Larry Larson, mayor of Box Elder, shares about the town’s origin.
"In the late 1800s, the present Box Elder area was only a fertile valley. It was a stop for the covered wagons and horsemen who made their way along the Ft. Pierre to Black Hills Stage and Wagon Road. Then, in 1907, the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad built its track from Wasta to Rapid City, stopping at a general store on the Box Elder Creek. With the Railroad came the first post office, which was located in the general store. This was the beginning of the present Box Elder. The creek name is a translation of the Sioux name, "Cun-suska Wakpala," applied to the stream because of the numerous box elder trees along the banks. And it was only logical that the town would be named Box Elder. It was years later, on September 29, 1964, that the area became an official city."
Dakota Life Greetings from Box Elder premieres on Thursday, November 21st at 8 PM Central (7 PM Mountain) on SDPB1, Facebook and YouTube. Stream the next day on the PBS App.,