The Black Hills Region

Celebrate the final 4th of July of the 1920s in the Black Hills!

This fascinating two-sheet set, preserved in its original stiff blue paper envelope featuring the distinctive White Eagle Gasoline logo, provides a vibrant window into the zenith of interwar tourism in the Black Hills District. Published in 1929, the group represents one of the final independent marketing efforts of the White Eagle Oil and Refining Company prior to its 1930 acquisition by Socony (Standard Oil of New York).

While the region was marketed as ‘South Dakota’s Playground,’ the collection specifically highlights the Black Hills Round-Up at Belle Fourche. The included official program for July 4, 1929, offers a dense, contemporary look at the era’s rodeo culture, with events split between the ‘Track’ and ‘Arena.’ The schedule features a raw mix of Indian buck races, trick riding, and the high-profile (and culturally anomalous) Mexican Bull Fight. The heavy inclusion of Native American performances reflects the prevailing 1920s fascination with the “frontier” narrative.

The accompanying regional map, compiled by A.L. Langwith of Minneapolis, utilizes a legend of four line styles to distinguish between paved, gravel, improved dirt, and dirt surfaces. Bright red stars pinpoint White Eagle Service Stations. Of particular note is the labeling of Harney Peak; while the nearby Mount Rushmore project had been underway for two years, its absence as a primary label highlights the memorial’s status as a nascent project at the time of publication.