Map of Buffalo Gap town, South Dakota

Buffalo Gap (Lakota: pté tȟathíyopa otȟúŋwahe; “buffalo gap village”) is a town in Custer County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 131 at the 2020 census.

Buffalo Gap town overview:
Name:	Buffalo Gap town
LSAD Code:	43
LSAD Description:	town (suffix)
State:	South Dakota
County:	Custer County
Elevation:	3,261 ft (994 m)
Total Area:	0.31 sq mi (0.79 km²)
Land Area:	0.31 sq mi (0.79 km²)
Water Area:	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²)
Total Population:	131
Population Density:	428.10/sq mi (165.50/km²)
Area code:	605
FIPS code:	4608340
GNISfeature ID:	1254122

Online Interactive Map

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Buffalo Gap online map. Source: Basemap layers from Google Map, Open Street Map (OSM), Arcgisonline, Wmflabs. Boundary Data from Database of Global Administrative Areas.

Buffalo Gap location map. Where is Buffalo Gap town?

Buffalo Gap location on the U.S. Map. Where is Buffalo Gap town. — Buffalo Gap location on the U.S. Map.

Buffalo Gap location on the South Dakota map. Where is Buffalo Gap town. — Location of Buffalo Gap in South Dakota.

History

A very old western South Dakota town, Buffalo Gap was founded in 1877. By 1885, it was a railroad spur for the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad line, with more than 1,200 residents. Today, the town has about 180 residents.

In its early years it was one of the largest towns in South Dakota, but it received the same fate as many other towns of that era. A resident’s cow kicked over a lantern and it burned the town to the ground, as happened with the Great Chicago Fire and many others. The town never fully recovered and was never rebuilt to its former grandeur.

The name comes from a gap to the west of town that sheltered buffalo herds in earlier times. Although Buffalo Gap burned down several times, there are a number of historic buildings still standing. Located on State Hwy 79 between Hermosa and Hot Springs, Buffalo Gap intersects with County Road 656, an “off the beaten path” that travelers can take into the Buffalo Gap National Grasslands, Badlands National Park and the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation

Part of the action of the French book La Brèche aux buffles takes place in Buffalo Gap.