Firesteel, South Dakota facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Firesteel, South Dakota
Unincorporated community
Firesteel, South Dakota Location in South Dakota
Country	United States
Indian Reservation	Cheyenne River Indian Reservation
State	South Dakota
County	Dewey
Founded	May 1910
Named for	Firesteel Creek
Elevation	2,352 ft (717 m)
Time zone	UTC-7 (Mountain Time Zone (MST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code	57633
Area code	605
GNIS feature ID	1255047

Firesteel (Lakota: Čhaȟlíok'e Otȟúŋwahe) is a small community in South Dakota, United States. It is located on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation in Dewey County. Firesteel is not an official town or city.

In the early 1900s, Firesteel was famous for its coal mining. Today, the government does not count how many people live there.

What's in a Name?

Firesteel got its name from a nearby stream called Firesteel Creek. The name comes from the Lakota language, which is spoken by the Lakota people. They named the creek because of the flint stones found along its banks.

Long ago, people would strike these flint stones against a piece of steel to create sparks and make fire. This is how the creek, and later the community, got its unique name.

Firesteel's Story

How Firesteel Started

Firesteel began in May 1910. It was first known as Firesteel Station. People started moving to the area because they heard a new town was being planned. However, no official town was ever set up.

In February 1911, a post office opened in Firesteel. Soon after, businesses began to appear. The first pieces of land were sold on September 4, 1912. The most expensive piece sold for $250.

Mining and Busy Times

Firesteel was the only place in South Dakota where people dug for coal. The first coal was found around 1907 or 1908 by W. Benoist and A. Traversie. They found it in a prairie dog town!

A large coal mine opened in 1911. At first, it was run by local people because building a railroad was too expensive. But during World War I, railroad costs dropped. This allowed the mine to sell coal to more places.

In 1929, the Firesteel Coal Company bought a new machine called a dragline. This machine made it possible to dig coal using a method called strip mining, which is a way of removing coal close to the surface.

During the Great Depression in 1933, the government opened another mine nearby. This was to help people get fuel more cheaply. But it closed in 1934 because buying coal was cheaper than digging it.

A company called Runkel Coal started in 1935. Their busiest time was from May 1941 to April 1942. During this year, they sold over 51,000 tons of coal! Many truckers helped move the coal from the mines to the trains.

In 1947, a new company called Dewey County Coal Company took over. They added a large machine called a tipple to load coal faster. One day, they loaded 552 tons of coal!

From the 1910s to the 1930s, Firesteel was a very important place for trade. It had a flour mill, a bank, many shops, and a school. It even had its own electricity plant that ran 24 hours a day. There were also 70 miles of telephone lines. Firesteel also had a stockyard, which made it a key spot for shipping livestock.

Decline and Today

Over time, new mining technology meant fewer workers were needed. Because of this, people started to leave Firesteel to find other jobs. The town began to shrink. Several fires also destroyed many businesses.

The coal mine closed in 1968. The school also closed around the same time.

Today, most people who live near Firesteel are farmers or ranchers. In 1991, a special marker was placed where the town used to be. It tells the story of Firesteel. You can also see a large bucket from the last digging machine, called the Monighan, next to the marker.

West of the town, you can still see piles of dirt left over from the mining, called spoil banks. Even though some people still live in the area, the main part of Firesteel is mostly empty. Many people now consider it a ghost town.

Where is Firesteel?

Firesteel is located in Dewey County. Its exact location is 45.4247065 degrees North and 101.2851477 degrees West. The community is about 2,352 feet above sea level.

Climate