CEMETERIES OF THE BLACK HILLS
We will start our journey heading northwest into the Black Hills, the "Gateway to History." Along the way we will view the beauty and wild life of the area. It should be remembered that the white man (other then French trappers) did not come west until the mid to late 1800's so although there are older cemeteries in the east very few have the history of the Black Hills. Credit for these photos goes to Val Lafrenz.
Our first stop will be at the Black Hills National Cemetery, dedicated in 1948 with internments dating back to 1917. by the end of 2008 there were 21,238 internments consisting of 16,000 of our military personal plus their immediate families.
From BHNC we will go cross country to the Fort Meade Historical Cemetery. Placed on the National Registry of Historical Places in 1973, it has graves dating back to 1868 and the Indian Wars of the period.
Our next stop will be Saint Ambrose Cemetery in Deadwood. It was deeded to the church in 1883, but has internments as early as 1878.
Before lunch we will go
to the most famous of the cemeteries on our tour. Mt. Moriah (the orginal Boot
Hill) was established in 1877 and has 2,400 internments. It was moved from it's
orginial location to higher on the mountain, after the great Deadwood fire of
1879 to allow for expansion of Deadwood. Some of the famous residents are "Wild
Bill" Hickok, "Calamity Jane", "Seth Bullock, "Potato Creek Jonny", and many
others.
After Lunch we will head on to Galena and Vinegar Hill Cemetery. Dating back before 1874, it's most famous resident is Sarah Campbell known by the men of the Custer Expedition as "Aunt Sally". She was the first black women buried in South Dakota.
Our day will be winding down as we stop at the Cemetery in Keystone at the base of Mt. Rushmore.
Our final stop is the cemetery in the Ghost town of Rockerville. An old boom and bust gold mining town of 1878.
Price: $99.00/person
Contact Us :
To ask questions, make comments or RESERVATION just call 1-605-209-4935. We can pick you up at the air-port, the place you are staying, or anywhere else you may desire.
Knight-Riders' Black Hills Tours
5119 Autumn Place
Rapid City, SD 57702
(605) 209-4935