Sunday, I had the opportunity to attend the City of Custer’s 150th birthday celebration, a significant milestone! The event was held at the 1881 Courthouse Museum. There was birthday cake, an arrowhead treasure hunt for the kids, a historical walking tour, live music, lots of yard games and activities for everyone to enjoy. It was an afternoon filled with history, stories and a lot of community fun.
As the 85th year of Sturgis comes to an end and the crowds begin to subside, it was a special time to come together, reconnect and visit with neighbors and friends. Custer is a very special community, filled with amazing people and that was on full display for all to see.
At the celebration, I began to think about the upcoming 250th celebration of our nation’s founding and realized that it was only 100 years after the founding of the United States, that settlers had already made their way to the Black Hills. Of course, I am sure that the rumors of gold being discovered in the hills probably helped to motivate them to make the journey.
Just think about it. The Oregon Trail was 2,500 to 3,000 miles from Independence, Mo., to Oregon and then on to California. Wagon trains only traveled 10-20 miles per day depending on terrain, weather and the health of the people and livestock. Most of the people that made the journey were younger people from all walks of life—shop keepers, farmers, preachers, teachers, inventors, etc., who knew that when they said goodbye to their parents and family members, they would never see them again. That takes a brave person with determination to make that journey and establish the city named Custer.
Custer County was created in 1875 by one commissioner from Custer City, one from Yankton and one from Hayward and organized in 1877. To this day, Custer is made up of people who love their community and their neighbors, and on Sunday they all showed up to celebrate this milestone together.
As the United States is preparing for its 250th birthday celebration, with a grand plan that includes a massive fireworks display at Mount Rushmore, events at the White House as well as festivities across America, let’s revisit our nation’s history and how blessed we are to live in America. We need to start having some serious conversations with our children, families and friends about what it means to be an American. We can do a much better job of that.
On July 4, 2026, we will have the privilege of coming together and celebrating our freedom, our founding father’s wisdom and execution of the Declaration of Independence, but most importantly, representing and celebrating the lives of the people who came before us and paid, in some cases, the ultimate price for our freedom.
