Black Hills National Cemetery

Built in 1948. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.

From the record

“Black Hills National Cemetery, originally named Fort Meade National Cemetery, is a United States National Cemetery near Sturgis, South Dakota. Named after the nearby Black Hills, over 29,000 interments of military veterans and their family members have taken place since its founding in 1948.”
Wikipedia article Black Hills National Cemetery, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 27 National Register listings published here for Meade County · listed in 2016 · category: District · built in 1948.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

Address. 20901 Pleasant Valley Dr., Sturgis, 57785
When was it listed? May 2016
Category. district
Unorganized territory. Southwest Meade
When was it built? 1948
National Register reference number. 16000258 - assigned by the National Park Service when the property was listed.

Fires near this property

147 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 147 fires within 5 miles of Black Hills National Cemetery between 1992 and 2020, burning about 2,378 acres in total. 51 started naturally. 3 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
Natural	51
Debris and open burning	30
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	18
Recreation and ceremony	13
Railroad operations and maintenance	12
Fireworks	7
Equipment and vehicle use	5
Misuse of fire by a minor	4
Arson/incendiarism	3
Smoking	2
Power generation/transmission/distribution	1
Other causes	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 2012	Equipment and vehicle use	under an acre	South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression	REDWATER HILL
28 September 1998	Debris and open burning	25 acres	South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression	SLY (NC)
25 September 2013	Natural	under an acre	Black Hills National Forest	139
25 September 1999	Misuse of fire by a minor	1.0 acres	Sturgis Volunteer Fire Department	BLUCKSBURG
16 September 2016	Natural	under an acre	Black Hills National Forest	FORBES
15 September 2000	Power generation/transmission/distribution	under an acre	Sturgis Volunteer Fire Department	PLEASANT VALLEY
15 September 1996	Recreation and ceremony	under an acre	Black Hills National Forest	BIG DOG
13 September 2005	Natural	under an acre	Black Hills National Forest	VANOCKER

Every fire recorded in Meade County

Mines and quarries near this property

2 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Black Hills National Cemetery: 1 past producer, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Niobium (Columbium), Tantalum, 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
	Bruch Pit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
	Tinton	Niobium (Columbium), Tantalum	Past Producer

