Sturgis Hillside Sign, South Dakota Postcard

"Sturgis Hillside Sign, South Dakota" by Catherine Sherman. Sighting the Sturgis sign on the hillside over the city was one of my thrills when I was a child visiting my grandparents at their hotel in Sturgis, South Dakota, which is on the northeastern edge of the Black Hills. I never got a close look at the sign. I always thought that the words were spelled out in white rocks, and they might have been at one time, but this photo seems to show words formed in concrete. It is situated in a clearing in the evergreen trees and below a rocky ledge. Sturgis is notable as the location of one of the largest annual motorcycle events in the world. The 10-day event begins on the first Friday of August. Motorcycle enthusiasts from around the world migrate to this town during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. Despite my many visits to Sturgis, I've never been there during the rally. Sturgis was founded in 1878. It was originally named Scooptown, because many of the residents "scooped up" their pay from nearby Fort Meade. My father played on the Sturgis High School basketball team called the Scoopers. The town's name was later changed to Sturgis in honor of the Civil War Union General Samuel D. Sturgis. It is the county seat of Meade County.