BlockBefore

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.

Rockyford within Oglala Lakota County

Topographic sheets covering this place

3 surveys from 10 printed sheets

Matched 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.

Fires near this place

56 since 1992

Regional 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 burning14
Equipment and vehicle use13
Natural12
Misuse of fire by a minor4
Other causes3
Smoking3
Missing data/not specified/undetermined2
Fireworks2
Arson/incendiarism2
Power generation/transmission/distribution1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
4 September 2002Debris and open burning3.0 acresPine Ridge AgencyTEMPLE
28 September 2000Equipment and vehicle use15 acresBadlands National ParkBIRTHDAY
28 September 2000Debris and open burningunder an acrePine Ridge AgencyRAINMAN 1
28 September 2000Equipment and vehicle use10 acresPine Ridge AgencyRAINMAN 2
18 September 2008Naturalunder an acrePine Ridge AgencyRANDY
13 September 1995Debris and open burning25 acresPine Ridge AgencyNMANDERSON
12 September 1995Arson/incendiarismunder an acrePine Ridge AgencyTHREEBALES
1 September 2003Debris and open burningunder an acrePine Ridge AgencySHELLY

Every fire recorded in Oglala Lakota County

Mines and quarries near this place

2 within 5 miles

Regional 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 SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Bia Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Unidentified OccurrenceZeolitesOccurrenceClinoptilolite

Storms near this place

52 since 1999

Regional 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 2005Thunderstorm WindRockyford$60,000A 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 2012HailRockyford$50,000no account filed
May 2006Thunderstorm WindRockyford$30,0002 mobile homes were destroyed by strong winds.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindRockyford$5,000Wind gusts blew down several power poles.
July 2005Thunderstorm WindRockyford$5,000no account filed
August 2017Flash FloodRockyford$2,000Heavy 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 2025HailRockyford-Public reported, estimated.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindRockyford-Spotter estimated wind gust report.
August 2025HailRockyford-Hail lasted 15 minutes with the largest stone measuring 1.5 inches.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindRockyford-Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
May 2023FloodRockyford-Minor flooding of agricultural land along the White River occurred.
August 2020Thunderstorm WindRockyford-Wind gusts were estimated at near 70 mph.
August 2019Flash FloodRockyford-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 2019FloodRockyford-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 2018Thunderstorm WindRockyford-Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
August 2017HailRockyford-The Badlands National Park ranger reported baseball sized hail at the White River Visitors' Center.
August 2017FloodRockyford-Flooding along Porcupine Creek covered driveways and rural roads from Rockyford to Porcupine.
July 2017Thunderstorm WindRockyford-The public estimated wind gusts at 70 mph.
June 2012Thunderstorm WindRockyford-Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
August 2012Thunderstorm WindRockyford-Strong wind gusts propelled large hail through siding and windows and destroyed pasture grass. Twelve houses were damaged.
August 2010Thunderstorm WindRockyford-Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
June 2009Thunderstorm WindRockyford-Severe wind gusts occurred at the Badlands National Park White River Visitors' Center.
May 2005HailRockyford-Hail fell for 30 minutes.
April 2025HailRockyford-no account filed
May 2023HailRockyford-no account filed
August 2023HailRockyford-no account filed
August 2023HailRockyford-no account filed
July 2020HailRockyford-no account filed
July 2020HailRockyford-no account filed
June 2019HailRockyford-no account filed
July 2019HailRockyford-no account filed
July 2019HailRockyford-no account filed
July 2019HailRockyford-no account filed
June 2018HailRockyford-no account filed
June 2017HailRockyford-no account filed
June 2015HailRockyford-no account filed
June 2014HailRockyford-no account filed
June 2011HailRockyford-no account filed
May 2010HailRockyford-no account filed
April 2007HailRockyford-no account filed
July 2007HailRockyford-no account filed
June 2006HailRockyford-no account filed
May 2006Thunderstorm WindRockyford-no account filed
May 2006HailRockyford-no account filed
July 2005HailRockyford-no account filed
June 2004HailRockyford-no account filed
August 2004Thunderstorm WindRockyford-no account filed
August 2004HailRockyford-no account filed
August 2004HailRockyford-no account filed
August 2004HailRockyford-no account filed
July 2001HailRockyford-no account filed
May 1999HailRockyford-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Oglala Lakota County

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 PlaceDistance Sheets
Sharps Corner9.2 miles9
Evergreen14.8 miles8
Kyle18.0 miles8
Manderson18.2 miles8
Porcupine19.9 miles8
Red Shirt24.1 miles9
Oglala24.7 miles8
Wounded Knee25.7 miles8

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 RockyfordAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q23709423The 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.