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Historic place

Rochford (mining town)

Rochford (off FS Rd 17), Hill City, SD

Discovered by accident when three Deadwood hunters stumbled on gold-bearing rock in 1876, Rochford grew to around 1,000 people at its peak and is now kept alive by a single saloon serving burgers out of a 1910 building.

📅 1878–present🏛️ Ghost TownStill hereBuilt 1878
Open on the mapSlide back to 1878

The story

In August 1876, three men from Deadwood — M.D. Rochford, Richard Hughes, and William Van Fleet — were hunting, not prospecting, when they found gold-bearing rock on Montezuma Hill. The town was laid out in May 1878; by that December about 500 lived there permanently with hundreds more in tents, plus two hotels, a theater, and a sawmill. Unusually for a mining camp, it had a reputation for being peaceful. As the ore played out the population collapsed to 48 by 1900. A small community survives today, sustained by the Moonshine Gulch Saloon.

Everything that was here

Did you know?

Rochford was found by accident — three men were hunting, not prospecting.
Despite the lawless reputation of nearby Lead and Deadwood, Rochford was known for being peaceful.
The Moonshine Gulch Saloon occupies a 1910 building that was also a livery stable, pool hall, and barber shop.

Connected places

Historic Franklin Hotel

Deadwood, SD
Deadwood

Cheyenne Crossing Stage Stop

Lead, SD
Deadwood

Explore the full web of connections on the map.

Nearby history

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Nemo (Homestake timber camp)

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Cheyenne Crossing Stage Stop

21415 US Highway 14A · 22.5 km away
The last horse-change stop before the Cheyenne-to-Deadwood stagecoach made its final run into the gold camps is now a wo

Galena (silver camp)

Galena Rd (Bear Butte Creek) · 24.1 km away
Galena boomed as the Black Hills' first major silver camp — its Sitting Bull Mine alone produced over $750,000 in silver

The 1880 Train (Black Hills Central Railroad)

222 Railroad Ave · 24.4 km away
The oldest continuously operating standard-gauge steam railroad in America runs on tracks originally laid during the 189

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Sourceshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rochford,_South_Dakota