FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Jan. 8, 2007
CONTACT:  Matthew Reitzel, (605) 773-3615, Matthew.Reitzel@state.sd.us

 Historical Society displays Fort Pierre-to-Deadwood Trail map

PIERRE, S.D. – A new display at the South Dakota Cultural Heritage Center details a trail from Fort Pierre to Deadwood that was used in the 1800s.

The Fort Pierre-to-Deadwood Trail display is located in the Research Room of the South Dakota State Historical Society-Archives. The display is free to the public. 

Carol Jennings and Matthew Reitzel of the State Archives compiled a map of the Fort Pierre-to-Deadwood Trail using survey plat maps dating from the 1870s to the 1890s. The surveyors marked the trail through every township and section between Fort Pierre and Deadwood, making it one of the most detailed maps of the trail. 

The Fort Pierre-to-Deadwood Trail was the main line of transportation between central and western Dakota Territory in the later half of the 19th century.

“It was the Interstate-90 of its day,” notes Reitzel.

The trail connected the Black Hills with the Missouri River, before the arrival of railroads in western South Dakota. Horse, mule and ox teams carried passengers, supplies and cargo across the Dakota prairie. A number of stage companies arose to meet the increasing demand for transportation to and from the Black Hills after the discovery of gold in the mid 1870s. 

The Fort Pierre-to-Deadwood Trail was roughly 200 miles long. Several roadhouses and stage stations were set up along the trail. In 1887, 20 oxen pulling three wagons with 20,000 pounds of freight made the trip in 15 days.

The display map itself is 14 feet long. The map is accompanied with archives photos and stories concerning the trail. Jim Carlisle of Fort Pierre donated a wagon wheel for the display.

Archives hours are 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday and the first Saturday of each month. The museum in the Cultural Heritage Center is open 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 1-4:30 p.m. on Sundays and most holidays. Call (605) 773-3458 for more information or visit www.sdhistory.org