On the night of June 9, 1972, many parts of the Black Hills received nearly 15 inches of rain which resulted in flooding unprecedented in modern history. In Rapid City, the areas along Rapid Creek saw the tragic loss of 238 lives and thousands of people were injured and displaced. Homes were damaged or destroyed. Streets, bridges, buildings, trees and other property were destroyed. After cleaning the flood damage, a greenway was established to prevent building within the floodplain. The greenway includes parks, ball fields, soccer fields, volleyball, disk golf and a hiking/biking path. This hiking/biking path extends from the Cleghorn Fish Hatchery on the west, to the Star of the West complex on the east. In 2012, the 40th anniversary of the flood, fourteen informational panels were placed along the path. These panels provide much information about the effects of the flood.
This series of caches starts at the west end of Rapid City and takes you along the hiking/biking path in the same direction that the flood took. You may bicycle or hike from one end to the other, or you may park at any of the several parking areas along the way. The caches are adjacent to the path and will be a short distance, in most cases, from parking.
More information about the flood may be found at http://www.rapidcitylibrary.org/lib_info/1972Flood/index.asp
There are signs along the way that state that rattlesnakes have been seen in the area, so please use caution.