rise 1,500 feet in two miles, providing a dramatic and breathtaking view. Hot Springs is 24 miles east and Rapid City is 80 miles north, making Edgemont a quiet, uncrowded alternative base for exploring the southern Black Hills. The Mammoth Site, Wind Cave National Park, Custer State Park, and the mineral springs of Hot Springs are all within easy reach.

Absolutely, and admission is free. The museum is open Memorial Day through Labor Day, Tuesday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m., or by appointment. Located in downtown Edgemont, it traces the ebb and flow of life in the southern Black Hills from prehistoric times to the present.

Highlights include petroglyphs that predate Black Hills settlement, and exhibits covering the era when Calamity Jane and Wild Bill rode the stage through the region. The museum sits at Mile Zero of the Mickelson Trail, and just steps away in Teddy Roosevelt City Park, visitors can see the gazebo where President Roosevelt delivered a speech in 1903 — and stroll across what the Chamber of Commerce calls the only covered bridge in the northern plains.

Quite a bit. Edgemont holds the southern terminus of the George S. Mickelson Trail, a hot spot for hikers and bicyclists, with the trailhead located downtown in Teddy Roosevelt Park, named for the president who once spoke from its gazebo. The premier recreational trail spans 109 miles north to Deadwood, offering hiking, biking, and horseback riding opportunities through some of the most beautiful scenery in the Black Hills. Beyond the trail, breathtaking vistas are at every turn, from the red rocks of Red Canyon to the lush greenery of Craven Canyon to the gently flowing waters of the Cheyenne River, with hunting, fishing, and horseback riding all readily available in the surrounding area. For cyclists in particular, Edgemont is one of the most logical places in the entire Black Hills to begin or end a Mickelson Trail journey.

Each summer the Edgemont Community Theatre puts on vaudeville-era melodramas to packed houses at a local sale barn turned theatre, with locals doing the acting, cooking, and cleaning. Audiences are invited to boo and hiss at the villains and cheer for the hero — and don't miss the root beer float at intermission. Edgemont It's charmingly old-fashioned and genuinely fun.

The Fall River County Fair, held the first weekend of August, brings rodeos, stock shows, a demolition derby, and other community events to the fairgrounds each year. For a town of its size, Edgemont punches well above its weight in homegrown entertainment.

Edgemont came into being in 1889 with the arrival of the railroad, three days before South Dakota became a state. It grew quickly as a railroad hub, wool milling center, and jumping-off point for Black Hills gold country. During its boom years, famous visitors included William Jennings Bryan, Presidents Teddy Roosevelt and Calvin Coolidge, and Buffalo Bill Cody, who often brought his Wild West show to town.

The area around it is equally storied — Red Canyon just north of town was so notorious for stagecoach robberies that a sign once posted at its mouth read "Look to your rifles well, for this is the canyon of Hell." Craven Canyon holds some of the oldest known rock art in the Black Hills, with pictographs and petroglyphs estimated to be at least 7,000 years old, depicting human figures, elk, bison, and abstract symbols painted and carved into the sandstone walls.

Edgemont sits on the southern edge of the Black Hills region and is often considered a gateway to the area.