Welcome to The Society of Black Hills Pioneers!

"No country, no community, no individual is properly identified until their history is written."

        Dr. Harvey B. Black, Brigham Young University

The 120th Annual Meeting -July 25, 2010

Purpose of the Society of the Black Hills Pioneers

The Society of Black Hills Pioneers was founded on January 8, 1889 in the courthouse at Deadwood, South Dakota. The society´s purpose was to be a “moral, benevolent literary association,” and its objectives included the development of a social group, the creation of a charitable fund, collection and preservation of information on settlers and their history, and continuation of the memory of settlers. Membership was limited to people who came to the Black Hills prior to January 1, 1877. The geographic area of residence for members included the following counties: Lawrence, Meade, Pennington, Butte, Custer, and Fall River in South Dakota; and Crook County in Wyoming.