Every working recorded in Meade County

Storms near this property

60 of 138 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Sturgis, the town this property stands in, in 138 storm reports between 1993 and 2024: 91 hail, 34 thunderstorm wind, 5 flash flood, 5 flood. The reports record 5 injuries. 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
August 2008	Lightning	Sturgis	3 hurt	Three people were injured by lightning at the Glencoe Camp Resort ticket booth.
August 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Sturgis	2 hurt, $500,000	no account filed
May 2019	Flash Flood	Sturgis	$800,000	Heavy rain and hail caused flooding in the Sturgis area. Several road crossings across Bear Butte Creek and Deadman Gulch were inundated; including 7th Street, 9th Street, 15th Street, Raccoon Road, and Sly Street.
July 2019	Flash Flood	Sturgis	$639,000	Extensive flooding occurred along Bear Butte Creek in Boulder Canyon through Sturgis to Fort Meade. Highway 34 was covered with water at the S-curve between Sturgis and Fort Meade, the Sturgis city park was completely underwater, and the 7th Street bridge at Bear Butte Creek was inundated. The Sly Street crossing, West Woodland Drive, and Blanche Street were damaged, as well as almost all the other crossings over Bear Butte Creek in Sturgis.
May 2019	Flash Flood	Sturgis	$300,000	Runoff from heavy rain on saturated ground caused flash flooding in the Sturgis, Fort Meade, and Pleasant Valley areas for the second time in a week. Several roads across Bear Butte Creek were covered with water or were washed out; including 7th Street, 9th Street, 15th Street, Raccoon Road, Sly Street, and SD Highway 34, Fort Meade Way, and Pleasant Valley Drive.
June 1996	Flash Flood	Sturgis	$250,000	no account filed
June 2009	Hail	Sturgis	$200,000	Golf ball sized hail damaged automobiles in Sturgis and Bear Butte State Park.
August 2009	Hail	Sturgis	$200,000	Large hail damaged automobiles and property.
May 2013	Flash Flood	Sturgis	$50,000	Three to five inches of rain fell in a few hours and caused flash flooding east of Interstate 90 in southwestern Meade County. Street flooding was reported in Sturgis and several rural roads north of Sturgis were inundated.
July 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Sturgis	$50,000	Hail damaged automobiles and broke house windows.
May 2008	Flood	Sturgis	$25,000	Low water crossings and some side streets were flooded from heavy rain, melting snow, and high flows along Bear Butte Creek. Several secondary roads in Sturgis were closed.
June 2007	Flood	Sturgis	$25,000	Low water crossings and some side streets were flooded from heavy rain and high flows along Bear Butte Creek. Several secondary roads in Sturgis were closed.
July 1994	Thunderstorm Wind	Sturgis	$5,000	Thunderstorm Winds blew down several trees, damaged storage sheds and outbuildings, and ripped shingles off numerous homes.
July 2016	Hail	Sturgis	$3,000	Large hail and gusty winds dented cars and broke house windows.
July 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Sturgis	$3,000	A tree fell and damaged a trailer home.
June 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Sturgis	$2,000	Strong winds blew down trees and broke large branches.
May 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Sturgis	$2,000	Combination of large hail and wind broke car windows.
May 2007	Thunderstorm Wind	Sturgis	$1,000	Combination of hail and wind broke a storm window.
June 2022	Hail	Sturgis	-	Hail covered the ground.
July 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Sturgis	-	Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
July 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Sturgis	-	Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
July 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Sturgis	-	Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
July 2019	Hail	Sturgis	-	The storm also produced wind gusts to 50 mph.
July 2019	Flood	Sturgis	-	Flooding continued across much of the area from heavy rainfall. Runoff from additional rainfall on July 5 kept creek levels high into July 6.
August 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Sturgis	-	A large canopy tent was blown over onto the street.
June 2015	Hail	Sturgis	-	Hail to quarter size covered the ground.
May 2013	Flood	Sturgis	-	High water in small tributaries produced minor flooding along the Belle Fourche River.
August 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Sturgis	-	Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
June 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Sturgis	-	Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
July 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Sturgis	-	Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
June 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Sturgis	-	Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
August 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Sturgis	-	Wind gusts of 60 mph were reported at Bear Butte State Park.
July 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Sturgis	-	Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
August 2009	Hail	Sturgis	-	Golfball sized hail caused significant damage to automobiles and motorcycles in Sturgis.
August 2009	Hail	Sturgis	-	Baseball sized hail caused significant damage to automobiles, motorcycles, and property at a large bar and campground east of Sturgis.
July 2009	Hail	Sturgis	-	Hail covered the ground.
July 2009	Thunderstorm Wind	Sturgis	-	Limbs six inches in diameter were torn from trees; dead trees eight to nine inches in diameter were blown down.
May 2007	Hail	Sturgis	-	The ground was covered with hail. Wind gusts were estimated at 50 mph.
August 2007	Hail	Sturgis	-	Nickel to golf ball sized hail fell.
July 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Sturgis	-	Winds gusted to 60 mph and caused many trees to be downed or damaged.
August 1993	Hail	Sturgis	-	Wind gusts up to 55 mph were reported south of Sturgis towards Tilford.
May 2024	Hail	Sturgis	-	no account filed
June 2024	Hail	Sturgis	-	no account filed
July 2022	Hail	Sturgis	-	no account filed
July 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Sturgis	-	no account filed
July 2022	Hail	Sturgis	-	no account filed
July 2022	Hail	Sturgis	-	no account filed
July 2022	Hail	Sturgis	-	no account filed
June 2022	Hail	Sturgis	-	no account filed
June 2022	Hail	Sturgis	-	no account filed
June 2022	Hail	Sturgis	-	no account filed
June 2022	Hail	Sturgis	-	no account filed
June 2022	Hail	Sturgis	-	no account filed
June 2022	Thunderstorm Wind	Sturgis	-	no account filed
June 2021	Hail	Sturgis	-	no account filed
May 2020	Hail	Sturgis	-	no account filed
May 2020	Hail	Sturgis	-	no account filed
May 2020	Hail	Sturgis	-	no account filed
July 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Sturgis	-	no account filed
July 2019	Thunderstorm Wind	Sturgis	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in Meade County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Property	Distance	Listed
Sturgis Water Works Company Supply Works Site	2.1 miles	2016
Fort Meade Veterans Administration Hospital	2.9 miles	2018
Fort Meade District	3.0 miles	1973
John and Elsie McMillan House	3.1 miles	2015
John G. Wenke House	3.3 miles	1976
Sturgis Commercial Block	3.5 miles	1975

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 16000258 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia article	Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Meade County	All 27 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
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.