Hot Springs, SD

Quick City Facts

County: Fall River

Population (2019): 3,502

Population (2010): 3,711

Data provided by US Census Bureau (2019)

The beautiful town of Hot Springs is nestled in the Southern Black Hills of South Dakota. It’s home to soothing natural springs, great year-round weather, fantastic outdoor activities, scenic beauty, world-class golfing, beautiful sandstone architecture, and always, the inviting, friendly people. Hot Springs has been selected by the National Trust for Historic Presevation as one of America’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations in 2009, sharing this honor with places like Buffalo, New York; Santa Barbara, California; Fort Worth, Texas; Santa Fe, New Mexico and others. Hot Springs is the first city in South Dakota to receive this designation.

History

Called Minnekahta (warm waters) by the original white settlers in 1879, the town’s name was changed to Hot Springs in 1886. Earlier, the Lakota and the Cheyenne Indian tribes fought for control of the natural warm waters. Legends tell of a hostile encounter waged in the hills high above the gurgling springs on a peak called Battle Mountain.Spurred by a vast range and tall grass, ranchers staked their bankroll on cattle and helped build the town of Hot Springs. Merchants sold their wares, and by 1890 local residents such as businessman Fred Evans and others of entrepreneurial spirit embarked on an ambitious plan to turn the whole town into a health spa. Evans built the Evans Plunge over a group of small springs and one giant thermal spout of warm mineral water.When the railroad began unloading passengers at the Hot Springs Train Depot in 1891, the town’s future was secured. From the mineral water’s mist rose elaborate sandstone buildings, and proprietors provided all manner of services and goods.

Recreation / Community Events

Hot Springs hosts Evans Plunge and its naturally warm 87 degree spring water, the Mammoth Site which is America’s greatest Ice Age treasure and the Wild Horse Sanctuary where American mustangs roam free. It’s less than an hour from Mt. Rushmore National Monument and minutes away from Wind Cave National Park and Custer State Park. There’s golf at the world-class Southern Hills Golf Course and the Angostura Reservoir offers top notch fishing and boating fun. Great hunting is available including wild turkeys, antelope, deer and elk.