Silver City 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 language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

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 territorie ...

, outside

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 ...

. It lies at the head of

Pactola Lake Pactola Lake is the largest and deepest reservoir in the Black Hills, located 15 miles west of Rapid City, South Dakota, United States. Constructed in 1952, the dam and waters are managed by the Bureau of Reclamation, with the surrounding land m ...

on Rapid Creek, and is about 5 miles west of

U.S. Route 385 U.S. Route 385 (US 385) is a spur of U.S. Route 85 that runs for 1,206 miles (1,941 km) from Deadwood, South Dakota to Big Bend National Park in Texas. Route description , - , TX , 545 , 877 , - , OK , 36 , 58 , - , CO , 317 , 510 ...

via a paved county road. It is not tracked by the U.S. Census Bureau.

History

The area was first referenced by General George A. Custer who entered the Hills in 1874 and referred to the area as Elkhorn Prairie. The first settlement at Silver City was made in 1876. Silver City was a mining town for many years. It was located on the Black Hills and Western Railroad until its abandonment a few years before the construction of Pactola Dam. Today, the town is a resort area with a campground and cabins for rental. There is also a church. Additional

USFS The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency in ...

campgrounds are located nearby, and there is a walk-in trout fishing area along Rapid Creek to the west of the town. Silver City has a volunteer fire department, and a small community center in the old schoolhouse, but is now part of the Hill City School District. The community of about 80 homes is becoming a

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

for Rapid City. The town is also the start of a Volksmarch that goes around Pactola Lake.

Notes

Black Hills Unincorporated communities in Pennington County, South Dakota Rapid City, South Dakota metropolitan area Unincorporated communities in South Dakota {{SouthDakota-geo-stub