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
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: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Industry & Commerce • 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. It 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.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 21, 2023
2. South Grand Stage Station Marker
Regionally, this marker is in West River. It is also in the American 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 Rupert’s Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Ludlow Cave (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Custer Black Hills Expedition of 1874 (about 700 feet away); Medora - Deadwood Stage Line (about 700 feet away); Battle of the Slim Buttes (about 700 feet away); The Homesteaders (about 700 feet away); Battle of the Crow Buttes (about 700 feet away); Sky Ranch for Boys (about 700 feet away); Centennial Park (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Buffalo.
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 360 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 23, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
