Fort Meade National Cemetery

Tucked into a hillside within the Fort Meade Recreation Area just east of Sturgis, Fort Meade National Cemetery is one of the Black Hills' quietest windows into frontier history. Established in 1878 by surviving members of Custer's 7th Cavalry, this small National Register site holds just 235 graves across under two acres—yet the stories here run deep. Among those laid to rest is Private Abram B. Brant, a Medal of Honor recipient killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn, alongside soldiers, family members, and civilian staff whose weathered headstones tell a fuller, more human story of life at a 19th-century military post. Reached by a gravel road off Highway 34, the cemetery rewards visitors willing to seek it out. Tall trees and lilac bushes line the fence, and the hush of the place stands in contrast to its dramatic past protecting Black Hills gold prospectors and settlers during a turbulent era of westward expansion. Pair your visit with the nearby Old Fort Meade Museum (open mid-May through September) to round out the story of the fort and its cavalry regiments.