Buffalo Gap, South Dakota
16 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1896 and the latest in 1993. It stands in Buffalo Gap town. It lies in ZIP code area 57722. The Survey maps it on the Buffalo Gap quadrangle. 131 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 3,261 feet above sea level.
On record in Buffalo Gap
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 3 records
Buffalo Gap Historic Commercial Districtlisted 2024- Buffalo Gap Cheyenne River Bridgelisted 1988
- Norman B. Streeter Homesteadlisted 1995
Population over time
2 figuresBuffalo Gap grew from 126 to 131 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 126 | |
| 2020 | 131 | +5 (+4%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
6 surveys from 16 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1896 USGS Oelrichs quadrangle1:125000
- 1900 USGS Oelrichs quadrangle1:125000, 4 printings
- 1950 USGS Buffalo Gap quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1955 USGS Hot Springs quadrangle1:250000, 5 printings
- 1985 USGS Hot Springs quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1993 USGS Hot Springs quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
54 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 54 fires within 5 miles of Buffalo Gap between 1992 and 2019, burning about 663 acres in total. 34 started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Natural | 34 |
| Debris and open burning | 6 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 5 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2 |
| Other causes | 1 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
| Fireworks | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 September 2003 | Natural | 1.0 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 7 September 2002 | Natural | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | WEST DUMP |
| 2 September 2001 | Natural | 250 acres | Cascade Volunteer Fire Department | SOUTHERLAND SPRING |
| 2 September 2000 | Natural | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | BOLAND |
| 7 August 2019 | Natural | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | DRY |
| 30 August 2006 | Natural | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 30 August 2006 | Natural | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 26 August 2011 | Natural | 5.8 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | ELM CREEK |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
3 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Buffalo Gap: 3 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Flagstone. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elm Creek Quarry | Flagstone | Past Producer | ||
| Burke Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | 1905 | |
| Elm Creek Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer | 1895 |
Storms near this place
54 since 1993Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Buffalo Gap in 54 storm reports between 1993 and 2024: 37 hail, 13 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, 1 flash flood. The reports record 1 injury. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2014 | Lightning | Buffalo Gap | 1 hurt | A lightning bolt hit a storm chaser as he was filming a storm. The charge traveled to the ground and blew a hole in the pavement. The chaser's car and another car were disabled. |
| May 2019 | Flood | Buffalo Gap | $100,000 | Runoff from heavy rain flooded creeks and inundated roads. Flooding was reported on US Highway 16A near the Coolidge General Store and the Wildlife Loop Road in Custer State Park. Battle Creek covered several roads west of Hermosa. Spring Creek covered portions of Lower Spring Creek Road east of Hermosa. Cottonwood Creek overtopped Cottonwood Cutoff Road east of Buffalo Gap. |
| May 2010 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | $75,000 | Very large hail damaged a few homes and automobiles near Buffalo Gap. |
| May 2005 | Flash Flood | Buffalo Gap | $50,000 | no account filed |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo Gap | $25,000 | Strong winds damaged roofs, mobile homes, and trees in Buffalo Gap. |
| July 2007 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | $3,000 | House windows were broken by large hail. |
| June 2005 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | $2,000 | Combination of hail and gusty winds broke windows of house. |
| August 1993 | Tornado (F0) | Buffalo Gap | $50 | no account filed |
| July 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo Gap | - | Pea sized hail accompanied the storm. |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo Gap | - | A large pole barn was destroyed. |
| August 2021 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | The ground was covered with hail. |
| April 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo Gap | - | The spotter estimated wind gusts at 60 mph. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo Gap | - | Small branches were broken off trees. |
| July 2017 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | A car windshield was cracked by the large hail. |
| July 2014 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | Hail to quarter size covered the ground. |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo Gap | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo Gap | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 70 mph. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo Gap | - | Estimated wind gusts to 60 mph. |
| April 2024 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| July 2022 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| July 2021 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| June 2019 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| July 2019 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| July 2016 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| June 2015 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| May 2014 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| July 2013 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| May 2012 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| July 2012 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| October 2011 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| August 2010 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| August 2010 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| May 2008 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| May 2008 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| July 2008 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| June 2006 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| June 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| August 2003 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| August 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| June 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| July 2000 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| June 1999 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
| May 1994 | Hail | Buffalo Gap | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Spring II (historical) | 13.6 miles | 18 | |
| Fairburn | 14.5 miles | 16 | |
| Pringle | 16.9 miles | 18 | |
| Blue Bell | 17.9 miles | 18 | |
| Argyle | 18.0 miles | 18 | |
| Nihart | 18.6 miles | 16 | |
| State Game Lodge | 19.6 miles | 22 | |
| Ivanhoe (historical) | 20.3 miles | 15 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Buffalo Gap | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2159126 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1254122. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.





