Lemmon Chamber of Commerce | Black Hills & Badlands

Lemmon Chamber of Commerce

Find Us:

100 3rd. St. West

Lemmon, SD 57638

Email:

Contact person by email

Call:

(605) 374-5716

Learn More:

lemmonsd.com

Get Directions

Find your path in…Lemmon, South Dakota

Lemmon is a lively and safe community in South Dakota, with a population of about 1200 people. Embedded in Perkins County, Lemmon is full of career opportunities, plenty of recreation areas and activities to be found; Lemmon is a growing town. Founded by George Ed Lemmon in 1907, the community and surrounding areas are steeped in Western history, from the Native American's times on the plains to the settlers and cowboys that grazed their cattle here.

Dining

Tour Information

THINGS TO DO AND SEE

LOCAL PARKS AND PLAYGROUNDS
LEMMON PUBLIC COUNTRY CLUB
LEMMON TRAP AND SKEET RANGE
LEMMON SWIMMING POOL (SEASONAL)
LEMMON PETRIFIED WOOD PARK AND MUSEUM

Built in Lemmon, South Dakota; The Petrified Wood Park is the largest petrified wood park in the world. The park itself is filled with locally gathered petrified wood formations, and other geological specimens of interest. The park also hosts a free museum, itself constructed out of petrified wood that is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day!

GRAND RIVER MUSEUM

Local, World renowned Hybrid Scrap Metal Artist’s Triceratops On Hwy 12, right in front of the museum!

The Grand River Museum is located right off of Highway 12 as you're driving through town. Home to a wealth of paleontology displays including real fossils and a viewing window to a preparation room where fossils from local dig sites are cleaned, prepared and documented. The museum also has great displays on Native American history, the Old West and the cowboys, immigrants and others who made Lemmon what it is today.

THE "BOSS COWMAN" SQUARE

The "Boss Cowman" Square located on Main Ave. is Lemmon's newest attraction.

Sculpted by local artist John Lopez the sculpture features many items unique to G.E."Dad" Lemmon and Lemmon itself. You can find horseshoes, spurs, knife, and Army Colt .45 pistol, a bronze long horn head and many other memorabilia items from the local community.

A mural is also painted on the north side of the "Kokomo Inn" by Nigerian artists Dontun Popoola and Jonathan Imafidor. It is 150 feet long and 15 feet high and is a lasting image to G.E. "Dad" Lemmon, the founder of Lemmon.

Also part of the square is dedicated to the past "Boss Cowman." A bronze plaque of each "Boss Cowman" is placed on a wall at the East end of the square.

As a lasting legacy you can purchase a brick. The bricks will be placed on the walking area of the square. You may have your name or the name of a loved one on the brick.

For more of John Lopez’s Work, Please see his Website: http://www.johnlopezstudio.com/boss-cowman-square

LEMMON REC BOWLING ALLEY

Not just a bowling alley; They offer Pool, Darts, Trophy and plaque engraving! Also have a celebration coming up? Book your Birthday Party, Family reunions, Class reunions, graduations, Weddings and any Banquets!

PALACE MOVIE THEATER

Come and enjoy the wonderful experience of the Palace Theater! Movie showings every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 8:00!

SHADE HILL RESERVOIR

Just 12 miles south of Lemmon is the beautiful Shadehill Reservoir. With almost 100 miles of coastline, great views, fishing, and both primitive camping spots, RV hookups and cabin rentals, Shadehill makes for a great weekend getaway!

MERRIMAN’S GROVE

Merriman’s Grove, A lovely place to Fish, Bird watch, ride Bike, or have a picnic!

THE GRAND RIVER AND CEDAR RIVER NATIONAL GRASSLANDS

WEBSITE about the Grasslands and Rivers: https://www.sdpb.org/blogs/arts-and-culture/landscapes-grand-river-natio...

CUSTER NATIONAL FOREST

Located almost an hour south of Lemmon, the Slim Buttes are an incredible place comparable to the Badlands of North Dakota and South Dakota. With incredible views, cow trails to take you on your own adventure, a national Monument memorializing past historical events, you will feel like you have stepped onto another planet all together!

BLACKTAIL TRAIL

Biking, Running and Hiking are a great way to make use of this trail, only a 20 minute drive from Lemmon.

Located 16 miles south of Lemmon, the Blacktail Trail is a 6.8 mile non-motorized trail for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. Visitors can enjoy the scenic beauty of the rolling hills, wooded draws, buttes, and badland outcrops. Fishing opportunities also await visitors at the trailhead! Stop by the Forest Service Office in Lemmon for more information.

LEMMON ICE SKATING RINK

Close to the North Park Here in Lemmon, around the end of October/Mid November, Depending on our weather we have a nice Ice Skating Rink that is Provided by our City of Lemmon workers. In the future, we plan on updating our warming shack, but the current one, does have a cite fireplace, and a few benches.

History

George Edward Lemmon was born at Bountiful, Utah, May 23rd 1857. He moved to Nebraska in 1866 with his parents and at the age of 13 he began the work which made up his career during a large portion of his life.

Nearly 75 years of activity on the cattle ranges of the western Great Plains from the Canadian border to Texas, the founding of this thriving city, many business enterprises and the creation and successful operation of far-flung ranch empires were crowed into his long colorful career.In the late 1870’s he came to the Black Hills, from there going to the northwestern section of South Dakota with his cattle outfits.

More can be learned of George Lemmon and his friendship with Theodore Roosevelt as well the town's early history at the Grand River Museum.

GEORGE LEMMON CIRCA EARLY 1900S

In the year 1902 he settled on the L-7 ranch, which was located near the present site of Lemmon. During that time land was plentiful and the L-7 leased 865,000 acres of land on the Standing Rock Reservation and enclosed it with standard three-wire fence, making it the largest fenced pasture in the world at the time.

THE OLD LEMMON SCHOOL HOUSE

Several years later Lemmon sold his interest in L-7, moving with the homesteaders to settle a new town after the Milwaukee Railroad had crossed the Missouri and moved westward.

On May 16, 1906 the land embraced in what is now the Original Town site of Lemmon, was scripted by Mr. Lemmon with “Santa Fe Railroad scrip” and this land was later conveyed to the Northwest Town Site Co., and by them platted in September 1907, and it was during the same time that “Tent Town”, or the beginning of this city, sprung up.

THE DEPOT CIRCA 1920

Due to the fact that Lemmon, also having in mind the route for the Milwaukee railroad from Missouri River to Lemmon when the company decided to build west, it was recommended by the vice president of the railroad that the proposed city be called “Lemmon”.

“Dad” Lemmon was one of the few remaining Texas trail drivers who made the delivery of herds from Texas to northern maturing ranges, these herds laying the foundation of the cattle industry in western South Dakota. His range life covers experiences in Wyoming, Nebraska, the Dakotas, Montana and Texas.

MAIN STREET

In 1958, Ed Lemmon was inducted into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It honors leading figures of the early west including former President Theodore Roosevelt, Will Rogers, “Buffalo Bill” Cody and other who have answered the “Last Roundup”.