Johnson Siding

About Johnson Siding

Johnson Siding is a census-designated place in Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. The population as of the 2020 census was 614. It is an unincorporated community, and it is located in the Rimrock Area, approximately 10 miles west of Rapid City. Johnson Siding is surrounded by the Black Hills National Forest. It is the only significant business district in the Rimrock Area, with a general store, deli, casino, tavern, the Johnson Siding Volunteer Fire Department firehouse, the Rimrock Evangelical Free Church meetinghouse, and a community center. However, most inhabitants work in Rapid City or Deadwood.

Johnson Siding is named for a siding on the old Rapid City, Black Hills and Western Railroad (the Crouch Line) which ran up Rapid Creek between Rapid City and the Black Hills Highline at Mystic, which was originally constructed to serve the Johnson Sawmill, located a short distance upstream from the existing town.

Johnson Siding is located on South Dakota Highway 44 at the intersection of Norris Peak Road, a paved county road, which connects the Rapid Creek valley with the Box Elder Creek valley, and Nemo Road to the north.

Johnson Siding was the site of the political convention which first organized the South Dakota Libertarian Party in 1992, at which Costas "Gus" Hercules was nominated to the U.S. Senate. Johnson's Mill was also the head of the Hisega Flume, a wooden waterway constructed high on the south cliffs of the Rapid Creek canyon to supply a small hydroelectric plant at Big Bend near present-day Thunderhead Falls in the early 1900s, one of several National Engineering Landmarks in the Black Hills. This small Dakota Power plant delivered electricity to Rapid City until the community's needs out-grew the plant's capacity. It was shut down in the late 1930s. Dakota Power became a part of Black Hills Power and Light, eventually becoming Black Hills Corporation. A few remnants of the flume are still visible high on the south side of the canyon at the big curve of SD Highway 44 before one gets to Johnson Siding.

Text: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Johnson Siding weather: 7-day forecast

Source: National Weather Service (NOAA).

Live webcams in Johnson Siding

Webcams: Windy.com

Living in Johnson Siding

Median household income

$102,716

Median home value

$471,700

Median age

52.7

Map of Johnson Siding

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Johnson Siding Street View

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Johnson Siding, SD population

Johnson Siding had 614 residents in the 2020 Census.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Decennial Census.

Johnson Siding at a glance

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (Gazetteer, ZCTA), USGS GNIS, Wikidata.

Towns near Johnson Siding

• Blackhawk6.9 mi NE
• Colonial Pine Hills7.8 mi SE
• Summerset8.9 mi NE
• Wonderland Homes9.5 mi NE
• Piedmont9.8 mi N
• Rapid City11.0 mi E
• Hill City12.4 mi SW
• Keystone13.1 mi S
• Rapid Valley15.7 mi E
• Ashland Heights16.0 mi E
• Green Valley16.5 mi E
• Box Elder17.8 mi E

Straight-line distance between town centers.

Frequently asked questions about Johnson Siding