Gregory is located at the junction of US Hwy 18 & 47 in south central South Dakota. Gregory is perhaps best known for its pheasant population and hunting opportunities. The Missouri River a mere 30-minute drive away, attracting many fishing, boating, and camping enthusiasts. The hospitality and service-oriented people of the community continued to cater to the residents of the area. Honest, hard-working people continue to make up the core of the area’s population, making Gregory today a tremendous place to live and grow.
History
As the United States was racing into the 20th century, Gregory County was part of the “Last Frontier” opened to settlers. The Arikara and Ree Indians had long since vanished. The Sioux, who roamed the area since the mid 1800’s, had been regulated to the Rosebud, Pine Ridge, Cheyenne, Standing Rock and Lower Brule reservations, and and ambitious congressmen had persuaded President Roosevelt to open the territory for settlement. On May 15, 1904, western Gregory County was opened for settlement. Registration was held throughout the month of July, and on the 28th of that month, 2,600 land seekers received their 160 acre tracts. By June 23, 1905, Gregory was boasting 250 buildings and 500 inhabitants that filled an area which consisted of four surveyor’s holes and a stake the August before.
Some of businesses included two banks, two hardware stores, a meat market, two lumber companies, three hotels, a restaurant, a grocery, a furniture store, a pool hall, a photographer’s studio, a drug store, two newspapers, three livery barns and three blacksmith and machine shops. The community also had a public school with 56 pupils. By the end of 1908, the great registration for the Tripp County lands was on, and fifteen regular trains arrived daily in Gregory packed with passengers.
Recreation / Community Activities
Over the past few years, many improvements have been put into the city parks by the parks committee and Gregory’s Community Sunshine Club, Pheasant Park, and the Main Street Park. The city park hosts many wonderful additions including a gazebo east of the ball diamond, flower beds, concrete picnic tablesand benches, and an American Legion Memorial. The city park also sports horse-shoe pits, playground equipment, tennis courts, twin swimming pools with a newly installed slide and a ball diamond, with a recently grassed infield. A new Disc Golf Course is located on the northeast side of the Gregory City Park.
Contact Information
- 120 W 6th St, Gregory, SD 57533
- Phone: 605-835-8270
- Email: [email protected]
Source: City of Gregory
