Sheridan Lake, a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

, is located on Spring Creek in

Pennington County, South Dakota Pennington County is a county in the U.S. state of South Dakota. As of the 2020 census, the population was 109,222, making it the second-most populous county in South Dakota. Its county seat is Rapid City. The county was created in 1875, and wa ...

. Built over the site of Sheridan, the first county seat, it is owned and operated by the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency in ...

and is one of the recreational areas of the

Black Hills National Forest Black Hills National Forest is located in southwestern South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming, United States. The forest has an area of over 1.25 million acres (5,066 km²) and is managed by the Forest Service. Forest headquarters are locate ...

Overview

Sheridan Dam was built in 1939 as an earthen structure, tall with a length of at its crest. The maximum capacity of the reservoir is , and the normal storage is . Facilities include a marina, improved swimming beach, campground and group campground on the North Shore; campgrounds and swimming beach on the South Shore; and various picnic and overlook areas. The dam across Spring Creek is very small and accessible only on foot. Lake water levels remain constant since the lake is not used for flood control or irrigation. Sheridan Lake is accessible via U.S. Route 385 north from

Hill City, South Dakota Hill City is the oldest existing city in Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 872 at the 2020 census. Hill City is located southwest of Rapid City on U.S. Highway 16 and on U.S. Route 385 that connects Deadwood t ...

and Three Forks or south from

Lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

and Deadwood, or through a scenic route via Sheridan Lake Drive, a paved county highway, from

Rapid City Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...

References

External links

* {{authority control Black Hills Reservoirs in South Dakota Protected areas of Pennington County, South Dakota Black Hills National Forest Bodies of water of Pennington County, South Dakota