Rockyford, South Dakota
10 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1951 and the latest in 1985. It stands in the West Oglala Lakota unorganized territory. It lies in ZIP code area 57772. It stands on Porcupine Creek. The Survey maps it on the Rockyford quadrangle.
Topographic sheets covering this place
3 surveys from 10 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.
- 1951 USGS Rockyford quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1955 USGS Hot Springs quadrangle1:250000, 5 printings
- 1985 USGS Pine Ridge quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
56 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 56 fires within 5 miles of Rockyford between 1992 and 2020, burning about 1,761 acres in total. 12 started naturally. 2 were 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 |
|---|---|
| Debris and open burning | 14 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 13 |
| Natural | 12 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 4 |
| Other causes | 3 |
| Smoking | 3 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2 |
| Fireworks | 2 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 2 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 September 2002 | Debris and open burning | 3.0 acres | Pine Ridge Agency | TEMPLE |
| 28 September 2000 | Equipment and vehicle use | 15 acres | Badlands National Park | BIRTHDAY |
| 28 September 2000 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Pine Ridge Agency | RAINMAN 1 |
| 28 September 2000 | Equipment and vehicle use | 10 acres | Pine Ridge Agency | RAINMAN 2 |
| 18 September 2008 | Natural | under an acre | Pine Ridge Agency | RANDY |
| 13 September 1995 | Debris and open burning | 25 acres | Pine Ridge Agency | NMANDERSON |
| 12 September 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Pine Ridge Agency | THREEBALES |
| 1 September 2003 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Pine Ridge Agency | SHELLY |
Mines and quarries near this place
2 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Rockyford: 1 occurrence, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Zeolites, Sand and Gravel, Construction. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bia Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Unidentified Occurrence | Zeolites | Occurrence | Clinoptilolite |
Storms near this place
52 since 1999Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Rockyford in 52 storm reports between 1999 and 2025: 32 hail, 15 thunderstorm wind, 3 flood, 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockyford | $60,000 | A downburst, with winds estimated at 75 mph, hit just west of Rockyford. The winds destroyed 3 mobile homes and damaged 4 others. The downburst occurred from a storm that tracked across northern Shannon County. The RAWS at the Badlands National Park, 2 miles north of Rockyford, measured a wind gust of 67 mph from the southwest. |
| August 2012 | Hail | Rockyford | $50,000 | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockyford | $30,000 | 2 mobile homes were destroyed by strong winds. |
| June 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockyford | $5,000 | Wind gusts blew down several power poles. |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockyford | $5,000 | no account filed |
| August 2017 | Flash Flood | Rockyford | $2,000 | Heavy rain caused flash flooding along Porcupine Creek from Rockyford to Porcupine. A family took shelter in St. Paul Church south of Sharps Corner and was stranded overnight before being rescued. |
| June 2025 | Hail | Rockyford | - | Public reported, estimated. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockyford | - | Spotter estimated wind gust report. |
| August 2025 | Hail | Rockyford | - | Hail lasted 15 minutes with the largest stone measuring 1.5 inches. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockyford | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| May 2023 | Flood | Rockyford | - | Minor flooding of agricultural land along the White River occurred. |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockyford | - | Wind gusts were estimated at near 70 mph. |
| August 2019 | Flash Flood | Rockyford | - | Heavy rain fell over Iron Cloud Canyon, causing flash flooding along Porcupine Creek. Several feet of fast moving water inundated BIA 27 between Evergreen and Goose Neck Road. |
| August 2019 | Flood | Rockyford | - | Runoff caused flooding along Porcupine Creek downstream to the White River. BIA 2 east of Sharps Corner was inundated by the morning of August 12. Flooding also occurred on Three Mile Creek and American Horse Creek; which stranded livestock, damaged corrals, and flooded several barns and outbuildings. |
| July 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockyford | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| August 2017 | Hail | Rockyford | - | The Badlands National Park ranger reported baseball sized hail at the White River Visitors' Center. |
| August 2017 | Flood | Rockyford | - | Flooding along Porcupine Creek covered driveways and rural roads from Rockyford to Porcupine. |
| July 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockyford | - | The public estimated wind gusts at 70 mph. |
| June 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockyford | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| August 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockyford | - | Strong wind gusts propelled large hail through siding and windows and destroyed pasture grass. Twelve houses were damaged. |
| August 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockyford | - | Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph. |
| June 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockyford | - | Severe wind gusts occurred at the Badlands National Park White River Visitors' Center. |
| May 2005 | Hail | Rockyford | - | Hail fell for 30 minutes. |
| April 2025 | Hail | Rockyford | - | no account filed |
| May 2023 | Hail | Rockyford | - | no account filed |
| August 2023 | Hail | Rockyford | - | no account filed |
| August 2023 | Hail | Rockyford | - | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Hail | Rockyford | - | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Hail | Rockyford | - | no account filed |
| June 2019 | Hail | Rockyford | - | no account filed |
| July 2019 | Hail | Rockyford | - | no account filed |
| July 2019 | Hail | Rockyford | - | no account filed |
| July 2019 | Hail | Rockyford | - | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Hail | Rockyford | - | no account filed |
| June 2017 | Hail | Rockyford | - | no account filed |
| June 2015 | Hail | Rockyford | - | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Hail | Rockyford | - | no account filed |
| June 2011 | Hail | Rockyford | - | no account filed |
| May 2010 | Hail | Rockyford | - | no account filed |
| April 2007 | Hail | Rockyford | - | no account filed |
| July 2007 | Hail | Rockyford | - | no account filed |
| June 2006 | Hail | Rockyford | - | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockyford | - | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Hail | Rockyford | - | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Hail | Rockyford | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Rockyford | - | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Rockyford | - | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Hail | Rockyford | - | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Hail | Rockyford | - | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Hail | Rockyford | - | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Hail | Rockyford | - | no account filed |
| May 1999 | Hail | Rockyford | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharps Corner | 9.2 miles | 9 | |
| Evergreen | 14.8 miles | 8 | |
| Kyle | 18.0 miles | 8 | |
| Manderson | 18.2 miles | 8 | |
| Porcupine | 19.9 miles | 8 | |
| Red Shirt | 24.1 miles | 9 | |
| Oglala | 24.7 miles | 8 | |
| Wounded Knee | 25.7 miles | 8 |
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 Rockyford | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q23709423 | 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 1261061. 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.


