Spearfish: A Revisit and Something New

Since the scheduled trip to Ireland in September wasn't happening, OFD drove west to see us and to spend a week in the Black Hills of South Dakota. We think she had not been there since 2006. 

We spent time in the Black Hills when the kids were little, from 1982-1986, when Hubby was in the National Guard and spent an extra camp each summer at Camp Rapid or Sturgis. We towed the pop-up camper and parked near the bathhouse at Camp Rapid for a week. While Hubby was busy doing his baking, the kids and I would find free activities and places for our entertainment. OFD was ready and willing to revisit some of those places on this trip.

"This particular center was funded by a bill passed through Congress to create a Black Hills fish hatchery. Hector Von Bayer was sent by the United States Fish Commission to find a suitable site; Von Bayer reported back that he thought Ames Canyon, south of Spearfish, would be the best spot for the hatchery. That location was then occupied by a sawmill operated by John Johnson, but Johnson agreed to sell the land and left the area to participate in the Klondike Gold Rush. The building of the hatchery was supervised by H. A. Bush and was done mainly by John Russell. Construction was delayed by a harsh winter in 1898-1899, but the hatchery was completed by July 1899. The center opened as the Spearfish National Fish Hatchery in 1896 and was under the scope of the newly founded National Fish Hatchery System. The complex included 17 ponds and a main hatchery building; these facilities used spring water.

In late July 1899, 100,000 blackspotted trout eggs arrived to begin populating the hatchery. Dewitt Clinton Booth, the first superintendent and a New York native, traveled to the new hatchery from the Leadville National Fish Hatchery in Colorado. A few days after the eggs arrived, the area was hit by a flash flood, and all of the eggs were washed away and destroyed. Booth later added two storm channels to prevent further flooding. Booth and his employees cleaned up the grounds and finished the hatchery building. At completion, the building was able to hold a maximum of 2.5 million eggs among 48 troughs. Booth described the winter conditions at the hatchery as being "very favorable for incubation." The first trout were released in Little Spearfish Creek and Whitewood Creek in April 1900. Together, the creeks took 25,000 blackspotted trout and brook trout. One year later, Loch Leven brown trout were stocked in Nemo, and that fall, rainbow trout were stocked in Spearfish Creek and Iron Creek. In 1904, another flood occurred, causing further damage to the grounds. As a result, Booth built ten-foot-high bulkheads. Booth built a home for himself and his family in 1905 and stayed at the hatchery for 34 years."

When last we visited the fish hatchery, all we saw were the concrete troughs holding various sizes of trout. We would walk along the raceway sides, watching the fish swim. Period. I never noticed the buildings on the grounds. There was no visitors center. It was simply a place to bring the kids for some free entertainment. So I wondered when did the transformation take place? How did it get from a place of concrete fish tanks to a beautifully manicured grounds with historic buildings? And Wikipedia helped me:

"The hatchery closed in 1983 after budget cuts forced the closure of the site. The hatchery, still managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, still allowed visitors but could not continue operations. The hatchery reopened in 1989 as the D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery, in honor of Booth, and after forming new partnerships. The hatchery was renovated in 1995."

Visitor's Center, Gift Shop, and under water viewing areas

Brown Trout

Rainbow Trout

Spring Stocking

sculpted by Jim Maher of Belle Fourche, 2002

Fisheries Railcar

...railroad cars were used to transport fish across the country. Crews lived and worked on the cars delivering fish for broomstick supplies and stocking in lakes and streams. This exhibit was constructed from a 1910 passenger car following the design of a model of Fish Car #3.

The fish cars were reinforced to carry 20,000 pounds of fish, water, and equipment at passenger car speeds. The cars usually operated April to November with the winter months set aside for maintenance and repairs. The U.S. Fish Commission operated eleven cars, and many states also owned their own cars. Fish Car #3 was constructed in 1884 and used until 1929.

Generations

sculpted by Jim Maher, 1996, to commemorate the 100th

anniversary of the hatchery

Yellowstone Boat #39

The Yellowstone Boat, or U.S. Fisheries Boat #39, was used by fish hatchery workers on expeditions to Yellowstone National Park to collect trout eggs. The operation began in 1901 and ended in 1911. The boat was restored and is on display.

There were more visitors at the D.C. Booth Fish Hatchery than I expected. It is still free and well worth the visit.

"According to a 2007 study by Black Hills State University, the hatchery's operations generate $2.1 million in revenue for local businesses annually. Approximately $1 million is spent in Spearfish by nonresidents who visited the town because of the hatchery. The Booth Society, a nonprofit group that aims to preserve the hatchery, estimated that in 2011, every tax dollar that supported the hatchery generated $28 for the local community. The hatchery has an annual average of 155,000 visitors."

fish food was purchased for our entertainment 

trout chasing after the food ~ feeding frenzy

fun to watch them jump out of the water trying to get to the food pellets

autumn colors along Little Spearfish Creek

nature trails on the hatchery grounds serve as fire breaks

view of the raceways from the Mort Pit 

We were some of those visitors who added to the economy of Spearfish by enjoying lunch and  visiting two breweries. Thanks to the Booth Society for preserving the history of the D.C. Booth Fish Hatchery.