Rapid City, South Dakota

Known as the "Gateway to the Black Hills" and the "Star of the West", Rapid City is situated on the eastern slope of the Black Hills in western South Dakota. It is the county seat of Pennington County and the second-largest city in South Dakota home to nearly 70,000 residents. Named after Rapid Creek on which the city is established, Rapid City is South Dakota's primary city for tourism and recreation offering a variety of shopping, dining, and attractions such as Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Crazy Horse Memorial, and Badlands National Park.

By 1900, Rapid City was a popular tourist destination and an important regional trade center for the upper Midwest. For much of the 20th century, Rapid City benefited from the Rapid City Army Air Base, later called Ellsworth Air Force Base, an Army Air Corps training base. Today, Rapid City's economy is diverse, but has only a moderate amount of heavy and medium industry. Of particular note, Rapid City is the center for the manufacture of Black Hills Gold, a popular product with tourists and Westerners alike. It is also the location of the only manufacturer of stamping machines used for the labeling of plywood and chipboard products. The largest sector of the Rapid City economy is government services, including local, state, and federal. Major employers in this sector include Ellsworth Air Force Base. Tourism remains a significant portion of Rapid City’s economy. Other economic sectors include financial services and investing companies.

We have confirmed that Rapid City, South Dakota has a number of jobsites where asbestos exposure occurred. Workers and others who have been exposed to asbestos may be at risk for developing malignant mesothelioma, a potentially terminal form of asbestos cancer. Mesothelioma lawyers may be able to give guidance if you were exposed to asbestos in Rapid City and then diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer.

Jobsites in Rapid City where Asbestos Exposure Occurred

A number of jobsites in Rapid City, SD have been identified as harboring asbestos containing materials. These sites, at one point in their history, were known to have exposed a variety of tradesmen to asbestos. We will be documenting in more detail how asbestos exposure occurred at these sites in the future on this web site.