Hardy Guard Station

A Historic Place

The Hardy Guard Station was listed in October 2011 to the National Register of Historic Places.

The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of properties recognized by the Secretary of the Interior as having national, state or local importance in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, and culture.

The Guard Station consists of two log cabins, one log shop/garage, and two modern garages located on five acres of ponderosa pine forest in Lawrence County.

The station was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1936. The CCC company, 2759V, was organized on July, 10 1934 and it was comprised only of World War I veterans. By the end of July, new enrollees had filled out the company to 200 strong.

Company 2759V stationed out of Camp F-20, Park Creek (Galena) played a major role in the construction of the Hardy Guard Station. Company 2759V’s major work in 1936 was tree thinning, truck trail construction, roadside cleanup, spring development and tree planting, but they also built the ranger stations at Rochford and Hardy in 1936 and Sundance, Wyoming in 1937. These projects were completed in addition to other duties as assigned, such as fighting forest fires as needed.

The CCC made a tremendous impact on the Black Hills. The projects of the CCC put thousands of young men to work improving public lands. These projects also taught the enrollees trades and skills that helped them get jobs after their time with the CCC. The Hardy Guard Station reflects the quality and hard work of the men of the CCC.

The Hardy Guard Station is used by employees of the State of South Dakota in the winter to maintain the snowmobile trail. It is also used year-round for various activities by the Forest Service and State. The station is not open to the public.