08/21/2026
Every year that I come to South Dakota for my seasonal job, I always ride the 1880 Train in Hill City. It’s such a wonderful, peaceful ride through the countryside. I love trains, especially antique trains. The train is steam powered and was originally built to serve the mining operations around the area. The cars have been refurbished to look like they did back in the 1800s.
The train runs from Hill City to Keystone and back to Hill City. You can take it one way or you can take it round-trip. I always take it round-trip. It creaks and groans as it goes along its route. It has a 6% grade going uphill from Hill City to Keystone, which is a pretty huge grade for a train.
When the train reaches Keystone, there isn’t a turnaround for the entire train. Instead, the locomotive is uncoupled from the train and moved onto a separate track that allows it to go around the train. It then comes back around and is coupled to the opposite end. So when the train heads back to Hill City, the locomotive is pulling from the other end of the train.
Every Sunday afternoon they do a Wild West shootout on the train, which is exciting for the children. Everyone is dressed in costumes. There is also a place to eat on the grounds in Hill City. It’s not a city restaurant—you sit under a big covered area with chairs and tables and can watch the train come in and go out. They have hot dogs, hamburgers and that kind of thing.
There’s also a train museum and a gift shop. On board, they serve snacks and drinks such as soda. You’re also given some history about the train, and they explain the different whistle blows, which are a form of Morse code.
I always enjoy my ride on the 1880 Train. There’s just something special about sitting back, listening to that old steam locomotive work its way through the Black Hills, and enjoying the scenery along the way.
