Dewey, South Dakota

This article is about the unincorporated town of Dewey, South Dakota, in Custer County. For the county in South Dakota, see Dewey County, South Dakota .
Dewey, South Dakota
Unincorporated community

Welcome sign
Dewey

Location of Dewey in South Dakota.

Coordinates: 43°31′47.532″N 104°2′18.168″W / 43.52987000°N 104.03838000°WCoordinates: 43°31′47.532″N 104°2′18.168″W / 43.52987000°N 104.03838000°W
Country United States
State South Dakota
County Custer
Township West Custer UT (portion of Custer County west of Custer State Park)[1]
Elevation 3,714 ft (1,132 m)
Population
 • Total 7
Time zone MST (UTC-7)
 • Summer (DST) MDT (UTC-6)
ZIP code 57735
Area code(s) 605
FIPS code 46-16380
GNIS feature ID 1261554[2]

Dewey is an unincorporated community near the southwest corner of Custer County, South Dakota, less than 1 mile from the Wyoming border in a prairie region of the Black Hills.[3][4] There are approximately five or six homes in town.[5] Dewey has a volunteer fire department in the Edgemont city district.[6]

Dewey lies just to the southwest of the Elk Mountains, a small range that is part of the Black Hills. South Dewey Road leads into Fall River County southeast 6.1 miles (9.8 km) to Burdock and then to Edgemont—23 miles (37 km) from Dewey. Northwest of Dewey 30 miles (48 km) is Newcastle, Wyoming.[7]

History

Dewey was originally called "S and G Ranch" for its owners Sturgis and Goodell. The name was changed in 1890 by either the Burlington Railroad which came through the area that year, or the Post Office Department.[8] The town is a populated place ("a place or area having clustered or scattered buildings and a permanent population") that is not a census designated or incorporated place with an official federally recognized name.[9]

Dewey was a cattle town in the first half of the 20th century. Local ranchers used its rail depot to ship cattle to market.[10]

Two ranches near Dewey are listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Custer County. The Edna and Ernest Young Ranch is approximately three miles south of town, south of Beaver Creek, while the Charles and Ollie Lampert Ranch is north of Dewey.

The Tennessee Valley Authority and private uranium companies have explored the Dewey / Burdock area since the 1970s.[11] Several mines still exist in the area.[12]

Photo gallery

Further information

References

  1. ↑ http://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/blk2000/st46_SouthDakota/CountySubdivision/4670320_WestCuster/CBS4670320_013.pdf
  2. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. ↑ http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic
  4. ↑ http://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/blk2000/st46_SouthDakota/CountySubdivision/4670320_WestCuster/CBS4670320_013.pdf
  5. ↑ https://maps.google.com/?ll=43.530015,-104.03909&spn=0.006347,0.013733&t=h&z=17
  6. ↑ http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic
  7. ↑ Official State Highway Map of Wyoming (Map). Wyoming Department of Transportation. 2014.
  8. ↑ Sneve, Virginia Driving Hawk. South Dakota Geographic Names. Brevet Press, Sioux Falls, SD, 1973. p59
  9. ↑ http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic
  10. ↑ http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/sd/dewey.html
  11. ↑ http://www.powertechuranium.com/s/DeweyBurdock.asp
  12. ↑ http://www.topoquest.com/map-detail.php?usgs_cell_id=12143
 Newcastle, Wyoming Black Hills National Forest Custer, South Dakota
Weston County, Wyoming Black Hills National Forest
   Dewey, South Dakota  
Niobrara County, Wyoming Burdock, South Dakota Edgemont, South Dakota