Basic Information
- Type of Place
- Independent City or Town
- Metro Area
- Politics c. 1860?
- Don’t Know
- Unions, Organized Labor?
- Don’t Know
Sundown Town Status
- Sundown Town in the Past?
- Possible
- Was there an ordinance?
- Perhaps, Some Oral Evidence
- Sign?
- Don’t Know
- Year of Greatest Interest
- Still Sundown?
- Probably Not, Although Still Very Few Black People
Census Information
| Total | White | Black | Asian | Native | Hispanic | Other | BHshld | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | ||||||||
| 1870 | ||||||||
| 1880 | ||||||||
| 1890 | ||||||||
| 1900 | ||||||||
| 1910 | ||||||||
| 1920 | ||||||||
| 1930 | ||||||||
| 1940 | ||||||||
| 1950 | ||||||||
| 1960 | ||||||||
| 1970 | ||||||||
| 1980 | ||||||||
| 1990 | 4335 | 19 | 4 | |||||
| 2000 | ||||||||
| 2010 | ||||||||
| 2020 |
Method of Exclusion
- Unknown
Main Ethnic Group(s)
- Unknown
Group(s) Excluded
- Black
Comments
Email 1/2008 – according to a former resident:
I used to work in Belle Fourche. There used to be an ordinance, and the KKK actually had a national rally there back in the 1950’s. I moved out of the area years ago but could probably call back and get specifics if you want them.
***
“What I know about the sundown laws [in Belle Fourche and Delmont] is an oral tradition that my parents told me as I grew up. It was generally acknowledged that blacks and Native Americans were not welcome in the town after sundown… Since there were never many blacks in SD (in fact I never saw a live one as a child, it was not until I entered the Army that I met any!), I don’t know why there was a perceived need for sundown laws. I do remember a lot of prejudice against Indians.”
-former Belle Fourche resident