Buffalo in Harding County, South Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
South Grand Stage Station
Roadside Park
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 21, 2023
1. South Grand Stage Station Marker
Regina, Canada – El Paso, Texas
1588 miles through five states
South
Belle Fourche • 78
Deadwood • 103
North
State Line • 80
Williston, N.D. • 219
Probably the first white men to traverse this area were Wilson Price Hunt and his Astorians, bound for the Pacific from the Aricara Villages at the mouth of Grand River in August 1811. Transient traders and trappers were here thereafter but left no record until in July 1874 General George A. Custer, with a notable expedition of soldiers and scientists enroute from Ft. Abraham Lincoln to the Black Hills twice passed close to this place. Three years later on August 14th, Major Lazelle and a Detachment of the 1st Infantry, hunting Indians, camped nearby. From 1868, a part of the Great Sioux reservation, it was opened to settlement in 1876 but it was 1893 until surveyed. Cattlemen from 1883 on were making use of its free range and in 1884, the fabulous Marquis De Mores, who sunk a fortune at Medora had a 150 horse, 4 stagecoach line, one station of which was right here on the South Grand. Its stages, over a 215 mile route to Deadwood, ran from October 1884 to May 1885 but the mail contract was given the shorter Pierre-Deadwood route and the stageline folded up. This exact location was in Dakota Territorial counties of Harding,
this page online
Erected 1956 by Citizens of Harding County; and State Highway Commission. (Marker Number 131.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Native Americans • Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the South Dakota State Historical Society Markers series list. A significant historical month for this entry is August 1811.
Location. 45° 34.739′ N, 103° 32.778′ W. Marker is in Buffalo, South Dakota, in Harding County. Marker is on Theodore Roosevelt Expressway (U.S. 85) ¼ mile south of Main Street, on the right when traveling south. Marker is located in the US Highway 85 roadside park at the south end of Buffalo - just north of the South Fork Grand River. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Buffalo SD 57720, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 21, 2023
2. South Grand Stage Station Marker
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 21, 2023
3. South Grand Stage Station Marker (east side)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 21, 2023
4. South Grand Stage Station Marker (east side)
Credits. This page was last revised on August 23, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 21, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 63 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 23, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
