Spearfish County Courthouse

The Spearfish County Courthouse is a historic structure over a hundred years old, built of local fieldstone in an era when labor was cheap. Even though it is a big and majestic building, standing several stories tall, it was actually a little cramped, since the things that had to be done in the courthouse had expanded during the passing decades. Over the years several county functions had been moved to a newer building across the street.

The main courtroom was still large enough to serve the needs of the county. Although well maintained and neat, it bore the stamp of being as old as it was in a number of different ways. Most importantly, the seats in the courtroom were hard wooden benches that made the most severe church pew seem comfortable. It was how things had been done when the building was built, and over the decades no one had ever really seen the need to depart from tradition in spite of complaints ranging back over a century.^BOF23

The county sheriff's office and jail were next door.^OC1

The probation office was in the courthouse.^OC1 Community service crews met at the courthouse to get their assignments.^OC10