There's a little peak in the Black Hills that contains some mighty big history. It is sometimes called Piedmont Butte (so says the U.S. Geological Survey) and sometimes Miller's Peak (so named by old-timers after a nearby homestead).
On the butte's slopes scientist uncovered the fossilized bones of a new species of dinosaur. John Honerkamp's book At the Foot of the Mountain details the discovery of the 50-ton prehistoric lizard. Excavation was preformed by Professor O.C. Marsh, a man associated with both Yale and the Smithsonian Institution. Marsh named his Piedmont beast as the "Barosaurus."
Several historic expeditions have passed within the shadow of Piedmont Butte. In 1857 Lt. Warren and party passed close to the butte while mapping the perimeter of the Black Hills. The 1,000-man Custer Expedition of 1874 exited the Hills where Elk Creek runs beside Piedmont Butte. A few months later the gold-seeking Gordon Party sneaked into the Hills past Piedmont Butte. They then camped a mile or so south of the peak.
In the early 1900's, Fort Meade's mounted troopers occasionally used the slopes on and around Piedmont Butte to practice maneuvers and mock cavalry charges. Early settlers found a fine petrified forest on the eastern slope, an attraction we now call the Black Hills Petrified Forest.
It's easy to see Piedmont Butte-look for the solitary peak that sits less than one mile east of I-90 at Piedmont. You'll be viewing a little mountain with a history to compare with Harney and other lofty peaks.
10/01/03