Best kept secret between the Black Hills and Yellowstone Park!

Industry

Farmers and ranchers were not in this area long before the railroad and Midwest Oil followed in the early 1900's. Today, the farmers remain growing lots of barley, sugar beets and alfalfa. Ranchers with cattle and sheep (who now live peacefully together) and the railroad still remain. Newer industries have followed including two bentonite plants. .

 

 

The railroad began as the CB&Q here and later merged with several other railroads, becoming the Burlington Northern in the 70's then merging yet again with the Santa Fe. Today the BNSF can be heard chugging through our town picking up bentonite, a locally mined clay with over 1000 uses! Two major plants just north of town, M-I Drilling and Wyo-Ben, mine this clay which is used mostly in commercial drilling, but can also be found in toothpaste, cat litter, and yes cosmetics !