Rochford, South Dakota
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Rochford (founded May 1878) is an
unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...
in Pennington County,
South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...
,
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. It is not tracked by the
U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
.


Naming

Rochford was named in honor of one of its founders, M. D. Rochford, in May 1878.


History


Founding and local mining operations

In August 1876, three hunters accidentally discovered what became the Montezuma Gold Mine. Hopeful placer miners from
Lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...
and
Central City In urban planning, a core city, principal city metropolitan core, or central city, is the largest or most important city or cities of a metropolitan area. A core city is surrounded by smaller satellite cities, towns, and suburbs. A central city ...
flocked to the area, staking claims along Little Rapid Creek. The first cabin that established the future site of Rochford was started in February 1877 when M. D. Rochford built a cabin there. In March 1877, an official mining district was set up in the area. In May 1878, Rochford, who was the
county commissioner A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States; such commissions usually comprise ...
, and R. B. Hughes laid out the town in a
gulch In xeric lands, a gulch is a deep V-shaped valley formed by erosion. It may contain a small stream or dry creek bed and is usually larger in size than a gully. Sudden intense rainfall upstream may produce flash floods in the bed of the gulch. ...
. Mining operations in the area included the Silver Reef, Resumption, Pride of the West, Oro Cache, Rattler, Mountain Treasure, Justin, Glenwood, Little Woodchuck, Ethan Allen, Wide West, and Surprise Fraction, as well as branches of the
Homestake Mining Company Homestake Mining Company was one of the largest gold mining businesses in the United States and the owner of the Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota. Founded in 1877, it was acquired by Barrick Gold in December 2001. Homestake was the longest- ...
. The town made its profit from the local Evangeline and Minnesota
gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
mines, which each had a 20- stamp mill; and the Stand-By mine. The Stand-By 40-stamp mill planned in 1879 used a
flume A flume is a human-made channel for water, in the form of an open declined gravity chute whose walls are raised above the surrounding terrain, in contrast to a trench or ditch. Flumes are not to be confused with aqueducts, which are built to t ...
to haul water and create power. There was a large office at this mill that the locals nicknamed "The Mansion," though it was torn down some time before 1950. This mine and mill contributed to much of Rochford's growth. A sawmill produced of lumber for the operations. The mill's building was delayed in March 1880 due to the
freight train Rail freight transport is the use of railroads and trains to transport cargo as opposed to human passengers. A freight train, cargo train, or goods train is a group of freight cars (US) or goods wagons (International Union of Railways) haul ...
's inability to make it to the mill, due to a snowfall of . Though the mill was running 60-stamps by May 1880, it closed in 1881, and from there began running intermittently until 1936.


