The west may have been won on the back of a horse, but it grew upon streetcar lines. Or at least some would argue such. When it came to civilizing the west, the streetcar played an important role, as it allowed towns to expand by making them more interconnected. ItRead More →
With Meade County finally being organized in March of 1889, the fight for the county seat was now on. Throughout the journey of becoming a county, many who looked at the situation assumed it would be Sturgis who would take the title. Others had different plans though. A few contendersRead More →
In 1889, Meade separated from Lawrence County. One could argue it was more of a formality, as the citizens of Sturgis, and the larger area, had already separated themselves from the rest of Lawrence County. In many ways, Meade had begun as a rogue county; a county set on changingRead More →
On December 7th, 1941, the unthinkable happened. Hundreds of Japanese fighter planes descended upon Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in what would become a devastating surprise attack. The next day, the United States would declare war on Japan. With that declaration, day to day life in the states would begin to changeRead More →
It would only take a year for the Black Hills Motor Classic to become an international event. The first to show up, and show up ready for speed, were Canadians. Bringing some of the fastest bikes from around the world, they would put up their skills against the quickest ridersRead More →
On August 30th, 1885, Gottlieb Daimler created the first motorcycle. That German invention would go on to change a tiny town in the Black Hills of South Dakota into a worldwide phenomenon. At the time, Sturgis, SD was just beginning to form, not even being a decade old. The citizensRead More →
Gathering at the Stratobowl once again, the U.S. Army Corps and National Geographic Society were preparing for a second Explorer expedition. It would be the first of two that were scheduled to occur during the summer of 1935; one set for July, the other for August. In the February issueRead More →
On June 27, 1934, one hundred and twenty members of the Forth Calvary, from Fort Meade, gathered at the Stratobowl in the Black Hills National Forest. There they would witness the beginning of the space age, and the first of more than a dozen balloons that would be sent towardsRead More →
In September of 2011, a strange map arrived at the Library of Congress. It had been donated by Don Homuth, a former North Dakota state senator. Getting to Homuth, it had passed through the hands of John Hildreth, an eighth-grade teacher, who had received it from his grandfather, a formerRead More →
When I first moved to Sturgis, the name Scooptown was often tossed around. It has become a part of the city’s heritage. Businesses use the name proudly, as do local sports teams. Often it is said that the reason for this is because Sturgis began its life as Scooptown. HistoryRead More →