“Firesteel”

Firesteel takes its name from the nearby Firesteel Creek. The town, first known as ‘Firesteel Station’, was started in May of 1910 with the influx of settlers. Rumor had it an entire section was to be set aside for a government townsite, so many who had drawn low lottery numbers located in the area. But in fact no townsite was reserved.

Early businesses were built on the section line between the quarters of W.E. Coats and C.A. Golden. Coats was appointed postmaster in February of 1911. A lot sale was held on September 4, 1912, with the high lot going for $250.00.

Firesteel is best known for area coal mining. Its first known discovery was by A. Traversie and

W. Benoist in 1907 or 1908 after finding coal dust in prairie dog town on the NW ¼-7-17-23. Coal was mined commercially from 1911 to 1968. Unfair freight rates kept use local until after WWI when lower rates opened up wider markets. Mechanized stripping started in 1929 when Firesteel Coal Company used the first dragline. In 1933 the State Relief Agency operated a state owned mine 3/4 mile southwest of town to provide fuel for the needy. They closed March 17, 1934, when officials found they could by coal cheaper than mining it.

L.P. Runkel formed Runkel Coal in 1935. Runkel’s peak year was May 1941 to April 1942 when 51,743 tons were sold. During peak demand as many as 30 truckers were paid 35 cents a ton for loading and hauling from pits to railcars. Ben Dollarhide bought Runkel out in 1947 and formed Dewey County Coal Company. Dollarhide purchased a tracked shovel for filling trucks

in the large pit and a D-8 Cat to help strip overburden. He built a large tipple (machine for loading freight) to speed loading. A record 552 tons went through the tipple in one day. Spoil banks are visible west of town. The bucket displayed is from the last dragline, the Monighan. The town was also a bustling trade center through the teens, 1920’s and 1930’s. It boasted a bank, Holts’ flour mill, many business, 70 miles of rural telephone lines and a light plant provided 24 hour service. Stockyards next to the rail line enabled the town to serve as a major livestock shipping point. As coal mining was mechanized and less manual labor was required, Firesteel began to decline. Fires claimed many businesses and in the 1960’s the mine and the school both closed. Today most area residents are engaged in ranching and farming.

Erected in 1991 by the South Dakota State Historical Society and the Firesteel Jubilee Committee.

Dewey County, Hwy 20 - in Firesteel ?