Johnson Siding, South Dakota facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Johnson Siding, South Dakota
Onhson Siding
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 Johnson Siding, South Dakota
Location in South Dakota
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| Country | United States |
| State | South Dakota |
| County | Pennington |
| Elevation | 4,288 ft (1,307 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 614 |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| Area code(s) | 605 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2628846 |
Johnson Siding is a small community in Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. It's not an official town but a group of homes and businesses. In 2020, about 614 people lived there.
This community is located in the Rimrock Area. It is about 10 miles west of Rapid City. Johnson Siding is surrounded by the beautiful Black Hills National Forest.
It's the main business spot in the Rimrock Area. You can find a gas station, a general store, a deli, and a casino here. There's also the Johnson Siding Volunteer Fire Department and a community center. Most people who live here work in nearby Rapid City or Deadwood.
Contents
History of Johnson Siding
Johnson Siding got its name from a special spot on an old railroad line. This railroad was called the Rapid City, Black Hills and Western Railroad, also known as the Crouch Line. It ran along Rapid Creek between Rapid City and Mystic.
The railroad siding was built to serve the Johnson Sawmill. This sawmill was located a short distance upstream from where the community is today.
The Hisega Flume: An Engineering Marvel
Near Johnson Siding, there was once an amazing wooden waterway called the Hisega Flume. It was built high up on the cliffs of the Rapid Creek canyon. This flume helped supply water to a small power plant.
This plant, built in the early 1900s, generated electricity for Rapid City. It was one of several important National Engineering Landmarks in the Black Hills. The plant was shut down in the late 1930s when Rapid City needed more power than it could provide.
Today, you can still see some parts of the old flume. They are high on the south side of the canyon along South Dakota Highway 44.
Political Gathering
In 1992, Johnson Siding was the location for an important political meeting. This meeting was where the South Dakota Libertarian Party was first officially formed. At this event, a person named Costas "Gus" Hercules was chosen to run for the U.S. Senate.
Location and Roads
Johnson Siding is easy to find on South Dakota Highway 44. It's right where Highway 44 meets Norris Peak Road. Norris Peak Road is a paved county road. It connects the Rapid Creek valley with the Box Elder Creek valley. Nemo Road also goes north from here.
Climate
Johnson Siding has a type of weather called a dry-winter humid continental climate. This means it has cold, dry winters and warm summers. The weather can change a lot between seasons.
| Climate data for Johnson Siding, South Dakota, 1991–2020 normals: 4184ft (1275m) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 70 (21) |
71 (22) |
78 (26) |
82 (28) |
92 (33) |
101 (38) |
106 (41) |
100 (38) |
96 (36) |
87 (31) |
78 (26) |
72 (22) |
106 (41) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 61.9 (16.6) |
60.7 (15.9) |
66.7 (19.3) |
75.6 (24.2) |
84.1 (28.9) |
91.9 (33.3) |
95.8 (35.4) |
94.4 (34.7) |
90.4 (32.4) |
81.6 (27.6) |
69.1 (20.6) |
59.8 (15.4) |
96.5 (35.8) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 39.2 (4.0) |
39.3 (4.1) |
47.9 (8.8) |
55.4 (13.0) |
64.2 (17.9) |
75.0 (23.9) |
82.8 (28.2) |
81.4 (27.4) |
73.4 (23.0) |
59.1 (15.1) |
47.6 (8.7) |
39.5 (4.2) |
58.7 (14.9) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 25.7 (−3.5) |
26.5 (−3.1) |
34.4 (1.3) |
42.1 (5.6) |
51.4 (10.8) |
61.1 (16.2) |
68.3 (20.2) |
66.6 (19.2) |
58.3 (14.6) |
45.4 (7.4) |
34.4 (1.3) |
26.6 (−3.0) |
45.1 (7.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 12.2 (−11.0) |
13.6 (−10.2) |
20.9 (−6.2) |
28.8 (−1.8) |
38.5 (3.6) |
47.3 (8.5) |
53.8 (12.1) |
51.8 (11.0) |
43.3 (6.3) |
31.6 (−0.2) |
21.2 (−6.0) |
13.6 (−10.2) |
31.4 (−0.3) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −10.5 (−23.6) |
−7.6 (−22.0) |
−2.2 (−19.0) |
11.5 (−11.4) |
24.2 (−4.3) |
35.5 (1.9) |
43.6 (6.4) |
42.0 (5.6) |
28.2 (−2.1) |
15.6 (−9.1) |
2.7 (−16.3) |
−8.1 (−22.3) |
−17.3 (−27.4) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −23 (−31) |
−32 (−36) |
−19 (−28) |
−3 (−19) |
17 (−8) |
31 (−1) |
39 (4) |
35 (2) |
20 (−7) |
3 (−16) |
−9 (−23) |
−22 (−30) |
−32 (−36) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.39 (9.9) |
0.52 (13) |
0.91 (23) |
2.42 (61) |
4.21 (107) |
3.56 (90) |
3.48 (88) |
2.14 (54) |
1.37 (35) |
1.57 (40) |
0.56 (14) |
0.45 (11) |
21.58 (545.9) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 6.2 (16) |
6.8 (17) |
10.0 (25) |
10.6 (27) |
2.3 (5.8) |
0.2 (0.51) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.9 (2.3) |
4.3 (11) |
5.3 (13) |
6.0 (15) |
52.6 (132.61) |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: XMACIS (1995-2010 snowfall, records & monthly max/mins) | |||||||||||||
See also
In Spanish: Johnson Siding para niños
