As with many western cities that looked to emulate the “civilized” cities of the east, Sturgis was excited to build their own streetcar line. They were the Key City of the Black Hills, a county seat, and thus an important destination. Obviously, they should showcase that importance by having their own line.
A year after Rapid City announced that they were to construct their line, in 1887, the Sturgis City Council had granted a franchise to Alexander and Ailen, of Sturgis, allowing them to begin constructing a streetcar line. It was set to be completed by January 1, 1889.
However, the work by Alexander and Ailen would eventually fall through, which would start a pattern with the Sturgis streetcar line. Time and time again, plans would be made, arrangements finalized, and then nothing.
But that Sturgis would have their own line almost seemed to be a sure bet. It would be said that no city in Dakota territory was in more need of their own line than Sturgis was. Part of that was due to the high traffic that went between Sturgis and Fort Meade. Because there was so much travel, that such a line would be a success from the beginning wasn’t in doubt.
After a few failed starts, things seemed to be ironed out for Sturgis. An Engineer Andrews was brought in, and before the end of 1888, a survey of a streetcar line between Sturgis and Fort Meade had been conducted.
The route of the streetcar line had also been mapped out, which would extend two miles from the Elkhorn Valley depot, up through Main Street, and out to Fort Meade. That it would be completed by the end of the year was almost certain. The preparations were beginning, and work seemed to begin quickly.
However, there was a major hurdle. An act of Congress would be needed in order for a right away over the military reservation to be secured. While some thought it would be an easy solution, it was a hurdle that wouldn’t be overcome.
Part of the problem was that Sturgis wasn’t in the good gracious of either Fort Meade or the United States. Just three years earlier, citizens of Sturgis had lynched a solider, and a clash between the military base and the city seemed as if it were a sure thing.
No major riot would occur, but relations between the military base and the city never really recovered. Over the years, additional altercations would occur, such as in 1913 when Poker Alice shot and killed a soldier, while also wounding another. The tensions all generally boiled down to the “bawdy houses” relieving the soldiers of their money, by providing means for all of their vices.
Creating an easier means for soldiers to travel to Sturgis to fulfill their vices may not have been the best idea, and with Fort Meade often trying to limit interaction between the soldiers and citizens, the prospect of a trolley line connecting the two areas probably wasn’t ideal.
In late December of 1888, work would begin on the streetcar line, while at the same time construction on local roads was also beginning.
However, it would quickly become clear that some hurdles were just to high to be jumped. Talk of the line would fade away, and by 1889, the idea seemed to have been abandoned.