Belle Fourche is a city in and the county seat of Butte County, South Dakota. The name means "beautiful fork" in French, and it is the geographic center for all the states of the country taken together. It has a total area of 3.2 square miles. 0.1 square mile of the area is water, and the rest is land. It was established in the mid nineteenth century, and was popular initially for the fur trade, and then cattle shipping. The city was incorporated in 1903.

Agriculture, ranching, and retail trade are the major commercial activities here. The wool, cattle, and bentonite industries are significant contributors to the growth of the city. The city has two elementary, one middle and one public high school. Belle Fourche Municipal Airport is the local airport. The closest hopital is the Spearfish Regional Hospital, located about 13 miles away in Spearfish. The cost of living here is 16.10% lower than the country average.

This place gets about 16 inches of rain annually. The number of days with measurable precipitation is 79. Snowfall is about 35 inches annually.

Water, Water Everywhere … Part II

By:  Lee Ann Rush                                                     The topic is water; specifically, its availability to the public in light of Nestle CEO Peter Brabeck’s recent megalomaniacal assertion that people should only have access to water if they pay for it.  In a world where water shortages are reason for concern as demand begins to exceed supply, Brabeck’s plan..