Sioux National Forest Explained

Sioux National Forest was a National Forest (NF) established by Executive Order 908 (President Theodore Roosevelt) on July 1, 1908. The order called for the consolidation of the following national forests and forest units into a single entity: ^[1]

• Ekalaka National Forest, Carter County, Montana 45.825°N -104.4597°W, 33808acres ^{[2] [3]}
• Long Pine National Forest, Carter County, Montana 45.6889°N -104.2283°W, 111445acres ^[4]
• Cave Hills National Forest, Harding County, South Dakota, 23360acres
  • North Cave Hills, Harding County, South Dakota 45.8325°N -103.4708°W ^[5]
  • South Cave Hills, Harding County, South Dakota 44.7431°N -103.5411°W ^[6]
• Short Pine National Forest, Harding County, South Dakota, (19040acres ^[7]
  • East Short Pine Hills, Harding County, South Dakota 45.3731°N -103.6983°W ^[8]
  • West Short Pine Hills, Harding County, South Dakota 45.3836°N -103.8903°W ^[9]
• Slim Buttes National Forest, Harding County, South Dakota 45.4892°N -103.1903°W, 58160acres ^[10]

In addition to these national forests and forest units, a parcel of land completely surrounding the Chalk Buttes mountain range in Carter County, Montana was also included:^[11]

• Chalk Buttes, Carter County, Montana 45.7342°N -104.6864°W, 3840acres ^[12]

With these eight land units, the Sioux National Forest comprised 249653acres.

Upon its inception in 1908, Seth Bullock, the first sheriff of Deadwood, South Dakota, was appointed supervisor of Sioux NF by President Theodore Roosevelt. (In 1900, during the McKinley administration, then-Vice President Roosevelt had appointed Bullock supervisor of the Black Hills Forest Reserve, which later became Black Hills National Forest.]

On January 13, 1920, Sioux NF was absorbed by Custer National Forest. Although the name Sioux was discontinued as a national forest designation, Custer NF created the Sioux District, which comprised the eight land units of the Sioux NF.

In 2014, Custer National Forest merged with Gallatin National Forest to form Custer Gallatin NF.^[13] Within this new entity, Custer NF’s Sioux District was replaced by the Custer Gallatin NF Sioux Ranger District,^[14] which encompasses the Chalk Buttes, Ekalaka Hills, Long Pines, North Cave Hills, South Cave Hills, East Short Pine Hills, West Short Pine Hills, and Slim Buttes land units.^[15]

See also

• List of forests in Montana

Notes and References

1. Forest History Society. Appendix I, Vol. II. Encyclopedia of American Forest and Conservation History, ed. Richard C. Davis, New York: Macmillan, 1983, pp. 743-88. “The National Forests of the United States” 29 September 2005. WebCite. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
2. Forest History Society. Appendix I, Vol. II. Encyclopedia of American Forest and Conservation History, ed. Richard C. Davis, New York: Macmillan, 1983, pp. 743-88. “The National Forests of the United States” 29 September 2005. WebCite. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
3. 799710. Ekalaka Hills.
4. 1688744. Long Pines.
5. 1256735. North Cave Hills.
6. 1258170. South Cave Hills.
7. 1254859. East Short Pine Hills.
8. 1254859. East Short Pine Hills.
9. 1258920. West Short Pine Hills.
10. 1262433. Slim Buttes.
11. Sevling, L.W. “Quotes from the Custer Forest Files.” Early Days in the Forest Service. Vol. 3. United States Forest Service 15 October 2010. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
12. 769741. Chalk Buttes.
13. Lundquist, Laura. “Custer and Gallatin Forests Finalize Merger.” Bozeman Chronicle 14 November 2014. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
14. Web site: Sioux Ranger District. Custer Gallatin National Forest. 16 December 2020.
15. Web site: Forest Visitor Maps. Custer Gallatin National Forest. 16 December 2020.