History

Surveyed and staked out in 1876 and officially incorporated in 1888, the first residents of Spearfish gazed up at the ring of pine-clad hills and rocky bluffs that surrounded the community and noted how they looked like a crown. For this reason they called their small agricultural settlement the "Queen City," and it’s been thriving ever since.

Spearfish’s first business opened in 1877 along with a United States Post Office, and the city soon evolved from a farming community (primarily to supply the notorious gold camp of Deadwood just 15 miles away) into a thriving academic and cultural center.

Located on the northern edge of the Black Hills and at the mouth of Spearfish Canyon, today the community of Spearfish is an outdoor recreational paradise home to around 9,000 residents and Black Hills State University.

But while the pristine natural wonder that surrounds and permeates the community is an exquisite jewel that the city wears proudly, it is but one gem in its crown. A low cost of living, high emphasis on education, small-town friendliness, low crime rates and a progressive attitude give Spearfish residents a strong sense of pride. Most are quick to point out that Spearfish is one of the fastest growing towns in the High Plains.