Growth

By December 1878, the town had a population of 500, including a few doctors, a
Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...
, three
saloons Saloon may refer to: Buildings and businesses * One of the bars in a traditional British pub * An alternative name for a bar (establishment) * Western saloon, a historical style of American bar * The Saloon, a bar and music venue in San Francisc ...
, six stores, and 100 homes. Property was sold for anywhere from $10 to $60. However, there were not yet any dance halls,
casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...
s, or
hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...
s. Several Deadwood businessmen showed interest in extending their companies to Rochford, but they were put off by the lack of a daily postal service and mills. Other local camps included Montezuma, Golden Centre, Tigerville, Montana City, Ochre City, Sitting Bull,
Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
, Castleton, and Elkorn. By January 1879, two hotels, a theater, a
butcher A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesale food establishm ...
shop, two restaurants, two
blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...
shops, and a
drug store A pharmacy (also called "drugstore" in American English or "community pharmacy" or "chemist" in Commonwealth English, or rarely, apothecary) is a retail shop which provides pharmaceutical drugs, among other products. At the pharmacy, a pharmaci ...
had been added. The Reder Brothers Sawmill was moved from Rockerville to provide lumber for the town's buildings; by January 1879, it had produced of lumber and of
roof shingles Roof shingles are a roof covering consisting of individual overlapping elements. These elements are typically flat, rectangular shapes laid in courses from the bottom edge of the roof up, with each successive course overlapping the joints below. ...
. Lawrence County funded the building of a
highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-acces ...
to connect the town to Deadwood for $300. This was a strategic move for Deadwood businessmen, who wanted to divert trade from
Rapid City Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...
. For a time, it was rumored that the western part of Pennington County would split and become Martin County, and would make Rochford the county seat, but no such action was ever taken. That year, Rochford worried that the nearby camp of Golden Centre would take over as the central point of trade. In 1880, the
U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
recorded 315 residents. Rochford added a
pool Pool may refer to: Water pool * Swimming pool, usually an artificial structure containing a large body of water intended for swimming * Reflecting pool, a shallow pool designed to reflect a structure and its surroundings * Tide pool, a rocky po ...
parlor and a newspaper, "The Central." The Langrishe Theatre Company once performed at the Rochford theatre. The Rochford School District was organized in April 1880. Another newspaper, "The Rochford Miner", surfaced, but it was discontinued in 1881. At its peak, there were 200 homes, a school, and a street lined with stores and covered sidewalks. Rochford was the home of pioneer Annie D. Tallent in the 1880s. Between 1880 and 1882, the town started to decline, but in September 1882, the '' Black Hills Times'' in Deadwood reported that Rochford had picked up in activity.


Later history and today

The town was down to 48 residents and a post office by 1900. No one in the town died until January 1904, when a man called Alex McCall was accidentally shot; therefore, there was no cemetery for a long time. A few mines in the area are still running. The town relies on these mines and
tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...
. Several historic buildings are still standing, but others have fallen into disrepair. Today, there is a population of 25."Rochford."
South Dakota Road Trip: Black Hills, Badlands & Lakes. Black Hills Badlands & Lake Association, n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2013.
In the 1950s, only the Moonshine Gulch Saloon, Irish Gulch Dance Hall, and one store were open. The Moonshine Gulch Saloon is still in operation. Today, the town survives solely on tourism.


Geography

Rochford is in the
Black Hills The Black Hills ( lkt, Ȟe Sápa; chy, Moʼȯhta-voʼhonáaeva; hid, awaxaawi shiibisha) is an isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, United States. Black ...
just south of the border between
Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...
and Pennington counties; it is located in the latter. Its coordinates are . Rochford is approximately 16 miles northwest of Hill City, 1.5 miles north of
Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...
, and about 2.5 miles northeast of Myers City. It is on a gravel road that connects it to Mystic,
Lead, South Dakota Lead ( ) is a city in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 2,982 at the 2020 census. Lead is located in western South Dakota, in the Black Hills near the Wyoming state line. History The city was officially founded ...
, and Deadwood. Rochford was built in a gulch near Rapid Creek.


Climate

Rochford has a
humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
(
Koppen Koppen is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Dan Koppen (born 1979), American football offensive lineman * Erwin Koppen (1929–1990), German literary scholar * Luise Koppen (1855–1922), German author * Wladimir Köppen (1846†...
: Dfb) with four distinct seasons. Summers are warm, sometimes hot, and winters are cold with very chilly nights. A freeze has been recorded for every month of the year. Precipitation peaks during late spring and slowly decreases with each passing month until it reached .28 inches of precipitation (7.1 mm) in the month of January before it rises again.


Demographics

In 1880, there were 315 people living in Rochford, and by 1900, there were 48 residents. In 2010, there were only 25 residents.


Notable person

Elmer Ballard, actor, best known for his supporting role in
Alibi (1929 film) ''Alibi'' is a 1929 American pre-Code crime film directed by Roland West. The screenplay was written by West and C. Gardner Sullivan, who adapted the 1927 Broadway stage play, ''Nightstick'', written by Elaine Sterne Carrington, J.C. Nugent, ...


External links


The historic Moonshine Gulch Saloon in Rochford


References

{{Authority control Unincorporated communities in Pennington County, South Dakota Unincorporated communities in South Dakota