Elm Springs, South Dakota
7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1953 and the latest in 1984. It stands in the Belle Fourche-Cheyenne Valleys unorganized territory. It lies in ZIP code area 57791. The Survey maps it on the Elm Springs quadrangle.
On record in Elm Springs
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 1 record
- Elias B. Olsen Ranchlisted 1986
Topographic sheets covering this place
4 surveys from 7 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.
- 1953 USGS Rapid City quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1954 USGS Elm Springs quadrangle1:24000
- 1957 USGS Rapid City quadrangle1:250000
- 1984 USGS New Underwood quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
12 since 2002Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 12 fires within 5 miles of Elm Springs between 2002 and 2016, burning about 2,234 acres in total. 4 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 |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4 |
| Natural | 4 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 3 |
| Smoking | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | ELM SPRINGS |
| 8 August 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 225 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | C&W1 |
| 8 August 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | BEARBUTTE 4 |
| 2 August 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 10 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 26 July 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | not named |
| 18 July 2005 | Natural | 400 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | FIELDS |
| 18 July 2005 | Natural | 400 acres | South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression | OLSON |
| 17 July 2002 | Smoking | under an acre | Miles City Field Office | RASPBERRY2 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
55 since 2007Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Elm Springs in 55 storm reports between 2007 and 2026: 29 hail, 22 thunderstorm wind, 3 flood, 1 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. 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 2019 | Flood | Elm Springs | $250,000 | Runoff from heavy rain caused flooding throughout Meade County. Moderate flooding was reported along Elk Creek from north of Rapid City downstream to Elm Springs; which inundated portions of Elk Creek Road, Antelope Creek Road, and Wicksville Road. Minor flooding of agricultural land occurred along the Belle Fourche River, which crested at 19.5 feet, just above flood stage of 19 feet, with a peak flow around 32,200 cfs, at SD Highway 34 east of Sturgis. |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Elm Springs | $3,000 | The combination of hail and wind caused minor damage. |
| April 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | Elm Springs | - | SD mesonet recorded wind gust at this location. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Elm Springs | - | SD Mesonet recorded wind gust. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Elm Springs | - | SD Mesonet recorded wind gust. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Elm Springs | - | Winds were estimated at 60 mph. |
| June 2022 | Hail | Elm Springs | - | Significant roof damage and many broken windows were reported. |
| June 2022 | Hail | Elm Springs | - | Hail damaged property, including making 57 holes in the roof of a large outbuilding. |
| August 2021 | Hail | Elm Springs | - | Hail caused significant damage to vehicles. |
| May 2020 | Flash Flood | Elm Springs | - | Runoff from heavy rain caused flowed over driveways and rural roads, including Elm Springs Road between the Belle Fourche River and Elm Springs and Torchlight Place south of White Owl. Several fields and normally dry drainage areas were flooded. |
| June 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Elm Springs | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| April 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Elm Springs | - | The observer estimated wind gusts at 60 mph. |
| July 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Elm Springs | - | The spotter estimated wind gusts at 65 mph. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Elm Springs | - | The observer estimated wind gusts at 60 mph. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Elm Springs | - | Marble sized hail also fell with the storm. |
| July 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Elm Springs | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| June 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Elm Springs | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 80 mph. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Elm Springs | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Elm Springs | - | Wind gusts were estimated around 60 mph. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Elm Springs | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| June 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Elm Springs | - | The spotter estimated wind gusts at 60 mph. |
| July 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Elm Springs | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| September 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Elm Springs | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| June 2012 | Hail | Elm Springs | - | The combination of hail and gusty winds caused some crop damage. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Elm Springs | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 80 mph. |
| May 2011 | Flood | Elm Springs | - | The river gage north of Elm Springs crested at 16.0 feet, which is one foot above flood stage. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Elm Springs | - | Wind gusts reached 60 mph east of Elm Springs. |
| July 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Elm Springs | - | Wind gusts reached 75 mph at 1040 pm MST, then peaked at 90 mph at 1055 pm. |
| April 2024 | Hail | Elm Springs | - | no account filed |
| July 2022 | Hail | Elm Springs | - | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Hail | Elm Springs | - | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Hail | Elm Springs | - | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Hail | Elm Springs | - | no account filed |
| August 2021 | Hail | Elm Springs | - | no account filed |
| August 2021 | Hail | Elm Springs | - | no account filed |
| May 2020 | Hail | Elm Springs | - | no account filed |
| May 2020 | Hail | Elm Springs | - | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Hail | Elm Springs | - | no account filed |
| August 2019 | Hail | Elm Springs | - | no account filed |
| July 2016 | Hail | Elm Springs | - | no account filed |
| May 2013 | Hail | Elm Springs | - | no account filed |
| July 2013 | Hail | Elm Springs | - | no account filed |
| July 2013 | Hail | Elm Springs | - | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Hail | Elm Springs | - | no account filed |
| June 2013 | Hail | Elm Springs | - | no account filed |
| June 2012 | Hail | Elm Springs | - | no account filed |
| July 2012 | Hail | Elm Springs | - | no account filed |
| June 2012 | Hail | Elm Springs | - | no account filed |
| July 2011 | Hail | Elm Springs | - | no account filed |
| June 2011 | Hail | Elm Springs | - | no account filed |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Elm Springs | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Elm Springs | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Flood | Elm Springs | - | no account filed |
| August 2008 | Hail | Elm Springs | - | no account filed |
| July 2007 | Hail | Elm Springs | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dalzell | 7.3 miles | 7 | |
| Boneita Springs | 9.3 miles | 7 | |
| Haydraw | 13.7 miles | 8 | |
| Viewfield | 17.5 miles | 8 | |
| Enning | 18.2 miles | 8 | |
| Union Center | 18.7 miles | 7 | |
| White Owl | 19.9 miles | 7 | |
| Hereford | 20.1 miles | 7 |
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 Elm Springs | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q5366319 | 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 1261106. 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.
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.



