1881 Courthouse Museum

The 1881 Courthouse Museum explores Black Hills history from General George Armstrong Custer’s 1874 expedition to today’s heritage.  The Custer County 1881 Courthouse Museum is housed in the original Dakota Territory courthouse built in 1880-1881.This building has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

This Dakota Territory Courthouse served not only as a center for government, but also in early years as a meeting place for church services, socials and community activities. Justice was dispensed from this building for 92 years until it was given to the Custer County Historical Society in 1973. The Historical Society opened the Museum on Memorial weekend in 1976.

Custer State Park

Custer State Park in the Black Hills encompasses 71,000 acres of spectacular terrain and an abundance of wildlife. Within the park, you’ll discover a world of adventure!

Favorite outdoor activities include hiking 7,242-foot Harney Peak, mountain biking, horseback riding, rock climbing, fishing, chuckwagon suppers and jeep rides to see the bison.

The park boasts scenic drives such as the Needles Highway (SD 87), which twists and turns its way past towering rock formations and through narrow tunnels. At the end of one tunnel stands the Needles Eye, a granite spire with a slit only 3 to 4 feet wide but reaching 30 to 40 feet in the air.

History and culture also abound. Walk the banks of French Creek, where Custer’s expedition first discovered gold in 1874. Take in a theater performance at the Black Hills Playhouse. Or, visit the log cabin that was home to Badger Clark, South Dakota’s first poet laureate.