Near Belle Fourche in Butte County, South Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Sheepherder's Monuments
Sheepherder's Monuments or stone Johnnies survive the day of the open range. These stone columns were probably built to indicate distance and direction to waterholes and provided the sheepherder with a pastime while tending his flock.
Erected 1959 by US Deptartment of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Animals.
Location. 44° 58.33′ N, 103° 33.942′ W. Marker is near Belle Fourche, South Dakota, in Butte County. U.S. Highway 85, approx 20 miles North of Belle Fourche. Marker is located on private property in the middle of a barbed-wired pasture. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Belle Fourche SD 57717, United States of America. Touch for directions.
More about this marker. The site lies on public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Park off US-85 in front of the sign that says "Road Closed". From here it's a short 3/4 mile hike up to the top on an asphalt road. The Marker is located up a dirt path bordered with landscaping timbers.
The site used to include a marker identifying the Geographic Center of the Nation as being, "ten miles west of here". Pictures of the old marker, and of the actual site of the Geographic Center, are included here for this reason.
To be better accessible to visitors, the Tri-State Museum and Center of the Nation Visitor Center in Belle Fourche includes a new marker to commemorate the Geographic Center and an actual sheepherder's monument.
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. New Geographic Center of the Nation Marker, at the Center of the Nation Visitors Center.
Also see . . . Roadside America entry for the Sheep Herder Monument. According to this site's contributors, this rest area was closed off and abandoned in the late 1990s. As of 2005, the "wooden sign is still there, but fading away." (Submitted on January 7, 2008, by Kevin W. of Stafford, Virginia.)
Additional commentary.
1. Nearby Attractions
Belle Fourche, S.D. is near several popular travel destinations, including Devils Tower, Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills.
— Submitted January 6, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 29, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 6, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 5,135 times since then and 50 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on January 6, 2008, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.