With quaint and unassuming beauty, the Dalton Lake Pavilion rests within the rugged landscape of South Dakota’s Black Hills. The Dalton Lake Campground, a humble but welcoming camping area, was constructed between 1935-1936 by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees from Camp Este in Nemo, SD. In addition to creating recreational campsites in Dalton Lake Campground, the CCC also built several footbridges, the dam and reservoir (i.e. Dalton Lake), and the Dalton Lake Pavilion. There were also a handful of other CCC projects which are no longer extant, including a well and well house, a changing house, and even a three-level ski jump with a nearby warming hut. 

In its nearly 90-year lifetime, the Dalton Lake Campground has withstood many trials. Most notably, the campground was severely affected by floods in 1972, which largely destroyed the original CCC-era dam. The damn was rebuilt between 1972-1974. The Dalton Lake Pavilion withstood the floods, carrying on its historic legacy. The Dalton Lake Pavilion is distinct within the rustic style, likely unique to the Black Hills, or even to the Camp Este CCC-camp. The only other known CCC-era building with a similar style was a likely destroyed shelter from the former Spruce Tree Campground. 

The Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming have long been held sacred by the indigenous people of the area. Derived from the Lakota language, the words “Paha Sapa,” meaning “hills that are black,” honor the dark, pine-covered hills rising several thousand feet above the surrounding prairie. In 1868, the United States government pledged that the Black Hills area would be “set apart for the absolute and undisturbed use and occupation” of the Souix people, as part of the Great Souix Reservation. However, after gold was discovered in the area in 1874, the United States confiscated the land and threatened inhabitants with starvation. The ownership and legacy of the Black Hills is still of great national importance, and is the subject of important activism.  

Derived in 1897 as the Black Hills Forest Reserve, the now Black Hills National Forest was created as one of the preliminary preservation areas in the United States, after increased forest fires lead to legislation of the Timber Culture Act and Forest Reserve Act of 1891. The Dalton Lake Campground is a popular spot for fishing, hiking, and camping. The nearby Dalton Lake Trailhead provides access to the Centennial Trail which is open for hiking, horseback-riding and bicycling.