Custer in Custer County, South Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Horace N. Ross
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 10, 2018
1. Horace N. Ross Marker
Dedicated to the memory of
Horace N. Ross
Discoverer of Gold in the Black Hills at Custer, So. Dak.
July 27th, 1874 (Marker Number 604.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the South Dakota State Historical Society Markers series list. A significant historical date for this entry is July 27, 1874.
Location. 43° 45.935′ N, 103° 36.076′ W. Marker is in Custer, South Dakota, in Custer County. It is on Mount Rushmore Road (U.S. 16A) east of South 4th Street, on the right when traveling east. Marker and Horace Ross monument are located on the Custer County Courthouse grounds, in the plaza directly in front of the courthouse. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 420 Mount Rushmore Road, Custer SD 57730, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in West River and in Greater Rapid City. It is also in the American Black Hills, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, on the prairies, and on the Northern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Ruperts Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Dedicated to All Veterans (a few steps from this marker); Way Park (a few steps from this marker); Custer County Courthouse (within shouting distance of this marker); L. Cpl. Cody Glenn Engen (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); First National Bank of Dakota Territory
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More about this marker. Marker is a large metal plaque, mounted at waist-level, directly on the front of the Horace Ross monument. The Horace Ross monument is a large, masonry and stone obelisk, about 12 feet tall, located directly in front of the Custer County Courthouse.
Also see . . . Horatio Ross & Custer's Black Hills Gold Find. Horatio Ross accompanied General George Custer on the 1874 Black Hills Expedition and discovered gold on French Creek near what is now Custer, South Dakota. The Horatio Ross discovery of gold in the Black Hills, presented a problem because this was disputed territory. The Black Hills was part of the Native American Reservation which encompassed the western half of the state of South Dakota. Newspaper articles appeared nationwide and gold prospectors began pouring into the forbidden territory. The U.S. Army quickly responded by chasing the gold-seekers out of the Black Hills, but by the summer of 1875, Horatio Ross and hundreds of others flocked westward to search for gold. (Submitted on July 11, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 10, 2018
2. Horace N. Ross Monument (marker is visible on front side of the monment pedestal)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 10, 2018
3. Horace N. Ross Monument (marker visible at left; Custer County Courthouse in background)
Credits. This page was last revised on November 4, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 10, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 941 times since then and 39 times this year. Last updated on November 4, 2021. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 11, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
