Following the discovery of gold in the Black Hills, members of the 7th Cavalry established an outpost near Bear Butte in 1878 to protect against incursion by Lakota Sioux, who had vowed to defend their sacred lands from white settlers during a gathering at the site in 1857. The post was named Camp J.G. Sturgis in honor of Colonel Samuel D. Sturgis’ son, who had died in the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Vendors arrived to provide goods and services—many of them saloons and brothels—to the soldiers, as well as miners seeking gold in the northern Hills. Business was so lucrative, this encampment became known as Scoop Town because the vendors were able to easily “scoop up” money from the prospectors and cavalrymen.
Later that year, the Army established a more permanent settlement named Fort Meade a few miles to the south. The proprietors of Scoop Town, unwilling to give up such easy profits, quickly followed suit. They started a new town a mile and a half west of the fort named Sturgis City, this time in tribute to General Sturgis himself. Much like nearby Deadwood, Sturgis in its early days was a wild and lawless community, but business leaders prevailed in establishing a more peaceful community that became the county seat of Meade County. The city grew alongside Fort Meade, which remained an active military installation until 1944. That year, it became a part of the Veteran’s Administration Hospital network, but continued to serve as a training site for the South Dakota National Guard.
Due to its prime location in a valley at the entrance of the Northern Black Hills, Sturgis began marketing itself as the “Key City to the Black Hills,” or simply Key City. This nickname remained popular throughout the 19th and much of the 20th century, though nowadays it’s more commonly referred to as the “City of Riders” in homage to the cavalry soldiers once stationed at Fort Meade as well as the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Launched in 1938, the event—initially called the Black Hills Motor Classic—was the brainchild of Clarence “Pappy” Hoel, owner of an Indian Motorcycle shop and a member of the Jackpine Gypsies Motorcycle Club. What began as a modest gathering of nine riders eventually blossomed into the nation’s premier motorcycle festival, one that attracts some 500,000 visitors from all over the world for 10 days every August.
Today, Sturgis is a vibrant community of about 7,000 residents (save for the ten-day Rally stretch). Visitors will find a thriving arts scene, museums, restaurants, and saloons. It’s also the perfect launching point for exploring the northern Hills or Bear Butte State Park, six miles to the northeast.
As part of the vast Ellsworth Air Force Base complex, the land north of Sturgis was dotted with 50 Minuteman missile silos.
The Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame is on a mission to collect, preserve and interpret the history of motorcycling; while honoring those who have made a positive and significant impact on the sport and lifestyle and paying tribute to the heritage of the Sturgis Rally. Their vision is to continue as a world-class museum offering comprehensive and educational exhibits and showcasing rare and unusual motorcycles significant to the history of the town and of the sport. The Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame stands out because of the fact they not only document the history of the machines but also document the history of the people who have shaped and changed the sport and lifestyle.
The exhibits in the museum are intended to showcase not only the rich history of the bikes themselves but also the colorful character of those who rode them. Their stories and their origins tie back to the freedom of the open road in the United States and western Europe.
The European collection features vintage bikes with origins from across the pond. Although motorcycles are of American origin, it is easy to argue the “modern” motorcycle was refined by the British. The collection features motorcycle brands made famous by the British such as Norton and Triumph.
The museum also features a wide collection of popular American motorcycles such as Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycles. Harley-Davidson history is prevalent in Sturgis, as the main entertainment venue downtown is known as Harley-Davidson Rally Point, with bricks included from Harley-Davidson Headquarters in Milwaukee, WI. The father of the Sturgis Rally, C.F. “Pappy” Hoel, owned an Indian Motorcycle dealership during the inception of the rally, and in the heyday of the Jackpine Gypsies, branding Indian Motorcycles as one of the first motorcycle brands of the world famous Sturgis Rally.
The museum was originally located in a refurbished church when it opened its doors in 2001. It was so well received that in 2002 it was offered the old post office location where it currently resides on the corner of Main Street and Junction Avenue, right in the heart of Sturgis.
The museum also features the Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame, which is designed to recognize individuals or groups who have made a long term positive impact on the motorcycle community. There is also the Freedom Fighters Hall of Fame which recognizes the commitment and sacrifices of individuals across the nation, and world, to protect the rights and freedoms that motorcyclists enjoy today. These efforts include rallying in the political arena and in creating grassroots motorcyclist rights organizations. The museum takes great pride in recognizing these exceptional and deserving people.
The Sturgis Motorcycle Museum is a growing celebration of the past, present, and future of motorcycle culture. It pays tribute to the remarkable machines that started it all, as well as the dedicated people who brought it to life and ensured its survival. Biker culture is rich in the Black Hills, and the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum & Hall of Fame provides an insightful perspective of how it came to be.
Fort Meade was established during the winter of 1878-79 by units of the 1st and 11th Infantry and the reorganized 7th Cavalry. The mission of the 10 company post was to provide military protection against the resentful Sioux for the gold seekers and settlers who had invaded the region both before and after the Black Hills Treaty of 1877.
General Phil Sheridan, famed Civil War Cavalry leader, reportedly selected the picturesque site for the new post. He is said to have ridden horseback around what became the parade ground in the center of the 12 square mile military reservation, pointing with his sword to where he wanted each building to be constructed.
The new post replaced Camp J.C. Sturgis, established in July of 1878, about two miles northwest of nearby Bear Butte. It was first named Camp Ruhlen for Lt. George Ruhlen, 17th Infantry quartermaster officer who supervised the building of the post. It was subsequently renamed Fort Meade in honor of General George Meade of Civil War fame. Its strategic location at the mouth of the natural gap in the hogback ridge forming the outer rim of the Black Hills, on the main Indian trail to the favorite hunting grounds of the Sioux, and near the confluence of the heavily-traveled Bismarck, Fort Pierre and Sidney trails of the pioneers, enabled Fort Meade to play a major role in maintaining peace on the western Dakota Frontier.
The 7th Cavalry, re-formed after the disastrous Battle of the Little Big Horn in 1876, constituted the first permanent garrison of the post. Its commander, Colonel Samuel D Sturgis, was one of the founders of the nearby town that bears his name.
In June, 1879, the horse named Comanche, who survived the Battle of the Little Bighorn, was brought to Fort Meade by the Seventh Regiment. There he was kept like a prince until 1888, when he was taken to Fort Riley, Kansas. He died at Fort Riley a few years later and was buried with military honors. Shortly thereafter the horse’s remains were sent to a taxidermist, and in the early 1900s Comanche was displayed at the Natural History Museum at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, KS. A restoration of the display was completed in 2005.
It was here, too, that the Star Spangled Banner first became the official music for the military retreat ceremony, long before in became the National Anthem. In 1892, the post commander Colonel Caleb H. Carlton, 8th Cavalry, began the custom of playing the “Star Spangled Banner” at military ceremonies and requested that all people rise and pay it proper respect long before it became the National Anthem.
Many celebrated frontier Army units saw service at Fort Meade, including the 4th Cavalry which was headquartered there for over 20 years. It outlived all other frontier posts of the Upper Missouri West, surviving as a military installation until 1944 when in became a Veterans Administration Hospital as it remains today.
Though no longer an active military base, Fort Meade still serves as a training site by the 196th Regiment for Officer Candidate School (OCS)
The 196th Regiment, Regional Training Institute, located at Fort Meade is one of four major commands of the South Dakota Army National Guard and is one of the premier regional training institutes throughout the Army National Guard. The regiment maintains its status of “A Learning Institute of Excellence” by the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command as it continues to be one of the nation’s top training institutes.