ABOUT SOUTH DAKOTA: COUNTY OF THE MONTH

This Month's County: Butte

Largest City: Belle Fourche

County Seat: Belle Fourche

Population: 9,094

Founded: 1883

About Butte County:

Butte County got its name from the numerous hills called "buttes," that are located throughout the prairie. With the addition of Alaska and Hawaii to the United States in 1959, Butte County became the geographic center of our nation. The location, just north of Belle Fourche, includes a monument that was unveiled in 2007 by the Belle Fourche Chamber of Commerce.

In 1874, General George Custer rode on his horse into the plains and saw the area as a haven for cattle. To defend his findings, he stated that the cattle continued to gain weight by just eating the area���s grass even as he continued to travel across the state. The fertile grass located in the area enabled farmers and ranchers to settle in the area.

By the late 19th Century, Belle Fourche was considered to be the largest cattle shipping area in the nation. Actor John Wayne played a cowboy from Texas that was sent to South Dakota to bring a herd of cattle to Belle Fourche in the movie "The Cowboys."

Butte County serves as the crossroad connecting Montana and Wyoming to South Dakota���s border. The Tri-State Museum in Belle Fourche acknowledges the union of the three states and the heritage of Butte County. The Tri-State Museum was once home to Johnny Spaulding, who was a pioneer in the Black Hills area during the 1876 gold rush.

The construction of the Orman Dam began in 1905 and lasted 12 years. The dam is 6,200 feet long, 115 feet high and 19 feet wide. The area located around the dam was opened for settlement by 1908, and the dam supplies water to the surrounding 12,000 acres of land.

In 1920, the county built an exhibition area and a large fairground so it could host the annual Butte County Fair. In 1927, President Calvin Coolidge visited the fair, and it remains a major event.

Farming also became a large industry, especially with the introduction of irrigation. Today 90 % of the county is grazing land and 5 % is used for wheat farming. It is predicted that 74,000 tons of alfalfa hay, 46,000 tons of silage, more than 700,000 bushels of corn, and more than 100,000 bushels of oats are produced each year in Butte County.

Tim���s Work in Butte County:

Tim Works for Local Improvements:
Last year, Tim announced that the Belle Fourche Airport would receive $800,000 in funding to make improvements to the airport. The airport serves South Dakotans in the northern Black Hills area. In 2001, Tim announced that the Belle Fourche Airport would receive a $150,000 grant to improve the airport���s runway.

Tim Fights for Area Head Start:
Last year, Tim announced that Badlands Head Start in Vale would receive $185,000 federal grant from the Department of Health and Human Services. The funding was used to coordinate early childhood educational opportunities for area kids. That same year, Johnson announced the Badlands Head Start would also receive funding to remodel the faculty.

Tim Works for Low-Income Tax Clinics:
In 2005, Tim announced that the Rural Alliance Incorporated and Technology for Rural Enhancement of Communities (TREC) would share $97,500 to host Low-Income Tax Clinics that help people understand their tax rights and responsibilities as well as helps people file taxes. Both organizations are based in Nisland, South Dakota.

Tim Secures Funding for Newell Museum:
In 2000, Tim announced that the Newell Museum would receive $6,030 from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The funding was used to help improve collections and plan future events.

Tim Fights to Get a Weather Radio in Every Home
Tim forged a partnership between the National Weather Service and South Dakota Public Broadcasting to fit public broadcasting towers with weather radio transmitters. He went to the floor of the U.S. Senate and secured funding for those transmitters, as well as additional towers to carry the alert broadcasts throughout South Dakota.
More than 95 percent of South Dakotans are now covered by the early warning system. Homes and businesses with working weather radios in these areas will be alerted when a damaging storm approaches their area, even if it comes in the middle of the night while they sleep, or during a power outage.